Wednesday, December 12, 2007

sketches into bracelets





Pretty often when I have a technical problem with a sculptural piece its easiest to work things out on a flat scrap. In looking at some of the bracelets here, I realized that my sketch scraps would make into cuff bracelets! Then, of course, the bug bit me, and I had to make some experimental bracelets as well. *grin*

October


My favorite month, for the wind, which I love, and the colors of fall and fire. I am especially pleased with the improvement in my faces!

September


This was a long month for us - my daughter miscarried her first pregnancy and this piece is a reflection of our shared grief and also is Isis who wraps the sorrowing world in her wings of rainbow light and brings new life.

Monday, November 12, 2007

August!


Someplace between July and August I realized that I needed to be able to make my own faces for these. Typically I don't work with faces on my pieces ( prefer the abstract effect of facelessness), but part of the challenge here is to learn to work in a different voice.

Having looked up a lot of methods, I got some fimo and made molds of everything I could find that was near the right size. This gave me lots of face-shapes to work with - its fascinating to see how each tiny change shapes the expression and personality! The molded blanks are a quick way to start with everything in the right place, and its not as annoying when they get messed up, since I can just mush the clay back into the mold.

Now I look at people everywhere and eventually I'm afraid that someone will call the police to take away this crazy, staring lady! *giggle*

Also, its been pointed out to me that I should explain something about the journaling aspect of these as I go, so...

August is silver, for my 25th wedding anniversary, and midnight blue for the incredible southern California nights on the trip we took together to celebrate. We went to a computer-gaming convention, in a huge dark hall filled with techie-type light displays, so I gave her neon light-strips and rows of button-stars, 11 of them, for the date of our wedding. The dragonfly is my personal totem. Her expression is of peaceful zen-like internalization, partly to remind me how demanding it was to cope with the physical exertion of the convention and partly for the lovely sense of community and shared obsession among the gamers there.

July (at last)


Finally got the hang of the camera AND got the software to run.

Here's July - I found this wonderful raku face and it just said Pele to me...since volcanos are the world's fireworks, destruction and creation in one, Pele seems apropriate for July.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

and now...




for something completely different.

I made this Fay Cottage as a thank-you for one of my Mom's bee-buddies who sent me a length of fascinating fabric simply because I loved it.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

June


slowest poster evah!

I have made a promise to myself to post something every single week.

Let see if that helps *snicker*.

Anyhow, this is June's beady person. After a bunch of unsuccessful samples of more or less book-shaped pieces, it finally dawned on me that what I do is all sculptural. So my months will be this simplified goddess-shaped filled form. June, of course, is for the lush, fragrant, abundant garden of the world.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

oh dear


goodness, the posting part of this project is much harder than the beading part!

Let's start with a lil pic of something I designed a couple of years ago. This is an amulet purse in mixed bead construction styles. Fun to make and complicated enough to be interesting - I have taught it to a couple of local beaders and they have produced some really nice goddess bags. Its always fun to see what other people do with your design!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Is This Thing On?

Testing ... testing ... is this mic live??
Pictures tomorrow!