New Earring Styles

Hello!  I realize this blog has been quiet for a few weeks.  With all that has been going on in the world, I have been pre-occupied.  Just recently, I have begun to feel some inspiration to "play with clay" again, and have been making some earrings I'd like to share.  The first two pairs are some of the longest earrings I've made:  3-D triangles of deceasing size, all connected separately for maximum motion.  The lighter set is made from one of the pastels, gold leaf and lace sheets I made and spoke about in an earlier posting.  The purple set on the right is made from an Ikat cane.


These next three pairs of earrings are a different form of 3-D triangle.  I've used this shape before.  The difference here is that I've used a contrasting solid color for the inside of the earrings.  This pop of color really makes the earrings seem to glow from inside.  I've posted 2 photos here - one a front view, and one to give a better image of how the inside looks in contrast.

More earrings soon!  Be well.

Foldover Bead Necklace with Extrusions

Here is a fun little necklace I just finished.  The polymer beads are simple circles, with a design on one side, solid color on the other, then gently folded so they don't quite meet.  This allows the colors from both sides to show and keeps open a channel for beading wire.
One experiment I tried for the patterned side was to shave slices off an extruded tube, place the strips side-by-side on a backing sheet, and then compress them in the pasta machine.  I really liked the resulting inconsistent striped look.
 Here is a closeup of one bead.

Black & White Magic: The Art of Contrast

The topic for the March show at the Artist's Cooperative of Westerly (RI) is "Black (and white) Magic:  The Art of Contrast.  I'm one of the featured artists, and I've been working on pieces for the show.  I've been trying some techniques that are new for me, so I thought I'd share some of the pieces here.  I think that polymer is a perfect medium for this theme.  Not only do we have contrast with black and white, we can easily contrast other colors as well as textures, shapes and sizes.  Love my polymer!

The first couple of items were inspired by tutorials I saw on the CraftEdu site.  This first set is made from a sheet I constructed based on a traditional Japanese pattern I saw in a tutorial from Nikolina Otrzan.   I used textured clay to construct the pattern, and I think it really fits the show theme.
This next pendant is based on directions from one of Donna Kato's tutorials.  I liked the way Donna constructed the basic black and white base, but found my clay was too soft to use her technique for adding bands of color.  So, I used my own cutting ideas to add the lines of red.








The idea of inserting lines appeals to me, so I decided to try some straight lines rather than curves and waves.  The next set is an example of this type of insertion.











I also experimented with inserting lines and circles.  I particularly like this new shape that comes from a template produced by Melanie Muir.








The last photo shows a larger pendant made using a mokume gane technique.  This piece has a high polish and I like the way the beads look flanking each side.

I'll be back soon to show you some black and white earrings and bracelets in the next post.  Then on to some color!

Vines & Floral "Cameos"

Cameos seems an appropriate name for this new line of mine. Though not actually carved, as the original cameo pieces were, these do have a raised design with a contrasting background.  The two-tone color scheme helps accentuate the design.  I may try more color in the future, but this simple contrast design just seemed right.  It is, after all, winter, and the colors outside are often in stark relief.  The black pendant and red earrings are the first pieces I made.  I tried more daisies and vines in teal and one on a swirled background.

Then I decided to try just vines.  I love the way the tiny snake of clay curls and curves as it leaves my hand, sometimes seeming to have a mind of its own.  These are longer, more slender shapes and seem perfect for vines. The larger anique gold piece has a pearl and faceted jet piece dangling from the bottom.

This last grouping shows 4 pendants in different shapes, all sporting vines with tiny roses.

Hope you've enjoyed this "walk" through a winter garden.