inspired by gauguin

'i shut my eyes in order to see.' 

~ paul gauguin

while doing some fold forming in copper this month i was inspired by the art bead scene monthly challenge... an art history major and lover of art, i am drawn to gauguin for many reasons... the softly folded and richly colored copper made me think of his women with their arms and legs folded up upon themselves... by keeping the sheet un-domed, the flatness of form is repeated... patina was added to evoke the sense of being near to water... and the brighter blues and pale greens are accents that seemed necessary to attain a tropical palette... while i am not sure if the copper pieces count as art beads, i am happy for the opportunity to have seen the softness of metal in relation to the female form... 

these earrings are being offered as the monday giveaway on love my art jewelry... you can follow this link to find out how they can be yours... 

these things are fun and fun is good - and so is making the deadline

erin at treasures found chose dr. seuss for her march challenge... in my last post i discussed my planning stages a bit... and as the project grew in complexity, it also grew more daunting... i get nervous and excited... and nervous... until finally last friday i just had to start... where? at the beginning... how did i pick? resin has the longest prep and set up for me, it also would create the whole structure of the story... so i started there... 

and i ended here tonight - you can ask my kids how much they have seen me since then... ok, they have seen me, i am home... but my daughter let me know my hair looked like it could be washed... thanks em!! and they heaved a collective sigh of relief when the hammer was put down... i flattened and textured practically ever piece of wire i used... 

one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish... books by dr. seuss have been some of my children's and my favorites... and this book in particular could at one time be recited by me in the car or on walks from memory... one of the things i love so much about theodor geisel is how he makes so much happen with self-imposed limitations... a set number of words used to create wonder-filled, memorable rhyme... a limited palette of 7 colors - white, black, 2 shades of yellow, 2 shades of aqua/teal, red, pink & green (which appears only on the cover) - used to create images carried in our minds for a lifetime... line drawing with so much movement and whimsy... 

the challenge for me was to create this style of necklace (inspired by the incredibly talented susan lenart kazmer) and honor his sensibility simultaneously... 

i ordered a used book off of ebay so that i knew that the pages would have been touched - turned over and over again... and wouldn't you know the little boy wrote his name in it? and his name is alex? 

i love the sound it makes... and for having at least 2 dangles per loop, it is pretty lightweight as well due to the use of resin... i did use 3 metals - sterling, annealed steel wire and nickel... the fabulously patinated star in the focal comes from shannon at missficklemedia and the colorful ceramic beads from keith o'connor... the fiber links not only tie in the main teal color to that piece on the focal, but also made me think of the worn corners on a well-read hardcover book... 

left side

right side

chain

i wonder what april will bring?!

sooo inspired by ~

'almond blossoms'

'paintings have a life of their own

 that derives from the painter's soul.'

~ vincent van gogh

van gogh... there is something about his work that makes me feel many things all at once... his hand and self are just so very present...


this painting was selected for the march abs challenge... (ok, so is it just the artsy ones that don't think abdominals first when we see abs?!)

these are my tribute to his work... wanting to keep things simple, i chose to make twig earrings... allowing me to highlight the use of interweaving line, strong outlines, tiny groups of flowers... i chose fibers for movement and texture (and because i love them)...they are actually more deeply colored...  emeralds were selected because of the deep green in the painting but also for their healing properties... they are known to be emotional healers... 

van gogh certainly fits into my exploration of fragile strength... 

'i wish they would only take me as i am.'

'i put my heart and my soul into my work, 

and have lost my mind in the process.'

having a knowledge of inner stillness is so important to me... it can seem fleeting and fragile... easily disrupted... yet i know it is a place to which i can return... these resin earrings carry the message in such a way... almost hidden, but always there...