Like my earlier pieces, this one is based on an acrylic paint monoprint that I turned into a serendipity land & seascape. It was then hand and free motion machine embroidered. I peyote stitched the bezel and filled in the rest of my 6" square with a large variety of of beads, found objects and stitches. It was painful at times, but I'm more than satisfied with the results.
I particularly like the leaves and the beaded waves in the section shown below. The flat blue discs have been recycled from a thrift store necklace.
I was lucky enough to find a mismatched pair of dice in the infamous family button jar?
Wasn't it fortunate that I was able to find this rusty/squished beer bottle cap in just the right colour? Honest, I didn't rust it myself! The glass marble is also from the button jar, as are all of the BUTTONS! Imagine that!
My friend Deborah, kindly sacrificed forever polishing her silver spoon for this piece. I chose this one over Charles & Di. I wonder why? (BTW the thistle has absolutely no significance, it was just the right colour.) I also added my very first Russian Leaf (taught to me by Marilyn Parker at the Toronto Bead Society technique night). Perhaps that's why I've been blue. I've been wanting to make these for years but just couldn't get it! I tried and tried and tried again until I finally figured it out. Now, of course, I've forgotten how to do it, so the next one will be difficult as well. I found that I couldn't bead the leaf in front of the TV, because I kept forgetting which step I was on. I blame American Idol and Dancing With The Stars......Okay, so I'm a reality show junkie.....I admit it, but I am selective and I do have standards. LOL!
I rusted this brand new washer all by myself by soaking it in balsamic vinegar for a day and then exposing it to the elements for a couple of weeks. When I was happy with the colour, I coated it with a couple of coats of Krylon spray fixative in a matt finish. I don't know if the vinegar actually did anything, but I do like the results.
The reveal!!
22 comments:
Anne Marie -- this is SENSATIONAL! you are SO good at the tease. love how you do little views and then the whole thing. it is drop dead gorgeous! WOW!
Rachel (more than a bit blue with envy!)
Wow! I love this piece, just fantastic! You are so good at these found bits pieces... I keep thinking I've seen my favorite one then you produce yet another gorgeous piece!
This is really incredible, I love it!!!!
Oh wow. I was totally impressed by the first picture and thought it was the entire piece, so imagine how my jaw dropped when I got to the final photo!! Blue (and purple) are my favourite colours so I really like this piece.
btw - next time you're playing with rusting a washer - try covering it with a piece of fabric and then soaking it with white vinegar. It works really fast, plus you're left with an interesting piece of fabric too. More bang for the buck so to speak.
Wonderful! This is just gorgeous and so many elements to treat the eye as you look at it. I can't wait to take a longer look.
the best yet...k.
Wow!! I love it! Blue is one of my favourite colours. Thank you for sharing the details on the evolution of this beautiful piece.
The other Anne-Marie (Val-des-Monts, Qc)
I love this one.... Way to go... something to see in every corner...
Every one of your pieces is a thrill to behold! I'm in total awe of this one... the spoon, the bottle cap, the embroidery, the marble... I looked at this a couple of hours ago and found myself with no words adequate to comment... came back to it again and still feel that any praise I sing will fall short of what your work deserves. Blue... I've grown to like blue but don't often work with it... You really made blue appealing to me!
Robin A.
Wow! This is another amazing piece. It has a wonderful sort of vintage feel to it. Looking at it, I want to reach through the screen and touch all the textures and found items.
Absolutely beautiful! It looks like a portal into a magical land :-)
Thanks & Merci everyone! I always appreciate my work a little more when I'm able to see it through your eyes. I didn't tell anyone what the seascape reminds me of on purpose (although some would be tempted to guess). I wanted you to view the magic without any preconceived notions. Isn't that what art is all about?
This is so yummy. It makes me want to add more beads to things. Thanks for commenting on my blog.
Wow seems to be a common theme for this piece, which is one of the most beautiful and saturated pieces I've ever seen. When I become a better beader, I want to make pieces just as fabulous as this...
Lovely, lovely, lovely!
I am just speechless from all the just amazing work I am seeing from all of the talented artists this morning. I have been following links from the Beading Journal pages to everyone's individual pages to see their work..just WOW WOW WOW WOW. Your pieces are just...BEAUTIFUL. There is so much in each piece I just keep going back to see everything you've done. Thanks for including the great close up photo's. I've been beading for just under a year now. I thought I was starting to get the hang of it, but after seeing this..LOL...WOW do I have a long way's to go. Good thing the journey is so much fun :) I think this is one of the most amazing pieces I've seen yet. Thank you so much for sharing.
I love this and the embellishments you incorporated. It's a wowzer!
Bead on! Victoria
You guys are just too kind with your compliments. Thank you very much. I love that you love all my little bits and pieces. BTW, this is just my second year with the BJP. I called myself a fibre artist before that. Now, I'm officially obsessive about beaded mixed media.
Hi Anne Marie... Glad to read you're liking your piece better now that you get a glimpse of it through our eyes! We're not being kind... Your work (and in particular this piece) is stunning.
So you didn't tell us what the seascape reminds you of... Will you tell us? Curious minds really want to know!
I posted a comment on my felt-dye-book post in answer to your comment about the edge stitch... I thought others might have that question too.
Robin A
Wow Anne Marie,
Truly amazing, blue is your colour!
Thanks, Robin & Donna!
The seascape reminds me of the water around Vancouver. Specifically, the ferry ride between the coast and the island. Of course, the water is not that blue and neither are the hills, but it still reminds me of that. The blue is because I was being a little nostalgic about the 60's and 70's. I was thinking blue jeans (note the yucky jean stitch colour in the bezel), ferry trips, family, friends and good times.
This is a spectacular piece. And I like how you took us through the ingredients step by step before the big reveal.
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