Stretching the Pod Form

Yesterday’s pods were primarily of the plumper variety, so today I thought we’d look at a beautiful example of a thinner, longer version.

I find these caned and charred looking beads by Keryn Wells to have a rich, almost tribal feel to them. I enjoy how the patterning is worked fluidly into the black spaces, aided by the way the shapes in the cane mimic the form of the elongated pods themselves.

Although I get more of a sense of wood from the coloring and treatment, it is one good example of a fairly familiar pod shape, at least here in the US–that of the string bean. I don’t think many of us think of beans as pods but, of course, that is exactly what they are. And they can have such a lovely, graceful shape and line to them. Yes, I have been quite often inspired by my dinner plate. Sometimes I get lost in my Brussels sprouts or become almost too enamored of my kiwi slices to eat them. (I said almost!) Food is certainly great inspiration.