Making Masks or How to Start an Obsession

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I am taking a class in a couple weeks with master cane artist Carol Simmons. I thought I would get back into some cane making to freshen up before class. My mistake was pulling out my current canes and spotting a mask push mold I hadn't used in ages.

I convinced myself I would just make a mask and get it over with. If you are a bead maker, you know that’s how we con ourselves. Just one more this, one more that.

The first mask I made is the one on the bottom and then 3 more of the smaller ones. Then, I remembered I had another island mask mold and well, my experiments just took off. I pulled out the mica powders, the pan pastels, the Genesis heat set artist oils, the inka gold metallic paints, the sharpee coloring pens, crystals, gold glitter, gold leaf, watercolors.

Yeah, I was in a frenzy state. It was like having a bag of Kettle salt and pepper chips and claiming I would eat just a handful. Usually, I roll the bag up, clip it, and put it away. And I still end up eating the whole bag in one day.

That about describes my poly clay habits too. Except I don’t usually put things away. Instead I work my table until there is about an inch of space left for me to work. Then, I scrape stuff away with my blade to create another inch. And when I have about 5 inches of scrap and tools scattered here and there and I can’t find a damn thing and bits of clay are getting on my pieces, THEN I clean up. Sound familiar? ha ha.

Here’s some more pictures of the collection.

January 2019 ABS Challenge - Mother Nature Light and Dark

I love challenges.  They get my juices going, sometimes in surprising directions.  I had been working with more tribal color beads and styles when I saw Heather Power's lovely illustrations depicting woman draped in necklace garlands of leaves, and butterflies and flowers.

 To say I was enchanted is putting it mildly.  It inspired me to think of a new skinner blend (for me), mixing shades of burgandy and gold to create rich earthy colors which I then used to create a large focal flower.

I wanted the flower to be more than a normal centerpiece.  I wanted it to draw the eye through the necklace which got me thinking of creating my own version of a garland.  I blended some poly clay greens to create leaves but, after baking, felt they still were not dark enough so I used alcohol inks to add gradation.

The leaves and flower sit on a base that is dark bronzy gold blending into a deep deep brown black.  I finished it with an organic flower toggle clasp.

Here tis.

Next, I began work on creating a similar necklace in the lighter palette.  I opted for a beachier island color variation than the illustration posted and I wanted at least one critter in this necklace.  The skinner blend I created was using peacock blue and various greens I blended together and mixed in white to get a lighter shade.  To get a really light shade, after I skinner blended the colors, I added a really thin sheet of white over the blended colors and ran that through the blender a few times.  Did that once more to get the lighter brighter beachy color I wanted.  

 I think the dragonflies of Key West decided they should be the critter because a swarm of them flew right by my ear the day before I started this piece.  I never had that happen before!  To appease the dragonfly gods, I added one dragonfly to this piece.  It's sitting on a pod with a water hole in the middle.  At least that is what I envision - why not? 

 Lastly, I created an organic toggle clasp to tie the piece togther.   To tone the colors down a bit and give the piece a more weathered look, I antiqued most of the beads with a bronze metallic paint.  

This is a similar necklace I created but did not submit.

Here are Heather's wonderful illustrations alongside my necklaces.

 And here is the link to the Monthly Challenge Page where you can check out other artist's work and enter yourself!  There are still a few days left.  Get to it!!!  

https://www.artbeadscenestudio.com/monthly-challenge/

Push It! Face Molds and Mica and other pretty things

I had the face mold sitting in my drawer for some time now.  I never felt ready for it.  It might have been I was working a lot in bright colors and it just didn't go with the palettes. 

Two nights ago, just for the hell of it, I mixed almost equal portions of Premo gold and Premo black and came up with a wonderful metallic bronze color.  I needed something cool to do with it.  Out came the face mold.  I thought at first I would just make a cabachon and use it in a bead embroidery project.

But, I have no discipline.  I decided to make beads with the left over clay and then I just couldn't let it sit there, or worse yet, put it in a drawer for later use, or even worse, sell it!  I figured I could always make another but you know there is no guarantee it would be as cool.

Once I committed, I was all in.  Here is the result.