Have you ever thought about writing a story, telling a tale. Maybe a made up one, maybe a true one from life. Something that happened, or something that we wish had happened. This last week I bought a package of various widths and sizes of paint brushes at the supply store. They aren't fancy; really, they are meant for kids. I thought if I brought them home for myself, maybe they'd get me started painting again, journaling in a notebook or something similar.
The term "journaling" makes it seem more formal and technical than it should be. I want to mess with color on paper, and maybe on cloth, and make fun images. Not knowing ahead of time what they will be, just splashes of color that begin to tell some kind of fun or sad or silly story.
I was thinking about the idea of the blog. If you were to write a story in a blog, would you have to write it in reverse? Because when you read a blog, you see the most recent thing first, and then go back in time. Backwards reading. From the present to the past to the deep long ago time.
So if you wanted to write a story in a blog, would you have to put the ending, and then the chapter before the ending, and so on, until the last thing you wrote was the beginning? So that when it was read in the blog, it would read in the right order? For some reason I've been thinking about this for days, trying to figure out how you could put a storytelling adventure into a blog, and have it read in the correct sequence when you were done.
If I was clever, I'd try to figure out a story that could be read in any order, sort of like pulling playing cards out of a deck, and have it still make sense. But depending on the order you read the cards, the story might come out with a different ending.Or if the story's pages had holes for putting into a 3-ring binder, the story could be changed, rearranged and added to all the time. Sort of like life feels like, sometimes.
Maybe the problem is words. If the story was told in images, in pictures, would it matter the same way what order you looked at them? If I'm honest, does it really matter what order things appear in, as long as we truly see them, and make the images part of our story ... ?
I thought I'd feature again some of my LEGENDARY JEWELRYMAKER series from this timeframe a year or so ago, in case you might have missed them the first time.
Alexander Calder is probably best known for his large outdoor sculptural 'Stabiles' and his hanging 'Mobiles' - it's facinating to learn that he also made special jewelry using steel and wire.
There's a virtual tour of the standing Calder exhibit at the National Gallery of Art site, if you want to check it out, and here's an article with lots of fabulous photos of the jewelry. Keep in mind, he was working in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's, but the jewelry looks so contemporary and modern! (photo credit - Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida) The Miami Herald has a Gallery of the pieces on their site.
He made over 1800 pieces of jewelry, beginning in 1930, using only wire, string and what we now think of as found objects. NPR has photos of the pieces on their site, along with the Susan Stamberg story from this morning's radio show.
The pieces were on view at the Philadephia Museum of Art for the 110th anniversary of his birth, and New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Have you switched or enlarged your creative areas of expression? If so, when, how and why?
I mentioned a few days ago that I'm taking molds and casts off the beautiful antique buttons that Deryn Mentock sent me, to see if I can give them a second life.
These are the first few I've gotten finished.
The buttons themselves are a little worn, with some signs of age and having been in water. When I cast them in pewter, all their delicate details come back to life.
It's very exciting! I sent these to Deryn so she can see them, and figure out how she would like to use them.
They look like they might have been someone's speccial button collection, that were lost during the Galveston hurricane, and found their way to Deryn and now to me.
To give them another use, another possibility for ornamenting special things in the future.
At first I thought it had an art nouveau look, but with the dark coppery-bronze patina it started to hve a southwestern look to it, like a New Mexico square cross, with the round sun in the front. Do you see it?
So I'll keep playing with these designs, enjoying the feeling of restoring them to be loved and used again, in a new and different way.
Last weekend I spent time just letting my fingers make whatever they wanted. Not especially planned, just spur of the moment.
Sometimes I have a specific idea in mind. And other times I just let things go, and wait to see with some surprise what comes. This focal bead, with its partial initial and wire work, reminds me of the kinds of advertising plaques you used to see in old general stores.
For some kind of liquor, or maybe patent medicine.
I'm not sure exactly what it is myself, I guess you can help me write its story.
This focal has an oriental feeling to me, with the round bezel and the peaceful moon face inside.
It's hand polished and buffed to a very worn and natural sheen.
And this one has a french feeling with the ornate decorative fleur de lys pattern on it, in a walnut brown warm tone, with fancy wire scrollwork.
Like something on a garden gate in the deep south, in Louisiana.
Seeing what comes out of working for a couple of days is just as surprising to me as anyone!
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Hey, I've been putting some special things on SALE in the Etsy shop - they're going kind of quickly so if you've had your eye on something pop over, it might be a great deal!
Here's some news about what's going on with me, I'm excited about some new adventures.
My article in Belle Armoire Jewelry for the Summer issue is coming out soon, the article is about faux amber resin.
I just sent out a packet to apply to teach at a fun place, I'll share more details once I find out if my proposal has been accepted. Hard to wait!
I made this focal component to look like one of the old-timey shoe buckles, or a lady's delicate belt buckle. Do you remember those? I used to have one that looked like carved ivory or bone, but sometime in the past I lost track of it. Maybe I'll make a reproduction of that one. This one is in pewter with a coppery-bronze finish.
It looks very old, worn and has a great patina.
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Do you ever get frustrated with custom order requests? I have recently had a situation come up where I was trying to do something nice for someone, and now that person is unhappy with the outcome. I try my best to treat folks the way I want to be treated, that's my standard for how I should act.
I've gotten to the place where I am reluctant to take custom orders. It's so hurtful when they don't work out. Don't get me wrong, when it works out well people are so happy and have such nice communications. You'd think that would make more of a difference, wouldn't you?
Why is it that the bad communications stick out so much more, why wouldn't the nice communciations, the happy words, be the ones that get the most notice? The unhappy person with their CAPS LOCK on when they email does seem to be the one that gets the most focus, somehow.
If you have any words of wisdom I wish you'd share them. It's a real downer to try so very hard to put a smile on someone's face, just to have it turn out to be impossible to do.
If I've ever put a smile on your face, I would sure enjoy thinking that I made a difference for you ...
Thank you in advance for your support as I weather this thunderstorm of personal attack.
This time it isn't caused by watching a movie, or reading a book.
I don't really know where this idea came from.
I was working on creating the bezel, an oval shape that I can use with resin or polymer clay, to make something that looks very antique.
I was also working on the charm that has the swirls and roaring dragons. And at some point, I put the charm on top of the bezel.
It fit perfectly. I didn't plan this, but as soon as I did it I wanted to put the two of them together.
I started thinking about how special and precious looking glasses were in ancient times. It made me wonder about putting a mirror inside the bezel, and adding a hinge with the lid, so it could slide aside and let the mirror be seen.
Like in a medieval castle. A young princess looks at herself in her special looking glass, encased in a protected guard, to wear around her neck on a long chain.
Fanciful, huh. Makes me wonder what brought all this to mind ... who knows?
Sometimes I make things and think they are really cool and love them, and they don't find a home right away.
I'm really hoping that someone falls in love with this pendant like I did, so I know I'm not being totally silly in creating it and the story I made up for it.
Just somewhat silly. Fanciful, maybe.
It's in the Etsy shop, if you're the one who falls in love with it. Hurry ...
I thought I'd return to the experience I had at Artfest, now almost four weeks ago, and talk about another wonderful class I took there, showing some pictures of the finished piece. I really love how it turned out!
Richard Salley taught a class on my first day of classes to create an etched copper faux bone letter opener.
Here are some photos I took in class of his pieces, he had them available for inspiration. And the class example he made was really beautiful, too. He has a very distinctive and recognizeable style, and everything he makes has a finished and grounded look to it, which is part of the reason I wanted to take the classes with him.
They look very organic and have a weight and color that marks them as uniquely his own.
He's a great teacher, really knowledgeable and grounded, the pace of the class was just right and covered all the high points, while allowing some freedom to make the piece individual.
This is my letter opener, I wanted to make my blade look more like horn or antler than like a bone blade. And Richard had some examples of what real horn looked like, to help me reach for that look. I was very happy at the fit between the two pieces, they slide together easily and come apart with little pressure, but hold together tightly. Nice!
The design pattern etched into the copper is from one of my very favorite rubber stamps, it has lettering and intricate detail. I was happy that I didn't lose any of the detail. I used texturing hammers to create the rough patterns in the end pieces. The whole thing is darkened with liver of sulphur to make the pattern show up, and give a time worn patina to the piece.
I wanted the letter opener to look like something very ancient, as if it was discovered in a dig at the site of an ancient monastery or castle site.
I have some ideas on using the copper etched pieces to create some more things, without the faux bone.
I bought some ferric chloride etchant, I usually use a stronger etchant but decided I'd get some of the FC Etchant to play with also. When I get some time I will be doing more etching in copper, I love the look and color of the copper combined with the pewter pieces.
Later, I'll take some photos to share here with the piece I created in the other class I took with Richard, so you can see how it turned out.
It's raining here, chilly and windy. I keep an eye on the weather while working in the studio this morning, it's a gray and blustery kind of spring day. The darkened sky seems to enhance the brilliance of the ornamental pear blossoms and red buds blazing in the yard.
I slept in this morning, it is rainy and cool, good sleeping weather.
And I stayed up past midnight last night watching a period piece show on Masterpiece Classics, and I know the look and feel of the jewelry and buttons on the costumes is seeping into my unconscious - Can't wait to see what comes out ...
I finally got some little houses in polymer clay finished and posted to Etsy, and I really like them.
They're already gone out of the Etsy shop, though. That's exciting. I guess it means I should make more.
I do have a couple more almost done.
I love how the colors are coming out right now, very subtle and shaded.
Sometimes I have days with a paint brush when everything comes out muddy and I can't mix colors worth anything to look at.
And other days, the paint just wants to go together, it comes up so pretty, coming up with colors and blends I would never have done on purpose.
When I'm having one of those days, I try to do a lot of painting.
On the muddy paint days, I do something else, like antiquing and patina applying - that needs a muddy hand sometimes.
I like the little houses. I will find some time to create some more, really soon. And hope for a cooperative paint day right after that.
I got an invitation to go to Cindy J's house for a play day for a couple of hours today. She's signed up for a class in June with Richard Salley, the locket class that I didn't take at Artfest, so we were playing with iron wire and fold forming copper.
Well, I was playing with iron wire, Cindy was playing with fold forming copper. She knows how to do lots of things, I love going over and playing at her house.
Her workroom is right in the front of the house, well-lit and very cleverly decorated. She has beads hanging in many clever ways, all around the room. It's a bead extravaganza!
And she has colorful fun things to look at, it's a visual feast!
Her friends Joan and Gail came over too.
We don't always have a plan for things when there's a play day. Sometimes I just bring something I'm working on already. But Cindy does have lots of articles and photos, to get the ball rolling.
This is a picture on Cindy's wall, I love the way it looks.
It has beads and wood measuring ruler in the design.
There are giant fused glass monkeys hanging from the chandelier. Beauties, and very fun! I wish I had colorful glass monkeys hanging from MY chandelier...
We all bring our favorite tools, and Cindy has lots to share also.
I took my Artfest things to show them, and we talked about torches a while, Cindy knows a lot about torches.
One of these days we're going to have the play day at my studio. I'm cleaning it all up, tomorrow I'll post some photos of it while it's clean because it may not last long that way. 
I'm very messy as a rule. I finish working with something and I don't always put it away. I'm going to try to be better about that.
At least I finally got all my Artfest packing and tools put away again.
In a cleaner studio!
I had a productive weekend, I got some things shipped and some new things made.
When I get the chance to pour some resin, when the weather cooperates, it's almost like I get charged up with new ideas.
I created another of the pendant focals with the word "FAIRYTALE" inside, and with a small feminine bow tied on the bottom, like a little girl's fairy story dream.
And some fused glass in a pewter setting that reminds me of a lady's antique watch casing.
The glass changes color from a dark green to a dark violet, depending on how you hold it. I do love how the fused glass faux gemstones shine things up.
I made some more pewter pieces and added it all to the Etsy shop. It reminds me of a treasure trove you might find in an estate sale, or in a flea market, a little pile of goodies.
I made a faux cameo on a pewter setting. I need to fuse some more glass, and cast some pewter. And I'm working on a special project that may be for an article, got to set aside some time to work on that. Maybe I'll give a sneak peek before I send it off, the deadline is April 15.
My back is doing better, thanks for all the good suggestions.
I'm reading a series of mystery books by the gent who wrote the Father Dowling series, I may read those also, these are set on the campus of Notre Dame University. There's a lot of history, some great vocabulary expanding words, and good characters showing lots of human nature.
Maybe that's influencing me, reading these books, or maybe it's the time of year with Easter coming right up.
But lately, here are the icons that are popping out of my head and into my fingertips, things that look very ancient and spiritual.
One with the word "PEACE" and a very old fashioned spiritual iconic image in the resin, set in the pewter frame.
And another in an ornate, winged frame with the word "SANCTUARY" in it.
They're translucent, the light shines through when you hold them up to a lamp or window.
It reminds me of the old fashioned stained glass you see, with the hand painted images on the glass.
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If you posted to the "Waiting for Something" post, and then wondered why you were posting and what you were waiting for ... if you posted there you will get 10% off any purchase in either Etsy shop in the month of March, and FREE SHIPPING.
Now you know what you were waiting for! and thanks for playing along, it's fun sometimes to link the blog and Etsy, just to see what will happen.
