Have you ever had the pleasure of strolling through a forest covered with fragrant pine needles? Can you imagine those pine needles being crafted into a basket, tray, or sculpture? In this article, you will discover the brief history of pine needle baskets and how to use these beautiful and fragrant works of art in your home decor.

Pine needle basketry has most likely existed for as long as pine trees and people have shared the earth. Historical references do not indicate when pine needles were first used in baskets. However, due to the availability of pine needles in their area, Seminole Indians of South Florida are noted to be the first pine needle basket makers. The Seminole Indians used a bone or shell needle to sew bundles of pine needles together with fern roots, sisal, or swamp grass. Some of the baskets were used for feed baskets, to carry water, and for winnowing seeds.

Modern pine needle basketry is noted to have begun during the Civil War times (1861-1865) when Mrs. M.J. McAfee of Southern Georgia used pine needles that she bound together with cotton thread to replace a worn hat for her father. She claimed to be the originator of pine needle basketry as we know it today.

In the present day, pine needle baskets are most often created using the coiling technique, which is one of the oldest and most universal methods of basket making. The basket is created by coiling and stitching one continuous bundle of pine needles around and on top of the row below. The foundation of the basket is formed with a bundle of pine needles bound together with various fibers such as raffia, split roots, birch paper, yucca, sinew, embroidery thread, yarn or waxed linen thread. Decorative stitches and wrapping techniques are often used to make the basket strong as well as add an attractive element. The most common stitches used are the straight wheat stitch, spiral wheat stitch, fern stitch, popcorn stitch, diamond stitch, the Indian wrap, and numerous knot stitches.

The pine needles come from a variety of different pine trees, such as Jeffrey Pine, Long Needle Pine, Monterey Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Bill Pine, and Gray Pine. The pine needles are gathered from the newly fallen top layer on the forest floor or picked from a fallen tree or limb and chosen based on their flexibility and length. Once the pine needles have been collected, they are carefully washed, cured, and then stored until use.

The natural colors of the pine needles can be used or the needles themselves can be dyed. Embellishments such as colored threads, buttons, beads, nut slices, and cones are often used to enhance the pine needle basket or project.

Pine needle baskets make attractive statements in home decor. The following is a small list of ideas on how to use pine needle baskets to decorate your home:

• Display one or a grouping on a bookshelf to create an eye catching display.

• Use them like you would any basket to create an appealing arrangement of silk greenery to accent a special little table or chest.

• Mount a grouping of two or more baskets on a wall for interesting wall decor.

• Place dried flowers in an urn shaped pine needle basket and place it on a nightstand for a charming look next to your bed.

• Use a rounded taller version as desk organizers for your pens and pencils and a shorter version for holding your clips, rubber bands, etc.

• Place faux fruit in a pine needle basket tray for an attractive center piece on your dining room or kitchen table.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless on how to use pine needle baskets in your home decor. Today, professional basket makers and hobbyists all over the world are creating these beautiful pine needle baskets. Many pine needle baskets can be found in art galleries, art and craft fairs, home decorating shops, and on the internet.

Pine needle basketry is considered to be a lost art that is being revived by today's crafters and artists. With an interesting background and an exciting future, pine needle basketry and projects are sure to be around for many years to come.

If you are looking for a new art medium, you should consider natural fiber art panels. These fiber boards are great for use in many kinds of art. You can paint them, use them for stands and display, and turn them into sculpture. Some say they are the art materials of the future. Get creative and unique with natural fiber art panels.

Natural fiber art panels are great for painting. You can use acrylic paint to layer color and emotion onto it like a canvas. They also make a great mixing pallet for almost any kind of paint. You can also use them to display watercolor. Since thin paper doused with water-based paints often doesn’t hold up like you might like it to, fiber art panels can keep your paper flat and give it a great display aesthetic at the same time.

Whether you are a professional artist or a novice, it’s important to be able to display your work. Natural fiber art panels are a great way to do this. You can purchase them in almost size or shape and attach almost any kind of art to them. You can also use fiber panels in sculpture. Cut, shape, sand and paint these wooden panels to express almost any feeling or ideal. They can be placed on a bookshelf or hung from the ceiling or on the wall. Your imagination is your only boundary. Best of all, these art pieces will last forever. Fiber art panels are resilient and durable, more than almost any other material.

If you are looking for a great kids craft activity, consider purchasing natural fiber art panels. You can get them in any shape and they can be painted a wide variety of colors. Consider buying heart-shaped ones for a Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day craft activity. Or get them in circles with pre-drilled holes for art that you can hang up in the classroom. Your options are endless with quality fiber art boards.

Thanks to the dawn of the internet, art in America has experienced a renaissance of sorts, with new, talented and important young and aspiring artists making a name for themselves every month and with the long-suffering art galleries finally getting a taste of commercial success.

The internet has made it easier for art connoisseurs and dealers to peruse an endless number of new paintings and check out the latest masterpieces that are on sale without traveling half-way across the globe like they used to. Today, an art collector can attend as many as three or four art auctions a day without leaving the comfort of his bedroom. In the past, he would have to criss-cross America and Europe for a week or two before he could attend as many art auctions.

There are now about a dozen websites dedicated to lucrative art auctions. These auction sites have impressive art listings and offer classic works of art worth millions of American dollars. Aside from the auctions, the website also have a listing of important art events and have informative content that narrate the history of the great artists of all time as well as their work. And, of course, there’s gallery after gallery of timeless and awe-inspiring paintings.

These days, every art gallery worth its salt has to have its own website. This is the modern and easy way for them to reach out to art patrons around the world. And the internet has only boosted existing art galleries. Through the internet, there are now virtual online galleries, which are galleries that only exist on the web, with no physical structure as an equivalent.

If the art galleries have been flourishing, it looks like the good fortune has spread to the artists as well. There are weekly announcement on the websites about successful sales by up and coming artists, complete with that all-important photo of the artist himself beaming broadly beside his cherished newly-sold painting and its new owner. Finally, with the arrival of the internet, artists now have a consistent, dependable source of income. Not only do they now have a showcase for their works, the artists are often commissioned by the galleries to do artworks for their regular theme art exhibits. Suddenly, art has become a viable commercial endeavor.

Computer Art 101. Introductory Basics.

Before you get started with computer graphics, you may want to take a good look at the basics under each and every image. I wish someone had shared these issues with me years ago when I was starting. Below is a list is what we will cover here. I suggest you read and experience the following before going on to our other segments and lessons. Here, we will cover;

What is a pixel?

Image size

Resolution

File Size

File Types

What is a Mega Pixel?

What is a pixel?

All images you see on the internet are made up of pixels. A pixel is defined as, “the smallest picture element.” You can think of a pixel as one of many little squares in your picture.

On the right you see two images. I’ve zoomed in on the image so that you can see the little squares that make up the image. These little squares are called pixels. Each one has a different color.

Each pixel can be one of 16,700,000 colors. This is the number of colors that the human eye can see.

Pixels are coded with color. Each color is represented by a number. These are called RGB values. Red, Green and Blue. To come up with 16.7 million colors, RGB values use 255 numbers to assign a value.

This would mean, no red, no green, no blue. This is the absence of color, or perfect Black.

Example

Red = 0

Green = 0

Blue = 0

This would mean turn the red all the way up, turn the green all of the way up, and turn the blue all of the way up. This color would be White, the full presence of red, green and blue. Example

Red = 255

Green = 255

Blue = 255

There are many systems that assign colors to web pages. Another numbering system would be called Hexadecimal Values.

Hexadecimal values are made up of a base 16 system. We are used to a base 10 system.

Base 10 means we have 0 , 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Nine is the highest value.

Hexadecimals use 16 numbers, but because there are no numbers higher than 9, this systems uses letters after running out of numbers.

Base 16 means the following values are used;

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, a,b,c,d,e,f

In this system, F is the highest value. It would be as strong and powerful as 9 in the base ten system.

Hexadecimal values are used to assign colors to web pages and images. The values are displayed using six values. A pair of values for Red, a pair of values for Green and a pair of values for Blue. The total value would look like this;

00 00 00 or FF FF FF

00 00 00

would mean, no red, no green no blue, this would be perfect Black.

FF FF FF

would mean full red, full green, and full blue, the would represent perfect white.
So Who Cares About Numbers and Color Values?

Millions of graphic designers do. They must keep their colors consistent. If you look at the background color of this web page, notice that it is green. But there are about 300,000 shades of green. Which green is the color of this web page?

This web page color value is 33 99 99. I use this one color for many of my web page background colors.

More importantly, think of your favorite cartoon characters. They must be the same color for every show. The people that draw and animate the characters all know the color values of each character to that the character can be the same color in each episode.
Image Size. How Big is the Image?

Most of the time, an image is measured in inches, or pixels. An image may be 5 inches wide by 5 inches tall. Inches are usually used for designers that are working on images for print purposes. If an image is going into a newspaper or magazine, the designer will work in inches.

If a designer is a web site designer, they will set up the image size in pixels. For example, they may make an image 400 pixels wide and 400 pixels high.
Resolution

In almost every graphics application, when you create a new file, the program ask you what resolution would you like to use. Let’s talk about resolution.

Resolution means, “How many pixels will be in each inch of the image.” There are two basic standards used to set resolution. The two basic standards are based upon where will the image be used. Will it be used in print (newspaper, magazine, poster, brochure), or will it be used in web development (web site pages).

Here is the basic rule of thumb. If you are working on a print job, set resolution at 300 dpi (dots per linier inch). This means that for every inch in the image, there are 300 little squares, of course those squares are called pixels.

The more pixels per inch, the more defined the image is.

When working on an image for a web page, the rule of thumb is 72 dpi ( dots per linier inch).

72 dpi is not as defined as 300 dpi ( in other words not as clear, not as beautiful).

The thing is, the higher the dpi, the larger the “file size” of the image. So now, lets talk about file size.
File Size, How much space on your computer will it take to save and store the image?

Think about this. If you have an image that is 5 inches by 5 inches at 300 dots per inch (dpi), then, your computer has to look at the color values (rgb or hexadecimal) and assign that color to each and every pixel in the picture. If you set dpi to 72, then, your computer has to do one third of the work.

When I put images on my website, I try to keep the file size below 50 k (kilobytes). This lets the image load quickly on your machine when you visit my website.

If I put images on my web site that are bigger than this, then the images load more slowly and some users get sick of waiting and leave my web site because the images where loading so slowly.
File Types

File types are mathematical formulas that help the computer read the colors in the file. There are hundreds of file types. I’m only going to talk about four of them. I would say that these are the ones to pay attention to.
Tiff Tagged Image File Format
Gif Graphic interchange format
Jpeg Joint Photographer’s Expert Group
Png Portable Network Graphic

In every graphics application, when you save your file, the program ask you, “What file format would you like to save this as?”

In the land of print work, most designers will use the Tiff file format. They will create a Tiff file and save it at 300dpi. The Tiff file is a big file format. These files can be well above 120 megabytes ( that’s more than 100 diskettes of information in the image).

This will make a beautiful image, but if you put that on the internet, it is going to load real, real slow. It’s too big for the net.

In the land of web work, designers will use one of 3 file formats. The Gif, the Jpeg, or the Png. This are the only file formats you can put on a web page. Internet Explorer, Netscape and other web browsers don’t understand the math behind other file formats.
Below are the very basic differences between the three file formats.
The Gif File

You know that the eye can see 16.7 million colors. Well if you take a picture with all of those colors and you want to put it on the internet, the file size will be huge.

To lower the file size, the Gif file only uses 256 total colors. The image doesn’t look as good, but the file size is very low.
The Jpeg File

The Jpeg file uses 16.7 million colors, but to make the image small enough to get on a web page, the Jpeg file automatically throws millions of colors away to make the file size smaller. This is called , “lossy compression.”

If you have a digital camera, and you are serious about your images, then save your files in your camera as a Tiff or Raw Data File. Then if you need to put the image on the net, convert the image to a Jpeg or Gif.
The Png File

The Png file is kind of like a gif jpeg combo. You can have a png file that uses 256 colors, similar to a Gif file, or you can create a png file that uses 16.7 million colors.

The Png file is from Macro Media. If you use Fireworks, and image manipulation program from Macro Media, when you open a new file, by default, it is a png file.

Png files are usually much larger than gifs or jpegs. Personally, I don’t use them. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. I just don’t use them.
For You Digital Camera Users, What is a Mega Pixel?

For those of you that use digital cameras, and that is about everyone these days, you will constantly here the term ,”mega pixel.” What the heck is a mega pixel?

Mega Pixel means one million pixels. If you have a camera that is a 3 mega pixel camera, that means that when you take a picture, your camera is bringing in 3 million pixels into your camera. If you have a 5 mega pixel camera, when you take a picture, your camera is bringing in 5 million pixels.

The more mega pixels, the better the image looks. Professional photographers have cameras that bring in 16 million pixels. These cameras cost a lot of money.

Most cameras costing 500 dollars will give you about 6 mega pixels or more.
Summary.

Above is a basic discussion of color, file size, file types and pixels. I perform presentations and teacher in-services that go in depth into each an every concept.

I wish that someone had sat me down and shared these concepts with me when I started working with computer graphics some 15 years ago.

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I have been reviewing several websites that artists have been submitting to me for review and I have some suggestions in general for everyone reading this.

Consider not having a flash video on your opening page. I use broadband to connect to the internet and still have to wait almost forty seconds for a full flash video to load. Now that may not sound like a long time, but for someone visiting your site for the first time...if they wait, they're gone. I went to look at the submitted sites so I waited for the videos to load, but visitors may not. This is probably something your web designer suggested you to have but from a marketing point of view it gives people reason to leave.

Most of the sites that I went to had no method for capturing visitors names and e-mails. This is what we do immediately when someone visits my site in order to have the opportunity to market to them in the future. They may not be interested in buying something today but by keeping in touch with your visitors they may buy in the future. Consider having a guestbook where people could sign in at your site and in return give them some images of your work that they could download for "wallpaper" for their computer. This not only gives them a reason to give you their name and e-mail but keeps your art in front of them when they work on their computer. The images you give could have your name and contact information on the bottom of the image to keep your contact info in front of them.

Following up on my last comment you are probably saying that you offer a newsletter to people who leave their e-mail. I would suggest you "sell" the newsletter signup with the items I mentioned in number 2 above. Furthermore, capture their name. When I send out my e-mails it is thru an auto responder. If you are not familiar with what that is...it is an automatic e-mail that takes information that people give (name, e-mail, etc.) and plugs it into e-mail template being sent out. I have thousands of people in my database, I would never be able to send out each and every e-mail one at a time to everyone who signs up for my course. By being able to send out an e-mail that is personalized to your visitor will keep you in their consciousness.

These are just but a couple of suggestions that I have for you. I am going to recommend you to take a look at either my complete advance course at the link below or if you like I will be breaking out a special section on "Selling Your Art Online" from the course within the next week. That section will be available in a downloadable format and is extremely thorough on strategies to make your website profitable. I will be e-mailing my entire list when this section is available. The advance course has this section and 26 other sections. I hope the points I made above help you.

Fine Arts is defined in the Encarta Dictionary as being, “any art form, for example, painting, sculpture, architecture, drawing, or engraving, that is considered to have purely aesthetic value” (Encarta, 2004). Though this definition is used in relationship with the arts in the regular world, in regards to teaching, fine arts is defined as a subject beneficial, not essential, to the learning process and is often phased out because of lack of time, little learning potential, and no money. Fine arts is simply seen as painting and drawing, not a subject studied by an academic scholar. Writer Victoria Jacobs explains, “Arts in elementary schools have often been separated from the core curriculum and instead, offered as enrichment activities that are considered beneficial but not essential” (Jacobs, 1999, p. 2).

What is missing in classrooms is the lack of teacher knowledge of the benefits of maintaining an art- based curriculum. Teachers “have very little understanding of the arts as disciplines of study. They think of the arts instruction as teacher-oriented projects used to entertain or teach other disciplines” (Berghoff, 2003, p. 12). Fine arts expand the boundaries of learning for the students and encourage creative thinking and a deeper understanding of the core subjects, which are language arts, math, science, and social studies. Teachers need to incorporate all genres of fine arts, which include, theater, visual art, dance, and music, into their lesson plans because the arts gives the students motivational tools to unlock a deeper understanding of their education. Teaching the arts is the most powerful tool that teachers can present in their classrooms because this enables the students to achieve their highest level of learning.

From 1977 to 1988 there were only three notable reports demonstrating the benefits of art education. These three reports are Coming to Our Senses, by the Arts, Education and Americans Panal (1977), Can we Rescue the Arts for American Children, sponsored by the American Council for the Arts (1988), and the most respected study, Toward Civilization, by the National Endowment for the Arts (1988). These three studies conjured that art education was very important in achieving a higher education for our students. While these studies proved the arts to be beneficial to the learning process, it was not until 2002 when the research analysis of Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development “provided evidence for enhancing learning and achievement as well as positive social outcomes when the arts were integral to students’ learning experiences” was taken seriously by lawmakers (Burns, 2003, p. 5). One study, in this analysis, was focused on the teaching of keyboard training to a classroom in order to see if student’s scores on spatial reasoning could be improved. It was then compared to those students who received computer training which involved no fine art components. This concluded that learning through the arts did improve the scores on other core curriculum subjects such as math and science where spatial reasoning is most used (Swan-Hudkins, 2003).

This study shows how one little change in the way students are taught through the arts can have a powerful impact on their learning achievements and understandings. Another study showed at-risk students who, for one year, participated in an art- based curriculum raised their standardized language arts test by an average of eight percentile points, 16 percentile points if enrolled for two years. Students not engaging in this form of activity did not show a change of percentile (Swan-Hudkins, 2003). Though this may not seem like a big increase, at- risk students were able to use this style of learning to better understand their learning style thus bettering their learning patterns. The most interesting case study in this analysis involved the schools of Sampson, North Carolina, where for two years in a row their standardized test scores rose only in the schools that implemented the arts education in their school district (Swan-Hudkins, 2003). Teaching the arts needs to be incorporated in every teachers daily lesson plans because, based on these studies, students who are taught through the arts raise their test and learning levels.

Due to the high volume of attention President Bush’s, No Child Left Behind Act, has required in schools, teaching the arts is left behind. Another reason for the lack of arts in the classroom author Victoria Jacobs explains, “Given the shrinking budgets of school districts around the country, art specialists and art programs have disappeared from many elementary schools” (Jacobs, 1999, p. 4). Fine arts are being seen as non-educational or an extra-curricular activity. Therefore, when there is a lack of money in school districts, this subject is easily being cut. Teachers need to find a way to incorporate the arts into the classroom rather than rely on outside activities and Jacobs suggests teaching “through the arts… with a means of using the arts successfully and in a way that it is not just “one more thing” they must include in the curriculum” (Jacobs, 1999, p. 4).

The arts can open the minds of students in ways mere reading and writing will never be able to accomplish. Yet, the point of teaching this subject is not to teach about the arts, but to teach through the arts. Jacobs explains,
Teaching though the arts requires students to engage in the act of creative art. For example they might draw a picture, write a poem, act in a drama, or compose music to further their understanding of concepts in content areas other than the arts. Teaching through the arts helps students experience concepts rather than simply discussing or reading them. This approach is consistent with educational theories that highlight the importance of reaching multiple learning styles or intelligences. (Jacobs, 1999, p. 2)

Teaching through the arts can be done in many different ways depending on the teacher’s interests, but truly is the only way to reinforce the students learning experience. In a time where budget cuts and new learning laws are being established, teachers need to be more informed and educated on the negative impacts of the loss of the fine arts programs.
Three, veteran teachers at a public elementary school did a case study which involved teaching through the arts. They believed “our students had to experience cycles of inquiry wherein they learned about the arts and through the arts, and that they needed to see teachers of different disciplines collaborate” (Berghoff, 2003, p. 2).

The study was based on teaching a history lesson unit on Freedom and Slavery through the arts. Ms. Bixler-Borgmann had her students listen to the song “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” in many different styles of music, such as an African-American Quartet, Reggae, and Show Tunes. She then incorporated this lesson into the importance singing played to the slaves at that time. Ms. Berghoff had her students read samples of African-American folk literature and write down sentences that made an impact on them while they were reading. She then incorporated those sentences into group poems. Ms. Parr explored two art pieces entitled, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and had the students talk about artwork by asking three questions: "What is going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What else can you find?” (Berghoff, 2003). She also had the students focus on the images, concepts, and meanings which the artists wanted to depict. Ms. Parr felt this would teach the students how to uncover the hidden meanings in other core curriculum subjects (Berghoff, 2003). After the study, the students were asked what and how they had learned from this style of teaching.

Many students wrote in their journals that working in multiple sign systems in parallel ways heightened their emotional involvement. They found themselves thinking about what they were learning in class when they were at home or at work. They noted that even though they had studied slavery at other times, they had never really imagined how it felt to be a slave or thought about the slaves' perspectives and struggles. (Berghoff, 2003)

The students had learned more from this lesson because they were able to use all styles of learning and were taught from an angle which is rarely used, through the arts. “Studies indicate that a successful arts integrated program will use these components to guide student learning and assess growth and development (Swan-Hudkins, 2003). The students were able to learn based on abstract thinking and find the deeper meaning of the lessons prepared by the teachers.

“The study of the arts has the potential for providing other benefits traditionally associated with arts….arts has been linked to students’ increased critical and creative thinking skills, self-esteem, willingness to take risks, and ability to work with others” (Jacobs, 1999, p. 4). With these benefits, teachers can not afford to limit their teaching of the arts in the classroom. Teaching through the arts are the key elements of learning and the traits teachers strive to establish and reinforce in their students. By working through the arts, instead of about the arts, the students’ educational experience will be achieved in a different way than just teaching the standard style of learning. Former Governor of California, Gray Davis, noted, “Art education helps students develop creativity, self-expression, analytical skills, discipline, cross-cultural understandings, and a heightened appreciation for the arts” and that “students who develop artistic expression and creative problem solving skills are more like to succeed in school and will be better prepared for the jobs and careers of the future” (California Art Study, 2003, p. 1).

Exposing students to abstract learning will teach the students about logic and reasoning and help them grasp what might not be represented on the surface. Recent Reports from the National Art Education Association (NAEA) confirmed with Governor Davis when they reported “Students in art study score higher on both their Verbal and Math SAT tests than those who are not enrolled in arts courses (California Art Study, 2003, p. 5). Attached is a copy of the test scores of students in the arts and students with no arts coursework.

What is a better way to enhance a lesson plan than to add another dimension of learning than by incorporating different levels of teaching? A company that has the basis of focusing on different learning styles is Links for Learning, www.links-for-learning.com. This company understands the importance of incorporating arts into the classroom. Former Secretary of Education, William Bennet wrote, “The arts are essential elements of education just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…Music, dance, painting, and theater are keys to unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment” (Swann-Hudkins, 2002).

An example of the benefits of teaching the arts would be the study of a teacher who taught the water cycle lesson through movement and music. The students were introduced to the water cycle in the traditional style of teaching, reading and lecturing. Yet, in order for the students to fully understand the “experience” of being a snowflake, the students listened to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite (The Waltz of the Snowflakes) and closed their eyes visualizing the adventure snowflakes encounter on there way to the ground. A great side effect of dance is that “exposure to dances foreign to them (the students) helps them to understand and appreciate differences in societies. Their minds become open to new ideas and a different perspective. This understanding helps to eliminate possible prejudice, enriching the student and our society” (Swan-Hudkins, 2003, p.17). While the music was playing the teacher asked them questions, such as, “How are they going to land” and “What do you see as you are falling”. The second time listening to the music the students were asked to act out the water cycle through movement and dance. Teachers should know “a class that includes dance can make students feel empowered and actively involved in their education. In creating their own dance, students develop conceptional thinking, which is not always expressed verbally” (Swan-Hudkins, 2003, p. 17).

With these activities, the students were able to become part of the water cycle instead of just using their listening skills and trying to mentally figure out this lesson. The teacher also had the students write a poem using words they felt while they, the snowflakes, were falling to the ground (Jacobs, 1999, p.2). “The motivational powers of the arts are significant as this teacher explained, “Hooking a kid is half, if not more than half, the battle of learning. If you can hook them, then you can get them to learn” (Jacobs, 1999, p. 6). Teachers need to gain access to all styles of learning which can only spark their motivational powers.
Harvard Project Researchers Winner and Hetland remarks, “The best hope for the arts in our school is to justify them by what they can do that other subjects can’t do as well” (Swan-Hudkins, 2003, p. 18). Teachers need to gain a better education of teaching their students through the arts. Without the arts, teachers are limiting their students’ ability to use their entire thinking process, providing less opportunity for complete comprehension. Teaching through the arts is the most powerful tool that teachers can give in their classrooms because it enables the students to achieve their highest level of learning.

With the lack of attention art is getting outside of the classroom, teachers cannot afford not to incorporate dance, theater, visual arts, or music in their lesson plans. Fine arts is the core curriculums constant and most important companion. No child should be left behind, and teaching through the arts will reinforce this idea.

Resources

Berghoff, B., Bixler-Borgmann, C., and Parr, C. (2003). Cycles of Inquiry with the Arts. Urbana, 17, 1-17.

Burns, M. (2003). Connecting Arts Education Policy and Research to Classroom Teaching. Presented at The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, IL.

California Art Study. (2003). Retrieved on April 18 from http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:IM_j8A3_whsJ:www.smc.edu/madison/about/draft_eir/appendix_f_purpose.pdf+benefits+California+art+study&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Encarta Online Dictionary. (2004). Retrieved on April 17 from http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/fine%20arts.html

Jacobs, V. and Goldberg, M. (1999). Teaching Core Curriculum Content through the Arts. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Ontario, Canada.

Swan-Hudkins, B. (2002). The Effect of an Elementary Fine Arts Program on Students’. M.A.Thesis. Salem International University. Salem, West Virginia.

From Kakadu National Park to Darwin extends an area known as the 'top end' of Australia. It is where warm weather, stunning contrasting outback terrain and delicate vegetation and unique fauna merge, to provide an eco-system vacant of modern society, making it another of the great places to stay in Australia.

Water-lilies drift on billabongs, flocks of magpie geese and cockatoos hang suspended in thermal currents, with caves and rock faces embellished in ancient aboriginal art becoming artefacts from an age passed.

Kakadu - owned by the Aboriginal people - covers approximately 20,000 square kilometres of some of Australia's most untamed and alluring wilderness. Scattered with rainforest alcoves, forest swamps and dwarf scrubland, Kakadu is home to some of Australia's most exclusive and rare animal species. However, caution must be taken when exploring this magnificent expanse because the crocodiles that also live here are occasionally prone to chewing on the odd foolish tourist who doesn't follow their tour guide's safety instructions!

Ignorant Tourists beware!

Climate ranges from about 19 degrees celsius in July (dry-season) and up to a maximum of about 30 degrees, with a minimum of 25 degrees in January (wet-season) and up to 32 degrees maximum.

Two of the easiest-to-get-to rock-art sites are Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock, with many of the paintings being over 60,000 years old. Luxury travel in the top end is via 4WD with some of the most stunning sites to be seen by pre-arranged and guided safari tours.

Several of the more well known ones are:

• Guliyambi East Alligator River Cruises - which show the stark contrast of the landscape and denotes the scenic river setting
• Magela Cultural and Heritage Tour - which journeys across isolated and restricted areas and allows you to experience aboriginal culture at its rawest
• Dreamtime Safaris - Stay with the Tablon tribe as they demonstrate their way of life in an exclusive luxury camp setting which provides alternative accommodation

Should you be a collector of rare Aboriginal art, then several art galleries that you can not afford to miss while in Darwin are Aboriginal Fine Arts, Cultural Images, Ampiji, and Indigenous Creations, while Kakadu has The Marrwuddi Gallery and Warradjan Cultural Centre.

Luxury accommodation in the top end includes a tree-top wilderness retreat in the tropical rainforests on the shore of Seven Spirit Bay and the beachside resort of Skycity in Darwin.

Simply Lush (www.simplylush.com) can direct you to either of these spots, and others still, with the click of a button.

The first time visit to an Art Gallery Opening can be an eye widener for anyone, as this experience of a young artist and newcomer to New York reveals:

The event was a combination exhibition opening and birthday celebration for the Lambert Art Gallery, which, a few years earlier, in a moment of exuberance and elation at its own prosperity, had given birth to the smaller, fledgling downtown dealership, the Eye Span Space, where, incidentally, Celia had planned to apply for a job. Having taken the bus up Avenue of the Americas to Fifty-Seventh Street, she steadily clicked her way east in semi-high heels, gradually losing awareness of her resounding progress. As she approached the large, dark, marbled arcade entranceway, she stopped for a few moments to watch the steady stream of well-attired people en route to and from various events being hosted within the tall, shadowed and foreboding expanse of building which confronted her. Taking a step backward, she shivered slightly, bracing herself as though against a sudden, chill breeze. Then, gathering her courage about her as a shawl, she walked ahead to join the easy flow of people now entering this awesome mass of architecture.

Once safely inside the dark glass doorway, Celia joined in the procession to the equally impressive elevators. The doors rolled smoothly open and closed on a deep amber and brass interior, large and rather impersonal, in keeping with the structure's darkened atrium entranceway, yet at the same time warm and set aglow by its now pleasantly peopled interior. Curious, the hushed, polite, but electric intimacy of vertical travel alongside strangers. Celia tried to picture the experience of "lifts" designed for horizontal movement -- travelling around, or even spiralling the building's girth. Fun, she decided, like a work-a-day amusement park, but neither practical nor intimate. Flying could be very sensual, but sometimes strongly separative; for, a definite pull of gravity was necessary for any true sense of intimacy. And the shyness -- that same kind of shyness was present that sometimes occurs at one-to-one first-time encounters or during formal introductions among groups of strangers. It was difficult, next to impossible to look directly at anyone now, for everyone faced straight ahead, except for couples and threesomes, who stood slightly inclined toward one another, even in their subtlety, boldly breaking the pattern.

Celia called on peripheral vision to glance at those persons on either side of her. To her left stood a rather tall, handsome, olive-skinned woman beautifully attired in black silk and speaking in a quiet, but animated fashion to a very tall, pale, young wisp of a man wearing flesh colored spectacle frames who swayed back and forth, seemingly in slow motion, to the staccato rhythm of her words. On the left were profiles of elegance and polite impatience; on the right, of amiability and anticipation, silent silhouettes of well contained emotion.

When the elevator doors slid apart once again, its passengers stepped out into a spacious, high-ceilinged room with soft spotlights on large abstract still-life paintings against newly painted white walls. The room was already nearly two-thirds full of mingling people -- some lively, animated; others with affectation of condescending boredom.

A slender dark young man (one of the bored) was commenting in a rather loud whine to a short portly matron in a sea-green suit with matching forties pill-box hat, on the inferiority of the champagne being served. To Celia, champagne was at this point still an item of novel extravagance; she had yet to discover differences in quality and the fact that, in general, gallery openings were notorious for serving relatively low quality liquid refreshment. The chubby woman in green seemed to agree wholeheartedly with the young man's complaint. And yet, Celia noted that as they exchanged yawns and tired, affected, lazy remarks, both sipped away and emptied full glasses.

After several glasses of the bubbly, overly sweet beverage, Celia found herself floating slowly around the crowded floor in counter-clockwise direction, as though she were a vague dancer in some unexplained ballroom scene of another time. Along her course, she had brief encounters with a pompous politician; a harried hairdresser; an overworked bleary-eyed accountant; six painters; three sculptors; a jaded journalist turned art critic; an undertaker's apprentice; the fussy, hyper mother of a "child prodigy painter" (in tow); a dapper Danish diplomat; a radiantly regal opera singer in flowing scarlet silk and satin; and a tall, slightly aloof man of fortyish with dark, greying hair and a child-like, uneven, mischievous smile that lit up large dark eyes in an otherwise sobered, somewhat stern face.

They met when Celia, turning abruptly to sweep yet another glass of champagne from a passing tray, tripped over her own feet, wobbled dangerously, and performed a loud, impromptu tap-dance to recover her equilibrium, at once startling and silencing the people around her. Reaching out, he offered support by means of a firm hand under one of her elbows until she regained her balance. Then, he brought his hands together gently in soundless applause as his face broke into a smile. "Somewhat disoriented, aren't we?"

And those eyes ... there was a strong pull, a definite sensation of magnetism drawing her into those lively, compelling eyes. Later, thinking back, she was certain they had been dancing together -- just the two of them, somewhere off in a room to themselves, although there had been the crowd and no music at all. Something assured her of it, even though it couldn't be so.... But first impressions can be like that. And first impressions lead to larger canvases of experience called Life.

Excerpt from the novel, La Belle Famille, by Ellen Gilmer,
published by The Pentland Press Ltd., Durham, England

Ellen Gilmer


elgilmer@yahoo.com

As far as travel to Ottawa is concerned, you’d be hard pressed to find a more central lodging location than the Lord Elgin Hotel. It is located right at the Intersection of Elgin and Laurier Streets, just steps away from Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre and the National Arts Centre. Confederation Park, one of the main locations for Winterlude, is located right across the street.

We could not have found a better spot for our Ottawa Winterlude getaway last weekend. My room on the 4th floor was very comfortable and I had a perfect view out over Elgin Street, looking at the Chateau Laurier and the War Memorial on one side, and facing Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal on the other. We literally left our car parked for the whole 2 days and were able to get everywhere we wanted on foot.
The Lord Elgin was a perfect starting point for our adventures on the Rideau Canal, and our excursions to the ByWard Market and Sparks Street. Further south on Elgin Street is another major entertainment area nestled inside an established neighbourhood with exclusive homes and condominiums.

Ann Meelker from the Lord Elgin Hotel was kind enough to give me a lay of the land and pointed out the local landmarks. She also explained to me that the National Conference Centre actually used to be a railroad station many years ago, when train tracks were routed right next to the Rideau Canal.

My big interest in this hotel was its history as it was constructed more than 60 years ago. So I did some reserach to dig into the background of this historic building.

In 1940, as the Second World War brought more and more official visitors into town, Ottawa found itself desperately short of hotel accommodation. A local entrepreneur and city alderman by the name of Chester Pickering, President of Dustbane, Modern Building Cleaning, and Michael’s Industrial Equipment, was entrusted with the job of bringing a good hotel to the City. He connected with Jack Udd, a wealthy businessman from Rochester, New York, the president of the Ford Hotel Chain.

They were looking for a suitable site for the hotel and finally found one in an abandoned lot at the corner of Elgin and Laurier. However, obtaining the land was complicated by the fact that it was owned by the federal government.

It seemed highly unlikely that this land could be obtained from the government, but through personal connections and various outright shenanigans Chester Pickering was able to get the property. Chester Pickering knew that then Prime Minister Mackenzie King longed to make Ottawa the most attractive capital in the world, so he was sure that the idea of cleaning up this run-down area would appeal to the Prime Minister.

And not only did Pickering get the land, he also got a low-cost tax assessment on it, in light of the fact that government had not been receiving any taxes on this federally owned property at all before. With all the conditions met, Jack Udd started building the hotel and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King even laid the cornerstone. The Lord Elgin was completed in 1941 in a classical French chateau style at a cost of about C$1,500,000.
All throughout Prime Minister Mackenzie King took a strong interest in the hotel and virtually designed the pillars in front of the hotel himself. He also insisted that the hotel be built of stone, not brick. Jack Udd agreed on a compromise and used stone at both ends and in the front, but he would put brick in the back.

The hotel is named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811 to 1863) who became Governor General of Canada in 1847. He became the first Governor General to remove himself from the affairs of the legislature, which led to the essentially symbolic role that the Governor-General of Canada has today.
Ann also allowed me to have a look at some correspondence between Prime Minister Mackenzie King and the grandson of the original Lord Elgin, who donated two marble busts of his grandparents, Lord and Lady Elgin. The correspondence dates back to 1940 and talks about shipping the busts on warships during World War II from Scotland to Canada.

Ann also mentioned that during the summer a portion of the Changing of the Guards ceremony can be seen directly outside the hotel. And the starting line for the Ottawa International Marathon is located immediately in front of the Lord Elgin Hotel.
Being the nosy person that I am I wanted to get the real low-down on this property and Randy Battcock, Guest Services Manager at the Lord Elgin, agreed to take me on a tour through the property. Randy is an interesting individual himself, he hails from Newfoundland and worked for a local airline for 21 years. After running a guest house in Ottawa for 8 years he applied for the Guest Manager’s position and got the job the next day. It is obvious that Randy loves what he does.

During our tour through the building, Randy explained that the original building was H-shaped and that the back was filled in many years ago to enlarge the rooms. In some of the boardrooms on the higher levels you can still see the former street façade on the west side, now forming an inside wall.
Two 8-storey towers were added on the north and south side and they added 55 additional bedrooms, an inground pool and a restaurant. Another little known fact is that there is a 3 bedroom apartment on the 12th floor which to this day is the residence of the former manager of the hotel who spent 50 years managing the hotel and raised his children there. The apartment has the only patio in the building with a perfect view east towards the Rideau Canal.

Randy also enlightened me that of the four guest elevators, two are original and date all the way back to 1941. The fourth elevator used to be a smokestack for the furnace in the basement, but it was dismantled bit by bit to allow for the construction of an additional elevator. The building still has an original functioning mail chute where you can drop your letters from any floor and gravity will take them to the mailroom from where they will be sent out.
Although the Lord Elgin Hotel is one of the most renowned and venerable institutions in Ottawa, it has a cozy feel to it. During my stay it was hosting hundreds of people who were attending Winterlude, so you saw all these families with children dressed up in heavy winter garb walking through the hallways. I had several friendly chats with staff members, and in particular with one young bellman who was part of the Lord Elgin team in the 26th Annual Bedzz Race on Dow Lake.

The spot in front of the fireplace in the lobby was always taken by people relaxing, reading a paper, or conversing while warming up after a cold day. We noticed that the atmosphere was always relaxed and down-to-earth, never snobbish, as you might expect of a hotel of this stature. For us it was the perfect location for a weekend of exploration in Canada’s capital.

Durham, North Carolina prides itself as being a well rounded, diverse community. This diversity is reflected wonderfully in Durham's burgeoning arts community in the form of sculptures, murals, galleries, and public artworks located throughout the city. Please read on to learn about some key stops for you to make when visiting eclectic Durham.

Funeral art you say? Yes, Durham has some noteable and exceptional examples of funeral art, if that is something that meets your desire. Two cemeteries, Beechwood and Geer, feature graves of important early African-American business and cultural leaders, while the Maplewood Cemetery contains Italian marble figures and Victorian "funereal" art. Incidentally, Maplewood features the graves of confederate war veterans and tobacco magnates.

Of course, not everyone likes visiting graveyards, but art museums do abound in Durham.

The Nasher Museum of Art is located at Duke University and it houses a fine collection of Russian, European, African, and pre-Columbian artwork. Nearby at North Carolina Central University is an art museum containing African art objects, 19th and 20th century African-American collections, and works submitted by students of this historically black institution.

A stroll through downtown Durham will reveal many murals not easily appreciated by the driving public. Check out the Locomotive mural over at the Amtrak station; The Killer Tomato mural on Foster Street; the Here Comes the Sun mural on the Wee Shop Building; and the untitled mural on the Durham County Social Services building.

Foster Street is an arts-lovers paradise as the venerable thoroughfare contains a half dozen studios. Not to be outdone, the Durham County Public Library on Roxboro Street has paintings, drawings, tapestries, and sculptures while the Sarah P. Duke Gardens features a lovely metalwork fountain and many sculptures.

Fans of vintage art will not be disappointed in their visit to Durham. In the American Tobacco Historic District the Lucky Strike Smokestack and Water Tower hold prominence there. Over on East Parrish Street are signs for Chiclets, Double Mint, and Pepsi-Cola, while on West Main Street the famed Bull Durham Tobacco sign can be observed.

Finally, if the performing arts grabs your attention, then Duke University has five theaters and auditoriums to meet your needs.

Many galleries and studios hold planned exhibits throughout the year. One of the biggest is held in December -- the Durham Art Walk -- featuring over one hundred working visual artists, many of whom have their own studios downtown.

So, next time you visit Durham, plan on spending some time getting to know the city' unique tapestry of artists. There is something for you no matter how eclectic your tastes may be.

If you don't have at least one piece of fine art in your home, then you just have no idea what you are missing out on. Whether an original or reproduction piece, fine art adds warmth, beauty and interest to every room. So why is it that people tend to spend lavishly on furniture, carpets and accessories, but do not provide in their budget for the piece that could be the focal point of the room?

We are indeed fortunate now to have a wide range of fine art available to us on the Internet. In just a few short hours, you can browse museums and galleries around the world to find the fine art painting you love. Reproductions of major artwork are available in several formats, from inexpensive prints to hand-painted oils. All at the touch of a button. You can also find original fine art online, often very inexpensively. Artists who have not yet become famed can exhibit their work at online galleries and reach a much wider audience than would be otherwise possible in smaller bricks and mortar galleries. Bringing a new piece of art into your home is always exciting, but imagine how much more intriguing it would be if it was something you'd discovered for yourself through your own research.

While prints will brighten up a room, you should also consider investing in a real oil painting or another form of original on canvas. Since the Internet allows galleries to show their work to a wide audience with little overhead, real paintings can be had for very reasonable prices. And you'll find the texture and substance of a painting as opposed to a print to be well worth the added expense. Home decor is a challenge for many home owners so the hardest part is not necessarily coming up with the theme, but tying it all together and making all of the colors, textures and themes combine. In order to decorate your home successfully there are a few things for you to consider.

First decide what your budget is. Having a budget will help you apportion money to the right areas and ensure that you have enough to finish the job. Next choose a style and make a plan. Decide the style of theme you want for your room or home decor. Do you want a modern or oriental tone? Once this is established you can pick the colors you want to use. Do you want the room to be calming or energizing? Colors have a very influential impact on our moods and feelings. You can then decide on the furniture and accessories you wish to use. This is a good time to select the art or prints you wish to feature. Make sure that the print is reflective of the theme of the room. Do not buy art just because it ties the colors in the room together. Art is a powerful medium that is used to invoke emotion, feeling, and thought so the emotion the art projects should be aligned with the feeling of the room

Let’s face it! Culinary arts programs come in a variety of forms. Each has its own features and benefits, and one may be best for you while the others may not. Well, it is through this variation and differences actually that finding the right culinary arts programs is a bit tough for many.

The culinary arts programs are in the first place designed for several good reasons. One of the most common is that they are designed, developed and introduced to the public to provide the people who share similar passion for cooking the technical knowledge and basic skills necessary for them to succeed in the culinary field. With this purpose, it’s no surprise then that most of the culinary arts programs available today cover even the hands-on laboratory training sessions to reinforce the students’ theoretical knowledge and prepare them for certain positions in the professional food service careers.

As mentioned, there are a number of forms of culinary arts programs. Most of the culinary arts programs available out there follow certain guidelines which are considered depending on the degrees and areas preferred by the students. There some culinary arts programs that deal specifically to culinary certificates. In these programs, it takes about one year of study for you to complete them. The most commonly involved areas of study in this kind of programs are professional cooking, professional baking and pastry, culinary arts, professional personal chef, professional catering, and professional marketing.

There are also the associate culinary degree programs which usually require two years of study. Well, the areas involved in this form may range from professional cooking, baking and pastry, to food and beverage management, hotel and inn keeping management.

After the associate degrees, there are the bachelor’s degree culinary arts programs which are generally offered to be completed for four years of study. The ones who prefer these programs are those who want to learn more about the culinary field, from the fundamentals aspects to the most advanced ones. So what is covered by this type of culinary arts programs involve the basics of culinary arts, convention and meeting planning, culinary management, food and beverage operations, hotel management, and international hospitality management.

All of those culinary arts programs can be successfully attained by determining exactly which program best suit your needs. It is important also to consider the length of completion as there are some that may end in a short period of time, while others are long-term. The ones conducted for two to four years are basically the programs that include electives that can provide you a well-rounded culinary education. It is for this reason that many people prefer the long-term programs, than the short-term ones.

If you are an art lover and are planning on visiting the city of Cincinnati Ohio you are in luck. Cincinnati is home to a great deal of culture and art. One place that stands out is the Contemporary Art Center. Specializing in the art of some of the most cutting edge artists, it is a must see for art lovers. Read more of this article to find out what this museum has to offer.

The first thing that you will notice about the Contemporary Art Museum is that the art is not all contained inside its walls. It begins outside with the design of the building itself. The building was designed by an Iraqi architect and completed in 2003. When you arrive at the art center take a moment to appreciate its design. once inside the building you will find many different exhibitions. One of the exhibitions currently at the center is the Katharina Groose exhibit. Groose is an artist from Berlin who uses spray guns to mix and blend colors onto the walls, ceiling and floors of the building. She does not limit herself to using merely the canvas.

Another exhibition at the center is "The Long View". This exhibit explores the world of film makers who can not fit their work into the traditional constraints of commercial films. The exhibit features films that can exceed 4, 5 or even 6 hours in length. They are continuously run so there is no telling what part of the film you might walk in on. If you like a film you will have several opportunities to return and view them in there entirety. This just scratches the surface of exhibits available to see. There is much more to see and anyone could find something that interests them.

For more information on the center's hours and for directions you should call the information line at 513-345-8400. Visit the Contemporary Art Center on your next trip to Cincinnati and you are sure to have a good time.

“Daddy, I want to take Karate!”

“Mommy, Jimmy on the bus hit me again today”

There are many reasons why parents want to sign their children up for Self Defense or Martial Arts classes. Once you have made the decision, now you are faced with many different options and questions. What style? How much does it cost? Is my child to young?

Martial Arts and Self Defense Styles

There are as many different styles of Martial Arts as there are religions in the world. You have probably heard of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, and even Aikido, but there are still numerous styles and offshoots of the Major styles.

So what Style is the Best and what style should I choose?

In reality, it is this author’s opinion that the style of Martial Arts your child will learn is not that important. What is important is the method of teaching and training that your child will undergo. With Martial Arts training your child should learn self-discipline, self-respect, and self-esteem, along with the confidence and ability to defend themselves.

The Instructor, (or Sensei) is the key. I suggest that all parents visit several locations with their children to observe the Instructor at work. Make sure you visit a beginner’s class as well as an upper level class. The beginner’s class is where your child will start.

Does the instructor’s personality and philosophy match your morals and ideals? Does the class participate in any “Eastern Religious” practice that doesn’t match your faith? Do you want your child viewing this instructor as a role model? Most children will look up to their Martial Arts & Self Defense Instructors as role models and will be in awe of their skills and abilities. Make sure that this person who will be dealing with your children matches your values.

It is also important to view an upper level class. The beginner classes are usually very tame, and the teaching philosophy is tailored to a younger audience. However, the older the student is, the “real” teaching and training methods are put into effect. You may feel comfortable with how the instructor “teaches” the younger beginning students, but may not be comfortable with how they handle the older students.

Cost

The majority of Martial Arts & Self Defense Locations (or Dojo’s) run their business on a membership basis. Customers must sign contracts, where they are obligated to pay for a certain time period to participate. The locations are run like a gym membership, you pay for a certain length of time and may participate as often as you desire.

Unfortunately, rarely are the “hidden costs” discussed when signing up for a class or membership. What are the hidden costs? The most over looked cost is the “testing fee”. In Martial Arts there are numerous skill levels that are equated to a belt rank. After a certain period of time and training, the student is ready to advance to a new level or belt in their martial arts style, and a “belt test” will be performed. This “belt test” almost always required the student to pay a “belt-testing fee”. I have seen fees from $50 up to $500 depending on the belt rank. Parents, make sure you inquire about these fees and are comfortable with them before you sign any contract.

Another hidden cost is required items to purchase. Some locations require that you purchase a uniform with the schools logo. The average cost of these uniforms range from $30-$50. As the child advances in rank, protective sparring gear is required. Now this is normally mandatory for the child’s protection and safety, but can be expensive. Normal safety gear for Martial Arts consists of Foot Pads, Hand Pads, Head Gear, Mouth Piece, Groin Cup, and optional Spar Vest. Depending on the style and sizes all this gear together cost about $150 retail or higher.

So Parents, factor in the total cost of classes, testing fees, and required equipment when making your decisions.

Age

At what age should my child begin Martial Arts or Self Defense? Now this is an often-debated issue. I have seen children as young as 4 years old participate in Martial Arts or Self Defense training. Some have been successful while others it was just to young. The age of which a child should start Martial Arts or Self Defense classes should be judged on an individual basis and be determined by the parents. Some key points to consider. Does the child have a good attention span? Has the child participated and flourished in other group activities? Is the child comfortable in larger group settings?

If the child is currently enrolled in grade school and has no problem adapting to those settings or conditions then they should be considered old enough to participate and benefit from Martial Arts or Self Defense instruction.

In the world of creative arts, bead jewelry making and design is quickly becoming the most popular craft. This craft offers boundless possibilities in terms of design and materials and will surely awaken the artist in you. The limitless possibilities in design and form in this craft may be overwhelming and may cause some problems but at the same time may allow you to exercise your creativity freely.

An expert in the art of bead jewelry making maintains that problems in the craft may pave the way for the birth of unique design elements. Take for example her experience with designing a bracelet out of jasper and copper. Jasper drill rings are unpopular with crafters because they are generally unattractive and not conveniently functional.

She chose a colorful combination of red, brown and green jasper drill rings for her bracelet design. However the result of her effort looked appalling. She decided to try another style to salvage her project. She experimented with copper to compliment the colors in the jasper drill rings.

The results were dramatic. The element of copper blended the colors of the jasper drill rings and transformed into a stunning masterpiece. She even accented the bracelet with copper wire. She discovered that the key to working with any element when it comes to bead jewelry making was in the harmony and blending of the colors.

The abundance of materials in bead jewelry making gives you plenty of opportunities to experiment. All you need is your imagination and a lot of patience. The initial results of your project may not be impressive but if you keep at it you may be rewarded with a stunning work of art.

One of the recent and most fashionable trends in bead jewelry making is cell phone charms. They are easy to make and allows you to exercise our creativity in personalizing your cell phone. They are very popular among young girls and many of them have started to make their own design. Materials that give headaches to seasoned crafters may provide inspiration for young budding artists.

Don’t just discard seemingly ugly and unworkable bead jewelry making materials. Work with them patiently and you may come up with an impressive masterpiece.