Bead Color Ideas: Ceramic Picasso

Here on the West Coast we’ve been lucky enough to have a few days of mild weather and sunshine, providing the first few opportunities for spring explorations. Last year our family’s nature expeditions focused a lot on bugs, but this year mosses and fungi have grabbed our attention. Perhaps it’s due partly to the very abundant mushroom season we had this past fall, when the entire view from our patio window was filled with enormous orange milk caps. Now we’re on the lookout for strange and unusual plants everywhere. When you take the time to really look closely, these hardy little life forms are abundant and sometimes beautiful.

Studying plant patinas can certainly be inspiring, with their organic patterns and quirky color combinations. With lichens and fungus in mind, I wanted to try out some new spring color palettes starting with an organic looking focal. The perfect choice were some speckled, Picasso finish ceramic drops. The unusual pear shape certainly looks like it could be found out in the woods, and the colors bring to mind the mottled bark of an old tree.

Starting with a little inspiration from the eggy-beads themselves, I added seed beads in robin’s egg blue. This color picks up and enhances the light undertones of turquoise in the drops so well, that the only possible option to complete this Bird’s Nest palette would be terracotta brown. It complements the speckles really well, while also adding a bit of warmth.

With this first success, I decided to try another blue on for size. Transparent aqua adds a watery, raindrop feel, while also giving the impression of a Cloudless Sky. Rather than splash more color, I added some jet black for a neutral background, although some dark gray or mossy green may have been even better.

Finally, I couldn’t resist going back to one of my all time favorite spring palettes. Wisteria-lined crystal has the perfect purple hue of new flowers, while transparent lemon lime AB provides a sour Splash of Life. This pair always works when a cheerful look is needed, and they both bring out the gorgeous greens of the ceramic beads.

Have you been inspired by nature recently? How did it take shape?

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