Tags
Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, Art Bead Scene, Claire Maunsell, Heather Powers, Humblebeads, Lee Oscar Lawrie, Miss Fickle Media
The Art Bead Scene blog offers a great monthly challenge. The editors share a piece of art for inspiration, and participants make something based on it using at least one art bead. The inspiration this month is a metalwork owl above the door to a room at the Library of Congress. The artist is Lee Oscar Lawrie.
I really enjoy participating in the Art Bead Scene challenges, but I haven’t done so lately. I’m not sure I would have this time. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with ideas and find it difficult to focus, but lucky for me I had help this month in the form of Heather Powers’ Bead Table Wednesday video this week in her Humblebeads VIP Party Facebook page. It was a great post that talked about a few things including the ABS challenge and the uplifting power of art. I came away inspired as I did from last week’s video. Heather is the creator of Art Bead Scene as well as the artist behind Humblebeads.
I thought, yeah, I have some owls in my stash. I started one necklace, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I decided to look for some other owl pendants in my stash by Andrew Thornton of Allegory Gallery and Claire Maunsell of StillPointWorks. I came across this wonderful bronze owl coin pendant by Andrew and knew I’d found my art bead for this challenge. Metal and majestic, like the inspiration.
I wanted to add something right above the pendant. After searching around my stash, I decided on this little mood bead. It changes colors, and I like that aspect of it. The necklace will look slightly different at different times. While I was designing, the bead was mostly green. Whenever I touched it, blue was the hue. For some reason when I took the picture, it took on a golden tone like the yellow quartz. I like that the bronze and the quartz have a bit of a monochromatic look like the inspiration piece.
I love the simple cut, and especially when the stones are drilled so that some are side to side and some are top to bottom. I think that adds a nice design element. I was originally going to use one of the marquis cut Montana agate beads above the pendant, but I couldn’t get both strands of the (1-ply!) linen to go through. However, because I needed a little more length, I got to use two of the beads in the back. I finished it off with chestnut opal patina hook clasp from Miss Fickle Media.
Please visit the Art Bead Scene Pinterest page to see more creations from the challenge inspiration.
antiquitytravelers said:
this is awesome! love your design
Deb said:
Nice necklace Anne, I see you’re the featured designer on Art Bead Scene blog – congratulations!