Everyday Inspirations: Words, Style & Design

Deciding on the design is perhaps the most challenging aspect before embarking on actual bead embroidery. The outcome of a handmade piece starts with a process of selecting elements of design, and to actually make them,with the needle and thread. With so many creative individuals also into handmade accessories, the design and technique of each piece is a standard that sets artists apart. From the beginning, I've always put an emphasis on transcending mainstream trends pertaining costume jewelry.  My fascination with the world of art has led me to an inclination of using everyday life as an inspiration for designing and creating. My canvass is a felt cloth, and for paint, is a wide array of beads. Art, in my opinion, should go beyond any medium. The audience, through emotion and thought, must be able to share in the vision provided by the artist.   

Our newest statement necklace is called "Encatada".  This piece was inspired by a poem, composed and written for me by a ten year old girl named Lila, who was a participant in our bead embroidery workshop. She came up with this poem as she was working on her own handmade necklace. As an artist, she uses her love for reading books and using words to express herself to inspire her creations.

There was once a little fairy, no one knows her name,

but you won't believe it,

she has such fame. Every night when the moonlight shines,

she sits on little twisting vines.

Then she sews such pretty things, sewed from Miss Spider's silk,

and she use stars for beads, and she thanks the sky (she isn't rude).

But sometimes she really needs a rest,

so there's pixies too.

They will do all what's left

or the fairy will get a flu.

But when the fairy's well again, she sits on the vines some more,

so feel free to peep into her shop, open her cheerful door.

~Lila Sayajon

Designing, for me,  is a balance of having vision and skills to execute a concept using one's knowledge of techniques and materials. The artisans of Palamuti work as a team, in order for us to be able to produce handmade statement pieces that are up to standards. We want to be able to show to the world the artistic skills inherent to Filipino women artisans. As head designer,  I would conceptualise, sketch, and decide on materials. The task of beading is then passed on to Novie, our Palamuti Apprentice. The growth of our bead artisans comes paramount. Knowledge in materials and techniques, are cascaded from the most skilled artist, to those who are still in training. As experience is gained through the work done by hands, aesthetic abilities are enhanced by training our eyes. 

For this necklace, our goal was to give it texture and depth, primarily using seed beads and acrylic beads in golden brown as accent. We also used semi-precious stones to highlight the pistil of the flowers. In general we want to highlight our special attention given to detail, cautiously sewing each individually raised seed bead, by hand, to the "Encatada" statement necklace.  

Keeping it real.- PJV