Thursday, February 24, 2011

My February ABS Challenge Piece

I have been following the Art Bead Scene Blog for over a year now and decided that this year I would do my best to enter each monthly challenge.  So here is February: John Singer Sargent's beautiful painting "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" was not difficult to be inspired by.  I love all those colors and just let my mind take me on a little creative journey which ended up becoming this beautiful bib necklace. 








Thanks to Heather Powers of Humblebeads and all her great advice 
I was able to create this collage on Picnik. They have free aps and it is very easy and fun to use.  
As you can see my colors are a slightly brighter hue but none-the-less in the neighborhood.  


The bib background is quilted batik fabric 
with two layers of medium weight stabilizer and wool batting
necessary to support my handmade, delicate polymer clay White Stargazer Lily art bead.  
It was a left over from a polymer clay wedding purse custom order. 


I had fun free-motion stitching leaf shapes with metallic thread. 
I then beaded it with all those beautiful glass and lucite flower beads, 
faceted glass and ceramic leaf beads. 
I found some really wonderful teardrop shaped miyuki glass seed beads 
which look like drops of clear water (dew) and sprinkled them about. 
 The lavender fringe represents the little girls lovely dresses 
which seem to be white but have a lavender cast 
due to the artists amazing sense of color and lighting. 

In the necklace portion I used white shell chips and peach colored coral pieces 
to imitate the glowing lanterns in the painting, more flower and leaf beads for continuity 
I love everything about this painting and really enjoyed making this piece. 

Come back Saturday for the Bead Soup Party!!!