Every month Art Bead Scene posts a painting as inspiration and asks readers to join in, and use at least ONE art bead and create a piece inspired by the art.
I used to enter this all the time, but as the years go by, and my business is more business....I have less time for play. However, when I saw this painting, I knew I had to play along.
I just watched the movie Frida the other week, and I was amazed at what a strong and creative woman she was. I love the rich symbolism she put into her pieces, and she painted her life, and her emotions in such a beautiful, yet real and raw way. She much adversity in her life, and all of it comes through in her work.
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940
You can read about Aprils challenge here
I really wanted to capture the nature of this painting. Her white dress, the thorn necklace, the brilliant leaves of life, behind her. So I started sketching, and then got out the polymer clay.
This is the piece I made.
I chose to do the thorns in white, to represent her white dress. I wasn't going to carve them, but I felt that since it is MY representation, that it needed to have my signature on it, so carved them I did! I also hung a polymer hummingbird skull from the thorns.
I used some balled up wire beads and annealed steel wire work to further give the feel of tangled thorn branches and add contrast to the white.
I felt that this painting, really shows the washed out (white) hurting (thorns) present, with the life filled leaves and color behind her, in the past. So I definitely wanted to use color for the back. What better way to do that then to use Sari silk and batik fabric. I added some more embellishments to make it truly my own style as well. I am over the moon happy with how it turned out.
Here they are side by side.
I think doing challenges like this are plain old good for the soul. I like to push my limits and think outside the box to keep things fresh. If you haven't participated in one, do it. It is so fun and you won't regret it. There are no "winners" or "losers" (there are prizes but they are picked at random)....it is simply a place to show off your design. There is no wrong or right!
Thanks for checking it out!
If you are interested, I recently did a tutorial over at Love my Art Jewelry, on how I do my fabric in necklaces. You can read that here if you want to try it out too.
batik fabric sold by Starry Road Studio