Showing posts with label hollow beads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hollow beads. Show all posts

Friday, June 29, 2018

Gandharva

Again playing with paper using advanced techniques, including beads and rupturing the base to make grooves to accommodate wire and beads.  An elaborate hand painted subject and a story.  Have used swarovski pearls to enhance the work.  The beaded cord is more precious for me as it is made by my mom.  It is for the cord I had designed the pendent.  It had always been that way.  The time and effort she puts in to make that, I want to appreciate it giving it utmost importance. 

Gandharva – Male fairies – heavenly beings in Hinduism.  I was always fascinated by mythology and fantasy stories.  This title came up when I was looking for uniqueness in the next creation and thus the name.  Gandharva stories are always fascinating.  I love stories to listen to and read.  This subject was intriguing always.  In stories they are demigods, loitering along places of serene beauty like in a beautiful jungle clearing alongside a gently murmuring, breath-taking brook, and sprightly bird songs.  They are said to lure naïve beautiful damsel, but once fallen in love both are doomed - girl outlawed and the fairy banned in heaven.  But they also do assist the god of medicine when one is sick. They encourage a creative person in his pursuit.  Have grown up listening to all these fascinating tales and sometimes imagining they are for real and was afraid of darkness and ghosts.   As we grow up all beliefs put to rest and know all the characteristics in the tales mean to convey what our mind really is and does.  What you see is only what your mind allows or wants you to see.
 
The pendent is constructed using layered paper technique.  It is about 3x2.5 inches embellished with pearl woven around and paints.  The pendent is strung on seed bead cord woven by my mother and some handcrafted polymer clay art beads are added with and adjustable closure though the necklace itself is 13 inches long.  The accompanying earring is also made of the same technique with beads and paints with a metal stud.  It is about 1.5x1.7 inches.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Vaalkannadi


Vaalkannadi – The word means mirror with a tail, a hand held little mirror for the women folks.   Aranmula, a town in Kerala, is known for its incredible ancient craft of making mirrors out of super polished metal alloys where the combination of the ingredients is a well-kept secret.  
The Vaalkannadi or Aranmula mirrors represents goddess of wealth and luck.

This is my humble effort to get this traditional design of mirror as a wearable art.  Of course, I have used the regular mirror as centre piece, embellished with tiny sand sized faceted beads on the pendent shaped like the Vallkannadi.    The pendent is strung on beaded cord which is made by my mother with handcrafted polymer clay beads.  The set is completed with matching earrings.

The length of the pendent itself is 4 inches, the length of the necklace is 14 inches including the pendent weighing about 54.4 grams.  The earring is 2 inches long and 3.1 grams each.

It was an instant hit, sold within no time of my posting it for sale.  I am happy the piece is now owned by one of my dear friend.  


Sunday, January 7, 2018

Mayur

Cannot get enough of the mayur.  This one is a result of a lazy but doodling mood of an afternoon.  The peacock looked good, so made another one with slightly another design.  since the brain is always thinking of wearable art, diminished the design to a smaller size, could not reduce it further.  It took almost 20 days to complete.  Contemplating the medium for the creation.  Finalized it to be on paper.  Painting, layering and waterproofing etc ate up a lot of time. The cord portion of it to had to be thought out and decided to go for polymer clay beads in antique finish.  All the beads are handcrafted, hollow and given an antique look.