The Lone Beader

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Pink Choice
2007-11-12 12:02:00
Today, I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you who voted for Flamingo Moon last week. My bead-embroidered painting won Patron's Choice in EBSQ's Think Pink show! This show was a benefit to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I think Pink would be proud... Also, don't forget that a small selection of my beaded art is available for sale. Please take a peek, and contact me for more details. Enjoy your day!

Time Traveler
2007-11-11 06:20:00
Thanks for all the comments on my last post, and thanks for stopping by my mobile blog! My week in London, England was wonderful! I feel very accomplished because I did everything on my list, and then some... I even met up with blogger pal, Pink, for a lovely evening on the South Bank. I'll try to post some photos within the next couple of days so you can see:)One of my favourite days of the week was Tuesday when I explored Brick Lane again. Very interesting part of town. Brick Lane is primarily a Bangladeshi neighborhood with a lot of history. I tried to locate more of Banksy's street art there, but I found that most of it had already been buffed or painted over. However, I did manage to find his Designated Graffiti Area stencil in The Cargo area:)Later in the week, I did a bit of shopping. I found 3 more bead shops in the city: The London Bead Shop, Buffy's Beads, and Bead Aura. I did buy a few beads here and there, but I saved my Pounds for the Covent Garden Antiques Market. T...
More About: Time

What Happens Now?
2007-11-04 16:49:00
It's a shame that I had to cover up the faces of my beaded hugging skeletons with gas masks, but it had to be done. To me, these skeletons represent the future of mankind as long as we continue to be at war with one another. In World War III, mankind will be the living dead in a Hell on Earth. There will be so much catastrophic destruction that even the dead will have to protect themselves from airborne pollutants and toxic materials. Even the dead will fear for their lives. And, even the dead will hold on to their loved ones until The End.(click to enlarge)This may be what the future holds, but what happens now?This evening, I'm going to board a plane headed for London, England, and I plan to stay there for a week. I guess you could call it research, because I do plan to return to Brick Lane to see the Banksy pink car again. I also plan to:Check out some fireworks tomorrow night.Go to the National Portrait Gallery to see Pop Art Portraits.Go to the Tate Modern to see Shibboleth.G...

Building Windows
2007-11-02 22:18:00
(click to enlarge)This afternoon, I finished the windows for my beaded Brick Lane building. I used sheer white fabric, clear vinyl, and white bugle beads. They're not exactly perfect, like real windows are, but that's okay... This building was probably hit by a bomb at some point in London's history, and when my beadwork is finally finished, I want viewers to sense construction, destruction and reconstruction... all at the same time...
More About: Windows , Building

Think Pink
2007-11-01 15:24:00
(Click to vote! Voting is open through Nov. 8.)Please stop by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists website to vote for my bead-painting, Flamingo Moon. My beadwork is part of EBSQ's Think Pink : A Fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Show. This foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and finding a cure for breast cancer. I entered my beaded flamingos to remind those who are struggling to cope with this cancer that beauty shines in any kind of light.EBSQ asked all artists to make a donation to the cause while participating in this show. In addition, I will donate 10% of the purchase price of Flamingo Moon to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. If you're interested in purchasing this original piece of bead embroidery, please contact me for details. Remember, every little bit helps... :)
More About: Think Pink

Wordless Wednesday - Pure Evel
2007-10-31 07:29:00
(click to enlarge)Pure Evil vs. Banksy.'Evel Knievel Rides Again'Happy Halloween!Black Sabbath - Bl...Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.

Broken Window Theory
2007-10-29 17:03:00
(click to enlarge)If you happened to walk past a building with a broken window, what do you think? Do you think that the owner of the building just doesn't care? And, if you happened to walk by the same building on a regular basis, and one day, graffiti appeared on the wall, what would you think? Would you think you were walking through a neighborhood that is full of crime??According to criminologists, there is a direct link between vandalism, violence, and the general decline of society. Perhaps, but according to Banksy, graffiti writers are not real villains, and crime against property is not real crime. He also says that some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place, and some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place... What do you think?
More About: Theory , Window , Broken , Theo

Just Think
2007-10-28 06:06:00
Today, I just want to take a moment to thank Nauma for nominating me for the Thinking Blogger Award. She awarded this to me a few days ago, but I haven't had time to think about it until now... I will admit that I was thrilled, because it has always been my goal to encourage others to think about something new or view things with a different perspective.After receiving such an award, it is common to nominate 5 blogger pals with the same award, but you know me... I never follow the rules... Instead, I am awarding two very special blogger friends who have really made me think in the past few weeks. Please stop by their blogs to say hello:)Helenina. She reminded me why I am pursuing beadwork as seriously as I am... She said life is very short, and that we must dare to share our knowledge & talents with the world. If we don't dare, we are simply wasting our time on this Earth. I couldn't agree more. Pink. Recently, she wrote about happiness, and she really made me think - what w...

Day of the Dead
2007-10-26 08:03:00
Today, I finished my beaded hugging skeletons. I really like how they look much better, although they're different than the skull driver of my beaded Triumph of Death. They measure approx. 1.5" x 1.5". I used size 15 seed beads in 2 different whites, and I layered the beads in some areas. Can you tell they are skeletons this time??Even though I finished the beadwork, these Banksy skeletons are not quite complete. I want to cover their faces with fabric so that it looks like they are wearing gas masks. So far, that is just an idea... We'll see if I can execute it ... :0
More About: Dead , Day of the Dead

Remains of a Skeleton
2007-10-25 03:50:00
Right now, I'm in the middle of cutting up my bead-embroidered skeleton up. I rarely do something this drastic, but I decided that I didn't like how he looked. I'm carefully cutting the threads, and pulling off the beads. Then, I'm gonna give it another shot with a new tracing paper cut-out.... I want these beaded Banksy skeletons to look just right... Wish me luck... :0
More About: Skeleton , Kele , Mains

Wordless Wednesday - Designated Graffiti Area
2007-10-24 07:32:00
Graffiti area or beading area? You decide... :)Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: Graffiti , Area

Skeletons or Aliens?
2007-10-23 08:15:00
Here's a quick look at my semi-beaded Banksy skulls. Or maybe they're strange beings from outer space... Anyways, I traced the shape, then glued the paper onto black felt, and now I'm beading right over the paper. I'm using Japanese size 15's in two different whites and a black. As you can see, recreating images using seed beads can be difficult because the beads always make the image appear slightly larger than I had originally planned...
More About: Aliens , Kele , Liens

'Til Death Do Us Part
2007-10-22 00:24:00
Here's a drawing I did this afternoon. It's a picture of two hugging skeletons. This idea was taken from a photo of Banksy's stenciled scuba diving skeletons. My skeletons will be bead- embroidered inside one of the windows of my beaded brick building. They'll match the skull driver that sits inside the graffitied Triumph of Death on Brick Lane in East London.I chose the hugging skeletons because humans need each other until the day they die. We need each other for love. We need each other for friendship and for companionship. We need each other for inspiration. We need each other in times of sorrow. We need each other for help to get through the day. And, we also need each other in times of crisis. We need each other, and we often forget this until it's too late. Life is short. If you love the person next to you, give them a hug, because tomorrow may never come...
More About: Part , Til Death

Deux Big Macs
2007-10-20 07:49:00
(click to enlarge)"We should have shotguns for this kind of deal."~Samuel L. Jackson in the 1994 motion picture, Pulp Fiction.Banksy's original Pulp Fiction stencil no longer exists.Ventures (& Duane ...
More About: Macs

Hot Off the Press!
2007-10-19 09:04:00
Today, I was pleasantly greeted by my mail carrier who handed me an envelope from Bead & Button Magazine. Inside was an advance copy of the December 2007 Issue. My Great Blue Heron bead-painting is published in the 'Your Work' section! The funny thing is, I forgot all about this, so it was a very nice surprise! Click the images below for a sneak peek:You can view a larger photo of my piece on Bead & Button's website, as well as in my Saatchi Gallery Saleroom.I also wrote a haiku to go along with this piece:Summer sunset fadesQuiet heron standing stillHunting before darkAsahi.com, an online Japanese newspaper, posted it on the English version of their website last year, which was quite an honor:)And, I just remembered, the last time I spoke to my father, he mentioned that he should just get a subscription to Bead & Button so he doesn't have to keep running out to the bookstore every time I get published. LOL. I guess he should. Afterall, this is only the 4th time my b...
More About: Press , The Press

Blood on the Wall
2007-10-18 08:39:00
Here I am up late doing beadwork, as usual. I'm working on the background for my beaded replica of the Banksy pink car.As you can see, the brick building that I'm working on is very large. So, I've been beading in my lap, rather than on my worktable. I'm stitching the terra cotta bricks on rather sporadically, and I like the texture they're creating. It's working out fine, except for the fact that it's fairly difficult to stitch through my canvas paper collage. It's tough to push the needle through, so I'm trying to use my leather coin thimble for that. But, I'm not used to using thimbles, so most of the time I just try to push the needle through using my bare fingers. Needless to say, once I even pricked myself, and a little drop of blood appeared on the brick wall. I guess it's true that you cannot spell painting without pain.
More About: Wall , Blood , The wall

Wordless Wednesday - House of the Holy
2007-10-17 07:01:00
(click to enlarge) Banksy vs. Led Zeppelin.See? Graffiti is a good thing=:)Led Zeppelin - Hou...Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: House , Holy

Discount Shopper
2007-10-16 09:04:00
Believe it or not, I wasn't finished with my collage of paper bricks. I did work on it some more today, but it is still wet. After it dries, I can start stitching the pieces of canvas paper to the felt. Then, I can start doing some bead embroidery. Here are the beads I plan to use:I got these beads at my favourite local bead shop, Beaucoup Beads, in Scituate, MA. I liked them because they really looked like bricks to me. I'm not sure what they are made out of, but they seem to be terra cotta. I started talking to the owner about what I was planning to do with the beads. I had never done this before, but in an effort to describe to him what kind of beadwork I do, I showed him the latest issue of Bead & Button magazine. He loved my beaded fire truck. He said "You made this??" LOL. Of course, I felt shy, but he was very friendly. He said that he is going to hang up the photo of my fire truck in the store, and he also gave me a Preferred Customer card that will allow me to have a ...
More About: Discount , Shopper

Haunted House
2007-10-15 07:33:00
(click to enlarge)Today, I was spontaneous about my beaded Banksy pink car. Something made me get out the canvas paper and acrylic clear gloss again. So, I made a collage out of all sorts of brick patterns. The different bricks are meant to symbolize the many time periods throughout history. Don't be scared. This haunted building on Brick Lane will eventually be beaded as well...
More About: House , Haunted

Saleroom
2007-10-13 17:21:00
Thank you for all of the birthday wishes, both here and on Myspace! You really made me smile:)Today, I'd like to announce that I've made four of my pieces available for sale on the Saatchi Online Saleroom. The Saleroom is new, and I believe that it just opened this week. Saatchi Gallery takes no commission from artists and charges no commission to buyers. You simply buy the artwork you like directly from the artist, using Paypal or another suitable payment method. However, there is no click & buy function, so you must contact the artist directly if you are interested in making a purchase. Saatchi Gallery is simply making it easier for art collectors and museum curators to find new works available for purchase. Currently, I am offering Flamingo Moon, The Messenger, Great Blue Heron, and my psychedelic blue beaded bus, The End... Please take a peek at my beadwork for sale, as well as My Saatchi Gallery page. Enjoy=:)

Letting Go
2007-10-12 08:32:00
Yes, today is my birthday, but I don't really want to talk about that. Some years, you're just not in the mood, ya know? However, I am in the mood to continue working on my piece. Below, you'll see that I've begun to create the felt foundation for my bead-embroidered brick building. The building is the background for my beaded Banksy pink car. So far, it is five felt layers thick.Also, see the little stenciled Banksy girl in the photo? How do you interpret her image? To some, it appears that she has accidentally let go of her heart-shaped balloon, and is hoping that it will come back to her. Or, she has simply gotten tired of holding it. The twine started to cut into her hand and was hurting her. So, she let go, full well knowing that the next time she sees it, it will be all tangled in the power lines hanging lifeless. Either way, it will never return...
More About: Letting

Blueprint
2007-10-11 07:29:00
Okay. It may not be blue, but it's as close to a blueprint I'm getting for this piece. The plan is to bead-embroider the face of an entire brick building. This building will stand behind my beaded Triumph GT6 and it's graffitied 'wall'... :oFirst, I studied a few photos of the buildings that actually stand behind Brick Lane in London, England. Then, I took a few measurements, and sketched out what will be the 3rd phase of this piece. The shaded areas of the drawing will be windows and the rest will be brick. The drawing measures 18" wide x 12" tall. Including the beadwork that I've already completed, the entire piece will measure at least 18" wide x 17" tall. This will be my largest and heaviest piece yet. It will also be very dimensional. I still want to play around with the angles, but I think the right side of the green shipping crate should stand approx. 2" in front of the brick wall behind it. Of course, I haven't figured out how to do that yet; currently the beadwork is...
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Wordless Wednesday - Bead Street
2007-10-10 07:15:00
Still layin' down the beads... (click to enlarge)Old Skool Banksy vs. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.Beat Street . 1982. Get the message? :DGRANDMASTER FLASH ...Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.

Crafting a Concept
2007-10-09 03:29:00
Today, I took a break from doing beadwork to go to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. I hadn't been there in awhile, and today it was free to attend due to the Columbus Day holiday. I went to go see the special exhibition "Jewelry by Artists: The Daphne Farago Collection". Some of the pieces were wild and seemingly impractical, but some were just beautiful, including a beaded necklace made by Jacqueline Lillie.After spending some time there, I went to the next exhibit "Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis : The Art of Concept ual Craft". The pieces are selections from the Wornick Collection which primarily includes furniture, metalwork, sculpture, and fiber art. They are said to capture 'an important moment' in the evolution of three- dimensional contemporary art. I also read that these pieces document 'an era in which materials-based artists in clay, glass, metal, wood and fiber moved toward the creation of expressive sculptural forms that stand alone as objects of art, without a utilitar...
More About: Crafting

One Million Stitches
2007-10-07 14:58:00
I'm getting very close to finishing the 'graffitied' wall for my beaded Banksy pink car. And, by the time I actually do finish the beadwork, I think there will be close to a million stitches.... :0
More About: Million , Stitch

Make Your Mark
2007-10-05 16:49:00
"Without people, we are nothing."~Joe Strummer, The Clash(click to enlarge)The original mural in memory of Clash singer Joe Strummer is located outside The Niagara Bar & Lounge in Manhattan's Lower East Side, but I think a similar mural would fit quite nicely on Brick Lane in London, England. Please take a moment to check out the video which centers on the painting of this punk rock graffiti. Remember, you can always write your name on a wall to make your mark in this world. But, if you truly make a mark in this world, your name will be written for you...
More About: Make , Mark

Surprise
2007-10-04 08:33:00
I don't think I mentioned this before, but this year, I decided to enter Bead International 2008. This biennial juried exhibition began at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio in 1998. Bead artists from all over the world compete to exhibit in this show.Here is a copy of the letter I received regarding my entry:(click to enlarge)I am thrilled! That means my beaded fire truck, Engine Co. 6, will be part of the exhibit which takes place at The Dairy Barn from May 23- Sept. 1, 2008. And, there is also the chance that my beadwork will tour the country straight through 'til 2010... :0 I think this is one Opening Reception that I must attend... :)

Wordless Wednesday: Banksy Takes Manhattan
2007-10-03 07:01:00
Current Exhibition:Banksy vs. The Beastie Boys'An Open Letter to NYC'(click to enlarge)02 An Open Letter ...Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.Enjoy...
More About: Manhattan , Atta

He's Gonna Get You
2007-10-01 07:58:00
If you find yourself out after dark in the Whitechapel area of East London, beware... for Jack the Ripper was there...(click to enlarge)Perhaps his ghost still walks Brick Lane late at night searching for the perfect young woman... And if not there, perhaps he still haunts the nearby Ten Bells Pub where his final victim, Mary Kelly, was last seen alive... But, what if she wasn't his final victim??Whatever you do, don't go out alone... :0
More About: Gonna

Faces on the Wall
2007-09-30 16:10:00
Today, I would just like to remind everyone that my current piece is not about Third Reich Germany or World War II. When this piece is complete, it will be a beaded replica of the Banksy pink car which is located on Brick Lane in London, England. You can learn more about it HERE.When I saw that car in April, I imagined what it would look like in a semi-beaded future. Remember that the future cannot exist without the past, and my bead-embroidered shipping crate represents mankind's 'writing on the wall'. The prisoners in my beadwork are reminders of genocide, which is the worst possible crime on the face of the earth. At first I thought perhaps I'd be criticized for incorporating these images into my piece, but then I remembered that creating art involves taking risks. I chose these particular images because I feel that everyone will understand them, and also because mankind must never forget the past. In my last post, I had mentioned the possibility of adding more numbers to th...
More About: Faces , Wall , The wall