Venus- October 2026

"Finally Frida Kahlo!!!

Self-Portrait 'Wearing a Velvet Dress' has always been one of my favorite pieces from La Frida. It is one of her early works, painted in 1926 while she was still recovering from the terrible bus accident that left her bedridden for months and affected her for the remainder of her life. 

She was so young when she painted this (1926 when she was just 19 years old), and yet the portrait feels incredibly assured. I love the elegance of the velvet dress, the long graceful neck, the directness of her gaze and the almost old-world feeling of the whole painting. It feels very different from some of the later Frida images we all know so well, and maybe that is part of why I find it so interesting. There is a softness and romance to it, but also that unmistakable Frida Kahlo intensity already beginning to show."- Kate

Janice put this lovely mix together using just Size 8-C Miyuki Seed Beads.  The sparkle and cut of these beads are a perfect moody mix for October.

The dark red velvet dress, elaborate gold and black trim, elongated neck, and swirling dark blue sea are all distinctive features of this work, which was influenced by the paintings of Botticelli and Modigliani.

The sea in the background was described by Frida as a symbol of life. She painted the portrait for her then-boyfriend Alejandro Gómez Arias after they had parted ways. She hoped to emchant him with this portrait and win him back.

Mix sold in long tube of 20-22 grams/approximately 300 beads.