Art Bead Scene - May

Vaas met bloemen in een venster :: Vase with Flowers in a Window, 1620

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder
Oil on Copper, 64cm x 46 cm

About the Art

Rendering meticulous detail, Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder conveyed the silky texture of the petals, the prickliness of the rose thorns, and the fragility of opening buds. Insects crawl, alight, or perch on the bouquet. Each is carefully described and observed, from the dragonfly's transparent wings to the fly's minutely painted legs. Although a vague reference, insects, short-lived like flowers, are a reminder of the brevity of life and the transience of its beauty. 
A rising interest in botany and a passion for flowers led to an increase in painted floral still lifes at the end of the 1500s in both the Netherlands and Germany. Bosschaert was the first great Dutch specialist in fruit and flower painting and the head of a family of artists. He established a tradition that influenced an entire generation of fruit and flower painters in the Netherlands.

This month I decided to get an early start so I would make sure my piece was seen! :-)  For some reason this piece came together with no trouble at all.  My focal bead(s) are the two head pins in the middle made by Genea at Genea Beads. They are blown glass with a type of and finish that makes it rough. I fell in love with them and knew that they would match the color scheme!  The I just happen to be at Walmart (hehehe) and found the red/gold/metal beads.  The blue beads I had.  I don't think I have had a design come together so quickly. So enough rambling...below are the pictures.

 

Aren't the colors divine??? For more info hop over to Art Bead Scene!

Hats Off Challenge/Blog Hop from Churchill Downs

Bobbie from BeadsongJewelry gave us a challenge to use what inspiration we had gotten from BSBP.......



Worried what you might do to occupy your beady imaginations after the BSBP?  Come join me for the first Hats Off Challenge!

This springs from my observation a couple of years ago that the timing of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the Kentucky Derby were very close, so I took it upon myself to declare it Hat Week.  I found pictures of some of the fabulous hats being worn in London and Louisville, and paired them with jewelry from my worktable that seemed reminiscent of them.  See here and here for some examples.

This year, I'm expanding the celebration by kicking off the Hats Off Challenge, where participants will create a piece of jewelry inspired by one (or more) of the fabulous hats below.  Look through the photos (it is a little photo heavy), get inspired, and leave me a comment below to sign up.  Then on May 4th, we'll get in the mood for Derby by blog hopping to enjoy everyone's creations!.

Then she gave us a group of hats to choose from you can check them out here:Bead Song Jewelry Hats Off . I won't show them as there are a lot... But from the lot I chose 5 I liked...then I narrowed it down to 3 then chose this one...















This is the necklace I came up with:

I used a large Orange button, then crocheted a cover for it. I then made the fringe from some Home Dec trim I had. I took each fringe piece and restrung it on thread then attached it to the crocheted bottom rim. I have aqua and clear glass beads around the inside and a gold metal bead cap stuck in the middle with a clear crystal bead strung on the top with the thread going through the button holes and being tied on the back.  I then strung it on a orange cord and finished off the ends.

So there you have it.  My take on Hats Off!

Thanks Bobbie it was great fun and I can't wait for next year!