Of Talent and Challenges

"Talent is cheaper than table salt. 

What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."

~Stephen King

 

So yesterday you saw the goodies that I cooked up for my partners Beth & Evie McCord. I feel blessed that I not only get to do this Bead Soup party again, but that I have TWO partners! 

They are talented. They work hard at their art. They work well together. They have a joy in creating. They complement each others' strengths. I am fascinated by their working and family relationship. 

I told Evie I wanted her to adopt me. ;-)

I got the nicest note from Evie that they made these components just for me... plus a little surprise.

Beth makes gorgeous lampwork beads, and her newest trick is to use colorful frit on the molten glass, like confetti. I quite think that these are like an impressionistic garden with a cerulean sky and the colors and light dancing in the heat of the day.

Evie is the whiz with the saw, I am told. The original designs that they come up with are carefully sawed out in metal, like intricate coloring book images outlining every detail. But instead of coloring inside the lines, Miss Evie colors on them with brilliant enamels. 

 

I just received my copy of Barbara Lewis' book Torch Fired Enamels and have devoured that. While I am really looking forward to learning a thing or two about enamels, I am a bit afraid of the flame still and I don't have a proper set up for that. Plus I am a visual and kinetic learner, so I need to see and hear and interact with a teach for it to sink in, so I am a bit nervous to try it myself (pining away for a class with Miss Barbara! She really shouldn't be surprised if I just show up on her doorstep one day and demand to learn! ;-). 

 

So it makes me so glad that Beth and Evie work together so well, because I can satisfy my love of this art without having to make it myself. Will you just look at that hummingbird? This picture doesn't do it justice. It truly shimmers like the real feathers would. 

 

 

Simply....stunning!

To go with it all, there is a pretty sterling silver toggle clasp and some beautiful hand dyed silks from Jamn Glass.

As an added bonus I also received a bouquet of enameled roses. These are really special. I think I will save them for another day...

And they made me a special treat. A beautiful Tiny Dancer ornament. This will be hanging in my studio to remind me of these two special artists. Thank you so much for that!

I am looking forward to getting busy in the studio with these soup ingredients and hope that I can whip up something tasty. This will be my very own "quick fire" challenge because I have several big commitments on the horizon including the Inspired by Nature retreat with Heather Powers that coincides with the Bead Soup Party day on September 17th. Getting the piece made is one thing, but hopping around to well over 300++ blogs will be the trickiest part! So I will have to be planning ahead (that is oh-so-hard for me to do because if you know me.. I am a Last Minute Lucy!).

I will tell you that in addition to my time crunch, I will be challenged by the enamel hummingbird. It is so lovely, and I want to make a design that will show that off best, but it is a larger piece than I am used to. But that is okay... (a) because I love the enamel on it, (b) I love the shape of it, (c) I love the Beth and Evie made it just for me, and (d) I love a challenge. That is why I do these sort of things, to step outside my comfort zone and experience something I have never tried before. 

Thank you Miss Beth and Miss Evie for some absolutely delicious soup ingredients. I can't wait to get cooking!

Your turn!

If you are participating in the Bead Soup blog hop on September 17th, are you excited about the soup ingredients that you have received? Were there any surprises? Any challenges? How will you overcome those challenges and rise above?

If you are not a Bead Soup-er, what sort of things are challenging you right now, making you think, getting you to step outside of your comfort zone and push you off the edge so that you fly?

Do tell!