We're All Ears :: April Challenge :: Paradise Calling April 20

April's We're All Ears Challenge is perfect for me and all my fellow beach lovers. The theme is paradise calling. I love the beach and I feel warmer temperatures calling to me and I am beginning to dream in tropical colors.

[Photo Credit :: via Unsplash :: clockwise from top left :: Gaddafi Rusli :: Ren Ran :: Pedro Lastra :: David Straight]

I love the water and I had enameled tin components by Kimberly Rodgers of Numinosity.  The colors remind me of the ocean.  They are primarily blue with specs of aqua and white. The top third of these component had an open space of gray tin.  Since the components are tin they are very light weight. This presented lots of design opportunities to try without the concern of ending with heavy earrings.  I try to keep my earrings around 2 inches and on the light side.  

Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I wrapped Irish linen thread with blue seed beads added around the upper third to accentuate the colors.  I used treated black steel wire to attach the tin components to the crystals and then to the fancy ear wires.  These earrings turned out to be less then 2 inches.  

earrings by BayMoonDesign

I made another pair of earrings that are inspired by the color of water.  I used ceramics by Jenny Davies-Reazor, handmade sterling earwires by BayMoonDesign, sterling links, metal loops in this pair.

Water in the Florida Keys

This is a perfect challenge for me.  I love the ocean and spend a lot of time gathering inspiration from it.  I am getting ready for a craft show in my beach town of Lewes, Delaware so this challenge helped me get ready for it.

By the way, which pair is your favorite?

April Monthly Challenge

Title: Disks of Newton (Study for “Fugue in Two Colors”)

By: František Kupka

Date: 1912

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Every month the Art Bead Scene challenges their readers to create jewelry inspired by a featured artwork. You have until the end of the month to share your work and then they pick two winners to receive beads and jewelry-making supplies from their sponsors. The only rule is that you must use at least one art bead in your piece!

April's challenge is based on the oil painting Disks of Newton (Study for “Fugue in Two Colors”) by František Kupka.

The title of this work refers to the seventeenth-century English physicist Sir Isaac Newton. He discovered that the light of the sun is composed of the seven colors of the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It includes the full range of the spectrum as well as white. The artist’s fascination with cosmology and astronomy suggests that the circular blades of color whirling out from the red center may relate to images of the planets and their orbits.

František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), was a Czech painter and graphic artist. He was a pioneer and co-founder of the early phases of the abstract art movement and Orphic Cubism (Orphism). Kupka’s abstract works arose from a base of realism but later evolved into pure abstract art.


Kupka had a strong interest in color theory and freeing colors. He devekoped his own color wheels, adapting a format previously explored by Sir Isaac Newton and Hermann von Helmholtz. This work in turn led Kupka to execute a series of paintings he called “Discs of Newton” (1911–12).

Earrings by BayMoonDesign

This is a wonderful piece of art to use for inspiration. There are so many color combinations that are possible. I decided to focus on the bottom left corner of the oil painting.  I saw this as an opportunity to use enameled tin components by Kimberly Rodgers of Numinosity.  This also presented me with the chance to make  totally different earrings then I have ever made.  The components had the enamel with speckles of pinks, lavenders, grays, whites.  The top third of them had an open space of gray tin.  Since the components are tin they are very light weight. This presented lots of design opportunities to try without the concern of ending with heavy earrings.  I try to keep my earrings around 2 inches and on the light side.

I first tried to cover the space with different sizes and kinds of wire with tiny seed beads.  This gave me a chance to try out different colors of seed beads.  Sadly, I didn't have any luck with the wire.  I then decided to try Irish linen thread and tried several color combinations of the thread before settling on lavender with gray seed beads.  The lavender Irish linen thread brought out the lavender in the enamel.  I also decided to use some lavender and white crazy lace beads to further bring out the colors in the enamel.  

Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I am glad I invested the time in coming up with a new style of earring for my shop.  It literally paid off.  I sold these earrings--always good.  

Bead Peeps 4th Annual Swap N Hop Reveal

Long chartreuse geometric necklace by BayMoonDesign

I am participating in Bead Peeps Swap'n Hop. Bead Peeps is a Facebook group made up of jewelry designers and it is administered by the very kind and talented Linda Anderson. Linda does a wonderful job organizing this and setting the reveal date. I am thrilled to be paired with Hope Smitherman. I feel like I know Hope really well. I read her blog Crafty Hope regularly and we have cross paths on other blogs and Facebook. Hope has an Etsy shop and I do too.

When I looked at the focals that Hope sent me, I knew right away that I was going to use the handmade chartreuse pendant is by Gaea. I love the vibrant color and design. I added to the art bead by combining it with a work bead by Grubbi that I adore.

Long chartreuse geometric necklace by BayMoonDesign

I created a long chartreuse necklace by using some brass beads and jump rings. I then used some bright yellow crystals that Hope sent combined with dreamy Czech glass beads that I had on hand. They are combined in a rosary style chain and I ended the necklace with an antique brass chain leaf clasp that Hope sent me.  I think this will make a great Mother's Day, graduation, or spring birthday gift.  It is available in my shop HERE.  

Long Royal Blue Floral Necklace by BayMoonDesign

I also selected Hope's lovely repurposed vintage tin teardrop focal. It is perfect for a long floral teardrop necklace for the spring. I created a tassel of beads to surround her blue floral teardrop focal. The blue and green beads are green Swarovski crystals, blue glass beads, and some Czech glass beads. They are suspended from antique brass rings. I used blue beads to create a rosary chain and ended the necklace with an antique brass chain with a lobster clasp. The vast majority of the beads that are used in the tassel and chain are ones that Hope sent to me.  This floral necklace is for purchase HERE.

Tassel like beads combined with tin teardrop by BayMoonDesign

It was a real treat to have color picked out by Hope to compliment her necklace. It made creating the necklace go a lot easier.

Earrings  by BayMoonDesign with Tree Wing Studio beads

I love making earrings so I couldn't resist using a set of polymer clay beads by Tree Wing Studio.  The brown textured beads have specks of red, blue and yellow. I combined brass and gold metals with yellow Czech glass beads, cream colored beads with the artisan polymer clay beads. These modern casual earrings hang about 1.5 inches below the brass ear wires and are light and comfortable to wear.  They are for sale HERE.

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy seeing what others in this swap made.


Hostess
Linda Anderson http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com


Linda Anderson http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com (You Are Here)
Inge von Roos          https://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Kari  Asbury https://kariasbury.com/blogs/design-challenges
Nadine Edris http://instagram.com/moondancemaine

Kathy Lindemer         https://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/ (here)
Hope Smitherman http://CraftyHope.com

Marde Lowe         http://fancimardesigns.blogspot.com
Christina Hickman         https://www.instagram.com/laughingsalmon/

Terry Jeanette Carter https://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com
LISA JOHNSON https://spudandmrsbutters.blogspot.com/

Catherine La Vite         http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/
Joanne Bell                 https://joannetinks.wordpress.com

Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.bg/
Bonnie  Robbins https://www.instagram.com/brobbins_wireandwonder/

Natalie Davidson        http://www.northshoredays.com/
Robin Reed                 http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Karin King http://www.maverickbeads.blogspot.ca
Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com

Erika Price https://www.instagram.com/erikapricejewellery/
Sarah  Reid  http://www.instagram.com/sarahreiddesigns

Divya N                      http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com

Robin Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Nicole Rennell https://www.instagram.com/nicolerennelldesigns/

Fay  Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
Shai Williams             http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

andrea frank https://instagram.com/andreazeef
Cheri Reed                 http://creativedesignsbycheri.wordpress.com

Seed Beaders

Deborah Apodaca         https://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/
PALAK UDESHI         http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/

Penny Houghton       http://www.forgottentrack.com.au/blog
Paulina Russell         Http://www.instagram.com/thewildbead

Heather Canepa         http://www.instagram.com/canepaheather
Tina Hemr                 http://instagram.com/mariecaroldesigns

NAOMI KNAFLA      https://www.instagram.com/naomiknafla/
Michelle Marson         https://www.instagram.com/ellecountry/

REbecca White            https://morganafeycreations.com/blog/
Laura Bosch https://www.instagram.com/lauraboschmultibeadia

Kathleen Breeding https://www.instagram.com/99bobotw.kb/
Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/