I love this time of year where the ground is covered in a smattering of autumnal hues after the leaves have danced from their limbs and the morning dew so prominent, everything around us appears to twinkle. The garden is slowing down as we head into the early part of winter and the brisk mornings make getting out of bed that little bit harder. We're having to start a fire as soon as we get home as the daylight promptly turns to night with the chill seeping in through the large amount of glass windows. This time of year, my most favourite part of the evening is when all around us quietens and all is finally done for the night. We sit down for a brief time before bed in front of the fire, winding down with our cat at my feet whilst I weave. I've slowly been working on some weaving - a project I had started before we moved house which will be a year ago in a couple of weeks. I look forward to sharing it with you once the fabric is complete. I find weaving to be something which allows me to shut off my busy mind once the loom has been warped and each thread is deliberately pulled and beaten in place to create straps, which are then hand sewn together, emitting the true essence of handmade. It's an enormous task, but one which I enjoy immensely all cosy mosy in front of the fire.
Studio time has been quite limited as we've been getting home quite late over the past few weeks. I've very slowly been able to work on a piece, again embodying my love of nature in my artistic statement type style. I made the callistemon flower bead awhile back. Creating the cup part where the stamens normally grow from was a lesson of supreme patience as I would tend to squish a few. It was inspired by the Australian native callistemon for its silky stamens in deep, rich and vibrant colours, for its nectar-filled cups attracting Wattle birds and New Hollands to feed upon, for the beauty of its seed pods and ever changing foliage. This bead in turn inspired this piece "Nature's Way - 2".
I used my handpainted focal bead to represent the Callistemon flower pod; handmade beaded leaves to represent the ever changing leaf colour in Autumn; a Tagua nut, wood and ceramics as earth elements; and Dupioni silk to represent the fact that the plant looks rough from afar, but the foliage and flowers are silken to the touch. All components are bound together by my favourite vintage bronze wire and measures 52cms around the neck, with the pendant being a further 15cms.
Wishing you a great week ahead!
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