Octopus Appreciation Post

Well it has been far too long since my last post.  Literally a year since the last post.  Since then, I have lost my job.  Sucks but life has to move on you know? 

On the plus side, I've nearly finished the beaded octopus.  I decided to add a little bit of background underneath the octopus, needed to give it some form of background to sit on.  It's not floating in space.  I'm trying to accomplish a sfumato affect from blue to clear beads so it'll fade into the I wash better.  I started this piece I guess three years ago?  It was originally intended for a friend as a she warming gift, but I quickly realized I had bitten off more than I could chew.  Instead I made an ink wash piece (below) that now has a place of honor in their stairwell.  

I love Cephalopods.  There's something eerily beautiful about them.  And they're super smart too, I'm always amazed by videos of octopus problem solving.  That love of all things tentacly, is shared by another friend who has the below painting:  

Even after all I did on that piece , I'm still not happy with the background.  I don't think I'll ever be happy with the background, it was too busy for the rest of the piece and distracts from the giant purple octopus.  Somehow I have managed to make a viewer miss a bright purple octopus by making a way-too busy background.  

On the craft side of life, I finished a quilt I set out to make last year.  It's so cozy and bright.... In a crazy, look-at-all-of-the-scraps-I-accumulated kind of way.  

Now that I have more time on my hands.... Again... I'll be making more posts.  

See y'all later.