Bead Journal February

February's sculpture begins with a 2"x6" piece of Lacy Stiff Stuff as my beading canvas. I specifically chose a small piece for several reasons; (1) this is my first time joining Robin Atkins' Bead Journal Project and I know nothing about bead embroidery, (2) I did not want to consistently fall behind and get discouraged, (3) I wanted to commit to posting my progress

each Wednesday on my blog, and (4) my life is full--I am blessed with the luxury of living my passion of creating and selling my art. I work in my studio daily, take classes and workshops, attend guild and club functions, work as a monthly volunteer at the local gallery/store, do research, write a blog, submit work to magazines, enter art competitions, do charity work, teach, do two art fairs a year, photograph, exhibit and sell my work through various venues, and I try

to attend a retreat or two each year (budget permitting)--so I knew I could not handle anything larger and keep my commitment, and lastly, (5) I wanted to be able to display all 12 pieces in a mosaic wall hanging, so anything larger would not allow me to do that. I have also found that this size is accommodating my experimenting with combining other mediums with my beading. I am learning from each piece.

In February's piece, I'm using size 11 glass seed beads combined with vintage sequins to sculpt the tree. Some of the branches were beaded to stand out from the tree because, goodness knows, I have to have dimension. I painted the background with permanent markers. The Lacy Stiff Stuff is porous enough to allow the blending of colors. I am giving it a light spray of "Preserve Your Memories II" acrylic protective coating to seal it.

January's piece was so cathartic for me, I think it may have set the basic formula for the rest of the year's pieces. The Bead Journal Project has become very healing for me. I find myself processing and expressing feelings in a positive way through these monthly pieces. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing."