Thursday, May 6, 2010

 

The winners of the Use the MUSE IV contest have been posted and you are in for a visual overload of beauty and creativity.  It never ceases to fill me with wonder at what occurs when you hand over a pile of beads to different artists.  I'm honored to have my creation included with these other incredible designs and I encourage you to look at every entry.  All of us have been waiting for the reveal and we were not disappointed.  Win or not, we all walk away with a great design and pride in our creation.  I have a very difficult time taking good pictures, but I particularly like the one above...makes a great ad doesn't it?

For my piece, I kept to my current emphasis on asymmetry and versatility making two separate neck straps that can also be worn as bracelets.  The picture above shows one of those straps in the foreground with the other strap in the background.  We have to keep the muse portion of the necklace secret until today, so (drum roll please), here's the necklace in it's entirety:




I enhanced the center piece by stamping it with a clear ink and rubbing in copper mica powder.  The powder was then sealed with four layers of matte artist sealant.  For the next challenge (yes I would definitely do this again), I'll take progression shots.  The center piece went through at least 5 different designs before I settled upon this one (and not a picture of anything but the mess left over).  It can be nerve wracking to start from scratch when you are under a time limit but the results are so worth it.


Please visit Scarlett's site to learn more about this event and to see all of the entries:


Sponsors:
Scarlett Lanson, The Beader's Muse
ArtBeads

Judges:
Marcia Decoster
Sherry Serafini
Cynthia Thorton
Lorelei Eurto 

To Purchase:
Christine's Beadworks


6 comments :

roseworksjewelry said...

I'm REALLY hoping to participate in this next one! I'm doing markets all summer so I should have the funds this time :D I love the versatility of your piece!

Unknown said...

Ruthie,
Thanks so much. You should definitely try to do it, it pushes your creativity, it's fun, and waiting for the big reveal just adds to the excitement. For me, starting with the base kit is great, it provides a boundary but still the options are limitless.
Christine

gourdphile said...

Christine! It's big! It's bold! It's beautiful! I think asymmetry is PERFECT. Contrast is balance. This piece took guts and a vision. I love it.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much Jan! It took me a long time to embrace asymmetry, my accountant brain just seemed to line things up. I couldn't be happier with the end result.
Christine

Karyn said...

Absolutely stunning Christine - I love how you stamped the piece - a great effect. Well done!

I was lucky enough to win the "Wonderfully Whimsical" category and I have to admit I think I am slowly coming down from cloud nine... so many amazing entries I feel very honored to have won a category.

Gorgeous work from everyone.

Karyn
Australia

Unknown said...

Karyn,
Thanks so much. Your muse piece is so beautiful and would be so much fun to wear and you deserve to be on that cloud for a long time. I can just imagine how excited you were when you logged in that day! I still find myself going back almost daily to look at the entries in more detail. I see something new each time I look.
Christine