July 15, 2007

June Bead Journal Update

June is Done, finally!
OK, my June page is as done as it will get until I finish July's page. My idea is to back each one, add a picot edge and join the picots to make a 12 piece, horizontal strip. To find out if that is going to work, I need at least 2 beaded pages finished.



The base beadwork is done and I've added the New Mexico twig to the surface. That works well as I needed a place to put my Quipu-like knotted strings.




I used a finger weaving technique with Mastexx cording to go around the twig. I think that I'll use my C-Lon cording on any future pieces as the Mastexx was very slippery and I had a hard time holding a decent tension.





Here I'm adding some of the treasures that I collected during the trip from AZ to NH. I also wanted to pick up more of the yellow-orange color to help balance the piece.





This is what it looks like with the knotted strings of memories. Some of those memories of June are in the colors, others in the stash beads or fetishes, and some in the beads (petrified wood) that I bought along the way.


I've been having a couple of conversations with myself ..... No, not crazy, just eccentric! One; I'm wondering why the overall color scheme came out so dark. The trip was all light, bright sunshine and the vistas were light colored mountains, rocks and fields. This one is still unanswered.

I did come to one conclusion... My June page is very complicated with many layers and textures. As designed, my July page will be very simple, flat , with a few bright primary colors. It finally dawned on me that when writing you might have a lot to say one time and maybe only a couple of words the next time. I need to quit thinking about how the completed journal will look like, let each month just be what it will be, and wait til the end to see if I like the full twelve piece journal.

11 comments:

  1. Judith, I love this, don't think of it as dark, think of it as rich. You know like a really good dessert. I am having trouble taking one month at a time and not thinking about how this will go with that,etc. I know you though, and it will turn out a fabulous work of art!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it is wonderful. It doesn't seem to dark to me either. I love the way you used the pins from the different parks in it. I always see those in gift shops and wonder what I would do with them because I know I wouldn't put them on clothes for fear of losing them.
    So you have given me some ideas, Thanks,
    Sunni

    ReplyDelete
  3. The pin in the upper corner looks like a buddha in the long distance shot. This piece is beautiful, I like how you broke the picture plane with the fringes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the whole piece, it's as vibrant as I think of the desert.

    Love the fingerweaving on the piece too. I've got to figure out how to do that (since I am too far from Robin to take a class).

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you captured Mexico great! I love all the colors, the way they tell such a fun trip! And you fingerweaving is great... I just got Robin's book on this, but have yet to work it...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Judith --

    This has become a most special piece indeed. The New Mexico twig certainly got put to good use!


    Kathy V in NM

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! I think your piece is great. So is your idea of joining the pieces when they are all done. Love the fringe; its such a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey, forgot to add, I sure hope those hives are gone by now. What a way to spend a summer.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful piece! I especially like it with the fringe -- that adds the perfect touch. Your colors, though they are dark, are very satisfying to look at. And the twig is perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Judith, excellent way to document your travels by incorporating bits and pieces of your travels into your beaded journal page. The twig and fetishes remind me of a tailsman. I really like the way it turned out.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, Judith!!! This page is sooooo exciting!!! Stunning! I exclaimed out loud when I first saw it! I love the rich browns and golds and oranges and the dimension of the stick and fringed story - everything about it makes me happy!

    I'm also delighted to see this use of finger weaving. I've always thought that straps and tassels were an underexplored use of this technique. Way to go!!!!

    On a technical note, I'm thinking there may be too much weight in your pages for your idea of joining them with thread through the seed bead edge stitches... unless you backed them with something as well, or mounted them on something. But I do very much like your idea of joining them for a presentation of 12 in a row!

    ReplyDelete