Seed beads!

Let each man exercise the art he knows. Aristophanes.

Todays featured artist definitely exercises what she knows. Seed bead pieces always awe me, all those teeny tiny beads worked into something gorgeous, and Stephanie's work is no exception.

How long have you been working in your medium?

I have been working seed beads steady for about a dozen years, but off and on for much longer. Glass, just a few short years, intermittently, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

What drew you to this medium?

I honestly don't know what drew me to beads, seed beads specifically, but I can't get enough of them.

When it comes to glass, I happened upon a demonstration at my local stained glass shop, and it was all over from there. I am one of those that thought, "oh, I could learn to do that and use the beads in my work"! Wow, it's been a journey to get to that point and I have LOTS to learn but I'm having fun along the way.

What is your favorite thing about your art?

My favorite thing about seed beads is that you can do literally anything with them. You can string, sculpt, & weave them into whatever your heart desires. I love freeform peyote best of all.

What's your favorite piece?

This freeform peyote necklace I did as a commission. It turned out beautiful and the client and recipient were elated with it...

What's the hardest piece you've ever made?

Probably the Escape Necklace since it was a commission. While weaving it, I was hoping that what I was making would A). Turn out, and B). Be what the buyer wanted.

Who or what inspires you?

I am greatly inspired by nature in my beadwork. Freeform work specifically. I am also inspired by the glassy peeps on LE for their vast knowledge and willingness to share with us newbies to the art.

What's your favorite inspirational saying?

This saying is posted at the former burial site of Lake Superior Chippewa. Over one hundred years ago, the tribe was evicted from the land and even the burial grounds were dug out, and put in a mass grave in town. The tribe members and others visit the site often and leave offerings from tobacco to, well, anything. I leave beads. The sign posted at the site : "As I travel I hope I leave beautiful footsteps behind me..."

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?

Oh my, the list is long. Visit Australia is one!

Amy Kinsch

Each item in a collection has it's own story, it's own memory, the search, the day you bought it, who you were with, the vacation ......... Tricia Guild

My featured artist for today is Amy Kinsch and her stamps are small collections, her wonderful art gallery shows her stamps used in many ways with many stories. Here's a short look into what makes Amy Kinsch tick.

How long have you been working in your medium?

It's been almost 20 years now. I was dating my husband at the time and we went to a rubber stamp show. After spending quite a lot of money myself on stamps we decided to start our own rubber stamp company.

What drew you to this medium?

You don't have to be able to draw to create rubber stamp art. However, it still is an art form.

What is your favorite thing about your art?

I like the versatility. If I'm not happy with the layout of a piece then I'll just rearrange everything until I'm happy. It's also very relaxing to get lost in something your working on.

What's your favorite piece?

The Medusa scene I made years ago. In the background there are people that she has turned into statues, her face is in the foreground, and there is a turtle looking at the statues that has escaped Medusa's wrath.

What's the hardest piece you've ever made?

Probably the Missy/Sissy book I made for one of our Projects of the Month. I had never made a book before and honestly it ended up being much easier than I thought it would be.

Who or what inspires you?

Just take a look at the Gallery on our website. All of our feature artists there inspire me.

http://beeswaxrubberstamps.com/artgallery.htm

What's your favorite inspirational saying?

I don't believe I have one!

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?

I'd love to see the Smithsonian Museums.

Another bracelet.

I really am loving these bracelets! I am hoping to find some nice texture hammers at Bead and Button. Which is fast approaching! We had a fairly substantial storm blow through today, maybe tomorrow the sun will come out and I can garden a bit.

I love glass

Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion. David Easton

I love glass, I could play with it all day. Watching it melt, the reactions, the shaping, the colors. Everything about it, I love it.

Well, maybe not the hot factor. I burnt myself today, but since I KNOW not to pick up a tool that's recently been in the flame I blame the stupid factor for that one.

I still love glass! I got some info today on a trip to Italy in 2011 and boy am I lusting after it. There are three classes, one a micro mosaic class. One joint class both Lucio Bubacco and Emilio Santini teach together. If I win the lottery I want to take the joint class and the micro mosaic. All though I think it's the type of trip you should take with a good friend so I'll need to work on that part.

Silver Moon another copper capped and cored, ready to wear bead.

Empty space

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality. Nikos Kazantzakis

Art is as much about positive space as it is about negative space. The space between, the nothing, the empty, the pregnant with possibility spaces.

I'll admit I love empty space, but I also like tidy space and I battle both. Ask close friends, I LOVE deleting emails and messages. After I've dealt with them of course. So to me empty space means a job done, finished, ready to move on to the next. I need to start looking at empty space more as a space left to explore. I need to stop passing by the empty space thinking it's finished. It's only just begun!

Copper

An interior is the natural projection of the soul. Coco Chanel

Sometimes I wonder if my home should change style as often as I do? Right now I am a bright, girly phase. I never liked pink before but lately I think "Ohhhh look at that pretty bright pink" then shake my head that I actually thought it!

I love my house, it took forever and a month to build. We kept changing our mind about just about everything. The only place I'd change a few things is the main bathroom, the bathtub is way too big and the color is peach ICK! But if that is my only complaint I figure we did not too bad.

I've been really drawn to copper lately, been banging away on it in the studio. I need some of these the texture hammers I used to do these two bracelets. I made the ID tag portion at Andrea's and love the texture the hammers make. Something else to add to my wish list!

I also got this keepsake bead done today for Heidi of Equine Solutions, she wanted some color and silver on the hollow bead and I am thrilled with how it turned out!

New wearable pendants

I have some new wearable copper capped and cored beads in my etsy shop. I'm really liking these! I think I'll be making more! I'm pretty excited, I'm all caught up photo wise in the studio and have a whole day to myself tomorrow! I'm going to torch the day away, after I sleep in!

If I ever got a tattoo

Ah! There is nothing like staying home for real comfort. Jane Austen

If I ever got a tattoo this would be it! I am a homebody, I'm even down to only running errands twice a week. The perfect day for me is a morning with a cup of tea catching up on chores, feeding horses, checking emails, cleaning beads. All of course at my leisure, working from home has those benefits.

A day in the studio is heaven for me, whether it's making beads or doing some metal work I can loose time in there pretty easily.

Then some more outside chores, picking horse paddocks and maybe some gardening. Then dinner and usually a movie.

Rinse and repeat for each day of the week!

Iced Pink

What a gift of grace to be able to take the chaos from within and from it create some semblance of order. Katherine Paterson

Well today I finally put away the aftermath of the weekends show. I can't work in clutter, it makes me crazy. Anyone who's seen my yard knows why, it's clutter city out there. My husband is a pack rat, but in the house NO clutter. At least I try for no clutter.

Iced Pink a new set of beads, I just love the iridescence the silver gives these beads.

Keepsake beads!

Well the Just Horsin Around Event was a bust for me. I didn't sell much. I had a GREAT time though, stayed with Heidi and Wendy on Protection Island at Heidi's grandparents in law. Loved the Island, I'd love there in a heartbeat. You take a small walk on ferry to get there, does it GET any better than that?

The upside is I had lots of keepsake beads done up for the event that will now be listed in my Etsy shop. SO you can get your very own custom made keepsake bead. I can pretty much put anything in the bead that will fit through the hole. Horse hair, stones, cat whiskers, a hand written message the sky's the limit!

Mothering yourself

Mothering myself has become a way of listening to my deepest needs, and of responding to them while I respond to my inner child. Melinda Burns

I am good at listening to my inner child, I am always drawn to bright fun colors. I love t shirts with bright flowers, sometimes with a girlie theme to them. Fun is what it's all about, right? I've been known to rip outside in my pajama's to play in the snow. Something about snow makes me into a large kid!

Mothering myself may not be my strong point, but I am trying. Trying to take some downtime each week, sometime to wander in the garden, read a book, ponder life, you get it?

Sometimes my downtime is while feeding the horses. I love to watch and listen to the barn swallows flitting about at dusk. We've got three nests already this year!

Just Horsin Around

I am attending a large equine trade show and fundraiser for the SPCA this weekend and am pretty excited about it.

Just Horsin Around was put together by 5 (at least I think it's 5) ladies with the proceeds going to the SPCA. There are some fantastic clinicians, demo and booths.

I am carpooling with Heidi and Wendy of Equine Solutions. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and hopefully some sales. I'll have my keepsake beads there ready for anyone who brings horse hair or any other keepsake they'd like in one. I've also put together a line of metalsmithed jewelry that's a little more equine friendly!

Wild Plum

I am still in love with Clio glass from double helix! This set, Wild Plum is yet another reason why. The colors are just so pretty.

The Mothers Day Paint in and art walk to Coast Collective was a huge success, people loved it!

Mothers Day Paint In!

What a gorgeous day it is today! Sun is out and there is NO wind. Perfect for the Mothers Day Paint In at Coast Collective Gallery.

There has always been a Paint In at Royal Roads but this year they are extending it to Coast Collective, there is a great walking path between the two and this year it will be loaded with artists.

I'll be there, in the classroom in case the wind picks up. Glass and wind do not mix!

Come down, bring your Mom! It's a great way to spend the day!

Paint

A house is who you are, not who you ought to be. Jill Robinson

I've been looking at paint colors to pick something out for the studio. I wanted something fresh and inspiring. I also am not a big fan of painting. The girl at the paint supply talked me into trying "the complete process" for the smaller room. I am washing the walls, then patching the drywall, then sanding the patches, then primer and finally paint. Wow, can I DO all those steps?

I picked turquoise blue for the walls and a bright green for the trim, it sure looks happy and fresh in the paint chips!

Just a big ole YAHOOO!

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!

The vet was out today and Indy got a decent bill of health! I was so happy to hear this, we've been working hard to rehab him and he's looking a lot perkier.

Linen Ruffle

Drink very good tea out of a thin Worcester cup of a color between apricot and pink, Rumer Godden.

I love tea, fairly strong with some honey and milk. I am not sure where this tradition came from as neither of my parents are what I'd call tea drinkers. My grandmother is but I haven't spent a lot of time with her so I don't think it comes from her. But I do love a good cu of tea!

This set is another made with Clio glass, I just love the colors you get from this glass!

I spent yesterday in the garden, it's pretty much back together. The pond is not staying as clear as I expected I'll have to look into that. I got an artichoke planted, I am looking forward to seeing how it does. I think this week I can get my ground cherries and edamame outside!