Art Bead Scene March Monthly Challenge

Title: Red Water Lily of Southern India
By: Marianne North
Date: 1878
Medium: Watercolor

March Color Palette

What is the Monthly Challenge?

Every month The Art Bead Scene challenge their readers to create jewelry inspired by the featured artwork. Our only rule? You must use at least one art bead in your piece!

This month's inspiration piece "Red Water Lily of Southern India" is by Marianne North who was an English Victorian biologist and botanical painter who spent her life traveling the world, studying plants and painting them. She traveled for 24 years painting over 6 continents and 17 countries. This month's challenge painting comes from Marianne’s trip to India. She produced 200 paintings during her 15 months in India. Without formal training her work blurred the lines between art and scientific studies. She created many of her paintings in the field, directly observing her subject matter.  She created over 1000 paintings in her lifetime. A true pioneer who forged a career that caught the attention of Britain and the respect of her peers, such as Charles Darwin. Her work was of remarkable importance to the botany community in a time before color photography. She not only painted flowers, she discovered unknown species.

In her later years she created a gallery of her work at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens .  Now the gallery houses 833 piece of her work. You can watch a video of her life and work produced by the Kew Gardens here. To read more about the artist and see her work, visit here.

Photo by Tanner Larson on Unsplash

My inspiration came from the earthy greens and yellow colors in the grasses of the watercolor by Marianne North.   

Turtle bracelet by BayMoonDesign

I used a turtle bracelet bar by polymer clay artist Brooke Bock. It had those earthy colors and the turtle seemed to be a creature that might live near the water lilies. The gorgeous green lamp work is by Sue Kennedy. The greens in it are perfect for the greens of the grasses and bracelet bar. I used annealed steel wire which I treated with steel wool and Renaissance wax because I wanted to draw attention to the blacks in the bracelet bar. I love how the turtle bracelet turned out.

Turtle Bracelet by BayMoonDesign

I love turtles for a variety of reasons. I am a graduate of the University of Maryland. Their mascot is the terrapin. I have a necklace with a gold turtle on it that my husband gave me and I wear it frequently because it is special to me for both reasons. Turtles are deeply symbolic. They are a slow and methodical. I sometimes think of myself as slow and methodical. I think that those are good qualities for someone who makes jewelry. The shy creatures can retreat to their shell when startled. I am also shy my nature. People associate them with patience, longevity, and wisdom. These are all good traits to have.

Photo by Eleonor G. on Unsplash

Who doesn't love turtles!