"Painting with Beads"

Before the richly saturated colors of Autumn transform the landscape, I am finding the last blasts of summer floral color against the endless green inspiring.
For talented tribal artists and artisans around the world, the primary colors in the form of tiny seed beads transform personal and utilitarian objects into portable works of art.
Nimble fingers sew, string, and embed red, yellow, blue, black, white beads into traditional geometric or organic patterns from nature that have deep significance to their cultural backgrounds. Others may just express the maker's sheer joy of beauty and the pleasure derived from art making.
Either way, I will consciously take inspiration from the women before me who "paint" so effectively with tiny glass beads.
And I'll hope to emulate their patience and humor as I begin my Fall designs in the stones, beads and silver that I have gathered for this purpose. Especially when less than nimble fingers let a loaded strand slip and send beads rolling across the studio floor!
Here's a glimpse of beaded treasure from my collection that will stoke my creative fires...