September 14, 2011 by
August 30, 2011 by
Tudor Ring
[sterling silver]
I’ve been watching The Tudors.
It’s a pretty good show and offers a fascinating look into history, a smattering of scandal and while I’ve been told I’m a rather naive person (blame it on the late blooming), it’s shocking to see that the dark portion of human nature is consistent over recorded history.
There have always been jealous people scrapping with virtuous people and foxy men and women fighting for power: good men and women, bad men and women, people selling sex for position and rank, heart breaking and mending and the handful who are able to think independently (even if it means martyrdom) taking stands for what is right and good. History repeats itself.
When is someone going to come up with something new!???
HA HA!
That said, my favorite thing about The Tudors is when I get a close up glimpse at a fabulous piece of jewelry strung around Anne Boleyn’s detestable little neck! Incredible!
Ornate.
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I was flipping through my jewelry box the other night and I found a vintage pearl and zircon brooch my mum gave me a couple of years ago. I was in the mood for something Tudor-ish out in the studio so I cast the face of the brooch in sterling and then made it into a ring. I’d hate to see it on a Boleyn finger, but it might look magnificent on you! It’s heavy and lightly burnished so it merrily shines.
Tudoriffic!
August 24, 2011 by
So every dayI was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth
of the ideas of God,
one of which was you.
[Mary Oliver]
[sterling & 23 karat gold]
I finally finished this little fellow today!
He’s been on my studio bench for weeks now.
This is really, really, just a dear little ring.
The ring band and bird were sculpted and cast separately — the ring band looks almost like a twig, it’s so magnificently irregular and textural. The bird is a fairly sweet and simple form, without being abstracted. Quite nice.
I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day.
It’s time for a lime popsicle break here
and then a long, long run with Farley up on the mountain
before I relax for the evening…I’m thinking
caprese salad, lemonade and a good book out on the front porch.
How about you?
August 15, 2011 by
[sterling, 23 karat gold & walrus tusk — cut and polished by me]
August 15, 2011 by
Small Bodies Ring
[A whole lot of sensual sterling, smooth and lightly burnished. Perfect for a woman who claims TOUCH as her primary love language.]
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It’s strange.
How I work best is strange.
When I set about making this ring, I didn’t think about the design, sketch ideas, or map out a plan.
I didn’t make a template of any sort for the face of this ring.
I didn’t take measurements.
I simply, and quite randomly, went about constructing.
I sat down at my bench,
reached for a sheet of sterling
and sawed into it
(I know that’s a crazy thing to do what with current metal prices, but sometimes I just can’t help myself).
I sawed an organic circle sort of shape.
I smoothed the edges and then raised the metal
before sinking it and putting everything together.
I didn’t particularly think about the process.
I was fully present for each step of the construction of this piece.
This is my favorite way to work.
I love feeling lost in the moment of my craft, swimmingly at sea with silver.
I prefer a natural dialogue between me and the medium.
I don’t like to pry. I like an easy flow.
The rapport is sweet.
The result is even sweeter.
There’s some language of balance, some understanding of metal that speaks louder than all,
some dialect of design that conquers my studio space,
and I’m just a mad hatter adrift on whimsy,
a white feather on the wind…
I work it until my eyes like it.
Simply put.
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It was a good day here.
This morning, I took a moment to lay my burdens down while sipping coffee on the big rock by the peach tree.
The result was a sort of purity and freedom in a creative space I have been avoiding.
In the blue light, in the youth of day, there’s so much grace,
I can’t help but pray.
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Over the weekend, I came across this wonderful quote.
Do these words resonate with you?
I design jewelry mostly for women. My motto is “from having to being.” Women today no longer want jewellery to show what they have, to show their status, but to show who they are, their essence.
[Jutta Munsteiner]
Do tell, what is your essence?
Mine is:
Wheat stalks, canola fields, alpine lake, geranium,
rainbow trout,
wild roses, delphiniums, ginger root, white, caribou tuft, sarsaparilla,
pick-up truck, quarter horse, silk,
antique camera, stained glass, leather bound, river water,
barefoot, goose down, pussy willow,
amethyst, snow,
skinny dipping, long sleeves, Chopin, blue grouse, spruce trees,
roasted beets, licorice, gosling, train tracks, aspen grove,
one room cabin, watercolor, VW bus, cowboy boots, rust…