Detritus

September 26, 2010 by
Things of dreams.  Things of the real and now.
A new necklace constructed with the things I’ve seen on the forest floor lately and the things the forest floor made me dream.  This necklace features three enameled components, fired right here in my studio kiln, neon green lichen set in resin (collected in the North Cascades mountain range of Washington) and a hollow form setting that holds up the main enameled setting.  My standard chain with a hand fabricated toggle closure seals the deal.  It’s kind of wild, urchiny and of sea-ish soul…but it was born right here in Idaho.
One of a kind!
Filed Under: enamel, New Jewelry

Old Dog New Trick

September 25, 2010 by
Actually, Sequoia’s Fleet Farley is only five years old…but this is a new trick.
Bow wow!
Filed Under: farley and penelope, german shorthair pointer

Ode to the Side Braid

September 25, 2010 by

Side braid, I love to commit my tresses to thee on the mornings after I went to sleep with sopping wet hair and it doesn’t really look very well at all done up in anything else but you.  You are the only thing that can tame this wild and beastly forelock.
I love to rat you out, pull out lose strands, and basically make you look as feral as possible.
Because I’m a wild woman.  And don’t you forget it.
I like it when I bend over to pick something up and you fall over my shoulder. I like that a lot. It makes my hair feel long and heavenly and like I should be riding a beautiful, white horse, while wearing nothing but you, sweet, darling Godiva-ian Side Braid.
Side braid, there are times when I look in the mirror and find that I resemble a Mennonite woman but I don’t care. I really don’t care. If I wear a splash of chartreuse or a skirt that comes up above my knees, the Mennonite look is neutralized and I look all fresh and fizzy instead. 
Best of all, Side Braid, I like it when RW comes along and tugs on you and then wraps his arms around me and kisses me, like a brute, full on the lips. You’re like a fishing lure to that man. And for that I am thankful.  You hook him and I’ll reel him in.
Side Braid, you don’t take much effort, in fact, you are effortless.  When I am with you I want to put on high heels and howl at the moon.  Nothing makes me feel like you make me feel.  Come by tomorrow again.  Please?  I think I love you.
xx,
The Noisy Plume
Filed Under: hair

Bloomin’ Heart

September 23, 2010 by
Well, I finished this darling little jackrabbit a few minutes ago.  Look at his bloomin’ heart!  Two carved coral roses in red and pink.  So delicate.  So fine.  We should all be so lucky to carry such beauty and growth and life in our hearts!

He perches atop a sterling hollow form platform and rolls a pearl around beneath his front feet.  He loves autumn and has been leaping through a beautiful pile of freshly fallen leaves, kicking up his heels, flicking his long ears and all that other rabbit stuff.
100% handcrafted by me!
And built with so much love.
This fellow is darn tootin’ special.
In other news, today, whilst deep conditioning in the shower, one of the orchids I keep in the bath dropped this leaf down into the tub.  KERPLUNK.  Look at those blending hues of green and red.  So gorgeous!  I’ve been carrying this leaf around in my back pocket all day long.  RW keeps grabbing it and pretending he’s going to throw it out and then I shriek and he gives it back and I tell him to kiss me.  
He’s such a brute!

Next time I enamel.  I’m going to recreate this leaf and these colors.  
And if at first I fail, I’m going to try try again
until I get it perfect.

Today everything is filled with so much life submitting to the seasons, changing colors, fading away…  I’m paying attention.  All of this shining world, flame throwing and night cool whispers is bound to give way to the stark hush of winter, soon enough.  If I keep my eyes and heart wide open every moment between now and then, surely I’ll coast on these colors and textures all the way to spring.

And you.  How does your heart bloom?  Bloomin’ hearts, each one of you…

xx
Plume
Filed Under: autumn, enamel, New Jewelry

Late To Bed Late To Rise

September 22, 2010 by
I had a rather interrupted studio day yesterday, for various reasons, and by the time 8PM rolled around I had all my metal prepared for firing but I hadn’t fired any of it.  I hopped back in the studio and started sifting and firing feathers and some other bits and pieces.  It was then that I realized I wanted to make something akin to a sea urchin skeleton so I stopped what I was doing (I’m very easily distracted by new ideas, it’s an issue, but I’m often afraid that if I don’t follow a rabbit trail I’ll forget about it and miss out on something lovely and perhaps brilliant…but I shouldn’t be so frightened.  These ideas live in my mind and they can’t ever truly be lost.) and I set out on a new project.  

I hand sawed these guys, forged them, shaped them, cleaned them, sifted opaque white enamel on them and fired them, then fired them again, then over fired them a bit so the enamel would slip off the repousse patterns and off the lip of the hole at the tops of the domes (I’m persnickity that way….).  They looked promising, hot out of the kiln, but when they cooled I felt like they were missing a bit of zip.  They were beautiful but not extraordinary.

So I returned to my enameling bench and decided to sift transparent enamels over the white enamel already in place.  I re-fired these pieces with their second enamel layers, fired them again, and then fired them once more to get the exact colors I wanted and the result is a bit stupefying.

I think they look like the skins of cosmic little fruits picked from the fecund lunar dust on a moon in orbit around Jupiter.  But that’s just me.  I reckon they also look a bit like sea urchin skeletons.  I’ve found a few of those in my lifetime.  They’re one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever found on a beach.  I’m always amazed and entranced by them.  Entirely.

When all was said and done, I came in from the studio at 2AM and crawled into bed with RW after a quick shower.  This morning, I woke up and I felt very small and pretty.  I also woke up to find all of my clothing dirty (No socks!) so I’m dealing in domestic arts for the time being and once the laundry is hanging to dry I’m going to go out and put some pieces together.  

Can you believe it’s already Wednesday?
Time has wings.
But so do I.

xx 
Plume


:::Confession:::
When I realized I was out of clean clothing, I actually went out, got a cup of coffee and then went to TJMaxx and bought a clean shirt.  It has buttons and polkadots AND pintucks.  Oh my gosh.  Ridiculous.  I can’t believe I’m confessing to such a thing…don’t tell RW…
Filed Under: enamel
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