Wednesday, February 26, 2014

CC7A :: Round & Round

We are posting on our second installment of Alicia's The Creative Continuum of Seven Artists (CC7A), and this time we are working with an item sent out from Christine

She sent me a beaded cage around a rock that she picked up at the headwaters of the Rio Grande in Mineral County, Colorado. I love the various rocks Christine shares. The textures of her rocks always seem to fill my head with patterns and ideas. She has such an eye for their shapes, sizes and surfaces... and this one has a sort of moonscape to it, or the look of a well worn surface. As I rolled the focal around in my hand I got an old world feel, like something that has been around for the ages. Such rocky awesomeness... I can see why she collects them!

I'm not sure why, but I knew the second I saw it what I was going to do with this focal. Once I got started with this piece, it came together quickly. The hatching pattern in the chenille, the opaque white of the beads with bits of gold, and the brassiness to the metals just made me think of Elizabethan style. Who knows why my mind wanders as it does .... but it was easy to find a picture to show you what was flying around in my head. Note the puffy sleeves, the hatching on the arms and the coloring of the outfit. Perhaps not the perfect match, but close enough! And to stick with Christine's theme of 'round and round' the choker is designed to give the focal a twist or two so the stringing will gently create a twisted pattern. Hazzah!

Now to see what the rest of the seven artist's created please visit: 
Alicia (our host), ChristineEmmaMoniqueSally and Therese.

15 comments:

  1. What a thrill to work with Christine's "rock art", Cynthia! You went with a gorgeous design I could never have envisioned, and as usual, sent me on an information hunt about the meanings behind Elizabethan fashion (SO political *TeeHee*) Hello Tudorswiki!

    Beyond your gorgeous beadweaving, I am amazed by the concept of the focal twisting the cording into another pattern. Cool!

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  2. You were meant to work with this rock~you nailed it! That you have a vision to take a Rio Grande rock and make it all Victorian thrills me to no end!!! Because I think "plain Ol' " rocks are so beautiful. The chenille rope, the twist between the focal and the start of the chenille, the colors~perfect-o! Love Love LOVE this one, my friend! Thank you :-)

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  3. Beautiful Cynthia,
    I love it you nailed the Elizabethan style that you were going for, but then you had a great inspirational piece to work with from Christine.
    Therese

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  4. Hazzah indeed! I would've loved to live in this era... well, at least wear the clothes. So gorgeous and stunning how your vision came to life with a found rock as the focal!

    I love Christine's rocks, too. My rocks have never made it in to jewelry, but one of these days...

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  5. Ohmygoodness, this is stunning. STUNNING! I love the way your creative mind works Cynthia.

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  6. Oh my goodness - wow!! What an amazing piece! I love the photo of the girl in the pic next to it - her wardrobe and your necklace look like a total match next to each other. And that rock from Christine is just fabulous!

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  7. Hmm, I would love to live in this era to enjoy the clothes - on other people! Not sure I would enjoy getting stitched into them myself, I like breathing. But oh how this is just stunning. If I were wearing it I would play all day with that front section I just adore a bit of kinetic energy in my jewelry. Just beautiful!

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  8. Wow! Cynthia, GORGEOUS!!!! You "rocked" Christine's component beautifully!!!

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  9. Well, Cynthia, I think there is only one word that can describe this: 'WOW'! I wish I had your sense of matching a beaded rock to an Elizabethan dress :) until then - I will enjoy your stories and your historical journeys!
    Absolutely love what you did - and how perfectly it evokes the dress in the picture (down to details like the net on the sleeves).
    Thank you for participating ~ this group is the best!

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  10. Wonderfully done!! And it occurs to me that this choker could have been worn by either the Lord or the Lady of the manor. Perhaps if an appearance at Court were on the afternoon's agenda. Your pieces always give wing to my imagination!

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  11. Okay, now I have Ratt's Round and Round stuck in my head...lol :)
    What a cool piece. Who knew a rock could look so feminine and delicate!

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  12. Magnificent! I love historical clothing influences your designs :)

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  13. I didn't see Elizabethan when I looked at Christine's rock but I'm glad that you did. Your necklace is beautiful.The chenille and twists suit the design perfectly.

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  14. This is AMAZING.What an absolutely creativ idea.Perfect match for a dress like this.

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