Influenced by nature

Nature is all around us, and a constant source of inspiration to people throughout the ages… Painters have set up their canvas and easel and created the most majestic plain air paintings.  Photographers have brought the wonders of our earth into our view through their trained eyes, and sculptors have strived to carve and create designs that are only found in nature.  It is that very same influence that touches me often… colors of flowers dancing in the wind, or the grays of a rainy day casting long shadows on everything, or butterflies dancing through the garden, thick chunky snowflakes falling gently on a field…. it is nourishing to our soul to see how wonderful this world around us is, and how beautifully everything is orchestrated together.

All of that said, i was looking for inspiration in the bead embroidery department.  After my last show I was down to 3 pieces left unsold, and needed to get those little fingers moving to create some new pieces, this time inspired by nature.

The blue butterfly-

How often do you see a blue butterfly?  I confess i have not seen one in my garden, but they do exist, and are so vivid in nature against a backdrop of deep greens.

this is what influenced me

And this is the wire crochet bead embroidered butterfly brooch

The colors of nature are vivid greens, and bright blues.  My little butterfly is complete with two antenna and a full body, however i did only a side view, giving only one wing visible.

The PeaPod Brooch

Another favorite theme, reminds me of late spring and picking fresh peas from the garden before the full heat of the summer is too much for those delicate spring plantings.  Sweet and crisp, there is nothing like home grown peas.

This brooch began with crocheting a frame using green toned copper wire, then beads were added and embroidered. Focal are the green crackle beads, a vintage find that has been up-cycled. The brooch was finished with embroidering seed beads that became darker as they approached the edges of the pin. From a Vaseline light green near the center, to deep green black at the edges.  The entire piece measures 2.5″ long by 1.25″ wide.

Little Green Leaf Brooch – 

notice the little bug on the leaf?

magnetic pin back

The delicate colors and shades of green play on this leaf… and the whimsical bug atop it, all made of beads that were embroidered onto a wire crochet frame.  The big bead that makes up the body of the bug was one i could not resist because of the white spots on it… called to me to use it in an unusual way.

Falling for Pink Brooch –

pearls, fire polished czech glass, czech teardrop beads and seed beads make up this leaf.

magnetic pin back

notice the stem is wire crochet without beads

Autumn colors are so vivid right now, and back lit by a low angled sun they burst against the dark clouds of a fall sky.  While I have never seen a pink leaf in nature, I have certainly seen a number of red to orange ones… so as a completely stylized choice, here is Falling for Pink, a brooch, also with a magnetic pin clasp.