Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A little history of my art of Jewelry - with pictures




“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
John Keats

Imagine a small piece of jewelry in which color, form and shape is combined in order to please the eye, to create good feelings, touching it could be soothing as well. A few years ago, I met this lady who bought a necklace with a beaded shell for her elderly mother’s birthday. She sent me a note to let me know how much her Mom enjoyed wearing the necklace and she told me what she enjoyed: to touch it, to feel it with her hands/fingers. She was thinking of it as a beautiful piece of art, but also as a therapy tool.

I think a lot about my pieces. Sometimes I get inspired by the semiprecious stones I find. I put them together with pearls and/or colorful seed beads in a specific design, carefully coordinating the colors to achieve a natural, shaded look by incorporating several nuances of beads for each color I choose. First, I make the core and use lots of cultured pearls (I like the way they enhance the beauty of the gemstone). After completing this most important first step, I find the right time for the beading process. It usually takes time and patience, but in order to complete a larger piece, I need about three to four hours.

My goal is to create stylized designs that bring more beauty to everyday life, inspire good feelings and increase self-awareness in the lasting symbols that are always present: love, faith, sincerity, purity, hope, renewal, and good luck. I was always very creative and I used my free time for making things that I could wear or I would need around the house in Romania, a mosaic table for example. Later, I started making evening dresses with beautiful appliqués (flowers, leaves, butterflies) made of pearls and tiny beads, that looked like a piece of jewelry. I sold them in galleries, as a part-time job.

Little by little, I realized that what I enjoyed best in designing and making an outfit was actually the elaborate embellishment. I started to make little pieces of jewelry using the technique of bead appliqué and developing new techniques as my jewelry evolved. My decision to concentrate only on the embellishments was how I started my jewelry collection. I don’t consider myself a big commercial success in the field, although I had a few accomplishments that helped me to become a better artist and to grow as a human being.

http://www.enchanted-beads.com/

8 comments:

  1. Hi, Ileana! I get to be your first follower AND your first commenter. Congratulations on the new blog! :-)

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  2. Ileana, I hope your new blog brings you much satisfaction!

    Karen

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  3. Ileana, your new blog looks great! And I enjoyed reading a bit about how your art has evolved.

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  4. Good luck on your new blog! Looks good so far.

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  5. I enjoyed reading your story. Your work is definitely art.

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  6. I love the look of your new blog Ileana! Loved reading your first post, and I'm looking forward to reading your future posts!

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