For December, Lesley Watt chose Rebirth of the Sun as the theme for our quarterly themed challenge over at AJE.
"The winter solstice, the rebirth of the Sun, is an important turning point, as it marks the shortest day, when the hours of daylight are at their least. It's also the start of the increase in the hours of daylight, until the Summer solstice when darkness becomes ascendant once more."
http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk
I can honestly tell you that I very rarely set out to "intentionally" make something - I feel that my creativity was killed in school with the "art teachers" who wanted you to do "art" their way, and no other way was right. I have always dabbled in creative undertakings, thus my glass bead business today. But I am always searching for things to do with my hands, that feeling you get when you accomplish something all your own, learning something new, something that challenges you.
I recently decided that I was going to attend a bead retreat in Delaware (Bead My Love, wonderful people!) with fellow members Jenny and Diana, because, darn it, I deserved it! My kit was as follows:
I had no conscious intentions of having something ready for the sun themed challenge - I was basically trying to go with the flow and with what my kit provided! Below, you can see some steps I went through to get where I ended up!
What was going through my mind as I made this? I was thinking, as I looked at the polymer clay face and bugle beads, and the flower beads I had brought with me, hmmmm, this kind of looks egyptian to me? Or Inca? Or Aztec?
So, yes, Incan it was. While of course I had that in the back of my head, it wasn't with *true* intention that I set out to make an Incan Sun God or anything like that. It was a whisper to me, something I had learned or seen a long time ago that came to my mind as I was able to sit uninterrupted and play with beads!
So, thank you Lesley Watt, because with this challenge, I learned that although I do not consider myself to be a creative, and sometimes deeply struggle with the thought of giving this all up and just doing my day job, I can be creative! I just need that time to sit, and to play, and to let things come to my conscious mind that have been locked away by over 50 years of stifling (for lack of a better word) systems. Am I any kind of expert on Incan art? NO! In seed beading? NO! Heck, in making glass beads? NO!!!!! But I actually had fun with this class, the people who were there, girl time, creative time, and maybe just maybe learned that there are things locked away that can influence my art! And maybe in some ways I do intentionally make something, I just don't know it!
Please check out what everyone else made by visiting the links below!
"The winter solstice, the rebirth of the Sun, is an important turning point, as it marks the shortest day, when the hours of daylight are at their least. It's also the start of the increase in the hours of daylight, until the Summer solstice when darkness becomes ascendant once more."
http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk
I can honestly tell you that I very rarely set out to "intentionally" make something - I feel that my creativity was killed in school with the "art teachers" who wanted you to do "art" their way, and no other way was right. I have always dabbled in creative undertakings, thus my glass bead business today. But I am always searching for things to do with my hands, that feeling you get when you accomplish something all your own, learning something new, something that challenges you.
What was going through my mind as I made this? I was thinking, as I looked at the polymer clay face and bugle beads, and the flower beads I had brought with me, hmmmm, this kind of looks egyptian to me? Or Inca? Or Aztec?
Egyptian Sun
Aztec Sun Dial
Incan Sun Shield
So, yes, Incan it was. While of course I had that in the back of my head, it wasn't with *true* intention that I set out to make an Incan Sun God or anything like that. It was a whisper to me, something I had learned or seen a long time ago that came to my mind as I was able to sit uninterrupted and play with beads!
So, thank you Lesley Watt, because with this challenge, I learned that although I do not consider myself to be a creative, and sometimes deeply struggle with the thought of giving this all up and just doing my day job, I can be creative! I just need that time to sit, and to play, and to let things come to my conscious mind that have been locked away by over 50 years of stifling (for lack of a better word) systems. Am I any kind of expert on Incan art? NO! In seed beading? NO! Heck, in making glass beads? NO!!!!! But I actually had fun with this class, the people who were there, girl time, creative time, and maybe just maybe learned that there are things locked away that can influence my art! And maybe in some ways I do intentionally make something, I just don't know it!
Please check out what everyone else made by visiting the links below!
Guest Designers
Comments
The retreat was so great! Im glad it was for you too. The piece is the perfect sun piece! I love it.