A defining characteristic of #Huichol beading is the expert creation of color gradients. These color gradients drew me in and left me yearning for More. The first time I was treated to viewing an authentic, Huichol mosaic, I was immediately enthralled. I couldn't get enough of fine Huichol beadwork. It drew me into a world of visceral, visual wonder that connected my experience with the physical world of action, touch, and connection to a secret visual language of poetry, spiritual connection, and heart. Huichol artwork takes the eyes of its viewer on a journey, traveling from lightness to darkness and the space in between in one tiny setting.
As far back I can remember, I loved lining up my crayons and creating a gradual shift in colors. Attempting to come as possibly close to mimicking the colors I saw in the natural world, folded into the mysteries of flowers, and sunsets and the creamy transitions inside a coral pink shells.
My fascination with color has changed very little since those early days of waxy creations. I still love attempting to duplicate subtle shifts in color, lending a realistic appearance to a subject.
Through the use of color gradients in beads, I am closer to achieving what I found nearly impossible to create in the 1 and only painting class I took as a college Junior. I think it’s the concrete color options in beads that appeal to me. Whereas my inexperienced painting technique created muddy layers of paint. I attempted in vain to achieve a fiery with paint, failing miserably.
With the discovery of seed beads as a painter's medium, I feel blessed that I can finally create what the painter's aesthetic has urged me to do since childhood. Beads, not paint, just seem to “make sense” to me. I rarely tire from the challenge of creating a color gradient that is not only pleasing to the eye, but accurately replicates a subject’s life-like appearance.
For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching a creation take form. I love seeing a design take on a life of its own—something from nothing, echoing the creation of time and space. Replicating the pure experience of creation.
One of my favorite experiences of my artwork is when a portion of my work is surrounded by a sea of wax. It's as if a beautiful discovery has organically bubbled up from the surrounding layers of wax. For me, this is a pleasure so pure, I wish more people could experience. This is the story of my creation, an act of beginning that gives context and perspective to my final artwork.
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