Kate Boyan's Gallery: March 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

YEA SPRING

Spring is my favorite time of year. Today I went to Bishops Beach and walked and walked. The tides were way out, rocks that you never see were sticking up and the sand went on forever. Probably the big moon is affecting the tides. We have wonderful tide pools with intriguing mollusks and invertebrates. Warm balmy 40 degree weather. Ah, spring...

Monday, March 14, 2011

JAPAN

What a incredibly terrible disaster! I feel so bad for Japan. They are huge bead makers, I wonder if the bead factories were destroyed? I can relate to them on many levels, the ring of fire being the major similarity that comes to mind. Alaska has the same pacific volcanic rim and we get lots of earthquakes but haven't had one like that since 1964. Tsunamis are scary and here in Homer we have the sirens that warn us and the possibilities of horrendous waves. My heart goes out to the Japanese and I'm really impressed with the way the people seem to be handling it, without panic and a calm politeness. These pictures on this page are worth taking a look at. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365569/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-Aftershocks-10k-missing-Minami-Sanrik.html

And then there's the nuclear disasters happening and looming... Love and respect to Japan.

THE BLUE BEAD

Can an old trade bead find new life in print? Could the saga of an 18th century blue Bohemiam bead be a book that will hold interest for children and artist alike? This book "The Blue Bead" is a fictional account of a young beadworkers experience with the gift of an old trade bead and how it finds its way into her life in present day Alaska. It is based in part on historical fact. Where a bead has been and who its previous owner was often remains a mystery. The 25 illustrations were laboriously beaded, each taking over 200 hours to complete, some much more than that. "The Blue Bead" has taken 10 years to finish and is an exquisite labor of love by author/illustrator Kate Boyan.