A chronicle of the meanderings, false starts (which in retrospect, while sort of embarrassing turned out to be highly instructive), epiphanies, selective apathy (still evolving), wild mood swings, opinions (subject to frequent change), and life lessons of an inveterate dabbler (and her latest dabblings).

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Sun

Sun
I designed this piece around a pewter sun totem from Happy Mango Beads. These are my favorite totems at HMB! They make me happy. I made another bead frame for it (think I'm done with the bead frames for a while, just wanted to experiment a little), and ended up going with a kind of classic Southwest palette. (I originally was going to try a kind of autumn palette--olive green, goldenrod and brick red--combined with turquoise but it just wasn't working for me.)
I combined the turquoise with a wonderful etched red agate cylinder from a local bead store, some little yellow jasper rice-shaped beads, and a twisted oval of red agate. I added some wrapped silver bars, lacing I cut from a big swatch of saffron-colored, luxuriously-napped suede, and some burly sterling silver rolo chain.
I guess there's a reason this color scheme is a classic--it plays very nicely together! It feels good to use some of my silver, and break into new beads and other supplies. I am LOVING my Gentec mixed fuel (MAPP and oxygen) torch (now that I'm no longer afraid of it and have gotten all the connections together without leaks). What a difference having the right flame makes! (I am also excited to have gotten a fume extractor--my fan-aimed-toward-the-open-door approach wasn't working very well.)
Turkey and mashed potatoes are calling my name so I have to go (no, you didn't miss Thanksgiving.)

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4 comments:

  1. RebeccaOctober 11, 2015 at 11:11 PM

    Reading out of order! I'm up to 2014 now but have to read your most recent posts too, of course. This is gorgeous. Like all your pieces, I just love how every single element is carefully made, wrapped or knotted. I love the bars with the tiny flowers, there is such care in every detail. You can't beat a good SW colour scheme, can you? I come back to it time and again too.

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  2. Lori AndersonOctober 12, 2015 at 8:41 AM

    I absolutely love your work!!!

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  3. KJOctober 13, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    So, how many times can I say "beautiful" to your creations? Probably as many creations as you make. :D It is good to see something new and beautiful.

    I have a love affair with red coral, turquoise, and silver- a very early influence of SW native jewelry. How could you go wrong?

    Picking colors always seems to take me the longest time in any project. I tend to fall back on the tried and true.

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  4. EIPNovember 5, 2015 at 9:23 AM

    Gorgeous pendant, the turquoise details are particularly beautiful!

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