Caribbean Color Palette Challenge Reveal

by Sherri Stokey

Good morning!  And a bright and cheery Caribbean colors good morning at that!  Today's the big reveal for the Caribbean Colors Palette Challenge and I can't wait to share the pieces with you.  If you remember, I issued a challenge last month with pretty simple rules:  make something inspired by the Caribbean Color Palette photo!  Several folks decided to play along (and many thanks to each of them), so without further ado:

Mona Sullivan

Karen Colaneri

Sharlyn Premuda

We had some awesome lampwork artists participate in the challenge this time around including  Mona Sullivan, Karen Colaneri and Sharlyn Premuda.  I'm in awe, ladies! 

Laura Bailey Taskey

Doreen Neilley 

Mona Arnott

Lennis Carrier

Laura Bailey Taskey, Doreen Neilley, Mona Arnott and Lennis Carrier found some beautiful components for the challenge including glass, brass, polymer and metal sliders with crystal.  Don't you love to see how differently the theme colors are interpreted by each artist?

Kay Ackerman

Toni Gifford

Samantha Wescott

Sylvia Lupberger

The seed beaders never disappoint.  Kay Ackerman used several shapes of seed beads along with a gorgeous luminous cab in her bead embroidery pendant while Toni Gifford added just a touch of silver when she stitched her pendant (Desert Star Pendant design by Justyna Szlezak).  Samantha Wescott and Sylvia Lupberger both made multiple pieces in various bead weaving techniques (such talent!).

I played along, too.  You can see several of my micro macrame pieces in this blog post, but I'll share my favorite one with you here:

Sherri Stokey

And there you have it - another palette challenge for the history books.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing the different designs in different mediums - I know I did!

the queen of cold connections

mary jane dodd

in my world is susan lenart kazmer - her book 'making connections' has inspired and educated me more than i could ever quantify. 

i love fire and torches, i do. 

but the challenges i find with cold connecting - from both the technical and design aspects - are very satisfying. 

this book has spent many a night on my belly, as i have fallen asleep while trying to absorb all that i could - desiring to find ways of integrating her knowledge into my language. 

she teaches rivets of various kinds, prongs, hinges, staples, etc. 

there are times you may want to set something that doesn't work with fire - like a resin cab or fibers - 

mjd - portal to awakening 2011

staci showed us a great example of cold connection yesterday in her halloween post - 

winkartisans

see how she linked her chain segments together with the spiraled wire?

while inspiration abounds and much is learned from personal experimentation, having a solid source of information can be invaluable. that is what this book has been for me. 

Art Spark Designer of the Week

by D'Arsie Manzella

Our featured designer this week is Izzy Winterhart with her beautiful interpretation of the word 'Contain'.

Thank you Izzy for your entry! And remember there is one more week to upload your design to our Art Spark flickr group for a chance to win some gorgeous handmade beads and components by our generous sponsors!

Please take a moment to be inspired both by Izzy's design and her meaningful description of her work and inspiration.

Have a creative day!

Contain

LMAJ Art Spark May Challenge

Contain

The Universe contains

the mystery of the Moon,

the love of the Earth,

the glow of the Stars,

the warmth of the Sun

and so much more.

No matter how vast our Universe,

it is Spirit that gently threads us all together.

Looping over and around

weaving, lacing and embracing

us in the beauty of it all.

*ART SPARK* creative challenge for May.

by D'Arsie Manzella



On the Road Again

I'm packing. Putting all my belongings in boxes once again to travel the distance from South to North. Back to my homeland, the rolling hills and gorgeous lakes of Western New York. Each item is being wrapped and contained. As I go through the process I wish my possessions a safe journey- until we meet again.

Recently my grandfather passed away. Straight away after hearing of his death, I had a strong desire to create hand folded paper boxes. I didn't really know what I was doing when I started, it's not something I commonly do, but all other creative projects stopped and my quiet time was spent with these beautiful little boxes. I realize now that I was trying to contain my grief.

There are many ways that containers change or affect our lives. Notes arrive in bottles, boxes take us up into tall buildings, heaven wafts out from our morning coffee can. They contain surprises, treasures and mysteries. Sometimes they hold our hearts, sometimes our fears.

So I bring you, from beneath my stack of paper boxes, this month's *Art Spark* challenge. It's a little bit different and a whole lot of fun...

~May you always be inspired by the beauty of your experience~

~*~

*ART SPARK*challenge

Here's a challenge that we can all get fired up about! I'm saying "we" because we will be playing along. The first Monday of each month one of our members will present a challenge. The challenge is designed to not only get you thinking creatively, but also sharing your process and learning from each other.

The creative sparks will be flying all month. One or more entries will be chosen by the "challenge" artist to shine on our blog the next two subsequent Mondays. On the 4th Monday, the winning entry will be chosen and showcased on the Love My Art Jewelry blog for one month and the Love My Art Jewelry website for 1 year with links to your shops or blogs.

Can it get any hotter? You better believe it! These wonderful components were graciously donated by Staci Smith at Staci Louise Originals and will be awarded to the winner at the end of the challenge!

As will these fabulous pieces from Sue Kennedy of SueBeads!

Thank you so much ladies for your support.

We invite you to play along and try out our challenges. This month's challenge is......

~Create a piece of jewelry, art bead or component that illustrates the word 'CONTAIN'~

'Contain' as a verb is defined as: to include, hold
Synonyms include:accomodate, be composed of, comprehend, comprise, consist of, embody, embrace, encompass, have, have capacity for, hold, incorporate, involve, take in\

 

~Once you have your creation ready, here is what you do:

1. Take pictures of your creation and upload it to our flickr account.

2. Leave a description of your thought process while creating your jewelry or beads/components. We really want everyone to share their creative thinking so please make sure that you description is thorough.

3. Since we are a group promoting 'creating handmade with handmade', your jewelry consist of at least 75% handmade. This doesn't mean that you have to create everything that goes into your piece. You could use beads/components created by other artists. Please give credit to that artist in your description.

4. If your submission will be loose beads/components, it may include any medium that you prefer to make those in. These submissions would also require a description of your creative thought process.

5. Please only one submission piece per artist. Multiple views of the work are allowed and encouraged.

6. Have fun an come back often to check out the entries!

7. Links to our flickr site can be found on the blog sidebar.

the concrete jungle of zen

'move and the way will open.'

~ zen proverb

the weather is getting nicer, the kids are getting outside... and that now means trips to the skate park... and when one arrives, they do not want to leave... 

watching the kids, many doing the same moves over and over again, i came to a great appreciation of what was going on here... mind - body balance... overcoming fears and trying new things... pushing themselves forward... 

being... 

the rhythmic sounds of wheels rolling, decks grinding, boards jumping... 

as the hours passed, my mind got to wander... both settled and energized by the young people out there who were making efforts - going home with personal triumphs and lessons learned... i got to coach nick through a new move - understanding the physics of skateboarding, i always lamely think that the kids will just be so interested to know that they are applying science at their play... (they like 'mythbusters', i try)... 

we all have things we are afraid of - things that might be looming... but just remember, it is in the practice of doing that we conquer our fears... i don't tell my kids not to be afraid - that is ludicrous... i suggest that they own it - and overcome it... and then rejoice... 

find something you fear - be it a technique or medium - and go for it... and if it all goes amiss, you learned something from that... if there is a tutorial you might want to see, let us know... in fact, you can do so now... 

skateboards and sweatshirts and pads, metal working tools, your mind, whatever you exercise - here's wishing for you something to look back upon with pride at the end of the day... 


and some days it's ok to be pleased with the fact that you just got through it... 

RAW (ring a week) continues

mary jane dodd

'a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, 

it sings because it has a song.'

~ maya angelou

different days... 

different songs... 

grateful for the opportunity to have a small place in my crowded brain where my imagination soars... 

what sets you free?

Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green!

by Barbara Lewis

Oh, yeah, is that right?  Who says?!  Well, some experts in the field of color ... that's who.  When I started my "formal" artistic life ... by that I mean "academic" artistic life ... I had never taken an art class.  In high school I took Spanish.  I always expressed myself through sewing ... which I started when I was 12.

In college I took  drawing and color theory.  I ended up taking painting, too.  The meditative qualities of those classes is what took hold and never let go.  Hours would go by that felt like minutes.  My mind slowed.  I had but to focus on angles and planes of color.  During that period I became acquainted with a book, "Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green."  It had just been published and was wonderful for explaining why when you mix a warm blue with a cool yellow, you won't get what you're expecting.  Colors have temperatures but can be neutral, too.  Most people wouldn't think of red as being neutral, but it can be.  We're raised to think neutrals are beige, navy, black and brown.

Painting still tugs at my heart ... and maybe one day I'll get back to it. But in the meantime, we have a new Call to Create.  Yes, another month has gone by!  Woohoo!  We are working our way toward Spring!  The color palette for February's Call to Create is based the cover of this wonderful book.

I mean, who wouldn't love this palette? Talk about an enamelist's dream? :-)  Remember, our mission at Love My Art Jewelry is to encourage jewelry designers to make handmade with handmade.  It's our connection with humanity ... you feel the energy of the creator ... knowing that this object once was in the hands of another who spent time dreaming of its details ... so that you can spend time dreaming of your details for your jewelry.  It's funny how that happens ... an idea starts and gets played out in another arena.

This month we have great prizes donated by Cindy Gimbrone and Yoli Miramontes, and an opportunity to advertise your website, blog, etsy shop ... whatever. You can read more about our challenges by going to the challenge page from the tabs above.

We pick a piece to profile every week and at the end of the month we select a winner.  The winner has their own page at our website and is acknowledged in the sidebar of our blog, as is the weekly artist.  The work should be recent ... in this century at least ... no, really, I mean within the past 6 months or so.  Have fun with this Call to Create.  I'm so attracted to this palette ... I hope you are too!

the beauty of a good challenge

mary jane dodd

'i shut my eyes in order to see.'

~ paul gauguin

i committed to the ring a week challenge this year... for all that deadlines can often fill me with dread, this one sets me free... it is the place my mind goes to play while i figure out what i 'need' to do with other pieces and other aspects of my life... 

RAW 1 - landscape of the sky

RAW 2 - you are here

RAW 3 - broken promise

and this week - 

(unnamed as yet... and unfinished)

what do you like/dread about challenges?

and you still have a couple of more days to enter our call to create for january...