Thursday, September 20, 2012

Playing with Possibilities

Funny, when I first developed the concept of my Bead and Button master class, naming it seemed like the hardest thing, but I think Playing with Possibilities is the perfect name.

I suspect I've told you about it before, but I, I mean we, have begun the work of creating the 'playground' of components, and so it is quite exciting.

The concept of the class is component design, and there will be many examples of five different components that the participants will get to arrange and re-arrange to envision their design.  Cameras will capture various ideas and when a design is decided on it will be printed out and the beading will begin.  The playground is there to help the design process but in the end everyone will bead their own components.  All good in theory right?  But with 22 students, there will need to be  enough pieces for everyone to work with.

So three groups of women around the country are helping to bead.  I've chosen a neutral palette so as not to interfere with the design process, and I've documented the five components and sent beads off to the various groups.

One of the three groups is local and yesterday we met in my studio and produced a large assortment of the Romantica medallion.



I must say they look darn pretty all gathering in together, each one uniquely beautiful.  I can' wait to photo some 'possibilities' but I think the real magic will be when all five components are available and can be brought together.  I see some incredible design opportunities.  

And now I'm off to teach the weekend at Creative Castle, North of Los Angeles.  I'm taking the train!  and I'm going to bead.....I'm still working on my piece for the Geometrics book, but I have a vision and I think it's working.

2 comments:

NEDbeads said...

This sounds like THE most interesting and wonderful class I have ever heard of!!!! I lovelovelove that you are encouraging the students to come up with their own designs from your components!! Marcia, you're a genius!!!!!! :) Your components look amazing together, and I hope you'll be able to have lots and lots of pictures from the class, too, to show how different people used them all.

Cynthia Newcomer Daniel said...

Sounds like a fabulous class! HAve fun on the train.