I posted this the other day on the Art Jewelry Elements blog and thought I should re post it on my own blog....DUH!  LOL  For those of my readers who have not yet started following the AJE I have to tell you there are some amazing tips and fun going on over there you should totally visit!

I know that most of you that do not play with seeds will not know who my friend Karen Williams of Skunk Hill Studio is.  Well let me tell you a bit about her.  I have been following Karen on her blog Baublicious for a couple of years.  She is a freeform goddess.  She lives in Seattle and teaches at Fusion Beads and she will be teaching her Lacework Cuff at BeadFest in Texas this year.  

Now I will tell you that I sort of still consider the word Freeform a swear word but she is working on that with me.  So she wonderfully sent me her book "Freeform Peyote Beading"  Now I was totally nervous in accepting this book because of my fear and aversion to anything freeform so when it came there was excitement and apprehension to say the least.  Oh what a book it is.  

Here is Karen's definition of Freeform...

"Freeform peyote is an abstract, organic art form based upon color, value, texture and line; each piece a unique creation unsuited to specific instructions or pattern."

Okay so any of you that know me know once I read that I thought no way, no how, not going to happen.  I will never be able to start without a pattern.  Okay Karen what are you thinking.  So since it came just before I had to take my little guy to swim I thought okay I will read on.  

Here is where she has changed my outlook on not only freeform but jewelry making in general.  In her description of design element, color values and principles of design I was completely blown away at what she taught me.  Here is a snippet of one of my favorite pages...

I could not get a grasp of using a color wheel.  I read about it, saw how others used it and still could not understand.  She has cleared up not only my confusion with the color wheel but color values, depth and contrast that I never thought I would grasp.

So I thought sharing this book with all of you would be great because it not only tells you about freeform but it can also bring the artist out in all of us.  

Thank you so much Karen for sending me this amazing resource and yes maybe just maybe I will attempt a freeform piece!  LOL

Kristen