Like a lot of other beaders, I had always thought of myself as a purist--only glass & metal beads for me, thank you very much. But I live in an extremely rural area and am isolated from what's happening in beading except through publications and now the internet (thank heavens for people like you!). Supplies around here are limited, as well. Buying by mail is OK, but I like to fondle the beads I'm buying, bead pervert that I am. Also, this is an EXTREMELY conservative and traditional area when it comes to art, and being perverse, I tend to get even more bizarre (sp?) in what I create in response to that conservatism. Satisfies my soul somehow (but not my bank account, of course).
And being insatiably curious, I tend to scrounge around for things I haven't tried out yet. Thus, to make a long story short, I discovered that dreaded craft material--shrink plastic. (It didn't exist when I was a child, so I'm getting a second chance at childhood, perhaps.)
So, here's a necklace made from seed beads (peyote stitch around a core of plastic [oooh, that dreaded P-word again]) that I bought in 1969 and shrink plastic that I made into leaves in 1997. (Does that make it a 28-year-old necklace?)
I call the piece "Bougainvillea Memories." It's choker length and sits nicely on my collar bone. (If I could lay my hands on it right now, I'd measure it for you, but my life is always chaotic and can't find it amidst the piles of paperwork and assorted other items.) When the leaves move and clink against each other, they sound a little like tinkling glass. (They do too!)
Lately I seem to be doing a lot of work with these bright, vibrant, tropical kinds of colors. Perhaps also a response to my environment, since I live in the desert. The "memories" part of the title refers to my years in California and the omnipresence of the beautiful bougainvillea. But I also love the colors of the Southwest and do a lot of work in turquoise, copper, and earth tones.
