This design is inspired by micromosaics of The Doves of Pliny, or Capitoline doves, originally found in Hadrians villa in Rome. This image is something that every fine micromosaic artist has done, and I wanted to be part of that crowd! the style of beadwork embroidery, one bead at a time on its side, is inspired by micromosaic tesserae and also Peranikan style beading.
2020 was my year of beadwork. Creating these beaded pictures is so satisfying, the culmination of 35+ years of collecting tiny antique seed beads and embroidering with them.
I started 2020 with the White Tara, a Buddhist Goddess of compassion, longevity, and healing, and I finished the year with Ganesha, a Hindu God of wisdom and new beginnings, and the remover of obstacles. In between came sea turtle and flower images, as well as an intricate tribute to my greatest inspiration- the Gilbert Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
All the postcards , stickers, and magnets are reproduced true to the size of the original artwork, so you can appreciate the quality of the beadwork and the teeny tiny size of the antique seed beads
The postcards are 4"x6"
the stickers are 3.5"x2.75"
The original framed piece overall dimensions are 10.5"x9.5"
the original beaded image is 3.5"x2.5"
My appliqué beadwork is my greatest pride and joy. I use size 18-22 antique glass seed beads. I am one of the few people to use these tiny antique seed beads, they are just so small! I think thats why they are still around after 100+ years, no one in their right mind wants to try using them! These little glass treasures were made in Italy and France and are size 16-22, smaller and more irregular than any seed bead made today. The colors are just fantastic, making it possible to create extremely detailed shading. I use them in an embroidery technique because A) its my favorite thing to do with them, and B) its the most durable way to work with the size thread the tiny holes accommodate.
Everything in my shop is HANDMADE BY ME