Tuesday, April 28, 2009

January and February BJP

I am slowly, but surely catching up with my BJP pages. This first one is for February. I loved the plummy colors in the batik fabric and found a bead from Grace Ma that fit perfectly. This page kind of symbolizes a new growth to me. Seeds are planted and lo and behold we see the flowers starting to appear. I've been experimenting this year, trying to get out of the habit of totally encrusting my pages. Sometimes that is difficult for me. I have a tendency to think more beads is always better. I'm trying to break that habit. Of course, working with focals such as this one is such a pleasure. Grace's beads are exquisite.














This page is for January. It is called Shadow of Winter. The focal face cabochon is by Klew. The swirled lampwork bead is by Vicki Cedarquist who belongs to our Central California Bead Society and always participates in our CCBS Bead Show each September. I love the subtle color changes in this batik and it was so perfect for this face cab.

Eventually I will get caught up with my pages. I 'm currently working on March and am already thinking about April's page. Procrastination is one of my most prolific habits and I do it very well. I continue to work on my BFAC project for this year.

I am finally beginning to see progress in my goal to spread the joy of bead embroidery. This week has been very special in that I have had some of my students bring me finished or nearly finished works of their art. I'm so pleased to see that they have enjoyed working on
them. Some of them even plan to do more. This makes teaching worthwhile.
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13 comments:

Doris said...

Arline, They are both gorgeous. I love the plummy purple of the February page and the face on the January one.
It's so nice that your students brought their finished projects for you to see. I'm sure you've infected them with your enthusiasm.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Arlene, these pages are a departure for you. But I like the results. I am finding that using less beads can be even more expressive than an encrusted page.
Gosh I love these cabs. I'll have to search around to find your source. LOL

Lynn said...

Fab Cabs! I like the minimal beading on these 2. It really shows off the cabs. Spectacular!!

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful. February is absolutely my favorite. I love the colors & the beading is lovely.

Brenda said...

Beautiful Pages!
The colors are so gorgeous in both the fabric and the beads.

abeadlady said...

Thank you all for your kind comments.
Carol, if you google Klew or Grace Ma you should be able to find their websites.

Tracey Leeder said...

These pieces are so lovely Arline! i love the plum colors on the february page. I think the simplicity of these pieces is very beautiful! Great work and how lucky are you to teach your passion to others!

Timaree said...

Both pages are beautiful. You are doing a very nice job of moving yourself out of your box of encrusting the whole thing. I really like the idea of the flowers blooming from the seed. Your seed of retirement seems to be blooming.

Jackie (Tillie's Daughter) said...

Oh, so lovely.
Both are fantastic -- but being a purple (and shades thereof) lover -- your February piece really captured my fancy. Love it.

The bad Liz said...

I need to catch up with March and Aprils.......sigh

pam T said...

OMG Arline - these are gorgeous. I posted about your March one first, and then realized I hadn't seen these 2 pics! WOW! very, very stunning. Great colors, great beads and fabric, great BEADING! Thank you for sharing!

Marty S said...

Your pages are going to look fabulous together. Lovely work!
Marty S
Crackpot Beader

Robin said...

Good for you, Arline!!! I totally get the thing about "more beads is better" and how difficult it is to change. You are doing a fabulous job. I love the way the fabric influences your pieces, your choices of beads and their placement... Yet, you are not simply "beading the fabric." You are telling a story and the fabric is just one of the elements... Your results are balanced and luscious! Robin A.