Art Bead Scene Challenge: May 2014

This month's inspiration for the Art Bead Scene challenge is a lovely oil painting by Bernardo Bellato.  You can read more about the painting and the artist over on the ABS blog HERE.  As pretty as the picture and the color palette Brandi Hussey created are, nothing immediately jumped into my mind as far as an art bead to use or a direction to take.  I was actually thinking I might sit this one out. 

Capriccio Padovano, 1741

by Bernardo Bellatto

Luckily, I got my May Simple Truths Sampler from Erin Prais-Hintz just days after Art Bead Scene shared this month's inspiration artwork.  Eureka!  I decided to build my entry around her cool "Building Block" beads.  Erin was inspired by the tower and jumped off from there for these really unique sets of beads.  My beads are sort of a pewter metallic with gold or bronze highlights.  

With the size and shape of the building block beads, I knew that I had to pick some other beads that were on the chunky side.  I grabbed a few large Picasso finish Czech glass rounds that I got from Andrew Thornton that have a great mix of the gold, brown, and, olive green in them but I needed something else to keep my design from feeling too neutral and monochromatic.  There is a ton of blue in the painting so I grabbed an assortment of African and Czech glass beads as well as a ceramic bead in shades of blue.  There's also an extra darker green been thrown in too.  (Most of these came from a mixed lot of beads that I also got from Andrew.)  I like the little pops of color that the extra beads add.

I was originally planning to tie on a little scrap of golden colored sari silk somewhere to pull in a little more of the goldenrod shade, but the spacing of the beads and clasp placement didn't work out the way I had planned.  So, I shifted gears and pulled out a cool brass plated hook and eye clasp that has a hammered finish.  I like the rustic feel that comes from all the different textures and rich colors.