What better way to get out of the house and break a two-year social reclusion than to partake in a little community organizing: say hello to the new President of the Rocky Mountain Bead Society. Crazy! you might say. Ha! you may shout. Fantastic I tell you!I look forward to the beady opportunities to come (awaiting my bead-briefing of the details...) and am grateful for the support of the bead-icated members that have kept this group going. While I'm not entirely sure how I came to assume this unopposed position (suspect Another Planet), I'm even less sure of what all it entails. Que sera sera. (And I am very much relying on the supreme competence and kindness and quirkiness of fellow board members past and present. Duh!)
For the record, I DO have some intent of support to the RMBS community:
1: Grow membership (Colorado is suited to beading; Mecca, I daresay.)
2: Education (not as a demanding left-brained technical-editor, but as a beader for the people; two years of working bead shows, lecturing, and teaching gave me notice of the many bewildered new beaders out there. And I am told that I am a patient person.)
3: Sharing (I be somewhat reclusive really, but I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Beads, that is).
All of the above can be attained through bead classes, which are wonderfully usually affordable to members. I learned lots about beads in my seven years editing Beadwork magazine (thank you contributors!), yet I've never made any of the projects. As evidence of my interest and continued support of the RMBS, here are 3 recently completed pieces that will always remind me of how great it is to have a bead society:
Skull Flower. Herringbone fans/fins/frills weekend of classes with Rev. Wendy Ellsworth (another Cabin Beader! watch out for tics); she helped me do color freeform! The adorable tiny skulls were obtained that Friday night, at Nomad's holiday art reception. Hot.)
Mastering the Curl with Jeannette Cook. One of my first contacts in the beading world, and I finally get a class with her; ships beading in the night... Using her kit (some say "Mardi Gras" colors, I say "Show Me Your Tits" colors, as available in my own beading kits) to learn her classic peyote-increase spiral (detail inset). For the necklace I added a double-ended spiral, super-clever beaded-beads, and magnetik clasp. Oh snap! Are those Rockies colors, to wear to the game?!
Dagger Wrist tubular herringbone with Carol Perrenoud. It was very exciting for me to meet the woman (Cabin Beader) with the size-22s-and-smaller seed-bead-amulet-hen that I wet myself upon seeing so many years ago. Not so exciting, however, was making this bracelet using that creepy thread--but SO worth learning about straw needles! And concrete!
