The Weekly Beading 7

Days of our lives – Having grown up in Colorado I have always loved the four seasons and the passage of time. My first years in college brought me to Florida and I ended up spending 12 years living there. Although Florida has its good points I struggled with not experiencing the four seasons and time felt like it stood still. It was as if summer lasted 12 years longer than it should have. I think that’s one reason why I am so excited about representing the four seasons in so much of my work. Once I left Florida I made sure to experience and savor each season and the time that passes between each of them. It took me a few years of working with the beads to develop my now freeform tree technique which is how most of my current four season mosaics are created.  While I was still creating the more structured stained glass technique I tried my hand at some abstract works. 

 I had recently created the mosaic called Blue Move and fell in love with the movement of lines, their intersections and layers that were created. How could I use this same abstract style to represent the four seasons?  Each season should highlight the colors and energy associated with that particular time of year.  However we should also not forget about how every day passes and the rich darkness of night is brightened by the light of each new day.  So pass the Days of Our Lives which was also a popular soap opera when I was growing up. Not one that I used to watch but I thought the name was appropriate.  This first four season mosaic would be the first of 43 different variations to date that represent not just the passage of time but so much more.  They represent the clothes that we wear, the pictures that we take, how we drive, or sleeping habits, our aches and pains, and even our family holidays. I think this piece represents the four seasons well because they are ever moving and timeless and have their own unique color and beauty.   Together they make up the days of our lives.