Here is my entry in the Battle of the Beadsmith 2013 International competition.
Bear is my favorite model to use. He is cute, works cheap but gets out of hand when I am not looking, as you can see by the photo! He is the "bear-friend" of my doll, Willow. I have to keep my eyes on him. He can get...well you know..... anyway.....
Here is the bag next to it's inspriration: a flowering Saguaro. The Saguaro flowers are so beautiful. They are a heavy waxy flower with shades of white, subtle lavender and greens. I used 33 colors of size 15 seed beads to re-create this flower in beads. This is an intense process for me. I can't watch TV or a movie or carry on a conversation while working on these. I can put in an audio book but even that is more than I can handle sometimes. It takes alot of concentration.
I bead over a photograph taken by my friend Leslie Lederer Bohm. The photograph is printed onto silk. I bond layers together to make a stable imovable base to bead on. The beads stay exactly where I put them. I stitch down 2, back through 3 in a circular pattern. I will post close up photos once I know if I am moving to the next round. I can only post the photos used for the competition at this point.
I will know soon if my bag is moving on to the next round. I will keep you posted.
