February Art Bead Challenge – Conference of the Birds

My favorite thing about Art Bead Scene’s current challenge was not the lush painting, a page of magical elegance from the manuscript of poet Farid al-Din Attar. My favorite thing is that it led me to discover Peter Sis’ adaptation of the 12^th century Persian poem, in which all the birds of the world get together for a conference and set off in search of the world’s true king. A great read, it’s a book written for adults, but one I can’t wait to share with my grandchildren.

With the poem’s many life lessons in mind, I wanted to design a piece that would capture Attar's idyllic riverbed at the moment the birds are beginning their adventure.

I immediately thought of a string of triangle-shaped druzies I’d been saving, in shades of warm khaki and freckled with the metallic golds and deep browns of the illustration. They reminded me of the painting’s many rocks that emerge from the water’s surface, providing landing places and a moment of respite. They would also give my piece the repetition of geometric shapes common to Islamic art at the time Attar was writing his parable. I paired them with SueBeads’ Southwest Raku lampwork beads that echo the freckles in the druzies while adding the blues, purples, creams and oranges of the landscape around the riverbed.

The elements are linked with herringbone chains of seed beads, capped with large fresh water pearls. This challenge piece will serve as a reminder that each stage on the road to self-discovery can find us at times battered and beleaguered – the beauty of the journey is to enjoy the sanctuaries along the way.