And now. . . for something completely different. . .

OK, this was something totally outside the box for me. Last summer, I took part in a bead challenge at a lovely little bead shop in Zionsville, IN, called Time 2 Bead. Sadly, they have had to close their doors since then. For the challenge, they chose several paintings and put together bead kits based on the colors and textures of the paintings. The idea was to use the beads to interpret the painting. Of course, everyone but me made jewelry. I chose a 1944 Picasso called The Cock of the Liberation. Below is a picture copied from the internet:

This is the bead kit:

First I pencil sketched the painting onto a 3 1/2 x 5 white Claybord. When I was happy with the sketch, I began to go over it with various colors of ink, then "painted in" with the inks. I used dye, chalk, and pigment inks. Sketching the Picasso gave me a much better appreciation of the artist. I always looked at his work as pretty "random", but it is extremely geometric, with lins and curves connecting everywhere.

This is the finished ink painting next to the inkjet printed image. I was so happy with it that I almost hated to start applying beads!

However, it was, after all, a bead challenge, so here are several photos of that process. I painted each area with Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive and applied the beads, in some instances with a pair of tweezers. The only beads that weren't in the kit were various colors of micro beads.

And here, finally, is the finished product. Of course I didn't win, as it would be difficult to wear a 3 1/2 x 5 inch pendant around one's neck. But I was very happy with the result and it was a LOT of fun. All projects were displayed in the store for a month and customers voted for the winner. At the end of the contest, Time 2 Bead held a reception for all the artists who entered.

And yes, the little bird has googly eyes. We are here to have fun, right?

Have a great weekend wherever you are!

Cathy