Kaleidoscope Fun

Today I taught a workshop on making canes based on a simple cane "core."  The kaleidoscope canes we created in the afternoon were especially pretty, and one of my favorite activities.
Using a palate of compatible colors, participants made several simple canes: Skinner blend bull's eye, regular bull's eye, pinwheel and wedge canes.  These canes were combined into a larger conglomerate cane, such as the one pictured to the right.

This core cane was then formed into a triangle and reduced.  Cut and recombined, the cane became different 6 sided and square canes, pictured at the left.
This is a great activity,  and allows you to work on color, form and design all at one time.
Many of you have probably approached canes in this manner. I never tire of this process.  The end results are always lovely and often unexpected.

Here is another example showing the initial "core" made of a variety of simple canes, some hexagonal canes and a square cane made after reducing the core,and finally a photo of some mobius and triangle beads made from one of the hexagonal canes.

  One more set in another color-way. Then I need to get busy, making beads and other things from these canes!

Making "Connections"

As I've mentioned before, I really enjoy creating with different techniques. Usually, I then make lots of different pieces, but not often do I create jewelry in which multiple pieces of polymer are combined together.  So I've tried a few different ideas in which multiple pieces of polymer are connected in some way.  Hence, the title of this post:  "making connections."

This fall-color-based necklace is composed of circle shapes which are connected to each other through a simple wire method.  The wires have been covered in the back so the effect against the neck is smooth.  There is a lot of motion in this piece, since each circle moves independently of the others.

The red-black-white mokemu gane piece has jump ring connections, so again the piece has movement.


The last piece is composed of mobius shapes made from a celtic knot cane, then strung into a necklace with faceted beads.