The Beaded Chick Fabric Cuff (copyright pending) is a collaboration between The Venerable Bead and Pink Lemonade Boutique . We are very excited about this marriage of Lisa's soft, feminine and colorful fabrics with Paula's glass implosions. The base fabric is a colorful cotton print while the top fabric is a rich green silk. It has been interfaced for body and the snap is magnetic. At the closure Lisa has sewn a one inch borosilicate implosion "button" or cab handmade in the flame of Paula's torch and annealed in her kiln for strength and durability. This one features a lily in yellow, green, blue and purple. The Beaded Chick Cuff is comfortable and should fit snug. The bead feels light and won't spin as long as you are measuring your wrist where you wear a watch. These cuffs are one of a kind! They are available in Paula's shop. Watch for neck cuffs coming soon!
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Arts In RI team members decided to creatively challenge one another to embrace the season of love with Valentine themed products. Between now and Valentine's Day we will share some of these "lovely" designs with you here on our blog. Let us know how you feel about our art by leaving a comment. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing for an Arts In RI gift basket featuring goodies from many of our shops. (one entry per person per post. In other words you can enter once every time we post a new product!!!) Be sure to check back on the blog on Valentine's Day as we will announce the winner that day. Entries will be accepted until midnight February 13th.
Our next Valentine Item is a borosilicate glass heart pendant handmade in the flame of Kim V's Torch of KimVGlass. Kim says of her design: "I have been contemplating the necklace design for a while. It's a variation of the necklace that I use for my heart shaped discs...but one that has some flexibility to it. This necklace allows you to change the focal bead that hangs from it, as long as the focal has a hole that is at least 7mm (1/4 inch) in diameter. I was fortunate to take a class recently, along with fellow Arts In RI'erPaula down in Orlando, FL. The teacher, Brent Graberis a boro glass guru!! We had a great time!! When I came home, I started playing with some of the techniques that I learned. While melting glass at the torch, it came to me....how to create the interchangeability that I was after AND how to incorporate a heart."
Let us know what you think of Kim's ingenious design here in the comments and you will be entered to win a drawing on Valentine's day. You will win a basket filled with handmade goods created by our Arts In RI team.
If you like this Arts In RI blog post...spread the love!
Arts In RI team members decided to creatively challenge one another to embrace the season of love with Valentine themed products. Between now and Valentine's Day we will share some of these "lovely" designs with you here on our blog. Let us know how you feel about our art by leaving a comment. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing for an Arts In RI gift basket featuring goodies from many of our shops. (one entry per person per post. In other words you can enter once every time we post a new product!!!) Be sure to check back on the blog on Valentine's Day as we will announce the winner that day. Entries will be accepted until midnight February 13th.
The next Valentine item up for viewing is from my own shop The Venerable Bead. It's a boro glass beaded vintage skeleton key necklace inspired by a children's book. On the last few pages of Guess How Much I love you by Sam McBratney, Big Nut Brown Hare settles Little Nut Brown Hare into his bed of leaves and whispers "I love you right up to the moon - and back". I swear I never got through that last page without tearing up when my kids were babies. I tore through the house looking for that book last Sunday morning. Maybe I was feeling a bit melancholy because my baby boy turned 11 on Monday. I literally felt myself having panic at the thought this book had been put in the Goodwill bin. In front of 6 sleepover guests I was begging my son to help me find the book. He looked at me like he might just kill me right there in front of 6 witnesses. "Whew never mind I found it in your sister's room" I said a few minutes later. I heard him say to one of his guests that he had no idea why I would think a baby book was anywhere but.
This is a tribute to unconditional love that spans a thousands oceans, a million miles...to the moon...and back. It's comprised of a skeleton key that has a bright red borosilicate glass bead made directly on the shaft. It has charms and a hand stamped brass tag the reads: I love you right up to the moon and back. It comes strung on a 24 inch gunmetal chain with lobster clasp.
Let us know how you feel about this piece here in the comments and you will be entered to win a basket full of great prizes created by our very own street team.
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You only have to drive about twenty minutes or less from anywhere in Rhode Island to get to the ocean. The water that surrounds us very often influences our art. The collaborative team of Wendy Thatcher of Designs By Wendy T and Kim Vredenburg of Kim V Glass created a beautiful jewelry set with an ocean theme and color scheme. In Ocean Mist Wendy used borosilicate glass beads born one at a time in Kim's torch, coral, pearls and silver to create a gorgeous blue green necklace and earrings set. We asked them about their collaboration.
Please tell us a little about yourselves and what kind of art you make.
Wendy: My name is Wendy and I wear many hats. In my spare time (yeah, I have none) I design jewelry. My favorite materials have always been stones, wood and any other natural material. It is my passion, and it is what I would rather be doing at any given moment!
Kim: I am a lampworker. In other words, I play with fire. :-) I've been doing this for about 5 years and it still amazes me that I can take glass rods the thickness of a pencil melt them in a torch, manipulate it a bit....and end up with a little work of art.
Can you tell us how you got started on this project and how it has evolved.
Wendy: I have always had a desire to work with lampwork beads, but honestly, at first, this was a little intimidating for me. Kim makes such AMAZING creations! Because I have not worked much with glass, I was afraid that I could not do Kim's beads justice. I decided that I would handle this in my usual way. I took Kim's beads and hung them in front of me on my work bench. This is what I do with stones that I have purchased just because I love them, but don't have a plan for. I work on other projects, all the while glancing at the beads that I SHOULD be working with. For some reason, this works for me. Eventually, it hits me! This is exactly how it happened with out collaboration project!
Kim: When the Arts In RI team members were discussing doing collaborations, I remember thinking that since I make beads it was only fitting that I work with a jewelry person....Wendy.
What inspired you about your partner's art?
Wendy: Everything about Kim's art inspires me! She is an incredibly talented person who I secretly stalk through Etsy. I love to see her new pieces when they are listed! Besides being a wonderfully sweet human being, and so much fun to talk to, she inspires me to learn as much as I can about my art form.
Kim: I absolutely LOVE Wendy's designing ability!! It seems that, no matter what she is working with, it always "goes together" so beautifully. I swear she could make something fantastic out of junk!!
How did you ultimately decide to make what you did?
Wendy: As I mentioned before, I needed to wait for the right idea to hit me! I saw Kim's boro beads working well with blue sponge coral, some blue topaz and lots of other little fun things! In keeping with my natural style, I also added some unique little faceted bronze freshwater pearls.
Kim: I knew from the beginning that we needed to do an ocean themed project....after all, we are from the Ocean State :-) I had made a set of beads in the past that resembled ocean waters and had been unable to duplicate them. Torch chemistry has a definite effect on borosilicate glass. My goal was to recreate them.
Can you give us some insight into your brainstorming process?
Wendy: Kim and I discussed what we would like the end result of our collaboration to say. We are Ocean State girls, so this seemed the natural way to go. I waited to see Kim's work before ever thinking any further in to it. I needed to see the colors, shapes and sizes that she had chosen before I could even think about working with her boro and my stones.
Kim: After some chatting at one of our meetings and then through etsy's email system, it was agreed that I would try to recreate that set of ocean water beads. If I was successful, Wendy would work her magic with them.
Did this collaboration stretch your creative limits?
Wendy: Absolutely! I had never worked with boro beads before, and I truly wanted this project to be unique! I made and then took apart 3 or 4 different pieces before I was happy with the design.
Kim: I was definitely stretched in a technical way. I really wanted to create beads that would do justice to Wendy's design!
Were there any roadblocks or setbacks?
Wendy: Only my lack of confidence at times, but in the end, I was so pleased with the outcome.
Kim: Well, there were some beads that didn't come out quite like I wanted them to :-) But, I persevered and was able to make enough that Wendy could make a necklace and a pair of earrings.
Did you find this to be a rewarding experience and why?
Wendy: This project was very rewarding to me! I really do feel that it forced me think outside of my comfort zone, which I really needed to do anyway! Kim was a blast to work with and I am ready to do it again any time!
Kim: Absolutely! Most of the time, when I send off a set of my beads, I don't get to see them in a finished piece. I was so excited to see them as part of a finished piece, and a gorgeous finished piece it is!! I would love to collaborate with Wendy again!!
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Our third installment in our collaboration journey is a mixed media piece done by Julie Beck of JulieBCreative and Kim Vredenburg of KimVGlass. Julie attached one of Kim's electroformed skeleton keys with a large glass cabochon to her painting. The theme of the piece is the education of children using the key set against a beautiful rural and rustic scene. We asked Julie and Kim about this project.
Please tell us a little about yourself and what kind of art you make.
Julie: I am an acrylic painter. I am happiest when I'm sitting in front of my easel, painting away while the day slips by...although I normally paint at night...so I guess it's "as the night slips by". My paintings range in all types of sizes, but I like to work in either square canvases, or very horizontally long canvases, bold colors, and nostalgic and/or rural imagery.
Kim: Up until last year I taught elementary school but once I retired I was able to devote more time to my glasswork. I've been working with glass for over 20 years, starting with stained glass and eventually lampworking. There is something so intriguing about melting glass in a flame and seeing what one can create with it!
Can you tell us how you got started on this project and how it has evolved?
Julie: After Arts In RI decided that we were going to do collaborations, I went through all the people participating and landed on Kim. She has skeleton keys that are flat on the back so I knew it would be a simple process to attach to a painting. She started out by making the key, and lucky for me, she had me make decisions along the way. I got to choose colors for the glass, from a selection of keys, as well as which glass cab I wanted when she was done. All those decisions ultimately led me to what color scheme the painting was going to be.
Kim: When the Arts In RI team members were discussing doing collaborations, I remember thinking that there wasn't one member that I couldn't envision working with. They are an extremely talented group of artists! That being said, I was thrilled when Julie contacted me about collaborating with her.
What inspired you about your partner's art?
Julie: I've used skeleton keys in the past for still life subjects, but I liked the blue patina she had on some of her work. Also, her use of color is really vibrant. I stick to bold vibrant color for the most part, so it seemed a perfect fit.
Kim: I love Julie's style, her subject matter, and her use of colors!!! I hoped that combining her work with mine would produce a fantastic mixed media piece....and I think I was right! :-)
How did you ultimately decide to make what you did?
Julie: I sketched out my idea before I started. Once I had the idea down, Kim made the key, and I got to work!
Kim: When Julie and I first started discussing integrating my glass into her work, I just KNEW I had to do an electroformed key. I was positive that it would meld very nicely with Julie's style and subject matter.
Can you give us some insight into your brainstorming process?
Julie: I started with the sketch and an idea. Kim and I talked over the idea and what the look and feel was going to be. We agreed on this type of scene...so the brainstorming process was the catalyst.
Kim: We used Etsy e-mail system and "talked" via Convos until we were able to meet in person. When we met, Julie brought her sketchbook with her and drew out various alternatives. Our project started to take shape at this point.
Did this collaboration stretch your creative limits?
Julie: Absolutely! I normally stick to bold earth tones, but Kim's colors for the key pushed me into a less explored color scheme. It sounds like it's not a difficult thing but in reality, it takes a lot of reworking and layers to get just the right color to match.
Kim: Did this stress me? Yes :-) I wanted to make the perfect piece for Julie and the glass doesn't always cooperate. Did it stretch me, definitely! The color scheme that Julie and I decided would look best with her work incorporated some colors that can be difficult to work with in borosilicate, and not some that I work with regularly. So, I was stretched "technically".
Were there any roadblocks or setbacks?
Julie: Surprisingly no!
Kim: No, this was a totally fun experience!!
Did you find this to be a rewarding experience and why?
Julie: This was a really great challenge and I am already on the lookout for next 3D item I can use in a painting. It not only forced me to work with different colors, but also got me thinking in a whole new dimension.
Kim: Absolutely! When I'm working alone in my studio I can feel a bit isolated (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and it felt good to expand outside my glass world!! It is really great to work with someone so creative!
Julie has created a time lapse video of her painting this work of art here
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Collaboration is the foundation of society. People interact, share ideas and form relationships in order to better their lives and the lives of those around them. Art and the creative process of an artist was once a very solitary endeavor. The Internet and social networking has allowed artists to collaborate on a single work together like they never would have been able to before. As our Arts In RI street team has gotten to know one another and seen the amazing talent of each member we began making links between things in each other's work. It became apparent that seeing the work of others on the team sparked ideas for our own art and thus creative connections began to form. It made sense to create a challenge, asking members to formalize these ideas and create collaborative projects. Well, the challenge has been a success. The members who have participated report enjoying this challenge very much and the projects speak for themselves. They are beautiful! We will be doing a series of interviews of each team that outlines the process and shows the reader the finished collaborative works. Most of these works are or were available in our Etsy shops.
Paula and Tracy please tell us a little about yourself and what kind of art you make:
Paula: My name is Paula McDonough and I am The Venerable Bead. I am a wife and mother of two beautiful children, Thomas and Emma. I am a clinical social worker by day but at night I melt borosilicate glass rods in the flame of a torch to create one of a kind beads and pendants.
Tracy: My name is Tracy Prince. I am attached to Matt, we made Matthew and Emma! I've been called a "Jayne of all trades" I think it's because of my ADHD. I just haven't decided what I want to do when I grow up yet! Right now I make things out of stuff I find on my Rhode Island coast..... sea glass, stones, shells, reusable trash! I make mostly jewelry, but a lot of stuff for your home too!!
Can you tell us how you got started on this project and how it has evolved?
Paula: Tracy and I thought it would be fun to challenge our group to collaborate with one another. This challenge came at a time when our group was starting to get to know one another and learning about each other’s art. It seemed like a great way to cross promote as well as grow and develop as artists and as a team.
Tracy: Paula and I pretty much think the same on a lot of subjects. This evolved from brainstorming together. Paula pretty much came up with the idea and it grew from there! I wanted to collaborate with Paula first because I loved her mix with the old and new. It's pretty much the same as my art.... making something old new again!
What inspired you about your partner's art?
Paula: I have always loved sea glass and stones. From the time I was very little I could not resist a shiny pebble or piece of glass tumbled by the sea. There’s a funny story that happened to me in second grade. I was in the school yard crouched down collecting tiny white shiny pebbles and one of my classmates tried to hurdle me. Well she missed and stepped right on my head sending my forehead into the pavement. I received 4 stitches for my love of stones! I don’t think I ever told Tracy that story. Anyway when I saw Tracy’s work, that early love for stones and glass was rekindled in me and I knew I wanted to somehow incorporate her work into mine.
Tracy: The mix of old and new! I'm not a bling kind of gal. I love the rustic feeling of Paula's jewelry. I knew simplicity of my glass and stones would work well with her art!
How did you ultimately decide to make what you did?
Paula: Well I think we both tried to over think this one. The key with charms seemed like a no brainer so I tried to go beyond that and think way outside the box. At first I wanted Tracy to carve a stone for me that I could set a glass cabochon into. I was inspired by Jesse Demoss’s Finder's Keepers series where he has set his boro glass cabochons into stone and released them back to the world for unsuspecting humans to find. I really thought Tracy and I could achieve the look of this in a piece of jewelry. It didn’t happen. Tracy’s stones are a lot smaller in person and my cabs are honking big. When we both really talked about what we wanted to see in a finished piece it came right back to the beaded keys for me and for Tracy, the cluster necklaces. We settled right into a groove once we went back to what we know and love most.
Tracy: Trial and error I think! We passed a few ideas around, and what we ultimately decide to make just seemed right. I wanted to incorporate each others work into our own instead of making something new that didn't feel like "Us".
Can you give us some insight into your brainstorming process?
Paula: Tracy and I are like the comedy team of collaborators. Picture 2 ADHD kids in a candy store trying to decide what they want. “Make me a red one …no a blue one…. oh heck let’s do both.” Once Tracy suggested a theme Earth and Sea (despite me trying to change it to Fire and Ice.. doh…) we ultimately decided to make two sets of items based on that theme. The final projects are absolutely spot on. We nailed them!
Tracy: Yes. Me saying "Let's do this!!!" and Paula saying "You can do that with glass!!!!"
Did this collaboration stretch your creative limits?
Paula: Well I think I tried to make more of it than it needed to be. Tracy said it best. “Our creations are simple and elegant”. That’s exactly what most women want in a piece of jewelry. There’s just enough sparkle and lots of originality and fun and each of our personalities are represented.
Tracy: Did I mention the ADHD! I always feel stretched!! It was fun!! I really like Paula and enjoyed working with her!
Were there any roadblocks or setbacks?
Paula: Well besides our first misstep with the cab idea and some serious scheduling issues on both our parts, things really came together well in the end. I think our projects were supposed to be delayed because I think mine were meant to have PMC and Bronzclay charms on them and that couldn’t have happened until after we serendipitously took a PMC class together in September. I found Tracy and I work well together which is quite funny because when we get going on our group message board we are like the Desi and Lucy show. Verbal sparring over early morning coffee and Diet Coke is our favorite past time. Sometimes the one liners are flying so fast I get whiplash. Ahh but it’s all good fun. I so enjoy her.
Tracy: See the ADHD disclaimer above! No, just schedules I guess. We work pretty well together.
Did you find this to be a rewarding experience and why?
Paula: Yes very much so. Not only was it fun to create something with Tracy but it has also been rewarding seeing how other teams have worked together and the wonderful things they created. It’s kind of like being a mama and papa of art. Sniff...
Tracy: Yup! How often to you get to meet a bunch of great people, play together, make stuff, and feel good about it!!?? Not often past the age of 11..... And I never had to take my ball and go home once!!!
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