Dreams Become Reality

I'm always designing in my head.  No matter how busy I am, my thoughts inevitably turn to some sort of creative endeavor.  Sometimes being too busy to actually sit down and create can be a good thing.  This pendant, "Arbor Boy" is a good example.  I'd been imagining this pendant for weeks, going over every detail in my mind, but had no time to actually work on it until yesterday.  When I finally sat down to make it, the design flowed like water!

I created him from a tiny antique porcelain doll head set on an etched/heat treated copper "stage".  A hand made tree grows from his head, and below an antique sterling silver fork acts as roots, holding a French blown glass level.  Copper, brass and pewter gears accent. 

Arbor Boy represents my belief that we must think and live  "green" to restore balance to our planet.

So, don't be too impatient to create your next big idea/design.  Let it live and grow in your imagination for a bit, and the final result may be all the better for it.

New Stuff and a Book Shout-Out

So, I've been working on a new line of neclaces featuring pendants created using vintage photographs, optic lenses and brass gears.  I really love old photos, and mixing ecclectic elements with the designs.  I am lucky to have a huge antique/flea market right near me, with monthly shows.  I have been finding some really cool photos, tin types and old ads that are great for pendants.  Most are from the mid to late 1800s.  I especially like old tin types for thier creepy yet beautiful poses.  So, here's a slide show of some of the new stuff, all available at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery in Lake Worth.

Next, I want to give a shout-out to jewelry designer and author Kim St. Jean.  Her new book, Mixed Metal Mania, is fantastic and a must for all jewelry mixed metal enthusiasts.  Great photos, projects and tips, including a list of ways to easily color metals like brass and copper with home made patinas.  I've really enjoyed the jewelry projects, and have further educated myself with her soldering, folding, and metal work techniques.  THANKS KIM!!!  Oh, and Kim, hurry up and get a website, okay?  We want to see more of your work!!!



Altered Inspiration

I posted the other day about altered art and how it inspires me.  I've been spending some time drooling over some really great artwork, Keith E. Lo Bue of Australia (I already posted about him...) and another wonder-jeweler, Kristin Diener.  Check out her website and be prepared to pick your jaw up off the ground!  Kristin creates stunning assemblage jewelry on a grand scale, and that is putting it mildly.  I especially like her use of vintage and antique eyeglass lenses, still in frame, as cabochons.  What a GREAT idea.  This mixed media, altered art movement is really....well...moving!

At the same time, I am also creating my own series of altered works, inspired by these and other artists, for an upcomming show I will be in called "Theatre of the Absurd - Beauty in Uncommon Forms".  This show is all about mixed media, unusual art.  I'm having a blast.  I have always incorporated found objects such as bone, feathers and fur into my designs, but after seeing what some of these phenomenal artists are up to, I am looking at things entirely differently.  I consider these new "explorations" absolutely infantile--first attempts--but I do enjoy the results so far.  I've included photos here of two new designs.  One is a tiny masonite box shrine called "Southern Girl".  I used a vintage photo, tiny air bromeliads from my back yard, a sea urchin and various gems and charms to create the main "soul" of the piece.  I used an antique porcelain doll body--head above, body below, to finish and give 3-D "body" dimension to the woman pictured.  The piece is about 6 inches tall.  I plan a series of these...I'll post more pics as I go. 

Next is a pretty elaborate piece for me, inspired by Lo Bue, called "When the Baby Comes".  I began with two tiny lidded tins--one an inch round, one a little over an inch rectangle.  I used the tins lids and bottoms as separate items, separate bezels if you will.  In the central round, deep bezel are layers of images and objects including vintage photographs, text transparencies, mica, porcupine quills, watch parts, and paper text.  Below, the rectangular box holds a aged bronze baby, door image, mica, watch parts and leather.   The rest of the necklace is made from the tin lids, which I filled with images and objects front and back--the entire necklace is totally reversable.  I used a key as a link and a tiny key as accent.  The result is pretty damned cool if I say so myself and fun to wear because most of the elements spin individually and are double-sided so you can wear this multiple ways.

I think I am attracted to art like this because most pieces tell a rather detailed story, and I love a good story.  I like jewelry that has meaning as well as beauty.  So, here I go, off on another new artistic journey.  Wish me well on my travels!

New Work...

I've been busy lately working on new designs. I was part of a great art show last week for the conservation organization I work for, the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation. We hold a nature-inspired art show every year. This was the fourth year for the show, and we get better each time! Great artists, lovely venue (a private studio behind a friend's house). We had a ball and shared some wonderful art. The images below are of a few of my new designs created for the show. More to come!

Also, I had the wonderful good fortune to meet Bernie Berlin yesterday while updating my gallery display at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery in Lake Worth. Bernie is a fantastic mixed media artist--get to Amazon to purchase her book, "Artist Trading Card Workshop". Totally cool. Her eye for color and design is FANTASTIC. Bernie raises money through her art to support the rescue and placement of unwanted dogs and cats. Visit her at A Place To Bark, her animal rescue organization. So nice to run into her...you never know who you're going to meet on any given day. Art is such a unifying force and the force was definately with me yesterday!

More Experimenting...

Another package arrived from Objects and Elements...so love getting those! Their new line of handmade brass charms are so cool. Very ancient in appearance, so many to choose from! Can't wait to begin working with them. I did immediately pounce on the faux bone I ordered. In case you haven't heard, this stuff is really fun to work with. It's basically PVC in sheet form. You can cut, saw, heat, bend, scratch, and carve with ease. Age it with anything from shoe polish to glaze, buff it up, and you have the look of ancient bone. Robert Dancik is the genius behind this, and he is aslo a fantastic jewelry designer. Take a peek at his site and get inspired...Don't miss his tutorial on YouTube!

So, here are two new designs using some of the great stuff from O and E. The bracelet is made from a 7-inch brass bangle topped with layers of brass, faux bone, copper, sterling silver and a Michigan beach stone. I textured and aged/patina'd all the metals myself. This piece is cold-connected--held together with brass screws and nuts. The ring is a layered design using sterling silver that I impressed with a woodgrain pattern then colored with patina to bring out the design, topped with sterling silver, a text transparancey sheet, a cup of plexiglass, a copper washer, a brass bezel and sterling silver bead (again, held together with a brass screw and nut). Love them!

More to come soon....