Studio Saturday at Art Bead Scene

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

This weeks winner is Shannon Westmeyer of After Hours Art Glass. Congratulations! 

You have won a Flower Pendant with Sari Ribbon from the studio of Jennifer Heynen. 

Send Jennifer an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.

This week we visit the studio of Tari Sasser at Creative Impressions In Clay.

Oscar the Fish!

In a previous Studio Saturday early in the year, I was telling you I wanted to paint. Mixed media it is! Above is the fish I created in Michigan while staying with my friend Margaret. We were in Lake Leelanau for a week. It is such a beautiful place, right on the lake. Margaret is such a great person and fellow artist. She and I taught together for a couple of years in Cincinnati. 

When traveling I am always looking for new inspirations. Strolling through the shops and galleries in Sutton's Bay we came across these fantastic fish by Jesse Hickman decorated with all sorts of items. Of course we both look at each and say "we can make those!" 

So to go with the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose" theme, my son keeps pounding in us, comes the fish. Oscar here is made from a picnic table board that was being replaced. The idea of using soda cans came to me as I was falling asleep one night. After the tops and bottoms are cut off the cans you can cut the aluminum easily into strips. From there into scales. I used very small nails to attach them to the board. That had it's own difficulties being so small and after so many your hand begins to cramp. 

Scales

Say Cheese!

Oscar's teeth are made with nails. Interesting dilemma, you can't get a drill in a small space and have it drive in straight. Cool crooked teeth!

Birdhouse

This is my newest project, decorative birdhouse. It's not really made to go outside. The roof has soda can shingles. The siding is made from paper beads/tubes. The ValPak coupons are the perfect length, only a little bit of trimming after you roll them. I glued my charms on it and dangled pewter bird charms from them. Feet are beads, a couple coats of varnish and voila! 

With kids and a husband at home for the summer these projects could be picked up and put down through out the day. I didn't have to worry about clay drying out. It's been busy this summer visiting college campuses with my son. I have to keep my hands busy.

My question is:

Is there a summer project you have been working on? 

Tried something new? 

 Have something you would love to try?

Leave a comment on Art Bead Scene's Blog and you could win a LUV2TRVL button for all of your adventures this summer!

Happy Traveling and enjoy the summer!

School definitely needs to start soon!

Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge

Alexander Calder :: Blue Feather, c. 1948

Sheet metal, wire, and paint

42" x 55" x 18"

Calder Foundation, New York (calder.org)

 About the Artist

"Alexander Calder (1898-1976), whose illustrious career spanned much of the 20th century, is the most acclaimed and influential sculptor of our time. Born in a family of celebrated, though more classically trained artists, Calder utilized his innovative genius to profoundly change the course of modern art. He began by developing a new method of sculpting: by bending and twisting wire, he essentially "drew" three-dimensional figures in space. He is renowned for the invention of the mobile, whose suspended, abstract elements move and balance in changing harmony. Calder also devoted himself to making outdoor sculpture on a grand scale from bolted sheet steel. Today, these stately titans grace public plazas in cities throughout the world."

About the Sculpture

"The shapes in Blue Feather have been so abstracted that, instead of literally depicting a bird, the piece suggests natural concepts such as floating, soaring wind, wings, feathers, clouds. Blue Feather combines Calder's two most important inventions — the mobile and the stabile. The interconnected lines and positive shapes in the piece interact with the negative spaces around them. The upper portion of the sculpture moves, causing the work to change from minute to minute.

— "Flying Sculptures" Scholastic Art"

The Prizes:

Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on August 1st.

Our sponsors this month are sponsors: Creative Impressions In Clay, Lyn Foley and Design Diva please visit us Monday to see the prizes!

Featured Designer of the Week:

From all the entries during the month, an editor is going to pick their favorite design to be featured every Monday here on the ABS. We want to give our participants more time in the spotlight! Our Featured Designer will be this Monday, so get those entries in soon.

How to enter the Monthly Challenge:

1. Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.

***Beads by themselves and beads simply strung on a chain or cord will not be accepted.***

2. Upload your photo to our flickr group. Detailed instructions can be found here and click here for a tutorial for sending your picture to the group.

Please add the tag or title JULYABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

Deadline is April 30th. Photos are approved by our moderators, if a photo hasn't followed the guidelines it will not be approved. You may upload 2 photos a day.

What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.

***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***

p.s. If you have a blog, post your entry and a link to the ABS challenge to spread the beady goodness.