Art Sticks

Several months ago NanC Meinhardt and I planned to have her come to San Diego to lead a 3 day workshop on her Artsticks. It is a process workshop more then a project, although through the course of the three days, as we learn much about the emotional responses to making art, we are creating an artstick.

NanC was kind enough to bring a few sticks and in her stash I found a dried center of a palm frond which I found completely intriguing. Initially though I thought it would be too much beading and fussy beading at that. I waffled, I put the stick back, I chose another and then I went with my initial instinct.

A few weeks back I dropped a favorite urchin on my tiled bathroom floor and it broke. I couldn't bear to part with the pieces so I scooped them up and laid them on the window sill. In the back of my mind I thought I need to find a use for these.....



but I didn't want to do my art stick in creams and pinks.....I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me immediately, I really need to exercise mxed media more...I'm such a seed bead girl. Well I started painting my stick gold, and then adding color to the frondy bits, and then I painted the broken urchin bits gold and then I remembered some metallic pigments I bought the one and only time I did polymer clay.



Can you feel the excitement building!

There is of course much more to be done, I've gotten out the large stash of gold charlottes...a vintage swarvoski fish eye (you didn't think I could not add a crystal did you?) Today the beading begins.

This experience has been magic so far. Seven amazing artists joining me in the studio, moving through their process, relaxed evenings on the veranda with NanC and my husband Mark, lot's of beady conversation. This was a really good plan.