Art Spark Designer of the Week

by D'Arsie Manzella

I hope your creativity is on overdrive and you are engrossed with your Art Spark challenge project! I am excited to see your interpretations.

This week I am sharing the work and inspiration of MaryAnn Carroll. Her soulful creation illustrates a beautiful truth. Read on...

You Just Need to Look...

One thing that I am excited about with our new challenge called "Art Spark", which will be replacing the former "Call-to-Create" is that we (the blog authors) are invited to join in. We won't be eligible, of course, for all of the fabulous prizes, but we will benefit from thinking creatively in different ways each month. The other part that I like, which is different, is that the submitted piece can be finished jewelry or a handmade bead/component created by you that you feel fits the theme of the month.

When I saw that our challenge was the word "CONTAIN" it made me think of the troubles that I have been experiencing over the past couple of months. Right away I thought of my favorite bead which I have kept for myself. My family and I have recently been faced with a crisis that I'm quite sure will not be common in the lives of most people. At least I hope not. It was a tragedy that brought me to my knees. Someday I will be able to talk about it, but for now I will talk about it through this bead.

It was a phone call that left me almost unable to move....frozen...... but I knew that I had to be there for my son and his family. I didn't even remember how I left work that day until I was recently told by a friend that it was she who drove me home. After many sleepless nights, daily trips to Syracuse, etc. we had to bring some sanity and stability to what we were going through.
That is where this bead comes in. When I look at it, it reminds me of feeling so lost inside of a darkened tunnel, but then.....slowly....I started to see the openings. They were there already, I just had to see them myself. When life seems so overwhelmingly hopeless, there are always those openings that you will find if only you look. Although, we are still experiencing the pain that this tragedy brought, there were so many people out there willing to guide us and support us...... we just had to find them. Like sitting inside of this carved out black bead surrounded by holes, things just seemed to fall in place. I started to look through those little openings and began moving my way out from what felt like my own little desperate lonely world.

My son Ben made this bead months ago and I glazed it. I didn't make it specifically for this challenge since my bead making has come to a halt for now but thought it worthy of sharing. I think now I will add this to a chain and remember to take it out during those times when I just can't see a way out...... There is always light somewhere when you are feeling lost in the dark; you just need to remember that it's your job to find it.

MaryAnn :O)

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And here is a glimpse into my (D'Arsie of Mamacita Beadworks) sketchbook for this month's challenge. My next step will be the clay sculpt. Because I am in the middle of a move, I will need to wait to mold the pendant and cast the finished work in pewter until I am settled in NY.

Hope is a Seed,

to cultivate, to protect and to give tenderly to others. It is a great gift contained inside every moment. Be a steadfast gardener and hope will nourish you through the sparse moments in life.

Hope is a Seed.

Have a wonderful week!