The Ancient Garden Broadcollar is my most intense piece of beaded art to date. I stopped keeping track of the time I worked on this piece after I logged 150 hours! It was probably closer to 200, and I loved every second of it.
As many gardens do, this one took on a life of its own. I planted the five jasper stones, drew three swirled lines (the first five inches of the rust colored vines connecting near the center stone) and the rest... grew!
The color scheme is simple - green, rust and black. Limiting the color to just these few unusual tones allows you to concentrate on textures and shapes that may otherwise go unnoticed in a garden that is rioting with color.
Very simple bead embroidery techniques are used. I used mostly back-stitch, some peyote stitch for the stone bezels, couching only when necessary, and a tiny bit each of netting and brick stitch.
Those of you who know me are aware of my love of using black matte beads in my jewelry projects. The background of this Garden is worked in tiny black matte seed beads, sparked occasionally by a single shiny one. Black matte beads add depth and definition, without really being a dominant color - the perfect background.
Bead Embroidery has become a very popular class that I teach at Stony Creek Bead. I warn people that the technique can be very dangerous! It's like painting... with beads! And you may not want to stop once you've started!
The shop has many smaller projects on display, and I encourage people to start with a piece that will become a brooch or a pendant, about a three-hour project. Save the broadcollars for your second project!
