Dreaming Bead Dreams

March 31, 2017 Leave a Comment

From bead dreams to art realities

Last year, I was really excited to submit my work to the annual Bead Dreams competition, part of the one-and-only national Bead and Button Show.

This year, for contrast, I’m reminded of the two most challenging parts of being an artist: 1. being judged, and 2. comparing your work to others. It’s on my mind a lot as my submission for the 2017 Bead Dreams competition comes together.

The mind of an artist

Honestly, this is the part of art-making that people don’t see when they look at a finished piece. We wonder: Is it good enough? Is it me enough? Is it what the judges will like? How will it compare to all the other submissions?

What I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t focus on these questions. You almost have to pretend none of that exists so you are free to create what wants to come from your muse.

Art as a practice

This reminds me of a story I learned during my year-long art masterclass:

A pottery teacher split her class into two halves.

To the first half she said, “You will spend the semester studying pottery, planning, designing, and creating your perfect pot. At the end of the semester, there will be a competition to see whose pot is the best”.

To the other half she said, “You will spend your semester making lots of pots. Your grade will be based on the number of completed pots you finish. At the end of the semester, you’ll also have the opportunity to enter your best pot into a competition.”

The first half of the class threw themselves into their research, planning, and design. Then they set about creating their one, perfect pot for the competition.

The second half of the class immediately grabbed fistfulls of clay and started churning out pots. They made big ones, small ones, simple ones, and intricate ones. Their muscles ached for weeks as they gained the strength needed to throw so many pots.

At the end of class, both halves were invited to enter their most perfect pot into the competition. Once the votes were counted, all of the best pots came from the students that were tasked with quantity. The practice they gained made them significantly better potters than the planners on a quest for a single, perfect pot. (story source)

As an artist, I have to remember that I have a choice between worrying about making the perfect piece, or focus on making as many as I can. In the end, I only need one perfect pot. At this point, I’ve created six tiaras and two bejeweled combs.

If I want to make myself happy (and less crazy), I’ll keep making lots and enjoy the process of learning and experimenting with many techniques and materials.

Focus on the dream

Despite my nerves, I force myself to stop thinking, “But it’s Bead Dreams!” I have to stop pressuring my work to be bigger, better, or fancier—and just make it. Just pick up some wire. Just make another tiara.

The best way to make great art is to allow myself to play, to try things and see what happens. Just go for it and see. There’s a click at some point. That’s where my best work comes from, whether it gets into Bead Dreams or not.

Bead Dreams preview

Here’s a sneak peek at what I’m going to submit:

Do you create art?

What do you do to manage the pressure of having your work judged and comparing it to others?

I didn’t get in to BeadDreams (but it’s okay)

July 18, 2016 Leave a Comment

BeadDreams excitement

The winners of the 2016 BeadDreams art show have recently been announced. Like the Olympics finals or the Golden Globes, BeadDreams is a big bead deal. Part of the Bead and Button Show, it’s sponsored by three national beading magazines. Instructors, artists, and bead aficionados attend from all over the world. If selected by the jury, artists exhibit their work among the top individuals in the field.

Even though I wasn’t juried in, it’s the first time in several years that I’ve made a submission to this show. It was exciting to participate this year—especially as I hit a new stride with my work.

Lessons learned from BeadDreams 2016

Looking back, the experience gave me some great insights.

Take everything with a grain of salt

A remarkably high level of art gets into this show, so being selected by the jury is an acknowledgement of one’s work. That said, art show juries always look for specific things. Even when your art is excellent, it might not be the jury’s taste. For me, it’s important to trust the quality of my work.

Go big

I’ve been working on a new freeform style that is more playful and expressive. The piece I submitted to Bead Dreams evolved organically from my collection of Gail Crosman Moore glass beads, Bali fine silver beads, and (of course) hand-turned springs.

Creating this piece was a really exciting process. It’s fun to use really high-end, very high quality art beads and not worry about how much it will cost at the end. My goal was to just create something over the top.

Want to see? Here it is:

BeadDreams submission 2016 BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace

My submission: Breastplate for Ninsun

Ninsun was a Sumerian deity whose name literally translated is Lady Wild Cow. She was an earth goddess: the mother of Gilgamesh, a mythical Mesopotamian king and the divine power behind the qualities the herdsmen hoped for in their cows. This name is a partly a tongue-in-cheek reference to my having recently moved to a rural location, and how my art is intertwining with our life and livestock.

To balance the weight of this dramatic setting, beads are strategically placed at the back of the piece, creating a counter balance that falls gracefully down the wearer’s back. Simple, asymmetric links relate to the setting while allowing it to be the primary focus.

Pay attention to detail (but don’t obsess)

For a competition like this, jurors view the work blown up on a screen. I do everything in my power to make all my pieces work, but for BeadDreams, it really needs to stand the test of a microscope and critical viewing.

As I started working on my piece, I was thinking about something grand and dramatic that uses higher level skills and more materials. I wanted it to be perfect, but expecting this can create more stress. You can’t think too hard or focus on the fact that what you’re making is different from your usual work.

Let go

Waiting to hear was interesting. They said they would jury our pieces in about ten days. Then, without a lot of explanation, said they weren’t going to jury it for another month. I assumed technical difficulties and was pretty good about surrendering. However, as it got closer to the to the date, I kept wondering if it got in!

Be your own judge

Juries that receive as many submissions as BeadDreams can’t give specific critique of each entry. In general, they’re looking for quality construction, quality photographs, and the quality of the artistry.

When I received word that didn’t get in, I thought about those three factors. My work is quality, but I think I have room to work on photography. Photographing art jewelry isn’t a point-and-shoot project. It’s an art form in itself. For future submissions, I know I will approach this aspect differently.

BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace – Melanie Schow

Look at the big picture

If this were a lesser show I might feel a little chagrined about not getting in, but as I look at the other artists who didn’t get in, I’m in outstanding company. There’s a lot of great stuff.

After submitting Ninsun to BeadDreams, I made a “baby sister” version with simpler components with a similar style. It has already sold from the Circle Gallery in Madera—along with the matching earrings. To me, this means my new free-form style is resonating with people. That’s exciting!

floral necklace - dimensional wirework setting 2-2016 (c) Melanie Schow

The “baby sister” to Ninsun — *sold*

Keep playing

At the moment, my goal is to keep exploring my new free-form theme and get more of my work out there. In the coming months, I’m hoping to jury in to Celebrate Agriculture with Art 2016 show and participate in a masterpiece show curated by Paul Parichan.

Stretching for BeadDreams was an exciting challenge. The way I see it, my job is to keep working at a high level and getting new work produced and out to new venues all the time. Besides, there’s always next year for more BeadDreams!

Convergence: Fire and Ice Reversible Cuirass

April 25, 2009 2 Comments

There is a competition sponsored by the International Society for Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) and Bead and Button. This year it pairs a glass artist with a jewelry artist or in some cases they are one in the same. They collaborate to make a piece based on a theme, Art Jewelry inspired by the Four Elements. I worked with a bead artist from Florida, Holly Young, who I had not met prior to the competition. It presented an interesting challenge to work with someone clear accross the country who I did not know. For one thing, I realized we take our ability to communitcate our ideas for granted. “What do you mean you are not picturing what I am telling you?” When I re-read my description and looked at my chicken scratches, it’s quite a miracle that Holly grasped what I was trying to say at all. Some faxes, a few phone calls and some more beads later… the heart of the piece, some big lampwork beads, arrived here to get wired.

I was inspired by a cuirass, a piece of armour worn on the front and back of the body, fastened at the shoulder. I wanted to show the extreme opposites of the elements, fire and ice. The finished piece would be reversible and you could wear either side forward, depending on your mood. Okay, good idea. Got it made and was quite pleased with the outcome. Do you know what one of the biggest challenges of presenting your work is? Getting a good photograph for the jury process. Not just the quality of the photo but how do you show a two-sided piece in a single photograph? With the help of my graphic artist friend and much trial and error pictures were accomplished. The next part might be the hardest… you just wait.

The email started out “We had many outstanding submissions…” okay I am braced for the bad news. But it continued… “and yours was selected” phew and yippeeee! Wow, this is exciting. The next hurdle was to see if it would be selected for the special Bead & Button publication that will feature work from the exhibit. It was selected for the publication too. No, it’s not the first time I have submitted work for juried exhibits, but yes, it is the first time my work has been selected. I will post some pictures, but like I said earlier, the photos do not do it justice. Are you headed to the Bead and Button Show, you can see it there. It will also be at the ISGB Convergence in Florida this July. And… if you really love it, you can bid at the ISGB Charity auction where it will be sold. Want to make your own? It will be published this October in a Bead and Button special issue called Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads and Holly is prepared to make more fire and ice beads.