Double Header Beading Workshop August 2nd & 3rd

The first weekend in August, I'll be teaching a Beading Double Header, with back-to-back workshops on Saturday and Sunday at Fusion Beads.

Catch of the Day Chatelaine, Saturday August 2nd

First up is my debuting workshop, Catch of the Day Chatelaine. These are a larger variation on my popular Fancy Fish pattern. Still working with right angle weave, these fish a considerably larger, with seaweed fringe tails and fins and designed to hang as a pendant from a 'float' bead with decorative bead caps to complete the look.

 

 

Lacework Bracelets, Sunday August 3rd

Followed by my three-hour Lacework Bracelets workshop. This is one of my favorite classes and techniques! Random right angle weave is an incredibly versatile stitch and the finished bracelets have the organic look of freeform lace.

Signups started last week, but there's still space in both classes. If you're going to be in Seattle this Summer, definitely check out Fusion Beads' full class schedule. They have classes in bead weaving, wire-working, metal smithing and so much more!

 

 

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Artists' Roster for Explorations in Freeform Peyote Beading (First Draft)

A month after the Call for Artists officially closed, I can now announce the names of many of the artists whose work will be included in Explorations in Freeform Peyote Beading.  I've tried to hold off until I had the final photographs and signed contracts from everyone, but this process has turned out to be far more involved than originally anticipated, with delays on both sides of the equation.  

Rather than continuing to wait until I have absolutely everything in hand, I thought I'd give at least a partial list of names today, with more to come.  The current list includes:

Mary Kearney

Bobbie Rafferty

Cortney Phillips

Marsha Melone

Lisa Jones

Beth McGowan

Marlene Oman Emmons

Sherry Eagle

Liz Hart

Mary Foyes

Mandi Ainsworth

These artists contributed jewelry and sculptural works spanning a huge range of styles.  From the sleek simplicity of Bobbie Rafferty's freeform peyote and wireworked earrings to the stunningly organic Seahorse sculpture by Beth McGowan, their work helps tell the story of the possibilities of the medium.   I am excited to announce that Explorations will be a truly international book, with work by artists from three countries.

Featured Artists

The book will also include a more in-depth look at the works of four to six artists.  Right now, I have locked down

Janice Cuozzo

Natalja Malysheva

Georgia McMillan

Jennifer Porter

I'm hoping to square things away with two more amazing artists here very shortly - as soon as I know for sure, I will let you know.  One has had family issues which may keep her from participating.  If she can't participate as a featured artist, I'm hoping to at least include images of one or two of her pieces.  Keep your fingers crossed!

freeform fish by Georgia McMillan

Figuring out which images to use in this blog post has been really tricky, as I don't want to 'spoil the surprise' as it were, but I also do want to give you a taste of what's to come.  I finally decided to settle on just the one picture of a freeform fish by Georgia McMillan.  Hope you like. 

I'm Blaming it on the Wood Horse

This year has been crazy busy, with one thing piling up right behind the next in a never ending stream constantly threatening to overflow its banks.  My only consolation is I have the feeling it's not just me.  Everyone I talk to seems to be experiencing the same thing - an almost out-of-control roller coaster of activity. 

Can you believe it's already May? 

I've decided to blame it on the Wood Horse.  It was my mother-in-law's suggestion during our last phone conversation.  According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is expected to be fast paced and full of conflict.  Haven't seen the later (knocking on wood here, just to be safe), but the pace is right on with me running to keep up. 

Working on my book project, I'm still in the data collection, aggregation and organization stage.  Haven't had much time to blog, but I had a strong response to my call for entry.  It's been a much more detailed and time intensive process than I'd expected.  The final results are going to be so worth it though!  I promise to write a more detailed blog post about that shortly. 

Exploration's first beta version is due out in June, so this month I need to spend some serious time with my computer.  I'll be creating new diagrams, writing text and starting the process of massaging it all into a useable book format. 

This month I also plan to catch up on blogging, with a series of posts about what I learned from running my Kickstarter campaign, running the Call for Entry and playing with possibilities for a new organizational structure for Explorations. 

But that's enough about me for now.  How about you?  Has this year seemed busier or more complex than normal?