Bring on the Shaterra

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win the Art Bead Scene drawing in the September Challenge.  I didn't realize how lucky, though, until I redeemed the gift certificate for Shaterra Clay Studio.  Sharleen Newland's ceramic pendants are FANTASTIC!  I've had them out on my kitchen counter just so I could see them when I walked by...I even took them into my local bead shop so we could all oooohhhh and ahhhhh over them.  If you want to see more, check out her blog and then skip on over to her website.  I have a lot of them on my Etsy fave listings...it's too hard to pick just one.

I was motivated by my latest adventures with the Pantone Fall 2010 Color Report to bring out the "Golden Glow" and when I was looking through my stash, this donut was absolutely the perfect piece of goldness with a glowing raku finish. 

In addition to the Shaterra donut, I used some lampwork rounds from Loupiac de Gatteville and a ceramic round by Natalie Pappas from NKPBeads.  It has been a while since I went asymmetric, so I like how the art beads are balanced.

On that note, I'll send a little shout out to my friends on the Beads of Clay blog...I feel like they've opened up a whole new world of art beads that come from earthen clay.  Many thanks, Sharleen!!

Beads 2010 Project: Marsha Neal Studio

There were massive thunderstorms last night and we expect that there'll be more storms all day today.  Looks like it's going to be a work-in-your-pajamas-doing-crafty-stuff sort of day.  In typical Air Force fashion, I got about 20 emails and pop-up alerts on my computer warning about tornadoes.  So, what do I do?  At 1100 last night I put the flashlight battery in the recharger and took pictures of my bead studio in case I need it for insurance.  I briefly thought about what I would do with the cats, but then decided they'd just run around like crazy anyway.  Nice.  Nothing like having a plan.

Anyway, to focus on what this post is really all about...another artist from Beads 2010:  Marsha Neal.  I love the variety of textures and shapes and materials that Marsha uses.  I was lucky enough to win a giveaway on her blog a few months back and got some seriously awesome treats.

First, a necklace...

It's all about circles and wire.  One of Marsha's decaled porcelain donuts was the inspiration.  I added some "totally twisted" wire, a recycled glass ring, and a little wooden ring to create a focal trio.  All are strung on a pretty blue silk ribbon from Riverstone Bead Co. that's finished off with a toggle

Now, for the ears...check out the "shards"...

I have to admit I was a little stumped by Marsha's porcelain "shards" when I first looked at them.  But, with a little gunmetal grey wire-wrapping, they make a great pairing with some lightweight paper beads.  I love when a design challenge works out into something cool!

You can shop for either of these pretties in my Etsy shop!

Featuring Porcelain

Like I said yesterday, the Beads 2010 magazine really got me inspired.  So, I decided tonight would be a Joan Miller porcelain kind of evening.  Now if you've ever seen her work, you know she makes some fantastically detailed pieces (and if you haven't seen her work, then you should click over and check out her website.)  But, I was feeling a little more simple-minded when I pawed through the bins on her table at BFW so I have a few less ornate pieces to work with.  So, here are a couple more designs that are now available in my JenJuddRocks Etsy shop.

First is this Orangina Necklace...

The pendant and the coordinating ring are both from Joan Miller.  And, because one artist isn't enough, I also added some etched lampwork glass from Pennsylvania girl, Sue, from SueBeads.  Copper keeps the orange spirit up and then leather keeps it casual.

For the lobes, here are some earrings...

The small Joan Miller porcelain rings are the highlight of this pair.  But, there's also a little leather and some teardrop beads from Sonoran Glass (who are also in the magazine!)

In the spirit of sharing, I've got to give you two more things...first, if you haven't seen the Beads of Clay blog then you need to check it out.  And second, a while back I created some resource lists and want to share the Ceramic & Porcelain list again.  Plus, you can always see the box over on the right-hand side of my blog that links to the originally posted lists.

Color Adventure: Split-Complementary

I'm no color genius...I can't even figure out what my natural haircolor is!  haaaaaaaaaa  So, when it came to the "Split-Complementary" challenge through the Beads of Clay blog.  I had to do some resesarch.

I started first on this website, recommend by Kristie of Artisan Clay:  The Color Schemer tool.  You can pick a color combo and then play with a sliding scale of values to see your options. 

Then, I broke out my new "3-in-1 Color Tool" that I picked up on Amazon.  It's made for quilters, but it's great for my bead drawers.  I can pull out the "swatches" I need and then use them to search for just the right colors because each swatch includes all the tones and shades of each color.

I picked my focal first and then built from there.  This awesome purple zinnia piece is by Tracee Dock from The Classic Bead.  From the purple, across the color wheel, is yellow-green, so to split that I got chartreuse and green. 

The end result:

Zinnia Stoneware Pendant - The Classic Bead

Faceted lemon quartz

Facted iolite

Green/yellow agate rounds

Green chunky pearls (I hate the word "blister" so I can't use it here even though I think that's what they really are)

Sterling silver wire used to bail up the pendant

And you can own it...it's for sale in my etsy shop.  :)

There are two more color challenges in the mix right now, so come on and join me in exploring: 

The Tetradic Color Scheme - through April 2nd

and

The Neutral Color Scheme - through April 16th

Complementary: In the Round

This is my entry into the Complementary Color Scheme Challenge on the Beads-of-Clay blog....


The big focal is a HUGE awesome button from Nancy's Round Rabbit.


I used the colors and roundness to drive my choices for other beads...there's a slab of garnet, some mookaite spacers, a few bits of Roman glass (from Happy Mango Beads) and a lampwork art bead that I bought on ebay years ago. The chain is from a shop in Kansas City, but as soon as I started going "round" it jumped out as the perfect complement. (Get it?! haaaaaaaaaa)

My pictures aren't exactly perfect, but I hope you can see the color scheme...



Thanks to Kristie at Artisan Clay for the reminder to get this thing done! haaaaaaaaaaa

Going Analogous...

That's like a combination of "anal" and "gorgeous" which just totally made me laugh...it's like a fancy little vanity table that's very tidy. haaaaaaaaa

This is my take on #2 of the Beads-of-Clay Color Challenge series. You can see other details about the challenge on the Artisan Clay blog. The basic requirements are: use a clay bead (earthen clay, porcelain or ceramic--not polymer) and follow the analogous color "code."

I like this color challenge series because it starts with simpler combinations (one color) and works towards more complex mixes (many colors). Because it's a gradual design process, I've been gradually studying color more...both in books and just by observing the world around me a little differently. For instance, warm, punchy colors permeate my home's decor...there are pinks and oranges everywhere. But, they all fall on a nice, cool, relaxing denim blue couch or a heavy, rich brown wooden dining room table. I guess that's how I design my jewelry, too...depends on the mood. Do I want punch or do I want soothing? But, then, there are so many other textural factors to think of, too, that the options are just so much fun to think about!


To help steer my color-related mind, I used a handy-dandy Border's coupon and got myself a new book: Color Index by Jim Krause. Its main audience, as far as I can tell, is print and web graphic design--there are lot of things about mixing formulas for the best screen or print results. But, to quote the author, "Simply put, use this book however you like." So, for a designer/beader/artisan/crafter, the book is great to educate on color basics (like what an analogous color scheme is) but also to trigger ideas about color combinations and how different values (lightness or darkness) can work. There are pages and pages in this little guidebook that pull combinations from the world around us...both natural and media-created. If you want to take a look at inside the book, you can go to the Jim Krause Design website and "cyber flip" through a few.

Anyway, enough on the book...on to the beads!!!

This work was inspired by the big porcelain focal bead over on the left-hand side of the necklace. I would love to tell you the designer, but I can't for the life of me remember. I know, though, that I bought it at a trunk show at the sweet little bead shop in Alexandria, Virginia called Bead Obsessions. Patricia always has wonderful treats in the store, but I failed to write down the info...I even found the receipt from Valentine's Day, 2009...nice record-keeping. :)

**I have an update! The bead artist is Bill Batts--according to Patricia, he was from North Carolina at that time. :)

I went with the violet and blue analogous color scheme with this eclectic mix of beads. Plus, I created my own wire-worked links to add a little bit more interest to the asymmetry...

Materials:
- Lovely big "mystery designer" **Bill Batts** porcelain focal with a great blue-violet finish
On the Blue Side:
- Navy glass ovals (from a bead swap with a friend)
- Blue spotted Kazuri bead (from Off the Beading Path)
- Denim blue lapis square pillows (from Potomac Bead Co.)
- Navy leather finished with sterling crimp ends (from Artbeads)
On the Violet Side:
- Dyed purple rough-cut agate nuggets
- Amethyst rectangles & nuggets (from Michael's)
- Blue-violet agate ovals
& violet simple cut stones(from Potomac Bead Co.)
- Lampwork glass disks (from HMB Studios)

Here's to the blues (and violets) on a rainy Sunday morning. :) I have to go take a nap before reading about nuclear strategy...or should I say not reading about nuclear strategy and playing with my latest bead goodies instead. haaaaaaaaaaa

A Color Challenge...

And, no, I don't mean trying to fit into my blues on a Monday! haaaaaaaa (For those who might wonder what I'm talking about, I'm in the Air Force and we wear our blue service uniform on Mondays. It tends to be a little less forgiving in the fit department than the camouflage of the other days of the week.)

The challenge I'm talking about this time I found on the Beads of Clay blog. It's going to require a little bit of practice thinking about the color wheel in different ways with new combinations of colors every couple of weeks. I own at least six books on color (buried in my crafty-book bookcase) but find myself drawn to the same color palettes most of the time. My brother, an artist, once told me that color is all about "trippin' out the rods and cones." That always cracks me up, in an eyeball-anatomy-nerd sort of way. :)

The other cool thing about these challenge projects is that they're focused on clay beads--that's earthen clay like porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, terra cotta, or raku--rather than polymer clay, which is what I've worked with before. There are tons of great clay artists out there so not only do I get to think outside my normal boxy workspace, I get to shop for some great new beads! haaaaaaaaa

For the first challenge, the focus is "Monochromatic." This scheme can be considered one color--just tones and shades of that one color. Well, I happened to have this fantastic clay & recycled glass pendant by Kristie at Artisan Clay which is where I first saw the challenge post! It's in a vibrant violet that actually looks to me more like a red-violet than a blue-violet. Either way...I was able to feature the pendant prominently amidst a mix of big funky cut stones. Then, the back is finished off more daintily with amethyst and pearls. I'd highly recommend Kristie's shop at Artisan Clay Jewelry Etsy Shop.

Since I was in the monochromatic groove, I decided to do another piece--this one turned into a set of earrings. The denim blue porcelain charms that are central to the design came from Marsha Neal. I strung a variety of blues on beading wire and used a Beadalong crimp end, that has a little ring on it, to finish it off. This creates a perfect link to an earring wire.

If you're up for some color challenge or just want to see some pretty work, check out the Beads of Clay blog. :)