A new adventure!

I bought a soldering gun and some metal working supplies. I'm scared to death because I'm probably going to maim myself using them. I manage to cut myself with clay blades constantly so add in some hot metal, caustic chemicals, sharp metal bits and filings and I'll probably be in the ER before the week is out. lol

BIG JEWELRY

I'm a sizable girl - 5'10" and built rather "sturdy" so I love big jewelry. My mother is very petite and a lot of my larger jewelry looks ridiculous on her. These pieces really stretched the bounds of large. They are solid pieces of clay so they are pretty heavy.

I've been trying to replicate some of the domed pieces that I've seen people do. Figuring out how to make them hollow has been quite a trial since I really want to lose some of the weight that these pieces have. I really liked the textures I accomplished on the orange, teal, and stone colored pieces. The first photo was crackled acrylic paint on a deep purple color. Overall, I like the pieces and design. I just wish I had been able to make them a little lighter in weight.

Carved Flower Pendants

I began creating these necklaces, and then consulted on how to do them more effectively using RiverValley's tutorial. I really liked how these turned out. I was able to create many different looking flowers using simple shape cutters and textures.

I textured the pendants using etch and pearl tools and needles. I then antiqued the pendants using burnt umber paints. They are strung on twisted nylon cord. I'm trying to learn restraint in my jewelry creation. My step-mother always told me "less is more" but I've been reluctant to believe it. :)

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.