02 November 2009

did anyone else ~

get up too early this morning? argh! my son and i got up, started the a.m. ritual and then i realized that it was only 5:14!  i leave some clocks set to the old time for a bit, to remind me that when people start acting cranky it may be because their stomachs don't know we chose to change our clocks & they are hungry, or tired, etc... 

'i am always doing that which i cannot do,
in order that i may learn how to do it.'
~ pablo picasso
a big thanks to heather at humblebeads for firing up a lot of imaginations with her 5 challenges... i have now completed four of them and the fifth is firming up in my head... 


'fun with focals' day 4 - assignment - chain up your focal... 
i was feeling like constructing... started thinking of calder mobiles... 

einstein's ideas about relativity came to mind as i worked ~ beginning with 14 ga. copper wire seemed substantial, but then the wire wrapping, chain, and additions of dangles made the focal feel like a miniature ... pond leaf was created by mellisa at chinook jewelry design... the sterling flower tag from cathy dailey... and the copper peace tag was made by cindy at cindy's art & soul... then the piece tinkled as i worked on it, so i thought of wind chimes too... 

'pacifistic calder chime'
'fun with focals' day 2 - assignment - to use ribbon, thread or leather as a bail...
last weekend there was an open studio tour among a good number of ceramic artists... it was wonderful - complete with discounts, giveaways, peaks inside the studios ... i was a giveaway winner at pam's indian creek studios and received some wonderful pieces... when i saw the hand charm i knew it was the focal for this challenge... the perfect oxymoron - hard stoneware, and a glaze that makes it appear so very soft... and, afterall, it did raise its hand to ask, ever so politely!

the hand, to me, harkened back to ancient times... something that could be unearthed in a cave where the floor was covered with the debris of ages - leaves, twigs, stones... and so i used wool yarn, cotton yarn and embroidery floss together, pulled it through the pendant and then wrapped it around a copper bar... over that i used brass wire to wrap on stone, semi-precious stones, a twig, clay beads from kristie at artisan clay... i thought of the copper age... wo/man using simple tools of stone or copper... so i hammered out a couple of long copper links as well... also including some leather and spiral forms which are ancient symbols...

and now, some mom guilt... for the first time, my middle child decided to go out with his friends for halloween... our family loves this holiday so he had a hard time, but it was nice for him... so i didn't get a picture of him on my camera because he cut out while i was finishing up on the other kids...
the zombie

and a battling gladiator

used all of the tips and observations i picked up at the zombie walk!
and for those who may have been wondering - zombies do like candy after dragging around the neighborhood!

have a creative day! and check your clocks - all of them! (even the ones that have the signal image that tell you they are correcting from the keeper of the 'real' time!)


9 comments:

  1. WOW! The make-up is awesome!! NO mom guilt allowed! The zombie and the gladiator are looking fierce! Oh, and no Ma'am! I would never ever, EVER be accused of waking up too early. I'm just not cut from that cloth...haha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. More wonderful pieces of jewelry!!! You always come up with such detail and unique designs. I love your rustic style. And congrats on winning one of the give aways!!
    Cindy
    www.sweetbeadstudio.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVE your little mobile! and LOVE the zombie contact lenses! I'd love to wear those to work--bet I'd have lots of ME time. So did you do fused balls on the copper wire, and then hammer them? How did you do that?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great copper design, and yes totally screwed up from the time change, could they please just leave the clock alone so our bio rhythms know which way is up ? light and love Laura

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such great earthy style in both these pieces. Love the chime idea!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ohhhh! Ahhhh! Love the Calder inspiration! He's a favorite of ours and our son's namesake!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Maire: Really love the jewelry. Great use of the soft fiber with the soft hand pendant on "Relic of the Copper Age." Beautiful work. How did Em get her eyes that way?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the hand necklace, very inviting and comforting. The Calder homage is unique, I'd love to hear the chime!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Really love the mobile!
    I would LOVE to send you a postcard for my show! Send me your address. :) littlecledus@yahoo.com

    HOpe your week is going well. xo

    ReplyDelete

your thoughts and time are respected - thank you... responses back to you will arrive privately.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...