Welcome to Inside the Studio!
week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio,
creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our
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Every month I make a new limited edition Simple Truths component for the members of my Simple Truths Sampler Club. I use this as an excuse to play with the clay, experiment with new technique and learn something new. I also use this as my creative play time with the monthly challenges here on Art Bead Scene.
I was extremely busy with a super-secret special trip to Colorado in September to film four hour-long videos on jewelry making techniques for Craft Daily (read all about it here!), so I missed my chance to make something in a timely fashion for the members. But I made sure to get the October piece done early and send them together, maybe too late for them to make something for September but I hope they liked the piece nonetheless.
I have to admit that I was quite stumped with the painting for September. It is a beautiful piece of art, and a few years ago, that would have been the only colors I would have used, but I embrace color in all it’s glory now, and these muted tones were a bit sad to me. Still, I knew that I needed to come up with something related to the theme. It is not called a challenge for nothing!
I had to squint a bit to notice the roses and the colors were a bit dour to me. But I really do like this painting now that I have had a longer time to sit with it and absorb the details. I love the deco stylings of the figures and their porcelain skin. I adore the threads that are woven throughout with what look like little beads, pearls and sapphires, dotting the surface. And there is a fair bit of color… from the cream and golds to the bright blue, the sage green and the wine-stained roses.
The following is a little photo safari of my latest Simple Truth creation inspired by The White Rose and The Red Rose.
but lately I have started to venture into using some colors, playing with mixing them and
using more traditional polymer clay modeling techniques.
[Bad nail alert!]
it, never really sure what I was doing.
twirls resembled teeny-tiny rosebuds.
special limited edition pieces, so for this one I decided it should be
more sculptural, as if those roses were popping off the page.
an antique bronze color to pull out that veil of antiquity that covers
the inspiration.
of color and texture.
petal,
applied by hand.
including the only ones I have left and will not part with:
white roses, now crumpled like so many old newpapers, and yellowed with time, roses that I carried on my wedding day, 22 years ago on October 24, 1992, still wrapped in a vintage handkerchief from my grandmother.
I was a baby, I was born premature, about 5 weeks. I was just about 5
pounds when I was born.
my parents used to call me ‘Rosebud’ when I was a baby. That is such a comforting image, of my mother cradling my teeny body and naming me something so precious.
labor of love.
Has it stuck with you?
Niky Sayers
October 17, 2014 at 9:05 amThese are so very beautiful! My nick name as a child was dolly day dreamer as I always had my head in the clouds or in a book, and was very well known for walking into things. To this day my mum still calls me Dolly!
beadrecipes
October 17, 2014 at 9:30 amMy family is a nickname family. I have always been Liss or Lissy, never Mel(issa), in fact, I still find it strange if my parents introduce me by my actual name. Then there are the pet names, Lissiloo, and Loodles, one coming from the other. Even my husband uses the latter, picked it up from my Dad. I tend to think of myself as Liss, if I know you well, that's how I will sign myself off in emails/text messages. And there you have it! (not quite as poetic as rosebud though!)
Mokki
October 17, 2014 at 9:46 amThey are beautiful! So pretty! I've had lots of nicknames over the years, the earliest I can remember was Beckfish. My dad used to call that, I don't know what the fish part is about!
Kristina
October 17, 2014 at 10:40 amOoh ooh! I know this one! I have many nicknames. My mother has always called me Sunshine Girl, since she would sing me 'You are my Sunshine'.
My oldest sister calls me Punkle, a strange combo of snuggle and punk, which fits I must say.
My middle sister calls me Onigiri, Japanese for rice ball. For some reason people like to nickname me after food, since my grandparents would call me either lamb or pork chop. -_-;;
Sarajo Wentling
October 17, 2014 at 12:52 pmSo my main childhood nickname was Tatertoes. I'm still not really sure where that came from since my toes are crazy long and skinny… more like french fries than potatoes, but whatever. That name often got shortened to Tater but also morphed into Say-so. That one makes sense because as a youngest child, I did a lot of bossing folks around! A couple of my family members still uses those names but in high school my boyfriends parents switched it up again to Scarytoes and they still call me that!
EB Bead and Metal Works, LLC
October 17, 2014 at 12:53 pmErin,
I love the photos and the description you gave on how you created your pieces – they are stunning.
Mom used to call me "Chipmunk Cheeks" because I looked like I had food stored in my cheeks when I didn't.
As an adult, when the Army, my nickname was Mac for my last name – but this was only with certain friends I would allow it 🙂
Thanks again for sharing your process of how you created your beauties!
Tina
October 17, 2014 at 1:12 pmWe love this kind of art:-)
Great work, beautyful details:-)
Tina & Maria
http://mariahoffbeck.blogspot.dk/2014/10/halloween-mandagsmani.html
Divya N
October 17, 2014 at 3:15 pmRosebud is such a lovely name. My parent call me chinnu. Its a short for Chinnadhu – which in my mother tongue means "small" or the "one that is small". I guess my father being 'big made' found me tiny as a kid and named me that way
Roxanne Mendoza
October 17, 2014 at 6:26 pmErin,
I love the story behind the rosebuds! It's such a comforting feeling to know you were given a nickname isn't it? My mom and her sisters called me Roxsani as a child which they eventually shortened to just Sani. These nicknames are still used today and even my aunts children refer to me with the nicknames started so long ago. 😉
Chase NoFace
October 17, 2014 at 10:02 pmMy name is Katherine as a result little ones have a difficult time saying my name. My sister is 1 year and 3 months younger than me and was unable to say Katherine so when she said my name it was, "Tatto".
Carol Briody
October 17, 2014 at 11:43 pmOmgoodness Erin…my Dad used to call me 'Sugar' when I was little…I had totally and completely forgotten about this until I read your post today. It's been a long time since he passed away, and I hadn't thought about it for what seems like ages. Thank you for bringing this fond memory back to me, little 'Rosebud'! Your pieces are amazingly beautiful!
freshbakeddesigns
October 18, 2014 at 1:22 amMy great uncle Henry was the only one who called me by a nickname and I loved it! Be-Bop. He smoked cigars, had a raspy voice, at first glance seemed gruff, but has a real soft spot for kids. Loved our visits with him!
Terri
October 18, 2014 at 3:20 amMy Dad called me Mikki Finn it rhymed with Terri Lynn. More than the "drink" by that name…I think he thought of this link…Mickey Finn was an American comic strip created by cartoonist Lank Leonard. My Dad's Name is Leonard. What a connection!
As an adult I work in an Interior Design Center for someone who was also named Terry.(A male) Since he was the owner he requested I go by a different name so as not to get messages that maybe left mixed up. So I had business card made with my nick name printed on them. It took some getting used to being called Mikki…but I have to say it was pretty cool. My Dad still calls me that every now and then. He is now in his 80's.
Terri
October 18, 2014 at 3:28 amThat is a lot of teeny tiny roses…love the story and how the pendants turned out layered with so much meaning!
Jan J.
October 18, 2014 at 7:30 amThese are SO beautiful! I love them and the story of the little rosebud baby – such a perfect name for a little tiny newborn. I didn't have a nickname other than Jan for Janet. I called my first baby that I adopted from China Sweet Pea when she was little, and I still call her Honey, but that is probably just a Southern thang! Our pets have lots of nicknames. Our adorable pomeranian boy Liam is called Buddy as he is such a good little buddy!
Susanm
October 18, 2014 at 8:12 amAs a tall, skinny kid, who later wore glasses and braces, I had a lot of childhood nicknames and I didn't like any of them. One of my aunts has always called me Suze- she's the only one and I find it endearing.
Jill H
October 18, 2014 at 8:51 amSuch a nice post and the teeny roses are beautiful. Mom called me Oojums. Don't know why but every now and then my sister (Corny) trots it out to annoy me.
Carol- Beads and Birds
October 18, 2014 at 10:46 amI always love seeing you "In The Sutdio". These truly are labors of love.
My husband calls me Emily. When he was young, he had a VERY HEAVY neighbor. I shouldn't tell the rest of that story here, but we have been married 43 years and he has always called my Emily.
Kathy Lindemer
October 18, 2014 at 4:45 pmI love your rose pendant. It is gorgeous. It is perfect for the challenge. My daughter's bridal bouquet was roses. The pendant reminds me it.
My nickname as a child was Red. I had long, red hair. My red hair made me feel special and unique. I realized at a young age that not many folks had red hair. I still have red hair because I dye it. To this day, I notice red heads when I am out and about. I read an article that we are endangered species of sorts, but I still see some red heads out there so I hope the gene pool will continue.
cr8it
October 18, 2014 at 8:27 pmMy name is Polly so I have had all the goofy child nick names over the years Polly Esther, Polly Anna, Polly Wog, and Polly Poo. But my dad consistently called me sis, because I was a sister!
Alice
October 18, 2014 at 9:37 pmMy parents were very traditional and did not like nick names. But some people where I worked years ago called me Alicia
I love your rosebud pendants.
Liona (Blue Merlin Creations)
October 19, 2014 at 3:26 amI don't recall having a nickname as a child, though I'm sure my dad called me "sunshine" from time to time. He had slightly goofier nicknames for my brothers – Reg and Sam (neither of them actually named that), and my favourite, Dr. Bornoski! He's taken to giving these nicknames to my own sons, now, which is pretty entertaining.
The rosebud pendants are just beautiful, and inspiring for a beginner in polymer clay.
CraftyHope
October 19, 2014 at 3:43 amThese are so, so gorgeous. I bet they took a lot of time and were a labor of love for sure. As for my nickname as a kid. . .wee call it my 'home name' because I don't really like it uttered outside the family. It was/is Pookie. I'm not sure exactly how it came about but I'm sure it had something to do with dirty diapers. Yeah, definitely not as precious as yours.
Tara Leitermann
October 19, 2014 at 3:48 amHow beautiful!! My 11-year-old daughter, Rose, would love this pendant. Her nickname as a baby was also actually Rosebud. My husband picked out "rosebud" pink paint for her room after we had named her and started calling her Rosebud, even before she was born. As for me, my most common family nicknames were Bean (I was a pretty skinny kid) or Tee, which my sisters often call me even now. —Tara
Marybeth
October 19, 2014 at 4:22 amMy son in law began calling me Mama Dukes, saying it had something to do with the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show. Having never watched the show, I didn't understand the reference until an internet service installer who was loving on my two basset hounds informed me that the sheriff on the show had a basset. Even though I have expressed my dislike of the name (in my mind dukes=fists) my son in law persists, and now my daughter has even referred to me as "Mama Dukes"! My son in law has his own way of teasingly showing fondness through nicknames. I guess I'm happy he feels such affection for his mom in law….
Erin S
October 19, 2014 at 5:24 pmErin, those pendants are beautiful! You know I am not a girly-girl, but I really REALLY like those! I really only ever had one nickname that stuck, and it was in college. A boyfriend nicknamed me "Bear," (I'm not sure why) which I actually really liked. I have a few friends from college that still call me that.
Carol Dekle
October 19, 2014 at 7:14 pmErin, I love your interpretation of the artwork. And I am so loving the tiny roses in the long heart shape! Adorable! My family used to call me Carol Ann, my full name, when I was younger. Now its reserved for whenI do things that annoy them…so I guess that's all the time. Lol
Colleen
October 20, 2014 at 3:05 pmThese are gorgeous.
I never really had much of a nickname growing up. Colleenie is about it. My nieces (the ones who live with me) all have nicknames: Troll, Pistol, and Peanut (although I call her Evil or Bratface – she's 2.5).
Becky Pancake
October 20, 2014 at 6:57 pmErin these pendants are fabulous. I would be honored to have one of them to work with. I adore roses. I do not have a nickname.
thorngrove
October 20, 2014 at 8:47 pmThe pendants are lovely. Very old-time romantic looking.
My childhood nickname was Magpie, because I liked shiny things (or as my parents would spell out, 'M-A-G-P-I-E'). Not much changed there!
Shaiha
October 21, 2014 at 3:29 amI didn't really have a nickname as a kid that I am aware of. For the most part, I hung around with my mother's or my gram's friends and they always used my real name. Now I am wondering just why I didn't have a nickname. LOL.
I just love those roses. They are just so beautiful.
Sherri Stokey
October 22, 2014 at 3:56 pmMy Mom called me Shin because my little brother couldn't say Sherri Lynn and ran it all together 🙂