Of cats and birds

My new French claying friends at Créationfimo have challenges regularly, and the latest theme was chosen by an inspiring clay artist in her own right, Tewee.  Please click on her name to discover or rediscover her lovely color combinations and wide range of styles.  Oh, and please come see all the entries for this challenge at Parole de pâte. 

The theme of this particular challenge is "chat et oiseau" cats and birds.  I love birds and have ends and bits of "birdy" canes in my stash of humming  birds and blue birds, pigeons and peacocks, but I didn’t really want my precious birds in the company of a such deadly predator. For this particular challenge  I let my imagination go where it wanted and decided to focus on happy, sleeping, soft, purring cats with beautiful feathers swirling in their dreams.  No violent kitties here. 

Yes, my favorite way to begin any claying project is by creating a new cane.  I searched for some sleepy cats and feathers on Pinterest and Flickr, and came across many I loved.  These turkey feathers   in a photo taken by Darrell Gulin amazed me.  I found many more feathers to make into canes at the fun stuff café blog  A  photo taken by Kara Roselund   of a place setting with feathers particularly caught my attention. but was not easy to find elsewhere on line.  I could not find the photo on Kara’s site, but it was linked to a delightful blog written by Aileen “At Home in Love”   who shared more information about Kara.   Aside from peacock feathers, pheasant feathers are my very favorite. While searching for feathers for use in my caning, I fell in love with this adorable hat made with pheasant feathers:





 Almond Pheasant Feather Fascinator/Mini Hat photo from Soundchick Accesories
I put many of my clay feathers, some simple cat canes (black lines in translucent clay), a few older canes (Frida Kahlo 

,  my signature “JYP”  

, and peacock feathers ) together in a rectangle to fit into my simple slicer – an invention of Lela Armstrong.  I was then off and running on my way to try my hand at creating something for the “cat and bird” challenge. 

I love to make my very thin sheets of mille fiori clay “fabric” that I often lay on top of clay covered in metallic sheets. .  It is my signature style of beading/claying.   I used to do this in a very painstaking way. Now it is so much easier with Lela’s slicer. Can you find all my canes?  the turkey feathers, the sleeping cats, the peacock feathers, the kitty paw prints, a couple little girl faces, pheasant feathers and my signature?  

 

With awe and inspiration at every turn, I have been studying the work of the many talented and kind francophone clayers who belong to Créationfimo.  One tutorial especially caught my attention, and I used this challenge to try out the ideas of LaSagrada.  Merci pour le tuto!  She is on Flickr too.    I used my favorite texture design for the bezels. 

After making the La Sagrada method focal beads I set about constructing cat-head shaped connecting beads.  

I want to try doing more of this kind of pieces.   The construction was a breeze; totally fun and quick to put together. 

Oh, and just in case the cat and bird theme was too subtle, I made closures adorned with a sculpted bird and cat. 

PS:  For my  claying friends who love their birds, here is aquick tutorial for making bird earrings for free on my blog .

Art Bead Scene - April Challenge


My entry for the ABS monthly challenge...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jillpalumbo/8664640754/

...is inspired by the work of my favorite French Impressionist, Claude Monet. The piece, chosen by the ABS writers, is titled "Walk in the Meadows at Argenteuil" . Please see Art Bead Scene Blog: April Monthly Challenge for more information on the challenge and on this artist's work. 

This photo of David making a tiny glass snail was published by the Evansville Courier and Press 
 I treasure the little snail he gave me as a present.
David's Facebook page is:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Powell-Glass-Art/208810132463735#!/pages/David-Powell-Glass-Art/208810132463735



http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-monthly-challenge.html

My piece has focal beads made of polymer clay along with one clear glass bead made by
David Powell.

I met David and his wife at a local gallery, and was in awe of his beautiful glass beads and other objects. I purchased three of his lovely creations, and have finally found a good home for one of the set.

Here is another photo with a few details of my neckpiece...

 



Coucou !  Me voici…

 

Houp-là !  Merci à Amarena qui m’a laissé des mots bien gentils au sujet de mon œuf.   Elle m’a réveillée, et je me suis rendue compte du jour.  Oui, c’est déjà le jour (ou bien la nuit pour moi !) où on peut montrer nos créations du challenge couleur.   C’était mon deuxième challenge comme nouveau membre de Créationfimo, et j’ai oublié de publier un petit article ici pour partager le « fun ».  Venez-voir tous les créations formidables qui sont honorées au blog, Parole du Pâte. 

Ce challenge couleur,  c’était un « douleur » pour moi.  Au début, je contemplais  me retirer.  J’aime beaucoup de couleurs, j'adore des tas de couleurs; même les trois premiers couleurs du challenge.  J’adore le violet, le jaune, et l’anis (le vert des citrons vert) , ah, oui, ces couleurs me plaisent bien, même ensembles.   Mais le rose, ah non !  Si je peux,  je l’évite comme si c’est du poison.  Ou bien, j'ajoute beaucoup de bleu tout autour.  Seulement quand il s’agit du cadeau pour ma sœur qui aime le rose ou pour une amie (une très, très bonnnnnne amie), ou en ces cas là,  j’arrive à trouver un  petit  coup de pâte en rose  qui traine tout  au fond du tiroir, derrière  tous les couleurs préférés, aimés, valables…  

Non, je me suis déterminée de réussir à surmonter cette épreuve.  Quand j’ai vu mes canes déjà construites avec l’anis et le rose, j’ai retrouvé mon équilibre, mon courage – et j’en suis heureuse. 
J’avais déjà une cane que j’ai créée,  il y a trois ans ou plus, qui ressemblait au « Prayer Plant » (Maranta leuconeura ) dont j’en ai beaucoup qui reste parce que -oh vous savez déjà, c’est pas un secret que le rose ne me plaît pas du tout! Et je ne peux jamais jeter les canes à la poubelle.  J’ai fait cette canne pour décorer  un bracelet  que j’ai donné comme cadeau/prix à une élève qui aimait ce couleur.    J’aime bien cette jeune fille, sinon, je n’aurais pas eu cette canne. 
Alors pour ce challenge il fallait ajouter du jaune et de l’anis.  Une fleur que j’aime bien, c’est le « cosmos ».   En particulier j’aime les cosmos  au couleur violet.   

 

 J’ai recherché les details des cosmos, j'a étudié ces nuances et j'ai créé une nouvelle canne qui ressemble un peu au cosmos violet que j'aime.  Voici mon bracelet pour le challenge.   

C'est mon nouveau bracelet en jaune et en violet et en anis et OUI en rose aussi. Et après tou, j'en suis assez fière.  C'était bien de m'étire loin de ma zone de confort, oui, c'était un peu bien. 

Je ne le porterais jamais, ce bracelet, maisc’est possible que j’ai des amis que l’aimeraient?   
Et avec les restes…  Voici des BOs etcetera:

et un autre bracelet...

 

What a wonderful week!  
 Quelle semaine formidable!!!

This week I made the acquaintance of so many wonderful new clayers.  I finally allowed myself some time to delve into my first adopted language, French, and my interest in polymer at the same time.
I've been reading the French blog Parole de Pâte for several years now, and have always been curious to know more about the artists featured regularly there.   The post about purses knocked my socks off; and then the challenge about eyeglasses, well, I couldn't get enough. 
I summoned the courage to ask to become a member of Créationfimo, a group of clayers who speak French.  After all my trepidation, I was overjoyed to be made to feel right at home.  I am still getting to know my way around the forum, but it has been a joy at each turn.  I feel like a kid in a candy shop.  Each member is a treasure to discover.   
The regular challenges there have been keeping me "hopping" this week before Easter.  I can't breathe a word about each of the challenges except for this one for now.  This challenge is the first of several I've already entered and it is all about decorating eggs.  Such beautiful eggs they make, right!  I played along using a real chicken egg as a base.  This was my first egg to blow out since I was a little girl.  It is the first egg I've ever made with clay.  I like the process, and maybe I'll try something more ornate and pretty next time.

 

 

For my humble first try I covered the real eggshell with translucent Pardo, tinted the outside with alcohol inks, and cut a small hole in the top.  After curing, I broke up and removed the egg shell.  Mine is not much to look at, but it is a "useful" egg.  It is glued to the top of a glass vase (turned upside down) and it actually holds water.  It is patiently awaiting crocuses that were buried in ten inches of snow these last few days.

It has finally warmed up to melt most of the snow, and I am crossing my fingers that they might pop out later today?  I'd love to put my new egg vase to use on Easter. 

 

March Art Bead Scene Challenge - Collier Serf MARABS

March Art Bead Scene Challenge - Collier Serf MARABS, originally uploaded by Jill Palumbo.

Last Day of March! This entry is too late for the ABS blog hop however I refused to give up making my own post - better late than never. This month the work of art chosen by ABS for inspiration threw me for a loop. It was so colorful, and so detailed. Honestly, I was confused about how to respond to it.

 
The artwork is by Marc Franz, titled Deer In the Forest, 1911, Oil on Canvas, 100.97 x 104.78 cm, Philips Collection, Washington DC, USA
I have many failed attempts on my studio table to prove that I've not been forgetful about this particular challenge. In the end, I'm pleased with my collier cerf. I made the deer's head with the millefiori technique, and put it in a setting made with Donna Kato's brocade technique over a"bezel" made from an impression from the inside of a large mushroom. The circular beads (made with scraps of the clay from my many failed attempts) lay on their side and are woven so that they move easilly- very comfortable. I purchased the long brown wooden beads from Von's in West Lafayette, Indiana. My sister and I took a trip to see my son earlier this week. We just had to stop at Von's - they claim they have the largest selection of beads in the US. I need more beads like a hole in the head! but can't stop myself from heading to bead shops each time I come close to one, oh, and Von's is like bead heaven.
Yes, this month has certainly been a busy one for me, but I cannot complain. I'm having a new experience with claying. I've joined CréationFimo, a forum of francophones who fimotent (do polymer). They are a delightfully creative and prolific group. They share ideas and help one another with everything from how to take photos to links with recipes for making shades clay. I'm still so new there that I'm lost most of the time, but as I find my I discover art that gives me such joy. I'll have to share some links here soon to some websites/blogs of these amazing fimoteuses (and Moïse, le fimoteur). I've yet to meet Moïse. He may be hiding in a floating basket with a protective group of sisters watching over him?
All this to say that my ABS challenge piece is LATE. I have been tryiing out the challenges at CréationFimo, and the pieces I've made for that group need to be held back from sharing on line until a certain date. Today is the day to share les oeufs (decorated eggs). I'll add my humble "egg" post later today.

Via Flickr:
artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-monthly-challenge...

Collier Hanami - Cherry Blossom Viewing Necklace
  This month has flown by for me. I have been pondering February’s Art BeadScene Challenge which is to create something inspired by a certain artist’s work using art beads.The artist for February is a woodblock print by the artist 吉田 遠志(Yoshida Toushi). The title of the specific piece chosen by ABS is “Hie Jinja”, created by Yoshida-san in 1941. This particularshrine 日枝神社 is quite famous and treasured by the people of Japan.
Although I’ve never visited this particular shrine, it was in a nearby shrine in 1989 where I first heard the word, お母さん(mother), spoken in context. I will never forget a certain moment during my first trip to Japan after studying Japanese for two summers. I can remember each detail of my flash of comprehension, an “aha” moment for me, when I heard a frantic, desperate child running through the crowds calling “okaasan!” over and over. In this instant the many lessons on humble and honorific language came together for me. She had lost her mom, but thankfully before anyone needed to rescue her, she was found.
It was also an emotional moment, I wanted to help the little girl, but of course I was still very unskilled in my stage of using the language. I felt just about as helpless as that lost child. At the same moment I was hit by a determination that still today spurs my drive to continue to learn more Japanese.はい！がんばります！

pear tree blossoms from my neighbor's yard

This time of year Japan is celebrating or getting ready to celebrate the tradition of 花見（hanami）flower viewing. 
Friends and family take time away from the cares and routines of everyday life to gather together to chat, eat, drink and generally enjoy one another’s company while sitting under the cherry trees in full blossom.

 

This must have been the time of year depicted in Yoshida-san’s image.Strolling, feeding pigeons, admiring the blossoms on the branches all around; it seems like a magical moment.

raw clay, an example of my technique of using mostly transluscent canes over metal leaf

When I finally had time to make my dreams of meeting the ABS challenge into reality, I began by using a new resource.I made several leaves using the “Floating Leaves” tutorial by Sandra McCaw in my new book on claying,Polymer ClayMaster Class .I mixed clay colors in the palette found inYoshida-san’simage to use in the leaves.

After making the patterns for Sandra-stye leaves, I chose a blossom-shaped shell bead I’ve had in my stash for years. I sanded the reverse side of the the bead and drew the scene of a mom and child feeding pigeons. 

After spraying the image with a mat fixative, I decided to sacrifice a special bead made by my sister, Nancy Buchanan,for this project.Her bead is made of Fimo, and is a faint pink color with a design that reminds me of a semi-precious opal or mother of pearl.She had sanded it to a brilliant shine.I placed my painted blossom on her oval bead for my focal piece.

Sandra's floating leaf pattern under my blossoms and pigeon canework

After this, I fell back upon my favorite technique, millefiori, making 3D images with colors of clay.I also use oil paints for the fine lines in my canes.Here is a variety of canes pushed together in my new favorite tool, my simple slicer.  

my favorite new tool, simple slicer

My husband drove to Lee Ann Armstrong’s home last Christmas Eve to buy one for my present, and I have enjoyed using it so very much! This tool helps my slices be uniform and paper thin. Oh, I love using my nearly translucent canes on metal leaf for a painterly effect that is pleasing to me. It simply fills me with joy to make canes like this.  

almond blossom cane

almond blossom canes in various sizes after reduction

   I intentionally used many of the same blended colors of clay chosen for my Sandra McCaw patterns in my blossoms and pigeon canes so that they would blend well together in my next step.

I decided to make Sandra’s leaves my own by adding my special pigeons and blossoms on one side of the leaves and by giving them my wavy shapes.I cure my pieces on glass bowls and such to give them a shine and a wave.
Finally, I put the entire assembly together using sparkly glass and metal beads in harmonious colors. I make my own findings from silver plated wire.I added a touch of ribbon to the neck for a soft, comfortable closure.My jewelry designs must be comfortable to wear above all else.

My intention to learn and teach Japanese language and culture all these years has affected how I do many things.  I like to think of my designs as a haiku, capturing a moment in time, ephemeral, and full of natural elements.  

  I also like to see the negative space and strive to incorporate this into my designs. Here's a bit of trivia for you... I try to avoid using four of anything in a row without a break of some kind.  This is because the Japanese word for death and the number four sound the same.   

my mess of a work table

I’ve become OCD over this idea while beading.  You can look and look and never find four of any sort of beads in a row in my pieces.  じょうだんじゃないよ。


a precious gift from a young Japanese lady

One final comment, my last name, the one I took from my husband, Palumbo, is synonymous with the word “dove”.  I had been quite proud of that meaning during my first few years of marriage.  Oh, and the idea that doves are a symbol of peace was icing on the cake for me.  Another lesson I learned on my first trip to Japan is that doves are just pigeons 鳩（hato).  I do love the sound that pigeons make, but the idea that Palumbo in Japanese simply translated to “pigeon” was quite a humbling thought for me. 

 

 

 

JAN ABS peacock neck piece

JAN ABS peacock neck piece, originally uploaded by Jill Palumbo.

My lastest piece based on the January Art Bead Scene challenge. I never seem to have enough freetime to finish all that I have envisioned in the span of a month. I'm a bit late, but I enjoyed each and every minute of putting this together - from the making of canes to the beading. This is my favorite peacock piece I've put together so far. There are a couple more in my mind.