New Piece for Pride Art 2010

Last year, Hillary displayed some existing and new work at pride art.
This year she made a new piece especially for it. Pride art will be at Joe's on 7th in brimingham, AL, this friday, June 4th. This is a wonderful way for the LGBTQIA community to express themselves, to show support for each other, and raise money for an organization commited to promoting pride and understanding within the LGBTQIA community and the community at large.

The concept for this years piece was based off of another piece Hillary made called "exactly". Exactly is made of beautiful, sparkly beads covered up by ribbon. It was meant to express Hillary's frustration with her own life and her uncanny reflex to hide even the most beautiful parts of herself for fear of rejection. This years piece, which has yet to be named, Is based on the idea that someone who is gay or questioning or transgendered, etc. is beautiful but has the same struggle by nature. They may be struggling with whether or not they are beautiful; they may know they are beautiful but not view sharing this part of their beauty with other people as an option for various reasons; they may have tried to share and been hurt because of it. Being the LGBTQI is complex: it can be a whirlwind of emotions, a complicated balance of truth and lies, and a tight rope walk over political, religious and moral ideas, among many other things. This piece is meant to visually express those things in a form that can worn close to the heart, just like Hillary wears "exactly" oh so frequently.

Favorite Fae

We swear we really have been busy and that's why we haven't been updating. Arty Party was two weeks ago and it was a blast. Unfortunately Hillary forgot her camera this year.
Hillary has been working on all kinds of new projects lately including wire wrapped dice, a custom job for a customer attending an anime convention (!), some custom work for family members, and even some great work she wore herself, but, alas, she currently has no pictures and no time to update. So instead, we'll do a few quick favorite fae folks!

Windswept Painting
The Autumn Harpist Doll
Fire and Ice Print
Wild Fairy Sculpture

We promise their is a post on the creation process for rings still in the works, pictures of new creations on the way and possibly an interview coming soon!

Exciting New Annoucement

Our Jewelry can now be found at Daniel Day Gallery including lovely rings like these:














Look for a post soon about the creation process for the rings!

Our Piece For Arty Party

Last week, Hillary posted about this year's Arty Party, a really fun art auction that benefits Birmingham AIDS Outreach. This week She wanted to share with you her completed piece and some notes about the creation process:



When I created this, the driving force was the idea of extreme contrast and even visual discord. It's an odd concept for a necklace, and I had a hard time balancing it in my mind--even more so when I had a bead break after I had started construction. Even though I sometimes still question why I made this the way I did, I am pleased with the results and have gotten several positive reviews from people, as well as some ideas for improvement that I will probably turn into a similar piece in the near future.

It was a difficult piece to make from a design standpoint because most of what I make is simply made to be pleasing to the eye and intriguing because of it's beauty. This was made to sort of jump out at you and say something loudly-- maybe even something that you might not want to hear--but say it so eloquently that you can't deny it. But maybe in the back of my mind, that's exactly why I wanted to make this for Arty Party: HIV is one of those things that no one wants to hear about but everyone needs to know. It's also one of those areas where a person's reality is often in stark contrast to what they say and do: There are a lot of people out there who are living with this disease and the stigma and the health problems, who say nothing, and give face to being perfectly fine.

The name of the piece, I Don't Care came again from that idea of contrast and discord. There is a song by eatliz called I Don't Care that is strong and discordant. The lyrics for the song convey general nonchalance by saying things such as "I wanted to sing, but I don't care" and "I wanted to give but, I don't share", but the music and the fervor with which they are sung convey unequaled passion. The song speaks of someone who wants you to think she doesn't care and isn't interested, but in reality, is very emotionally invested. It is this kind of extreme contrast that I see in my piece. It is actually this type of extreme contrast that I see in myself many days.

So, I guess this year, without knowing it, I chose to donate something that is both personal and attempts to speak out for the people it is helping. As much as I debated whether or not I liked the piece because of it's sheer oddity and stark contrast, now that I realize why I created it and all the things it can mean, I have to be proud of it. I hope you enjoy it and will come to Arty Party to see it.

Arty Party 2010!

This year, Hippybeads is donating to arty party again and we wanted to let you know the details.

As I mentioned last year, Birmingham AIDS Outreach hosts "Arty Party", a silent and live art auction fundraiser, every may. BAO provides services for HIV positive people including food pantry, clothing closet, and medication assistance. BAO also has three prevention and education staff who do everything from speaking at high schools, to testing in bars, to working with prisoners, and more. The money raised from "Arty Party" helps go to these services that support HIV positive people and improve public health.

This year's Arty Party is may 16th. Birmingham AIDS outreach is currently accepting donations of art of all types for the auction. To donate art or arrange a pick up, contact Jamie at 322-4197 or jamie@birminghamaidsoutreach.org. Birmingham AIDS Outreach is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible, and the agency is able to provide you with the necessary form for your taxes. In addition, all artists get invited to the artists party that happens a few days before the event and all artists get in to Arty Party for free (it normally costs $50)!

The necklace we are donating this year combines several of Hillary's favorite elements including bottle caps, formica, glass and wire. Check back Next week to see the completed piece!

Daniel Day Gallery

Yesterday Hillary went to a vintage and retro clothing sale at Daniel Day Gallery.
She wanted to share the lovely hat she found and purchased.



She also wanted to share with you how delighted she is to have such a nice, eclectic gallery in her town. In addition to paintings, they have jewelry, fiber arts, furniture and other quirkily beautiful items. Hillary encourages anyone who appreciates her work to visit Daniel Day as the artists there have a similar flare about their work, and the prices are extremely affordable. Hillary had a lovely visit, and hopes you will too!

interview with PurpleClem

Hillary is used to doing interviews with experienced artisans on Artful Elaborations, and she loves doing them, but sometimes she forgets what it was like starting out. So, she was thrilled to get a chance to talk to an up-and-comer in the craft world. Val, better known as PurpleClem on the internet, recently started to learn crocheting and was gracious enough to grant us an interview at this early point in her development.

Have arts and crafts been a part of your life before now?
Arts and crafts used to be part of my life... I used to love painting – mainly abstract gobbledegook – and I would find great comfort in it, regardless of the result. It was a mean of expression, an emotional outlet. Mostly out of laziness, I let my creative hands be bound behind my back for the past 15 years or so... I pursued a career in civil engineering, where there is limited scope to be creative, apart maybe in choosing a pipeline alignment! In 2008 I got burnt out and I ended up being on sick leave for 9 months. Some parts of my brain were no longer in use (the square, engineering bits!), and the more creative part of me started to push open a door I had kept closed for too long.

What helped you decide that arts and crafts should be a regular part of your life?
After years of pushing paper around an office desk, I realized that I craved the satisfaction and the energy that comes from creating something with your hands. I also wanted to slow down and find a bit more beauty around me. I suppose when you take the time to create something with your hands instead of buying something off the shelf, it does slow down your pace of life. This led me to starting my own business (I sell greeting cards from home) where I can be creative in a different way.

Why crochet?
I think I wanted to play with some sort of textile material, without getting into sowing. I picked crochet over knitting as it is a lot easier to fit in a handbag.

What have you learned so far?
So far I have learned to do a decent chain link, and I am currently perfecting double-crochet! I know how basic this will sound to some of you, but we all have to start somewhere!

What is your first big project with crochet going to be?
It’s funny, I feel like I am holding back from actually starting a project. For the moment I want to concentrate on learning the different knots (sorry – wrong technical term!?) and see what is possible. I suppose a blanket would be somewhere to start...

What do you want to do with crochet in the long term?
Hopefully this is not just a fad. I am curious about how far I will go with it but I think my ambitions are limited. I will probably not open an Etsy shop in a hurry!

What do you want crochet to do for you?
I am simply looking for something relaxing to do. If this allows me to create something pretty in the process, even better!

Is there a crochet artist that you admire?I have a very limited knowledge of crochet artists... However, I find the work of Monika Mrozkova (@monikadesign) very exciting. I suppose it’s the bright colours and the simplicity of the shapes that I find refreshing. I also love the fact that an everyday object like a coaster can be crocheted.

What about other forms of art? Who do you admire?
I love painting. Favourite painters include Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, Miro, Chagall and Cezanne. Also the French Impressionists from the early 20th century.

Last, where can we connect with you and/or follow your progress?
You can connect with me on Twitter @PurpleClem and I hope there will be some progress to monitor!

You can also connect with Val on her website
http://www.phoenix-trading.eu/web/valgayes

We Would like to say a huge thank you to Val for taking time out of her day for us!