Art Bead Scene: Ophelia

Ophelia: Rosemary is for remembrance, this is for you.
               Pansies are for thoughts, there you go.
               ...
               There's a fennel for you, and a columbines.
               There's a rue for you, and here is some for me.
               There's a daisy. I would give you some violets,
               but all of them withered when my father died...
~ Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 4, Scene 5


In researching this painting, I came to find that Ophelia is one of the most illustrated of all Shakespeare's characters and scenes. Most depictions show her as tragic, mad, and distraught. While Odilon Redon's painting hints at the tragedy that befalls this lady, it has a sense of peace about it.

For this month's Art Bead Scene challenge I decided to focus on the color palette, with the bright turquoise, buttery yellow, gray stone and black hair. Diving into my art bead stash, I found this beautiful glass bloom from Lisa Kan. The yellow stamens were the perfect way to tie in the yellow that is so prevalent in this painting.

To hint at the black of the hair and vines, I decided to string this bracelet on black leather cord. Some of the leaf beads are tied to the bracelet with the leather to suggest the dark tones. The round ceramic beads in grays and soft turquoise are like the pool of water with the stone bank surrounding it. I added some silver plated spacers and leaves as well as some Czech glass leaves for the botanicals.

{Ophelia available on Etsy}

In Victorian times, flowers were a language all their own known as floriography. Ophelia's descent into madness is punctuated by her speech before the King when she passes out flowers to the onlookers. Ophelia would have known that secret coded language and it allowed her to speak volumes without really saying a word. Flowers allowed her to speak her mind to the King and Queen without being direct as that would have been impolite and inappropriate for a courtesan such as her. But the message would have been loud and clear to the patrons of the Bard who came to view the play.

A bit about the language of flowers:

Rosemary = remembrance. Ophelia wants her brother Laertes to have fond memories of their father.

Pansy = pleasant thoughts, think of me. Similar to the Rosemary, pansies were given as a symbol that thoughts of the loved one were always near. Ophelia may be hinting to her brother of her imminent demise, to think of her fondly when she is gone.

Fennel = worthy of praise and flattery. When Ophelia hands these to the King, it is a pretty brash move. She is flattering him, but also reminding him that once picked, fennel wilts quickly and this would be a subtle reminder of the foolishness of male adultery.

Columbine = foolishness. Ophelia is reminding the King of his foolish ways.

Rue = regret, disdain. This is a bitter herb and she hands some to the Queen and some to herself. This would be an insult to the Queen by insinuating that there is some action for her to regret and not so subtly telling the Queen that she has contempt for her actions.

Daisy = innocence, simplicity, loyal love. When Ophelia views the daisy it is more with the sadness of knowing that she no longer is filled with innocence, that the events of the play and the relationships she had have stolen that simplicity from her.

Violets = love and faithfulness. This last bloom tells much of her allegiance to her father. She is faithful to his memory and his death has shaken her faith to the core.

Coded messages in flowers were very popular in Victorian times and it was a clever dramatic element to include them in the story. Ophelia does not choose these flowers randomly, and their symbolism is loud and clear to the King and Queen, allowing Ophelia to have the voice that she lacked even in this moment of madness.

Today, the language of flowers is alive and well, with many happy meanings. The recent wedding ceremony of Kate and William continues the tradition with a bouquet chosen specifically for their coded messages in flowers. Flowers such as lily of the valley, hyacinth and ivy were chosen to directly speak to each other of their love and constancy and also included a sprig of myrtle (emblem of marriage and love) that came directly from a plant that Queen Victoria enjoyed.

Your turn...

What message would you like to receive coded in flowers?

Do tell!

Enjoy the day!

Art Bead Scene: Ophelia

Ophelia: Rosemary is for remembrance, this is for you.
               Pansies are for thoughts, there you go.
               ...
               There's a fennel for you, and a columbines.
               There's a rue for you, and here is some for me.
               There's a daisy. I would give you some violets,
               but all of them withered when my father died...
~ Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 4, Scene 5


In researching this painting, I came to find that Ophelia is one of the most illustrated of all Shakespeare's characters and scenes. Most depictions show her as tragic, mad, and distraught. While Odilon Redon's painting hints at the tragedy that befalls this lady, it has a sense of peace about it.

For this month's Art Bead Scene challenge I decided to focus on the color palette, with the bright turquoise, buttery yellow, gray stone and black hair. Diving into my art bead stash, I found this beautiful glass bloom from Lisa Kan. The yellow stamens were the perfect way to tie in the yellow that is so prevalent in this painting.

To hint at the black of the hair and vines, I decided to string this bracelet on black leather cord. Some of the leaf beads are tied to the bracelet with the leather to suggest the dark tones. The round ceramic beads in grays and soft turquoise are like the pool of water with the stone bank surrounding it. I added some silver plated spacers and leaves as well as some Czech glass leaves for the botanicals.

{Ophelia available on Etsy}

In Victorian times, flowers were a language all their own known as floriography. Ophelia's descent into madness is punctuated by her speech before the King when she passes out flowers to the onlookers. Ophelia would have known that secret coded language and it allowed her to speak volumes without really saying a word. Flowers allowed her to speak her mind to the King and Queen without being direct as that would have been impolite and inappropriate for a courtesan such as her. But the message would have been loud and clear to the patrons of the Bard who came to view the play.

A bit about the language of flowers:

Rosemary = remembrance. Ophelia wants her brother Laertes to have fond memories of their father.

Pansy = pleasant thoughts, think of me. Similar to the Rosemary, pansies were given as a symbol that thoughts of the loved one were always near. Ophelia may be hinting to her brother of her imminent demise, to think of her fondly when she is gone.

Fennel = worthy of praise and flattery. When Ophelia hands these to the King, it is a pretty brash move. She is flattering him, but also reminding him that once picked, fennel wilts quickly and this would be a subtle reminder of the foolishness of male adultery.

Columbine = foolishness. Ophelia is reminding the King of his foolish ways.

Rue = regret, disdain. This is a bitter herb and she hands some to the Queen and some to herself. This would be an insult to the Queen by insinuating that there is some action for her to regret and not so subtly telling the Queen that she has contempt for her actions.

Daisy = innocence, simplicity, loyal love. When Ophelia views the daisy it is more with the sadness of knowing that she no longer is filled with innocence, that the events of the play and the relationships she had have stolen that simplicity from her.

Violets = love and faithfulness. This last bloom tells much of her allegiance to her father. She is faithful to his memory and his death has shaken her faith to the core.

Coded messages in flowers were very popular in Victorian times and it was a clever dramatic element to include them in the story. Ophelia does not choose these flowers randomly, and their symbolism is loud and clear to the King and Queen, allowing Ophelia to have the voice that she lacked even in this moment of madness.

Today, the language of flowers is alive and well, with many happy meanings. The recent wedding ceremony of Kate and William continues the tradition with a bouquet chosen specifically for their coded messages in flowers. Flowers such as lily of the valley, hyacinth and ivy were chosen to directly speak to each other of their love and constancy and also included a sprig of myrtle (emblem of marriage and love) that came directly from a plant that Queen Victoria enjoyed.

Your turn...

What message would you like to receive coded in flowers?

Do tell!

Enjoy the day!

Summer Escapes

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I was one of the fortunate recipients of the Chinook Jewelry design team challenge for this month. My friend Mellisa makes the most lovely pieces of ceramic art. Mini-masterpieces is what they are. They are so fine and delicate, but she assures me that they are very hearty indeed. I have always loved the architectural details on her pieces and her glazes are some of the best.

I put them in two spots on my Muffin Tin Challenge. I just got wind of this challenge from Heather Powers on Art Bead Scene yesterday so I am a bit behind, and I can assure you that I will NOT be completing 12 pieces before the 27th. That is crazy-talk. But I do like the idea of having some kick starts for my inspiration, or projects that I committed to right there in plain view. I cleared out these two pieces and already have replaced them with others. I think that I will continue to keep 12 pieces in rotation until I run out of beads or inspiration (that would be a never people! Do you remember what my stash from just THIS YEAR's Bead & Button looked like?).

Back to the projects...

The first piece I worked with is a sweet green button with the hint of an ancient floral pattern on it. I love the color of the glaze, somewhere between a sage and a teal. When I was at Bead & Button, one of the things I stocked up on were pewter components. Given the soaring price of silver, and the fact that I rarely work in sterling but like a little silver now and then, the options that were there were pretty comprehensive. In fact, I saw less of the real silver variety but plenty of shiny silver. They are getting much more fine and detailed in pewter designs these days. So don't be afraid to use them. Just be sure that you label them as such and charge appropriately.

I had this idea to use the bead caps I found without beads. I know, crazy-talk again. But I love the way these flower shapes match up with each other. But how to secure them? I had also bought a bunch of silk strands from Silk Painting is Fun and found a perfect match in my stash. But I didn't just want the green, and I needed another texture. Black leather cord it is! So I just wove this all together and tied some knots. When I got to the button, I flattened one of the bead caps slightly to sit better on the top. This is a two hole button but the holes are covered by the cap. And I love the echo of the floral pattern on the pretty Chinook button.

The other side was the problem. How to end? I thought of just tying this to a little bit of chain and then having a clasp. I just couldn't make the asymmetry work for me on this one. I knew I needed a buttonhole for the clasp and just started stringing 'E' beads and tying more knots. I like the extra texture these glass beads bring. If I were to do this over, I might add some of those glass beads into the design to pull them through.

I call this one "Summer Escape."

I see this as the perfect accompaniment to that little sundress and strappy sandals. Makes me wish that I had someplace fun to go during summer to escape the same old. Maybe I will wear it this weekend at the ballpark. Goes well with hot dogs and popcorn, don't you think?

I will admit that the second piece really stumped me.

Usually Mellisa has these really glossy finishes on her pieces. But this second piece was rough and matte instead of smooth and shiny. That worried me a bit, but I found that it was surprisingly soft to wear. This piece really has the look of some old crumbling Italian villa about it. Or maybe some piece of pottery unearthed at an ancient excavation. The earthy palette is one that is totally in my wheelhouse. And since I am longing for an escape, why not dream big of a villa in Tuscany?

I found a connector from the Vintaj Arte Metal line. What is really cool about these is the finish. It is like blackened steel. But the really fun part is that you can sand and buff them to bring out the highlights like I did here (although it is a bit hard to see at this angle). I found that the pattern complimented the ceramic pendant perfectly.

To add more of that black steel color, I found some chain in my vast bins. And the sandy brown color of the pendant is echoed in the leopard skin jasper twisted tubes. I love that shape as it implies movement. I also brought in a complimentary color in the rust/burgundy of the pearls and the Czech glass rondelles from Raven's Journey. I needed something to balance out the chain, so I added a few links of patterned antique silver large links for some interest. I finished with a clasp I made inspired by what I recently read in the neqw book Handcrafted Wire Findings. This book is SO worth it! I will be using it a lot in the future.

I call this one "Tarquinia." Because I think that and Etrsuscan escape would be the ultimate.

These are both for sale in my Etsy shop.

Thank you to Mellisa for letting me play with her stunning components. She offers so many choices in her shop. Do go and show her some love and tell her Erin sent you. ;-)

Your turn...
Do you prefer your ceramic glazed or naked? 
Do you like shiny or rough as a texture in your designs? What about mixing them?
If you were to escape someplace this summer, where would you go?
Do tell!

Enjoy the day!

Summer Escapes

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I was one of the fortunate recipients of the Chinook Jewelry design team challenge for this month. My friend Mellisa makes the most lovely pieces of ceramic art. Mini-masterpieces is what they are. They are so fine and delicate, but she assures me that they are very hearty indeed. I have always loved the architectural details on her pieces and her glazes are some of the best.

I put them in two spots on my Muffin Tin Challenge. I just got wind of this challenge from Heather Powers on Art Bead Scene yesterday so I am a bit behind, and I can assure you that I will NOT be completing 12 pieces before the 27th. That is crazy-talk. But I do like the idea of having some kick starts for my inspiration, or projects that I committed to right there in plain view. I cleared out these two pieces and already have replaced them with others. I think that I will continue to keep 12 pieces in rotation until I run out of beads or inspiration (that would be a never people! Do you remember what my stash from just THIS YEAR's Bead & Button looked like?).

Back to the projects...

The first piece I worked with is a sweet green button with the hint of an ancient floral pattern on it. I love the color of the glaze, somewhere between a sage and a teal. When I was at Bead & Button, one of the things I stocked up on were pewter components. Given the soaring price of silver, and the fact that I rarely work in sterling but like a little silver now and then, the options that were there were pretty comprehensive. In fact, I saw less of the real silver variety but plenty of shiny silver. They are getting much more fine and detailed in pewter designs these days. So don't be afraid to use them. Just be sure that you label them as such and charge appropriately.

I had this idea to use the bead caps I found without beads. I know, crazy-talk again. But I love the way these flower shapes match up with each other. But how to secure them? I had also bought a bunch of silk strands from Silk Painting is Fun and found a perfect match in my stash. But I didn't just want the green, and I needed another texture. Black leather cord it is! So I just wove this all together and tied some knots. When I got to the button, I flattened one of the bead caps slightly to sit better on the top. This is a two hole button but the holes are covered by the cap. And I love the echo of the floral pattern on the pretty Chinook button.

The other side was the problem. How to end? I thought of just tying this to a little bit of chain and then having a clasp. I just couldn't make the asymmetry work for me on this one. I knew I needed a buttonhole for the clasp and just started stringing 'E' beads and tying more knots. I like the extra texture these glass beads bring. If I were to do this over, I might add some of those glass beads into the design to pull them through.

I call this one "Summer Escape."

I see this as the perfect accompaniment to that little sundress and strappy sandals. Makes me wish that I had someplace fun to go during summer to escape the same old. Maybe I will wear it this weekend at the ballpark. Goes well with hot dogs and popcorn, don't you think?

I will admit that the second piece really stumped me.

Usually Mellisa has these really glossy finishes on her pieces. But this second piece was rough and matte instead of smooth and shiny. That worried me a bit, but I found that it was surprisingly soft to wear. This piece really has the look of some old crumbling Italian villa about it. Or maybe some piece of pottery unearthed at an ancient excavation. The earthy palette is one that is totally in my wheelhouse. And since I am longing for an escape, why not dream big of a villa in Tuscany?

I found a connector from the Vintaj Arte Metal line. What is really cool about these is the finish. It is like blackened steel. But the really fun part is that you can sand and buff them to bring out the highlights like I did here (although it is a bit hard to see at this angle). I found that the pattern complimented the ceramic pendant perfectly.

To add more of that black steel color, I found some chain in my vast bins. And the sandy brown color of the pendant is echoed in the leopard skin jasper twisted tubes. I love that shape as it implies movement. I also brought in a complimentary color in the rust/burgundy of the pearls and the Czech glass rondelles from Raven's Journey. I needed something to balance out the chain, so I added a few links of patterned antique silver large links for some interest. I finished with a clasp I made inspired by what I recently read in the neqw book Handcrafted Wire Findings. This book is SO worth it! I will be using it a lot in the future.

I call this one "Tarquinia." Because I think that and Etrsuscan escape would be the ultimate.

These are both for sale in my Etsy shop.

Thank you to Mellisa for letting me play with her stunning components. She offers so many choices in her shop. Do go and show her some love and tell her Erin sent you. ;-)

Your turn...
Do you prefer your ceramic glazed or naked? 
Do you like shiny or rough as a texture in your designs? What about mixing them?
If you were to escape someplace this summer, where would you go?
Do tell!

Enjoy the day!

May Art Bead Scene Challenge

 "To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment."  ~Jane Austen

This month's painting was Cache-Cache by Berthe Morisot.

I love this painting with its quaint little village in the distance, the fun that the mother and daughter are having, the ruffly umbrella and the peek of sky in the clouds. But I will admit that the color palette stumped me a bit.

I am drawn to the dark green and the pops of red, so that is what I pulled out first. Green goldstone is one of my favorites, with its flashes of sparkle in the right light. The red blooms on the tree were the red velvet glass rondelles. To repeat the oval pattern I pulled in some great hammered oval chain. I am hoarding the last foot and a half that I have of it, I love it so. I needed to pull the greens into the piece. I found this Mary Harding toggle that was perfect in tone. I added the goldstone into it, and raided my stash of silks from Marsha Neal and came upon these different shades of green. I decided to wrap the links. No other embellishment is needed to highlight the toggle by Mary. And the best part is that you can wear it any which way...with the toggle in front, or off to one side, depending on what you feel like.

I call this necklace "Seeking Solitude."

I really loved the little village in the background of the painting, so I decided to do one more. I happened to find a pair of little house beads that I believe are from Jubilee that was a perfect match. I used the same green goldstone this time paired with cranberry colored pearls and brass bead caps. I have these funky marquise shaped links from GemmeTresor. I decided to use the same seed beads in the beaded part to wire wrap the links just for interest and to tie in the beading wrapped on the hook clasp.

I call this bracelet "Finding My Home."

Be sure to stop over to the Art Bead Scene on May 31st for the monthly Blog Tour that I host rounding up all the fabulous pieces that were inspired by this months' art.

(And I will also be announcing the ONE WINNER of the HUGE BEADS 2011 GIVEAWAY at the end of that post! Someone will be very lucky indeed!)

Enjoy the day!

May Art Bead Scene Challenge

 "To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment."  ~Jane Austen

This month's painting was Cache-Cache by Berthe Morisot.

I love this painting with its quaint little village in the distance, the fun that the mother and daughter are having, the ruffly umbrella and the peek of sky in the clouds. But I will admit that the color palette stumped me a bit.

I am drawn to the dark green and the pops of red, so that is what I pulled out first. Green goldstone is one of my favorites, with its flashes of sparkle in the right light. The red blooms on the tree were the red velvet glass rondelles. To repeat the oval pattern I pulled in some great hammered oval chain. I am hoarding the last foot and a half that I have of it, I love it so. I needed to pull the greens into the piece. I found this Mary Harding toggle that was perfect in tone. I added the goldstone into it, and raided my stash of silks from Marsha Neal and came upon these different shades of green. I decided to wrap the links. No other embellishment is needed to highlight the toggle by Mary. And the best part is that you can wear it any which way...with the toggle in front, or off to one side, depending on what you feel like.

I call this necklace "Seeking Solitude."

I really loved the little village in the background of the painting, so I decided to do one more. I happened to find a pair of little house beads that I believe are from Jubilee that was a perfect match. I used the same green goldstone this time paired with cranberry colored pearls and brass bead caps. I have these funky marquise shaped links from GemmeTresor. I decided to use the same seed beads in the beaded part to wire wrap the links just for interest and to tie in the beading wrapped on the hook clasp.

I call this bracelet "Finding My Home."

Be sure to stop over to the Art Bead Scene on May 31st for the monthly Blog Tour that I host rounding up all the fabulous pieces that were inspired by this months' art.

(And I will also be announcing the ONE WINNER of the HUGE BEADS 2011 GIVEAWAY at the end of that post! Someone will be very lucky indeed!)

Enjoy the day!

Riding the Wave

"I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky; and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by." ~John Masefield

The challenge for August for the Art Bead Scene is a beautiful woodcut print, Kanagawa oki nami ura (Great Wave off of Kanagawa) by Hokusai Katsushiki. And this tsunami-type wave is pretty indicative of the process that I used to finally make something...it was a bit of a wild ride!

I was out of commission for about two weeks for my travels and illness, but before I left I went searching for just the right art bead to help me find my Muse for this challenge.

I started with my burgeoning art bead stash. But none of them had the right feel. (What?! But I have a small fortune invested in this horded art bead stash. You mean there is nothing suitably beachy in there?!)

I had grandiose plans to make my own pendant from a deep blue seashell, some feathers and some sand. But I obviously have delusions as to how much time I could actually devote to this challenge in this overscheduled month.

So I went shopping on Etsy instead.

I know. I have said it before that I need to put the kibosh on that sort of thing. But this is serious! I can't enter the Art Bead Scene challenge without a suitable art bead. And I have to enter this totally free and perfectly voluntary artistic challenge with no compensation, right?

Right.

Actually, I feel that these challenges have made me a better designer, and I am so grateful that I have found them. I like to stretch my creative wings and this challenge really had me thinking that perhaps I was some sort of flightless bird because it was seemingly never going to get off the ground.

But I persevered and scored a perfect focal when I stumbled upon Copper Art Designs on Etsy. I have been enamored with copper etching for about a year. And I finally screwed up the courage to take a class with Gina Crow at this years Bead & Button. And I have watched in amazement as so many of my friends (like Heather Powers and Melanie Brooks) have been chronicling their own journeys in metal. And I have been so eager to try it again, save for that pesky little time issue. So finding some experts at the most amazing copper art designs (hence their name), I couldn't help myself!

They had a set of mini beach bookmarks that had the perfect wave on them. The dimension is 4x1". But since I don't measure anything (did I ever tell you about the two couches in my basement that will have to be sold with the house?!), and I am notorious for not paying attention to details like that, I barged ahead and bought them. The design was perfect and it was an impulse.While I was in Vegas, the package arrived. Now, I was stumped.

So I have been sitting here staring at them for hours trying to figure out what to do to turn them into a focal for my jewelry. Saw them in half? That would seem obvious, but the artists painstakingly etched a border all the way around and if I cut it the border would look stupid. Cut around the wave? Another brilliant idea, and one I might use with the one with the wave at the bottom, but since it is August 30th and the challenge is over as of August 31st, that idea is dead in the water (pun intended :-).

But then I thought...hey...wait a minute! Why not make this into a bracelet? So I gently rounded the bookmark until it lay comfortably on my wrist. And....then it sat on my workbench for a few more days. Now what?!I don't know how it is with you, but when I am stumped on a design I need to walk away. Move on to something else. Ultimately, I kept making sketches and tossing around ideas in my head all week long. While I know immediately what beads I wanted to use, I wasn't sure at all how to get them attached, much less looking like they belonged there.

And then I spotted my Stretch Magic.

I don't make a lot of bracelets. And I really don't use stretchy material (I kind of liken that stringing material to the stretchy pants I wear when I am feeling all tired and sloppy...it is too easy and not very attractive). I find that I have a hard time with the correct length on bracelets, especially with personal preference...some people like it loose, or tight or jangly or flat! I know that another reason I dislike bracelet making (I am not averse to wearing them) is because there is a math problem in there and maybe that is what confuses me (did I ever tell you that I was an English teacher...precisely so I didn't have to do math!). You know, that the diameter of the beads has to be taken into account because that will impact how a bracelet sits...if you use really big beads, then you need to make the bracelet longer to accommodate. Or something like that. I even have one of those cones that allows you to measure the exact circumference. God, I wish I had paid better attention in algebra in high school. (Or is it geometry?)

"High Tide" is my submission and features this (sort of) found object bookmark turned into a stunning cuff bracelet. And the rolling waves and the spray of the sea is translated with white branch coral, copper spacers and the most unique bead...antique banded agate (so the tag says). It is really rough and light, like a lava bead, and has these really intriguing crackled colors in gray, blue and white.

It was impossible to photograph, but I think it works. And I got it done and entered it a the very last minute (it is 11:57 pm as I write this right now!).

Have you ever procrastinated on a project? If so, how long? Do tell! (I will be eternally grateful that I am not alone!)

Check It Out::Copper Art Designs

Enjoy the day!