Nigel: The heat seeker

Not much to say here. Valentine's Day morning, this is what Nigel was up to. Note the proxymity of the mini-heater.

Having a blast

I am having a blast making jewelry with some of my new gemstones from the big gem show in Tuscon. This is my latest creation, a pendant with green crazy lace agate, glass beads and copper wire.

A thoughtful approach to color in design

Halley's Comet Nikki of Etsy store Enwraptured is the creator of all of these beautiful pieces. I discovered her shop about a year ago and have enjoyed the uniqueness of her designs. I have purchased a piece from her, and it was outstanding. Not a detail left unconsidered. I recently asked her to speak about color and what inspires her choice of materials and combinations of color. Here she shares her artistic insight, and leaves us with perhaps some new things to consider in our own color process. Bloom "As a lover of art in all its forms, I am always inspired by artists both daring and bold, nature itself, and the organization of color hues in the color wheel. Instead of asking myself which colors "match", in an obvious context (ie. red and pink), I ask which colors compliment one another in the greater scheme of the design. The colors which occur intrinsically in the sea, the neighborhood park, my own living room, therefore immediately denotes a natural progression of color combinations when I consider design elements."
White Cloud Monastery "An article on supernovas, for instance, with stunningly effective photographs, inspired my piece "Halley's Comet", incororating an orange and blue combination which, though not an exact interpretation, feels natural. Instead of seeing the tan of desert sand, consider the burnt umber of its horizon and the pale apricot of the sky at dusk, the mustard of distant dunes and the gray of their shadows. Generally speaking, yellow, pink, brown and gray are not obvio!" Garnet In Smoke "Unsusal color combination choices, but when you consider the context, they work beautifully together. In the end, however, it's a matter of perspective and personal interpretation. I believe a true appreciation of art, in a classical sense, will help develop the palette of an artist in any genre, and therefore, stretch myself to research and read and experience nature and life in more than an observatonal way. It's important to live the colors around you." In the Foam

Blushing Bride

In honor of Valentine's Day, and all the folks out there blessed with love, I bring you my newest creation Blushing Bride. Single or married, remember to always give love to the people in your life. It is free, and it is a beautiful thing.

Love is in the air

Super serious softies, she says. Owner and designer ErinLee makes these wonderful seahorses. They are surprisingly larger than I would have expected. They are made from recycled fabric and sweaters. I seriously love them. Above is a picture of ErinLee's daughter having a good time with the seahorses. A great picture to show how big they are. If you would like to purchase one (or more) of these darlings Visit her Etsy store at Snaulkter

I'm back!

Hello all. Sorry I have been away so long. Health stuff still not solved but I am working on it. I have found through dealing with all this, that I have an even stronger desire to create. I think in some ways I am more open minded when I am making jewelry while feeling ill. I make things that later become wonderments to me. Working with the wire, straightening and curling the wire with my fingers is calming for me, almost meditative. I think sometimes, working on a more elaborite piece and taking my time actually can help me feel less sick. It has a stabilizing effect.

The only other activity that I have experienced that is with music. Playing cello, just closing my eyes and playing what I know is also calming and meditative. I often find, when I am playing this way, that my mind wanders into other creative realms. I can be thinking about flowers or fabric, jewelry or gemstones, painting (which I have never done before). Sometimes I think about other people who I care about, and it can become a spiritual offering, like a prayer.

So, while I have been away I have made several new pieces. These are just a few. I the days and weeks to come, I will be featuring new artists and crafters, and new ecclectica and interesting tidbits. I am glad to be back!