Back to school!
A little bit more time - and we will leave summer behind us...
Golden fall is coming, and somewhere leaves are turning to red
and yellow. Read in the last summer issue:
Contact us with any questions at
info@mylovelybeads.com.
Best regards, MyLovelyBeads.com Team
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Stone of August: JADE
Balances male/female energies. Stone of protection, provides barrier against
attacks and illness. Encourages meditative travel. Helps in making the dream
process productive and healing. Zodiac signs: Libra (Balance), Capricorn
(Seagoat), Aries (Ram), Gemini (Twins).
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China's Stone of Heaven
One of the
August stones is jade, another one is
peridot. Only in the 19th century it was determined that
"jade" was in fact two different materials: nephrite jade and
jadeitite. Today we will talk about nephrite, that sometimes is
called China's Stone of Heaven.
During Neolithic times, the main sources of nephrite jade
in China for utilitarian and ceremonial jade items were the now
depleted deposits in the Ningshao area in the Yangtze River
Delta (Liangzhu culture 3400-2250 BC) and in an area of the
Liaoning province in Inner Mongolia (Hongshan culture 4700-2200 BC).
Nephrite was used to create many utilitarian and ceremonial
objects, ranging from indoor decorative items to burial suits.
It was considered the "imperial gem". From about the earliest
Chinese dynasties until present, the nephrite deposits in most
use were from the region of Khotan in the Western Chinese province
of Xinjiang.
There, white and greenish nephrite jade is found in
small quarries and as pebbles and boulders in the rivers flowing
from the Kuen-Lun mountain range northward into the Takla-Makan
desert area. River nephrite collection was concentrated in the
Yarkand, the White Jade (Yurungkash) and Black Jade (Karakash)
Rivers. From the Kingdom of Khotan, on the southern leg of the
Silk Road, yearly tribute payments consisting of the most precious
white jade were made to the Chinese imperial court and there
transformed into objets d'art by skilled artisans, as nephrite
was considered more valuable than gold or silver.
Two pieces of jewelry in nephrite by Albina Polyanskaya
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Featured artist
We believe almost everyone in the bead world and around knows
that name, Huib Petersen, as well as his smile and artworks.
Hes lives in the USA, California, and has been beading for a
long time.
Huib says, "I think a thought or Idea starts with our experiences
through our senses, taste, smell, sight, sound and touch. And that
insight, knowledge and clarity comes from the people that surround
us. This is where my Inspiration comes from, my experiences with
the world and the people around me.
Needlecrafts first caught my attention when I was a child growing
up in a small town in Holland. Encouraged by my mom, grandma and
the local needlecraft store owner, I picked up crochet knitting,
tatting, macrame, bobbin lace, needle lace and embroidery with ease.
In high school, I discovered the theater and loved every aspect of
it, strengthening my existing skills and learning new ones: acting,
directing, puppetry, costume design, singing and writing.
In 1995 I moved from Holland to San Francisco, and opened a small
arts and crafts workshop and gallery on Nob Hill. Inspired by a
chance encounter with 19th century Russian bead work, I discovered
the beauty and challenges of designing with beads.
I use different sizes of beads and a variety of traditional beadwork
stitches to create sculpted bugs, butterflies, birds, flowers and
sea creatures in their environment. The result is a unique kind of
wearable art that offers the intricacy of embroidery and lace, the
depth of a theater set and the durability and brilliance of glass.
I have been working full time as a bead artist and teacher since
1998, and I am still challenged and inspired by the possibilities of
this medium." There is no doubt, you will enjoy the stunning artworks
by Huib Petersen as we do!
Gallery of Bead artwork by Huib Petersen
Email:
huib@petersenarts.com
Website:
www.petersenarts.com
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Moscow Bead Festival
If by chance you are in Moscow, Russia from 10 to 13 of December,
2009, we would love to invite you to the 2nd juried exhibition Moscow
Bead Festival 2009. The main goal of that exhibition is the development
of beadart in Russia, revival of old beadweaving traditions and search
for new art forms. All this and sharing experience along with the
presentation of talented new artists' beadworks.
Among participants of Moscow Bead Festival 2009 will be leading
artists of decorative arts, winners of national beadweaving
competitions from Russia and abroad, foreign artists, and talented
newcomers. A wide range of participants will showcase various schools
and traditions that differ so much from each other and yet have the
same features: ingenuity of execution and originality. All works will
be available for sale.
There are five categories for the contestants to enter; in addition,
special awards from the leading jewelry suppliers will be given along
with a "Best Beginner" award:
• Wearable art
• Floral compositions
• Beaded icons and paintings
• Beaded objects and accessories
• Beaded bags and replicas of old accessories
Moscow Bead Festival 2009 continues and expands on the successful
experience of the last year's StekloExpoBiser 2008 Exhibition
(GlassExpoBead 2008) , when more than 90 artists took part. Moscow
Bead Festival 2009 expects more than 100 participants.
The Moscow Bead Festival 2009 is an independent part of the
traditional Yuvelirnyi Vernisazh Exhibition (Jewerly Vernissage)
and will take place in the center of Moscow, in the T-Modul Exhibition
Center. The Center is located in the trade and exhibition complex
"Tishinka" and well known among fans, artists, and art advisers.
You can contact the exhibition committee regarding participation in the
exhibition by email - biserexpo@gmail.com - or by phone 8916-021-6789.
The exhibition website will launch in October, we will keep you informed.
The opening reception will take place at the Exhibition Center T-Modul
on December 10th, 2009 at 3 pm. The exhibition will run from December 11
through December 13, 12 pm to 8 pm daily.
Address: 1 Tishinskaya Square, Moscow, Russia
The closest subway stations: Belorusskaya, Barrikadnaya
We look forward to seeing you at the Moscow Bead Festival 2009!
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Shuttle tatting with beads
This month's featured artist is an electric engineer by
training - though only because her parents chose that trade for
her. Alla Vizir went to school for electrical engineering,
but after a few years of working in that trade she left and
began working at a special school for sports. When she traded
fields, she also began to do crafting - mainly knitting, sewing
and embroidery. She continued to practice her crafts in her
hometown of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine and when she had children
she sold her work as a means to get extra income.
When Alla bought a magazine in which she saw works by A.Rozanova
made using shuttle tatting techniques with beads, she was so
amazed she decided to go to Moscow to take classes in tatting.
(The term tatting is derived from French frivolite, which refers
to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this
technique.)
Once Alla had learned the basics, she returned home
and continued with distance learning to master the technique.
Since then she has also taken classes from E.Stepnaya, whose works
are closer to the most intricate lace. Each of her teachers has
its own style; frivolite by A.Rozanova is made by thicker thread
and closer to macrame. Since she left Moscow, from time to time
Alla returns to show her work to her teachers.
It has always been Alla's goal to create adornments which can be
incorporated into clothing. She creates collections of brooches,
buttons, closures, cuff links, and so on. Now she mostly works
with fashion designers and doing custom orders.
Alla enjoys
working with different types of beads and gems, including Swarovski
crystals. She is very choosy when she selects materials as she
believes that that is very important and even critical to the end
result. Although she uses many color combinations, she often
includes black in her work but also focuses on deep colors such
as violet, Bordeaux, burgundy and deep red.
Alla now participates regularly in exhibitions in places such as
Kiev, Minsk and other cities. Everywhere she goes people are
literally shocked by the intricacy of her amazing beaded tatting
works.
Shuttle tatting with beads objects by Alla Vizir
Email: av.vizir@gmail.com
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Step by step - beaded letters
Another small tutorial for beginners by Victoria Katamashvili.
Today you can learn how to bead alphabet letters using basic
techniques. As we said, back to school! Have fun! If you got
stuck, you may ask Victoria any questions.
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Upcoming events
7th Annual Alexandria Festival of the Arts
September 12-13, 2009
Saturday 10 am - 7 pm
Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
King Street between Union & Washington sts., Alexandria, VA
Alexandria Festival of the Arts is voted one of the top 100 art festivals in the
country by Sunshine Artist magazine. More than $15 million in art will be on display!
More than 200 juried artists display and sell fine art ranging from paintings,
sculpture, prints and photography to pottery, glass, jewelry and ceramics. The show
is set up along King Street in Old Town Alexandria, a quaint, historic town with
many different shops, restaurants and more. The show stretches all the way down the
street to the Potomac River.
Art Activated at the Torpedo Factory
September 12, 2009, Noon-4 pm
Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 N. Union Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Visual art comes alive at the Torpedo Factory during the Alexandria Festival of
the Arts! Enjoy artist demonstrations throughout the day including pottery on
the wheel, drawing, bubble glass making, and much more. Visitors are also invited
to try their hand at different art techniques including clay throwing, sculpture,
and fiber art at special "Try Me" stations.
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Note
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August Issue
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Newsletter Archive
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