Taking Time to Grow

I took some time this winter to grow as an artist. I stopped worrying about producing. I stopped worrying about finishing projects. I tried new techniques. I tried tools, mediums, and products that were new to me. I took the time to make color triangles with Maggie Maggio's book "Polymer Clay Color Inspirations: Techniques and Jewelry Projects for Creating Successful Palettes." I started looking at things differently and analyzing who I am as an artist.

The first series I'll talk about is the simplest. I took a shade I liked, in the first case purple and the second a deep fuchsia. I played with hue saturations and values in these exercises.

I used simple patterns to create faux texture on each bead. I made several of these necklaces using the same canes. I liked being limited in my color palette because it gave me room to explore pattern and how it could be used. Using one hue as my baseline, I was able to see more clearly how tones play off each other to create an overall color to each bead. I really enjoyed how they turned out. I like the chunkiness of the pieces. The color is light and springy without looking like easter candy.

I made several pieces using this Mokume Gane block. This one is by far the most interesting but the simpler pendants with just the Mokume Gane are really quite lovely.