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Wednesday 26 January 2022

Getting Down To Beesiness

When a friend encouraged me to enter an upcoming exhibit, I was surprised and asked if she meant with jewelry. She - who also happens to be the curator of the exhibit - said that the bold, sculptural style of my pieces would be perfect. Wow! Her description of my work totally resonated and has become how I describe it - mixed media jewelry in a bold sculptural style.

The idea of entering kept tickling my brain and after giving it more thought, I decided it would be a great way to grow and stretch my skills since I've only been making jewelry for a relatively short time. The exhibit is called The Pollinators and runs from April 30th to July 2nd at the art gallery in Salmon Arm, BC, Canada. 




I'm really glad I entered. Working to the theme has engaged me with the pieces and the process and I've been learning new techniques while developing them. And having fun. I typically begin with a general idea and a working title and then, once the piece is far enough along that I know where it's going, I give it an official title. This first one is called Getting Down To Beesiness.



The focal element is a three dimensional daisy. I imagine that as a child I made all kinds of sculptures but this is my first one as an adult and it turned out fabulous. I was so pleased with it that I was hesitant to take it forward and practiced some of the other ideas on a bead and a bracelet before getting back to work on this piece.  





One valuable lesson I've learned with art making is the importance of sampling. It doesn't prevent all issues but it does allow me to move forward armed with information that is more likely to work the way I hope. It absolutely saves time and frustration. 




Along with the focal daisy, there are three large beads covered with flowers on each side of center and six bee beads - two by the daisy and four by the clasp. The bees are metal charms that were embedded in epoxy clay. All of the parts were painted black, highlighted with a mix of silver and antique gold, and sealed with clear acrylic. The necklace has a double hook clasp in antique copper. 




I mentioned in the last post that this feels like a pivotal piece, one that looking back will have some significance and yet I can't quite put my finger on why I feel that way. Perhaps because it seems even more authentic in some way. I remember talking to an artist years ago who made quilts, and sometimes made art quilts, and when I asked her what differentiated the two she said that the art quilts had soul. Perhaps that's it. 




I'm working on several pieces at once and have project plates laid out on my jewelry station to keep the parts separate. I picked up a pile of these at the thrift store and they're perfect for parts and for painting. When I checked the dates for the show, the description mentions only birds, bees, butterflies, and bats. Not flies. That's different than the original outline I read so I'll need to check with the curator before I use those. The key and the heart are for a piece called At The Heart of the Matter - another statement necklace. It's partially finished as is...




… this ring called Hey, What's Going on in There?. I've been struggling with how to securely attach the ring band to the main element and finally came up with an idea yesterday that is going to work. YES! I can now take this piece forward. In fact, since this picture was taken, I've added a first layer of petals around the outside. 

Other than an appointment on Friday, I've scheduled the entire week to be in the studio to working on these pieces. I've given myself until the middle of February to finish them since that's when I want to focus on sewing my workshop wardrobe however, ideally, I'll finish them by Monday. I'm in the zone right now and the energy and the flow of ideas is delightful. 

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - zone, energy, flow, a first piece finished

2 comments:

  1. Awesome, I love it when I get in the zone, am usually surprised when I come up for air and see what I've accomplished!

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    Replies
    1. Me too - that it takes me in surprising directions.

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