>Triumph of Death

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A couple of days ago, I asked if you could guess what my next piece would be. Crymson was the only one who came close... she knew it would be a car. I think I've found my niche when it comes to creating beaded vehicles. I enjoy making them because each one presents new challenges, and there are so many cool cars to bead; the possibilities are endless.

Above is my sketch of an old Triumph GT6. These British sports cars were produced from 1966- 1973, and I believe the one in my drawing is a '73. I saw this car when I was in London in April. It sits in silence atop an old shipping container near Brick Lane. I studied it for awhile because the driver, a ghost-like skeleton, intrigued me. I did a little research and it turns out that the car was originally yellow until one day, when someone came along and painted it pink. That someone is Britain's most famous guerrilla artist, Banksy.

Banksy's graffiti can be seen on the streets of London, as well as in several other cities around the world. He intrigues me because he is quite elusive. His true identity is unknown, but his work is unmistakable. In fact, he has made quite a name for himself simply by stenciling his name all over the city. But, that's not all he's done. He's been known to sneak his pieces into museums such as the Tate Modern, and the British Museum. And, one of his best pranks may be when he doctored about 500 copies of Paris Hilton's debut album and replaced them with his own version.

In my opinion, Banksy has redefined the way the world thinks about art merely by being a 'vandal', and to me, the pink car proves it. It is now protected in a plexiglass box, and when I saw it, I imagined what a bead-embroidered replica of the car would look like in a semi-beaded future. I'm certain that this car isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and neither is street art, whether authorities like it or not...