China's Stone of Heaven
Featured artist - Huib Petersen
Moscow Bead Festival
Shuttle tatting with beads
Step by step - beaded letters
September upcoming events
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August, 2009
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: info@mylovelybeads.com.Best regards,
MyLovelyBeads.com Team |
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China's Stone of HeavenOne 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. |
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Featured artistWe 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
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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 |
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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
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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
September 12-13, 2009 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 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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