Beaded 2 Bless

Whenever I create a doll, I am whisked away by the Creative Spirit. It is that little voice inside me that directs me down the path. With "Firefly" that voice was harder to hear and spoke far fewer words, just as you might expect from a doll that is asking the for the flames to be fanned into an inferno from just a smoldering coal. The vision grew into a brighter light. Now we have "The Flood". It is indeed  a flood of ideas, a rushing movement of a fluid life. It is another representation of one's life captured in art, a piece that has identified what cannot be explained in words. Face the Flood. The face of "The Flood" is aware, somewhat serene, but will keep you wondering. The color captures the strength  of the wave caps.  Even the texture is meant to portray the "foaming" of the waves as they break. Since first creating this doll's form, there have been many projects to complete, strict schedules to stick too, and ...

Firefly went to the   "Unlocking the Heart of the Artist  Exhibit," held by The Worship Studio in Georgia, with many thanks from some special bead angels,  we were rewarded for our effort. She was chosen as one of the two   "Honorable Mentions." I know we all dread that word "obedience" but really it is not so dreadful. It is not at all an unhappy experience when you get your head in the game and your heart set right and just do what it is that you are being called to. The rewards, the blessings far outweigh any discomfort or inconvenience you may experience in the beginning. Really, it beats the snot out of the consequences too. I usually begin a doll with a specific motivation to hold me steadfast and to be obedient to the vision. This time the motivation didn't come until it was almost to late to complete the piece for its purpose. With the exception of the Round Robin dolls, I have always completed every stitch by my own hand. This doll was a f...

Some might call this the end of the journey, when the project is complete, but it isn't over yet! It is really only just beginning.  A new doll has been born! A new season! A new Birth to celebrate! A name has been chosen! It is my privilege to introduce to you: "Firefly" Her name is quite simple and may not totally relate to the multiple meanings, but it suits. I think of the little light these little bugs give off in an increasingly darkening sky. They joy they gave me as a child and the wonder of how they lit up. It totally suits! I want to send out a special thanks again to the 14 ladies that gave her wings. Joetta Adams, Judi Burkhalter, Jeanne Evans, Aryd’ell Hotelling, Gail Isbel, Rose Mary Jameson, Catherine King, Gwen Mazzocco, Candys McCulley, Gale Michel, Ann Page, Karan Parker, Debra Pyeatt, and Jena Tuntas You all sent so many home to me that not all of them were used but everyone of them blessed me! I am sure they will all find a home at some point.  You...

If there is anything I have learned about beading, it is how much time it really takes to accomplish something. After all, the main reason I pursued beading was because it consumed more of my time, which slowed ME down. I naturally zoom through life and that is NOT always a good thing. I have learned to pace myself or to set realistic goals when something needs to be done. What exactly HAS to be done by WHEN? I decided that both legs needed to be beaded by the 18th so that I can bead the back and arms just before putting on the wings and feathers. Somewhere in there, the hair has to be figured in.  I am still up in the air on that one because it will catch on everything but  then again so will the feathers. I am almost done with both legs! I am going to stick my neck out to get some of the back done before I crash tonight. I am going to need a little leeway for the hair and or feathers. Here is how it looks to this moment. Just a little m...

After  teaching at the Texas Bead Retreat, often referred to as "TBR", the beaders reading these posts need to know a simple tip that I often share. I learned the hard way and want you to find the success I did much faster and a heck of a lot easier. When beading spirals or curves, we often start at the outer most line to set a reference point for the rest of the bead rows. Then we try to bead inside the lines. Sound like something else we were "taught" - to color in the lines? Well let's forget that! When beading spirals it is easier to bead your way bigger then setting your outline around those beads. Don't get me wrong- it can be done either way- and I often do it the hard way but it is good to know that there is an easier way! Let me try to give you a good mental picture. If you lay a towel on a bowl that is upside down, it drapes easily taking on the concave curvature of the bowl. However if you lift the bowl and try to tuck the towel up in it coveri...

I had wanted to keep all of the Doll Journey post totally drama free. Unfortunately, that's just part of it- the part of the journey that eventually defines what you do. You see, as we create our art, our  points of reference, which includes our skills, culture, experiences and beliefs, influence our decisions. THAT being said, I have begun another doll one that closely resembles a form I sold to a very dear friend. I had every intention of beading that form myself if no one purchased it at the retreat last August. The difference of the two are the gesture the arms are making. The second one suits me better, so that is a good thing.However,  I make mention of all this for two reasons-1) I must post each week and this week there is NO progress, but this realization- 2) this IS JUST PART OF IT! I am being brutally honest about the progress of this doll. I received terrible news concerning a  friend and mentor's health, though not totally unexpected, when it com...

The week has slipped by without any beading being done but the inspiration is still swirling inside. Taking a passive role by just looking at magazines and books instead of creating, keeps me going.  I may still get to bead today  but I will save the progress photos to share next week.  While looking through magazines and previous journal entries, I discovered  that this has been brewing for a lot longer than I thought. I came across a journal entry created several months ago during a worship service.  It is an awesome experience! You look at the photo...seem like a coincidence to you? I used water soluble oil pastes and pen to create this journal page. I love how you can work in one medium and it inspires your direction in another. If you work with multi-media, be sure to play with them all as your inspiration allows. You will find that it fuels a much bigger fire than you had dreamed. Uhh, no pun intended ( I think). I wonder what they were saying...

After focusing on the flames, more inspiration has welled up in my spirit. This is what so many artist search for before they create. For me, it comes as I get quiet, busy my hands and meditate on what is in front of me as well as what is pouring out of me. The inspiration isn't just for what I am working on at the time, it overflows into everything. I mean EVERYTHING. I begin to create in the still moments before I sleep, in my dreams I am fulfilling the  promises of future appointments.  It is:  THE SWEET SPOT! The place where you know that you are doing exactly what you are called to do. Where you are fulfilling your greatest desires and drawing on wisdom that rests within. When you are led by the creative spirit instead of a  thwarted body and confused mind. Your eyes are on the prize and you can feel the hope it carries into your life. There is nothing else like it- To be exactly where you are supposed to be- No Questions asked- No Doubts remain. Blessin...

The  biggest challenge I face when I create a large project (of any kind) is faithfulness. I allow myself to toy with different ideas within the project but I am a stickler for being faithful to the vision. If it doesn't fit- it gets tossed to the side. This process is actually the part that I love. I think you might  call it problem solving but I like to refer to it as creative engineering.  When I began this doll,  I felt like I was working with a foreign medium, one never explored before. It sounds strange even to me, especially as I had my previous pieces right under my nose to contradict that feeling of inadequacy. I haven't made a doll in quite some time. I was completely disinterested with anything that had to do with bead embroidery. The last doll I completed took such a chunk of my soul to complete, I am still struggling getting over it and the events of my life that occured while creating her. So, I started to embroider on the arms of th...

Whenever a momma of any kind births, she begins to nest. She gathers things needed for a  time when little else gets done besides the nurturing of a new creature. Whenever we craft or create we do the same thing. We gather things close to us that we feel are necessary for some serious time spent on our project. On a grander scale, some may refer to it as "hoarding" but I prefer to call it nesting. It allows us to focus on the task at hand without interruption or distraction. It makes sense, doesn't it? My collecting usually starts with seed beads. I hunt down every possible color that I may want to include. For this doll I have put together 3 different mixes of flesh tones in different intensities.If you know me, you would think I am really crazy because I do NOT like my beads mixed. However, the idea is to see the glow of a flame reflecting off of a natural skin tone.  "Flesh to flames". When I gather my materials, I leave no bin untouched. I search every dr...

Whenever I start a large doll, I have a specific vision. I encourage my students to create this way too. What is a vision? A vision is something you see, it doens't have to really be there and it doesn't have to really be seen with your  physical eyes. It doesn't even have to be the whole thing- just a part. It can be a hope or a dream that you envision. It could be real or imagined, so long as you "see" it. My visions usually come from experiences that are unique to me. I may have shared events with others but the links to each event are my own. Hearing a band play a song, seeing the hawks floating on the wind, wanting to free that rooster of his beautiful neck feathers, even finding feathers on the driveway. Each of these events led to the vision of this doll. The song started it all. The lyrics say: Come be the fire inside of me, Come be the flame inside my heart, Until you and I are one. I see this part of the vision as a pose or a body position- which I have ...

New Design ideas are flying in my head. They are all fighting for attention. In the book (Art and Fe ar ) I am reading, I have learned that we tend to lean (or should lean)  towards practices that make us more productive. My productivity has come at a great cost to my environment. I am in a dire need to CLEAN. I know you hear it all the time that artists are naturally messy and live in certain state of chaos. This is largely true for me though I can only take so much chaos before my production is shot in the foot by irritation. I get into this "super mode" where everything I see and touch must be cleaned and reorganized. It is only then that I can rest and create. The only other time this mode surfaces is when I am in a rage....it calms me down. I am on the downside of this mode and am taking a little break to share the last thing I created before I went into this  frenzy. I introduce to you Mr. Praze , my newest beaded "doll". He prefers to be called a necklace....