Friday, October 11, 2013

Inside The Studio with Gaea Cannaday - The Wicked Season


Welcome to Inside the Studio! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
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In honor of Halloween, we chose lucky number 13! Thanks for all the great comments! This weeks winner is  Bead-MusedCongratulations!
You have won a 
$25 gift certificate to Humblebeads.com from Heather Powers.

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This week we visit the studio of Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.
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When I think of fall, I think of hot desert winds, bright blue skies, and the prickle of static electricity causing my hair to stand on end. It makes me feel wicked! Southern California doesn't see much rain this time of year and many of the plants keep their foliage year round. Our mediterranian climate doesn't paint a very interesting portrait of our fall scenery. Looking a little closer, you find sun dried grass the color of sunshine and desert wind blown cloudless night skies twinkling with stars. Fall imagery still stirs my soul and inspired many new design for me this year. Here is a gallimaufry of my fall season.


I think we talk about Halloween year round at our house. Haunted house, Skelly, Web and Love Potion.
Look what the wind blew in! A fantastic surprise visit from artist CarolAnn Lafaso of BombPop on Etsy. She brought her amazing hoard of beads and we played. Her little works of art are incredibly durable and light! Perfect for the earrings I made... CarolAnn's years of color design work are apparent with the sumptuous and dreamy color combinations she comes up with!  

Brenna's sweet family owns Coffee Connection here in town. Who better to have a winged coffee cup necklace? Apparently, I was in Pyewacket's way. Following the signs home. We are often tempted to keep driving north.
 Beaded bangles, stacked bead, ellipse beads.
New jewelry designs bound for a new local shop, Fig.
Hand carving original designs. Finding new uses for my carvings... handmade stamps! I've been decorating packages with the new stamp and have been eyeing old designs for their stamp making abilities!

New designs ready for some color.  Even though it is a busy time of year, I really focus on producing new designs each cycle. 




What inspires you creatively in this autumnal season?  
Decorating? Seasonal smells and colors? 
Please leave a comment about what this season inspires in you to win a new Jack pendant!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What inspires me is the change in the air. Living in New England the mornings are crisp which turns the leaves beautiful colors. I love to see them blanket the ground. I love the anticipation of change, bringing out the sweaters, snuggling under an afghan with a good book. Every season is my favorite, but I do love Autumn.

baymoondesign said...

I love the fall colors. A big pile of leaves or a stand of trees in autumn can inspire me.

The pumpkin focal is adorable! I would love to win it!

SusanDolphinDelaney said...

I'm crazy about your Day of the Dead beads.

I'm also crazy about gingko leaves and their glorious golden fall color.

I've made gingkoes in many fall colors, golden, platinum, red/orange, wasabi/navy, crimson/magenta. I'm all about gingkoes.

Susan

Gardanne said...

Love the little built in frames.

Her Strange Kind said...

I just love the new designs! Can't wait to see them with color.

Fall is my favorite season, and I always find inspiration in the way things change and decay...tattered leaves, seed pods, golden grasses and the change in the light.

Cynthia said...

I love autumn in general, so it doesn't take much to inspire me at this time of year: leaves changing color, crisp air temps, acorns all over the ground, pumpkins in all the stores, fires in the fireplace (or chiminea!).
I've fallen in love with Jack - he so handsome!

Anonymous said...

I am inspired by autumn colors--my favorites! But I am also inspired by the beads and pendants that you & other create, which are in turn, inspired by the season!

Anonymous said...

I love autumn and the beads and pendants that you and others create for this season are very inspiring to me.

Anonymous said...

There is a small fall festival in our area that starts in mid October. Really tiny. We were enjoying this tiny treasure when my husband asked me to spend the rest of my life with him! It was also my birthday, so I'd say I got the best gift ever! That was 19 yrs ago and we haven't missed the festival since!

Angi Mullis dj2isme@aol.com

Carol D. said...

I am definitely inspired by the colors of fall.

Sarajo Wentling said...

It's all about the fall colors for me too... that and just all the changes in the natural world as the air grows colder and leaves change color and then drop to the ground. Autumn is my favorite season even though I know it means the long Minnesota winter is coming!

Erin S said...

definitely the colors! And also, the seasonal pumpkin muffin mix at Trader Joes.

Unknown said...

I love the fall colors!

Steph L. said...

I don't get to have nice cool fall weather since I'm in Florida but I do love decorating for fall. I have my scarecrows out in the 86 degree weather. I also love designing with fall-inspired beads for the same reason.

Jess Green said...

I love seed pods and berries! Acorns and pinecones, brambles dripping with fruit and ripe apples falling from the trees :) I also love the strange structures left behind by plants as they die down for the winter month - the intermingling lace of bared frees and the almost aliens remains of teazles jutting up from the mellowing grass.

Alice said...

What inspires me? The beautiful trees, fresh air, pumpkins, dried seed pods in the garden hayrack rides, and a feeling of renewal.

Thanks for sharing all those wonderful beads with us. I would love to win the pumpkin pendant!