Deadline Aftermath ~ A Look at Where I Play

The First Friday Art Trail was a success and so much fun!! As with all show deadlines, I begin to get really messy in the last minute frenzy. I thought you might like to see the area where I bead. This is how it looks before I tidy things up to begin the next projects. It has a certain creative energy and artistic enthusiasm, but I will have to get things back in order before I begin again.

I use my grandmother's old sewing machine cabinet as the base of my table. On top I have layered many things. Layer 1 is a cork bulletin board that covers the hole for the sewing machine. Layer 2 is a white plastic tv snack tray with dividers. Layer 3 is a covering of a fuzzy material sold at bead stores to keep beads from rolling away. Layer 4 is a shelf made to go over the kitchen sink. And as always, when the deadline gets down to the wire, I end up with only one 4 x 5 inch space cleared enough to set anything down.

The bottom photo is of a holder I picked up at a craft consignment shop that is for the purpose of holding your dominoes during a game. I use it to hold inspirational items and thus, it serves as a small creative altar of things with personal meaning that inspire me. You can see a postcard of Native American art that I picked up in Santa Fe. It reminds me that beading is a sacred Native American tradition. The card with the blessing is from a special Blessing of the Hands ceremony offered at the hospital where I once worked. You were given this card after a special simple ceremony and prayer which the chaplains offered to bless you and your work. The chaplains traveled around the hospital with a cart carrying a pitcher and bowl. After rinsing your hands, they anointed the center of your palm with some oil and said a prayer for you. I have the same prayer for my own hands as I create art. And the matchbook with artist Frida Kahlo on its cover was something I found on the hospital lobby floor sticking out from the edge of a chair. It is from a restaurant in Juarez with all of the matches in tact. The timing of finding the matchbook was just days after I saw the movie Frida. It was like a little godwink and message to me saying...get busy on your art girl! And the colorful mexican tin heart ornament reminds me to create from the heart and share my passion. I hope you enjoyed this tour of my beading studio. Now it's time to clean it up a bit before beginning the next projects.