Art Bead Scene Challenge for July - Necklace

Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge for July 2012. How could I not be inspired by this painting by Picasso? I just fell for it. Couldn't resist it. Two Acrobats with a Dog by Pablo Picasso, painted in 1905. I am a big fan of Picasso just in general. In this painting what stands out for me is firstly the checkered pattern on the clothes, and then just the general color scheme of blues and beiges with a few daubs of yellow. I also get this matte dryness feeling texture wise. Coming I guess from both the actual materials used, gouache on what looks like card/paper, but also from the painting's motif. It looks like they are standing in a sort of desert like landscape just outside a village in the Spanish countryside. Mid day. Dry dry air. Dry soil.

So, roaming around my stash I found this large rectangular button by Tracee Dock of Classic Elements. It's been there for a good while, being absolutely lovely and all, but I have just not known what I would do with it. So perfect for this project isn't it! Starting there I wanted to add a fabric or textile element to my piece, to mimic the checkered pattern on the boy's clothes. So I started playing around with some waxed cotton cord. Not yet knowing what kind of piece I would have in the end. A bracelet, or a necklace?

Yes, I could have different colors going through the holes of the button! And then YES! I could braid the cords so that the button would become a pendant hanging from the braids. What a revelation that was for me. I love how the braiding mimics the checkered pattern in the fabric. It worked out so well also, because I was using three colors of cord in the first place. Now I could just let them continue into the two braided sections.

I have never used braids in my own jewelry before. But I just love Erin Siegel's creations when she does it. I'm such a fan of her work in general! So thank you for the inspiration Erin! :-)

Because I only had that length of the yellow cord, but still wanted the necklace to be a bit longer I added some chain around the neck. A nice brass chain with some rhombic links in there too. A swirly brass hook from Vintaj makes the clasp.

I see this necklace being worn with white summery clothes in "airy" cotton. What I would wear in a Spanish hot and dry countryside landscape :-).

Check out the flickr page for Art Bead Scene to see some more jewelry pieces inspired by this painting. There will be more of them turning up until the end of the month.

All my best,

Malin

Calder Earrings

This is my entry for the Art Bead Scene Challenge for July. Inspired by the beautiful sculpture Blue Feather by Alexander Calder.

I wanted to capture the lightness of the sculpture, and the feeling of the black smaller pieces kind of floating in the air. I don't know if I managed doing that. But I was certainly intrigued by the spaces in between the materia in this sculpture. I would very much like to see it in reality to see it move around slowly. Must be very sort of meditative and calming.

The black and orange beads are handmade by myself in polymer clay. After they were baked I sanded them to sharpen up the shapes. I had planned to make them all smooth. But when I saw them like they are now I decided to leave the surface rough and with traces of the larger grade of sanding paper. I like the rustic feel it creates. I added turqouise Dupioni silk and some black matte Delicas.