Studio Saturday – BonBons

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. This week’s winner of Heather’s Urchin Bead is Arline! Please use the suggestion box on the sidebar to send us your address.

Inspiration comes from strange places sometimes, and occasionally without inspirational intent. This is a story of accidental inspiration.

I often make things in a random sort of way, just letting shapes happen and come together without a lot of advanced planning.

The beads know what they are, and they will tell you. The ideas come down to the fingertips, and out into the clay or paint in surprising and wonderful ways sometimes.

These three little beads must have decided that they were meant to be something different from the original idea in my mind. When making them, I thought of them as a sort of cameo, or maybe a framed antique pearl image. Something like that, which is like my usual style.

They were shaped in polymer clay, colored, baked and polished.

At that point I looked at them and realized they were different than I pictured them. And then they showed themselves for what they meant themselves to be, it was a revelation of a sort. They are BonBon Beads.

What’s the story behind these little visual goodie beads? Not completely sure, but I think it goes something like this. It’s spring, and I’m making the usual effort to lose some weight. So candies have been on the no-go list. No baking, staying away from goodies, cupcakes, all that.

However, my subconscious is apparently craving sweets, causing me to unknowingly create things that look like the candies and baked goods I’m trying to stay away from.

Even the reverse side looks like a confection. Pistachio, caramel and orange glazed.

At some point I believe that it’s best just to accept what your eyes are telling you and acknowledge that they are BonBon beads, even if that’s not what I started out to make in the first place.

Have no plans to make more, since to tell the truth I had no plans to make these, so these are a limited edition. They are very fun looking, brighter and more colorful than my usual palette. Maybe it’s the spring flowers, the sunny weather.

Here they are, posed in a candie box, looking very sweet, like tiny iced cakes. Don’t they resemble little confections?

If I had meant them that way, I’d be very proud of my efforts, but since I didn’t intend them to look like candies, it’s all very mysterious in the creative brain process.

So I am offering up one of these BonBon beads, hopefully someone will have a great time designing a cute necklace or something with them. The question for this week is what do you do when your creations take on a life of their own? Do you fight it or go with the flow? Share a time when your creations got away from you.

Because if I keep looking at them, I’m going to lose all my reserve and head to the bakery!

Save me from myself! Doesn’t that one look just like a little blueberry tart? I must stay strong.

Guest Blogger, Lynn Davis – LLYYNN
Check out the Art Bead Shop or read the tell-all blog