11/28/12

Three Worlds

This month’s Art Bead Scene challenge featured one of my favorite artists, M.C. Escher, and his 1955 lithograph, Three Worlds.


From the Art Bead Scene: Three Worlds depicts a large pool or lake during the autumn or winter months, the title referring to the three visible perspectives in the picture: the surface of the water on which leaves float, the world above the surface, observable by the water's reflection of the forest, and the world below the surface, observable in the large fish swimming just below the water's surface.
My design began to take shape when I spotted a large (2 ½”) sterling silver fish pendant from Luanne Keen’s Eton Street shop on Etsy. Perfect to portray the world below the surface!


I created a large teardrop shape in matte black and steel delicas to frame Luanne’s focal. A second teardrop, inset with a peyote pattern of fish scales in the lithograph’s many shades of gray, nests inside the first and shimmers through the cutouts in the fish.
A single silver leaf floats in a peyote and herringbone frame, depicting the surface, and a Taina Hartman white bronze woodland pendant represents the forest. Adding luster and contrast to the matte elements, a handmade pearl chain brings in the picture's pure black and white.

I had so much fun with this challenge! Take a minute to click over to the Art Bead Scene Flickr group to see the amazing range of designs based on Escher’s work.

9 comments:

  1. Escher is one of my long time favorite artists and I love your interpretation of his lithograph! The combination of metal over glass beads in the focal is wonderful. And the whole necklace piece seems a (real) 3D continuation of his work.

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  2. Wonderful interpretation!
    I especially like the beaded backdrop you created for the fish - it adds layers of interest that the fish alone would not have provided.

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  3. Wow that turned out wonderfully.

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  4. Beautiful! I've loved this painting since I first saw it in high school. And I love your reinterpretation! Beautifully done

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  5. Beautiful piece. Love the way you have the lighter beads showing thru the fish.

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  6. Oh man I LOVE!!!! this piece! What a fantastic interpretation of the art. I love the fish under the water. My sign is Pisces (yeah I know that sounds stupid) but it is the fish sign and often people say Pisces are "still waters that run deep" ... this so fits! I absolutely love this piece and the use of black with silver ... stunning

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  7. Wow! I can't imagine a better reflection of Three Worlds than what you have captured. I could have searched for ever and never have found the perfect components as you did. Very inspiring.

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  8. I love this piece - it's just gorgeous & so well thought out!

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  9. beautiful piece! very nice work and designs.

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