February Art Bead Scene Inspiration

The Art Bead Scene hosts an inspiration challenge every month. Participants must use an art bead in their design. The idea is to take something from the inspiration, a theme, colour or colours, shape, whatever strikes you as a starting point, and make an original piece based on it. This month’s inspiration is this Vogue cover from 1925.

Vogue Cover - Simultaneous Dress next to

the Simultaneous Car by Sonia Delaunay

Illustrated by George Lepape from January 1925

Orphism is a term originating from 1912 when French poet and art critic Guillaume Appollinaire identified the new style of Cubist painting. Simultanism is the strand of Orphism practised by the Delaunays. The name comes from the work of French scientist Michel Eugène Chevreul who identified the phenomenon of ‘simultaneous contrast’, in which colours look different depending on the colours around them. For example, a grey will look lighter on a dark background than it does on a light one.

Simultaneous Flower

My inspiration was the colours used in the illustration, kicked off by the lovely porcelain glazed flower pendant by Lisa Peters Art. I added apple red ceramic beads from Cindy Pack which, though they aren’t the reddish-orange shade in the illustration, worked well with the flower cabochon. I added blue glass beads to make the deep blue colour stand out, and used white beads to help pull the colours together. Black steel wire holds the cabochon nicely to the waxed linen cord I strung the beads on. Gunmetal chain and a silver plated lobster clasp that I added a dark patina using liver of sulphur.

I have to admit I’m not quite happy with the pendant bail. There may be some modifications to it before the necklace is posted in my online store.

Edits: See how I changed up the bail here.

Please visit all the other participants of this challenge. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.