mairedodd: ice resin blog hop

22 April 2010

happy earth day!

'i only went out for a walk

and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out, i found,

was really going in.'

~ john muir

earth day earrings are created of sterling hoops, resin paddles and soft blue/green fibers... the sterling has been fused to represent the bond that exists between all living things... the paddles have paper from an old shakespeare text - the words 'flowers', 'tree' and 'earth' can be seen on them...

check out google's picture for today on their web search page... for the second year in a row, disney is releasing a special film in honor of earth day... 'oceans' looks breathtaking... and 'avatar' is being released on dvd... not that commercialism has anything to do with earth day, i'm just saying ...

'if we don't change, we don't grow.

if we don't grow we are not really living.'

~ gail sheehy

'living life to the fullest' were created in mixed metals - annealed steel wire shaped into paddles for resin paper depicting sections of butterfly wings from a vintage dictionary... encouraging you to take flight... etched nickel with the words 'to live is to grow', subtly highlighted with color and sealed... sterling silver ear wires and wire wrapped blue quartz stones... to release fear and increase courage... soft grey green fibers...

'we have to do the best we can.

it is our sacred human responsibility.'

~ albert einstein

'on being human' - the words 'being' and 'human' are again chosen from an antique dictionary and intended to be read as such - not as 'human being'... for in being human we try at the risk of making mistakes, but with the guarantee of becoming more... ametrine chosen for its dual properties - it is a combination of citrine and amethyst and as such is believed to dispel negativity and open one up to fill the void with light...

thank you for all of the very kind comments you left on my last post... it was so nice to be able to share and celebrate with you!

15 February 2010

ice resin blog hop

in the depth of my soul there is a wordless song.'

~ kahlil gibran

but i often try to put words to it...

'what lies behind us and what lies ahead of us

are tiny matters compared to

what lives within us.'

~ henry david thoreau

i loved how the bezel turned out when i made it in december - the fabric set into ice resin had a quality of looking deep into an opal... but i couldn't completely hear the song - until this week... having made some resin paper, i cut a piece out and riveted it to the bottom... then integrated some paddles i had made into the design... on them, i had adhered paper with the words 'truth' and 'to self'... the fabric intentionally breaks the surface of the resin which has been roughed up in places - reminding us that we often barely scratch the surface of what is within us... this necklace is meant to be worn almost as a talisman - to help protect and guide...

'a grown up is a child with layers on.'

~ woody harrelson

'peeling away layers' were created with mica, ice resin paper, and nickel sheet...

'on a search & rescue mission' - resin paper made to look worn...

'for my lost self' ... these earrings are about the return to authenticity... how over time, we build up layers that can remove us from who we truly are... they are also an exercise in contradictions - refined vs. distressed, fragile vs. strong... each one of us is all of these things... underneath the layers we have built up and despite how fragile we may feel, we are strong... no matter how much we have been through, we are beautiful... we get tied up into a package of functioning that does not always reflect our Selves... ametrine is used for its healing properties - but specifically the fact that it is amethyst and citrine - a combination itself - that allows one to visualize and then to act...

ice resin was created by susan lenart kazmer, a mixed media artist of international renown... she is an incredible inspiration and i have been known to fall asleep with my copy of 'making connections' on my stomach! i purchase this resin at objects & elements and frankly, it is the only kind i have tried or will use... it is just too wonderful... even my first experiment with resin turned out perfectly... so far i have used it in bezels, in wire framed paddles and on paper... what i love about this medium is the depth it adds to my work and the freedom it gives me...