Showing posts with label pompeii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pompeii. Show all posts

Monday, May 2, 2016

Interview with April Challenge 'Pompeii' Second Place Winner Edita Kricenaite of RebelSoulEK


  




 Make sure to also visit these links!
Edita Kricenaite’s Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RebelSoulEk
Edita 's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RebelsoulEk
Edita’s Website:  http://www.rebelsoulek.com/




Hello Edita,My name is Patti, interviewing you on behalf of the Etsy Beadweaver Team. Your Lava neckpiece is a wonderful mix of freeform and bead embroidery and a lovely interpretation of the theme. How do you design your pieces, do you draw them out first or just follow where the beads lead you?

Thank you for your nice words. I don't always use the same scheme. Sometimes I see my future works on dreams, sometimes I get a complete image in my mind and cant forget it till realization, sometimes I take interesting material in my hands and simply allow the flow of brainstorming, like a visionary I let the same material to tell its own story :).
I don't always do sketches, but noticed with the sketches I make fewer mistakes, less jewelries needs to be repaired. However work "on a flow" brings me much more fun and more unexpected decision. I can say that the method of creation is dictated by my mood.

Who is your favorite artist or bead artist, and why?


My favorite bead artist is Guzel Bakeeva (GBD). Her works are romantic and bold, modern but at the same time has that antique taste, and all of them are very artistic, original and unusual. Her shapes and color palettes are simply amazing. As I look at her works I feel that energy of maximum creative potentiality! I wish people looking at my work in similar way.

What are your favorite styles or stitches in beading, and your favorite materials to use?

My favorite style I can call "guns'n'roses". I mean I like romantic, slightly medieval style mixed with modern drama, freedom and a little drop of aggression. I don't like than my work seems to be too sweet. I love contrasts. Every time I seek to impress myself.
I usually choose bead embroidery, but also like bead weaving stitches (mostly herringbone or peyote). It’s hard to choose favorite materials, I like to use something new and something very shiny. I also like natural materials such as wood, semi-precious stones, copper, brass...

Do you listen to music or watch movies while you work on your beading?

I frequently watch movies, TV shows or listening to educational lectures. Very often my laptop is my worktable, and it is constantly covered with seed beads...


Is there a technique you are looking forward to learning more about?

I would like to insert more bead weaving element to my works. I think the most beautiful are mix technique works. For now I mostly use bead embroidery, because it is a less time consuming technique than bead weaving.

What do you like best about working with beads? What do you like least?

The most fascinating thing about beads is how very small seed beads can make a large object. Order out of chaos;). I also like to play with colors. Working with seed bead calms me, teaches patience, sometimes I feel when my mind falls into a trance. I love that state of being here and now. 
I like least ... when my embroidery thread ends! Each time this fact irritates me!!! I know it is stupid :D. I also hate when some very expensive beads accidentally spill on the floor... Well you know that feeling ...


What led you to working with beads? Do you have an arts background or training?

In Lithuania (my birthplace), we have a proverb, "The apple does not fall far from the tree." Meaning: Children Observe daily and - in Their Behavior - often follow the example of Their Parents. My mother embroiders pictures with seed beads. Previously I made fun of her hobby. It seemed a useless occupation and a waste of time. Then my own life turned so that I fallen in love with this hobby too.
After studies at Academy of Fine Arts (Bachelor of Architecture) I moved to another country (Italy). There I lived for a few years without a job and friends. At first I had to learn new foreign language, to make tons of new documents and adapt to the new way of life. It was a very difficult time for me with a lot of free (and boring) time! Then suddenly I found Bead weaving online courses and enrolled there. It changed my life. So far, my course teacher Vitalija Velyviene became one of my best friend and counselor in seed beads (and my own) life.

Italy is a beautiful country, and offers much to inspire, such as Pompeii. Is there another country you desire to visit, and why?

If only I could my entire life to dedicate to the trips and exploration of this world! Currently, I wish the most to see India, Japan and Australia. I like to travel to completely different environment where everything seems like a dream. I like to experience culture shock, because it makes me feel like a child, where the whole world is undiscovered miracle and full of opportunities! Such an inspiring feeling!





Is there anything else you would like to share with the EBW community?

I wish all members good luck, inspiration and lots of sales. 
I wish this lovely activity becomes the main job to every of them.
I wish each of them could unfold their uniqueness, sense of love and beauty. 
I believe our creativity could make this world a better place! So keep calm and don't stop beading :* .

Thank you so much. It is nice to learn about you and your methodology. I can't wait to see more of your bead work. Good luck with all your future endeavors.

Monday, April 18, 2016

April 2016 “Pompeii” Challenge Results

For the second month running the first three placings of the team and public votes are the same! 

Congratulations to Sabina Jewel for winning both the team and public vote!



TEAM VOTE RESULTS:

1st place:
River of Lava onto Roman Greatness - SabinaJewel - 29 votes (43%) 
2nd place:
Lava Neck Piece - RebelSoulEK - 14 votes (21%) 
3rd place:
Colors of Pompeii Cuff Bracelet - BetsysBeadworks - 7 votes (10%) 

PUBLIC VOTE RESULTS:

1st place:
River of Lava onto Roman Greatness - SabinaJewel - 64 votes (35%)
2nd place:
Lava Neck Piece - RebelSoulEK - 53 votes (29%)
3rd place:
Colors of Pompeii Cuff Bracelet - BetsysBeadworks - 16 votes (9%)


Well done to the winners and all who participated and thanks to everyone who voted!

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Jewelry Design History Flash: Ancient Italian Jewelry and the Etruscan Civilization



See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Danseurs_et_musiciens,_tombe_des_l%C3%A9opards.jpg)

While researching jewelry styles of antiquity for the Pompeii April 2016 Challenge, I came across the wealth of knowledge that will forever impact my perspectives into jewelry design. Countless works of art, their ancient wearers by now returned to dust, sit still perfectly whole in museums around the world, reflecting the beauty and fashions of ages passed. Let’s return to the past for innovation and inspiration in the modern world. I promise this won’t bore you!

What makes ancient Italian jewelry so unique starts with the Etruscan Civilization and their ability to manipulate gold. The people of Etruria, who began their work around 800 B.C., had a particular intuition for beauty and proportion. Being at the center of the Mediterranean was ideal for sea trade as well as mining, and their economic success allowed the jewelry making domain to strive. We can recognize the success of jewelry makers at the time based on the pieces that were left or ornate the tombs of the dead. Etruscans of the 6th century had the means to both live and die luxuriously. 



The Etruscans had an advanced approach to metal working, using a technique called “granulation”. This time consuming process used small gold beads and soldered them on a surface which was later decorated with gemstones and pearls. Amber was especially popular; it was set in silver, or sometimes tinted with gold to become a special meterial named “electrum”. Later influenced by the Greek styles, fashions began to shift towards the use of cameos and coins, and the baule earring became quickly popular. 
A baule earring featuring the head of a bull, an important Etruscan symbol
Walters Art Museum [Public domain, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons)

The 5th century was a bit difficult for Etruria and it is clear archeologically that less people could afford jewelry. The Roman civilization took interest in Etruscan jewelry, and captured artisans who would serve them in jewelry making instead. In Rome, hairstyles were at the top of the trend, and the introduction of hairpins and headdresses of Etruscan design spread quickly, inspiring of revival of Etruscan styles at the turn of the 4th century. People loved jewelry so much in ancient Rome that laws had to be passed to limit the amount of jewelry that could be worn while occupying official positions. While the centers of the Etruscan civilization held their own against other growing and aggressive civilizations, artisans developed new designs and innovated techniques that would inspire many styles that are still popular today. Sadly, this formidable civilization eventually lost it's main sources of influence, and was assimilated by Rome around 500 B.C. 
This Pendant was constructed with the unique “electrum” technique. 
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 2169-9.jpg)
Incarnating the designs of Etruscan goldsmiths in the modern era honors their ingenuity. Ancient jewelry makers created the pillars behind design techniques used to this day; recycling their concepts and drawing inspiration from their work immortalizes the unique Etruscan aesthetic, swallowed by the passing of time.

Enjoyed this history flash? What are your favorite eras in jewelry design history?
Comment or email me!





References 
"Etruscan Art." Etruscan Art. JaysRomanHistory.com, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. (http://www.jaysromanhistory.com/romeweb ... ln/t11.htm)
Radeke, Mrs. Gustav. "Italian Jewelry." A Jewelry History. Ed. Museum Of Art Rhode Island School of Design. Guyot Brothers Company Inc., 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2016. (http://www.guyotbrothers.com/jewelry-hi ... -page9.htm)
Gaultier, Françoise, Catherine Metzger, Katerina Chatziefremidou, and Florence Specque. "In-Depth Studies : Jewelry from the Campana Collection." (n.d.): n. pag. Louvre.fr. Louvre Museum, 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. (http://www.louvre.fr/sites/default/file ... ampana.pdf)

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Etsy BeadWeavers April 2016 Challenge "Pompeii"

Many thanks to the February team vote winner Cira Troilo for a great Challenge for April!  Cira would like to see a touch of Antique Italian culture in a Challenge all about Pompeii,  the ancient Roman city that was destroyed and buried under volcanic ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

The style and colours should be representative of the era,  jewelry in the ancient style of Pompeii with the use of metallic elements would be great.  The style was very rich but minimal and often featured cameos, carved stones with faces, pearls and gold.Colours of the time included royal blue, turquoise, green, red or bordeaux.

More info on http://www.pompeiisites.org/

Please be sure to have your entry listed in your Etsy shop by April 5, 2016 23:59 EST and remember to include EBWC in the title and tags of your entry.  Kindly refer to the Challenge Rules for details on what is allowed in Challenge entries to ensure that your entry is compliant.
 
Some Pompeii Frescoes to inspire you!
 
          Published with CC0 Public Domain Free for commercial use-No attribution required See Angelika's (travelspot)'s images at Image https://pixabay.com/en/users/travelspot-62116/

                                                                 By WolfgangRieger [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

                                                               See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


                                     By unknown ancient Rome artist, photo of Stephen Haynes [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons