Art Bead Scene - October Challenge

At last I’m writing about something that’s up-to-date and not just filling in the background to what I’ve been up to.  I’ve just completed my entries for the October Art Bead Scene challenge and will be posting them soon.

The artwork for this month was something different and really appealed to me.

                

Revolving by Kirt Schwitters 1919
Assemblage-Wood, metal, cord, cardboard, wool, wire, leather, and oil on canvas  -  Museum of Modern Art, New York

In Revolving, the cord, hoops, wire mesh, and small objects tacked to the painterly canvas replace depicted lines and forms. Schwitters’s use of fragments reflects a society shattered by World War I. “Out of parsimony I took whatever I found . . . because we were now an impoverished country,” he wrote in 1919. “New things had to be made out of the fragments.”

 

Whilst not impoverished the idea of using what I had in my bead stash and a mix of beads appealed to me and I used some metal items that have been lurking for a year or two in the bracelet I made.  These were mixed with  toho beads and  pearls as well as some fairly new ceramic beads.

 

 

The ceramic beads were from Bo Hulley (www.etsy.com/shop/Bohulleybeads) in a range of colours to reflect the picture. Various metal beads and rings have been used as Schwitter used scrap metal pieces in his painting. The rings move as the bracelet is being worn creating gentle movement and fall into different positions constantly. I thought the picture had a sort of ‘pearlised’ finish so pearls were used to complete the bracelet.

This picture shows the bracelet being worn with the rings positioning themselves amongst the ceramic beads

 

This picture was a good choice for jewellery makers as we work with shapes and colour rather than drawn lines to create our art;  as Schwitter did.

                    

Necklace – Fragments make a whole. This reflects Karl Schwitter’s approach to his painting ‘Revolving’

It features some lovely ceramic beads again from Bo HulleyBeads  (www.etsy.com/shop/Bohulleybeads) in shades of the artwork and these are separated by copper wavy discs  ( www.etsy.com/shop/daisychainextra) to represent the round metal shapes (wheels) in the painting. Silver connectors and beads with a central lampwork bead complete the ‘fragmented approach’ as without the picture I would not have thought of combining these elements. The ceramic clasp with metal toggle also come from Bo Hulley Beads and the necklace is strung on waxed cotton.

An enjoyable challenge

 

 

 

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