Monday 21 December 2009

Favela saves the day!



After much stress and deliberation, I decided to ditch the grapes. I just wasn't getting anywhere with them and while some people can find fruit inspiring, I just don't think I'm one of them...so I'm sorry Dionysus...but I feel much better for it. A few days after 'fruit' was announced, we were told we could actually do architecture if we wanted, and then the deadline was extended to the middle of January, so I feel I have enough time to get it finished off by then. I did a lot of sketchbooking and studies on Favelas, which are areas of slum housing in Brazil's major cities. They are so colourful and busy and a real-life eclectic example of mixed-media. Now I have sawn out some examples of slum housing from white sheet acrylic and coloured them with engraving and rubbing them with acrylic paint. The next step is to add some more embellishment in the form of metal (silver and copper), wood, and a very limited amount of fabric. Then string them up into a big neckpiece i think! I'm so glad I changed it, much happier with it, and it is firing the imagination a lot more than the other one too. I have included a couple of Favela images, so you can see what I'm getting excited about. The thing that made me so interested in them in the first place was the film 'City of God', I highly recommend it :)

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Hattie Sanderson's Masterclass

This Sunday, I was lucky enough to do one of Hattie Sanderson's three master classes which were running in Edinburgh over the weekend. I would have done all three, but had to be at the shop! However, I'm so thrilled with the result of my 'Spinner Ring' that I will definitely be back to do the next two she is coming over to teach in June! It was her first time in the U.K. and an absolute pleasure to meet her. I learned so many little tips and tricks and it was totally invaluable. The picture is my final result and it features a beautiful lampwork bead by Emma Baird.

Helen*

Friday 4 December 2009

Dionysus

Right.....I think I have a direction to go with these grapes...finally! And I can mix in an architectural element too, best of both worlds! Dionysus being the Greek God of wine, means connotations of Grecian Freizes/ Frescoes, so I had the idea of engraving acrylic to look like marble (ambitious, perhaps?!). Carving out a Dionysus with a bunch of grapes in his hand, and really pitting the grapes then inlaying mother of pearl with a very thin layer of resin, also known as the 'Raden Technique' (taught at the Bead Shop this summer by the lovely Lynda Cheney) is what I have in mind. Workshop time!! 

Helen*