Beth Handley: Art and Life: Innovations for 2011

I have to confess, early in the process of getting ready to make my pins for this season I had this moment of “Should I be doing something else?” I love these little canvases and all they offer me – a format, the opportunity to combine colors, line, tone, textures, collage elements, and make a very unique piece each time I make a pin. (Brooch or pin? I’m never sure what word is best. it’s wearable art.

That makes it sound like I only make these works during one time of the year, but the truth is I am making them all the time.the Public Market Annex is the most well-attended event I’m involved with so I am greatly motivated to create a lot and to find changes and innovations to what I am making.

This year I got a late start, as I was out of state through much of September. I did get some pieces started while down in Oregon for a few weeks, and VERY happily I was able to hit my favorite Portland Bead store (Village Beads in Multnomah Village, here is a plug!) and to collect other snips of fabrics and interesting elements which may or may not actually make it into a finished piece. Still, I was hoping for some ways to add some new dimensions to the pins.

I created some pins in a smaller size. I wasn’t sure I’d have enough room to make anything interesting but it turns out a smaller size offers enough room for some really fun pins on a smaller scale. I've put the two sizes together up above so you can see the difference.

The other very fun thing is a large variety of elements I’m adding that I have not used before, including a number of fibers, including yarns with mohair and metal accents, recycled silk from kimonos, hand-dyed rayon ribbon and other accents that I have never done before. I’m also using paints and some interesting embellishments, which are also new.

It might be overstating things to call a different size an “innovation.” but it is definitely something new that has infused my enthusiasm. I look forward to learning what people think of them.