Cool Yet Warm

I'm back from Artfest, almost unpacked. The studio still looks like a tornado hit it, and maybe it was hit by one, it was me while I packed!

I had a fabulous time. All my classes were superb.

I made some new friends and saw some old friends again, it was so wonderful. What a lively and talented group, and all so different from each other.

My dorm room in Dorm 225 was a single, no roommate this time, which worked better for me with my insomnia and late-night reading habits. But I slept fairly well even with the two hour difference in time zones.


One afternoon after class I walked on the beach near the dorm, and picked up some shells and rocks, there was every natural color you can think of in that group of washed up stones and bits of wood, I made a little beach collage and brought them all back with me to make a shadowbox with them.

Aren't they pretty, all nestled up in a white shell on a mound of damp sand? The colors of nature are so inspiring.

The weather was perfectly lovely, sometimes sunny and cool, a little rain but not too much, and moderate temperatures even at night.


These little baubles are from the "Hard Candy" class with Melissa Manley, the last day class for Artfest, right before Show and Tell started.

I wanted to make them warm on one side, cool on the other with the ruddy and blue colors. And a little industrial looking, very worn, like something off an old machine that had been sitting out.

One I put a copper wire through and threaded so I can wear it on a long chain. It's a great fiddly bead, it spins around on its axis like a top, and looks a little like a game piece or toy.


The other one I added some wire and twists to and put it onto a short length of steel wire chain I made, very quickly so I could wear it. I will most likely change that out for something else now that I'm back, but what fun to wear to dinner after class.

I'll be posting more about the classes, and I think I'll put most of the photos of the classes and the Show and Tell night onto the Artfest blog, so there's not so much here about it.

I'm also doing the Studio Saturday post this week for the Art Bead Scene blog, so I'll save some special ones for there. And as usual there will be a giveaway involved...

Did I mention that I had a fantastic time? Lovely, wonderful, superb.