SalamanderHouse's Proudest Creation

We've asked our Bead Art Original members to tell us about their "proudest creations." In this post, SalamanderHouse tells us about hers, in her own words:


Callisto is a peyote stitch sculpture in two parts which measures about 3" in every direction.



I named her Callisto because she reminds me of the story of the mother who turned into a bear, and because I was thinking of the way parenting works as I was beading her. It's a letting go and a realization that the spin-off is more ruffled, more intricate, more beautiful than the self. The mother bear is a little lumpy and much more malleable than the little one, who is stiffer and sees things in stark contrast. This piece is about the journey that parenthood is, especially the parenting of teenagers. There was also a lot of anthropomorphizing going on as I worked on this piece.

The weaving process was also interesting because I had a very definite vision in mind. Generally, I work to a theme or a broad idea. Working with a set aim required me to push myself through some interesting conundrums of thread and tension. The palette is earthy, rocky and bearish with glints of metal that enhance the edges and the fluted ruffles. The metal also serves to make some boundaries within the larger piece, and to create a degree of relatedness between the two. The cub piece has a much more playful feel than the mother piece.