Goals for the New Year

Alas, we have turned the page and started a new year, 2011, seems kinda funny to say. Today we were riding in the car and I was telling the kiddies about the date being 1/1/11. My poor daughter, she's only 7, but she just didn't seem to get it. Of course it probably doesn't help that she doesn't write the date as such, she always writes the month.

I've long given up setting resolutions for the New Year. It's not that I set resolutions that are unattainable, but rather my ADD kicks in and I quickly loose sight of the said New Year's Resolution in exchange for something that is more...instant gratification. So the other day while catching up on blog post, Erin at Treasures Found posted about having a word for the year, and several other blog friends have followed suit. This seems like a much better idea for me. Several words come to mind...too many.

These are just a few that come to me immediately, so I'm gonna brainstorm, really think about what words best suit what I'd like to achieve this year, and narrow it down to which one will best suit me creatively. But in the meantime, Happy New Year and may it be filled with creativity, good health, and prosperity.


How about you?
Do you set a New Year's Resolution? And follow through?
Will you be setting a Word for the Year?

The Challenge...

Every month, I look forward to seeing the inspiration for the Art Bead Scene challenge. This month's inspiration is the Drama Medallion, displayed on Radio City Music Hall.

 I don't know how I missed this on my recent trip to NYC, but I would have loved to see it in person. This piece of artwork is so inspiring for me. The colors and texture just spoke to me. I knew I wanted to create a piece with this as being the inspiration...whether I'd get to it before the month was over was questionable... At any rate, I'd been gazing at the medallion for a couple weeks now, and had a design in mind that was calling to me every time I walked into the workshop. So this is my interpretation...

Yikes, this really isn't the best picture, the copper looks kind dull, in real life it has a beautiful, shine underneath the oxidation. Anyhow...the copper pendant was created to duplicate the shape of the medallion, and there are smaller copper circles floating around in the necklace. The copper discs, which are textured, and the wirework, give this necklace a lot of texture. Then of course I had to add the fabulous colors. I'm thrilled with this pieces...especially since I didn't sketch it out first...that's like living on the edge for me. And to top it all off, I'm SO excited to be chosen as the designer of the week on Art Bead Scene Blog.

Cheers!

Color is Everything

As an artist, I gravitate toward certain colors over and over again. Blues and greens are not necessarily MY favorite colors but I find myself going back to these colors for my projects. Much of the inspiration for my pieces come from nature, more specifically the ocean. This comes from living so close to this vast expanse of water. I'm not saying that the ocean I visit is blue or green, more like a muddy olive color, but in my minds eye this is what it should be.

The ocean is the inspiration for my latest creation. These beads are polymer clay, yes blue and green with the added black for contrast which represents that dark color of the water. And the spiraling to represent the curling of the waves.

Water Spout - Polymer Clay & Sterling Silver Wirework Bracelet

Do you like to work with a specific color?