Transfix Us With Love, Make Believe, and Dark Flowers...

Transfix us with love.  --Joy Harjo from The Creation Story
 
As an artist sometimes I am just not ready, do not have the skill or concentration to embark on the idea that is waiting in the back spaces of my mind. One of these fascinations that has captured my imagination since childhood has to do with flowers.  My go-to-doodles were always magical, make-believe flowers, fanciful with bright red tongues and wild yellow stamens. To be honest they were a little psychadellic...and a bit phallic in hindsight.  I am fascinated with all sorts of things about  flowers:  how they move through their cycles and what exactly about them is so beautiful, which ones are my favorites and how to translate them into metal.

I decided to revisit the flower theme in my last two collections in a series of Dogwood necklaces. (See Fiore, a design from four years ago) I thought it would be interesting to capture the moment when the flower is in repose, just about to fall into decay and break apart.  

Wabi Sabi is a piece about the last part of a flower as it falls away, loosening a Tahitian pearl and tiny diamond.

Poetry is powerful; the words are short bursts of color, condensed into a sharp economy.  I like to think these dark flowers carry an ambiguous and mysterious poem all their own, completely open to interpretation as all poems are.

Black, Gold, Diamond and Pearl

It has been such a long time since I wrote a post I have forgotten how to rotate a picture.

When I take 'on the fly' phone pictures of our display before shows, I wish I would take a minute to actually straighten out the details...like the ear wires...or making sure the blackened dogwood necklace is actually IN the picture.  Well, here is a glimpse of my new favorites that we are just now putting into limited production in the studio.  The blackened pieces are a departure from the collection's signature look but I am truly loving working within a new vocabulary of black, gold, diamond and pearl.   

Our Coral Tiara is Getting Hitched

I have sold to Metier, the premier women's clothing store here in San Francisco since Sheri opened over 20 years ago.  They have one of the best retail store blogs in the country. I especially love the aesthetic and am a shopper there personally so when I heard my wedding tiara was included in the latest wedding post I was thrilled.. They did an absolutely fantastic job and the bride looks gorgeous!

Oh The Places You Will Go!

To mark this Summer's 'firsts' we have new, happy and 'au courrant' versions of the Cory and Colby bracelets . Remember the days...first time moving out, graduating from middle school, high school, college, grad school. My son is graduating from preschool but unfortunately he refuses to wear any of my jewelry yet...but he is about to make his first piece of jewelry any day now!

Around the Studio

Around Here...

Design Wednesday

Front of  'in progress' dogwood. I think I will be hanging little things like a Tahitian pear, a wee diamond briolette and some coral.

This is the back, although at this point I think I prefer it to the front.  This piece is a bit heavy so I am cleaning out the insides of the petals to make it a little lighter.

These pieces are getting ready to be a necklace and earring.  The larger one was originally carved from wax and the copper one is chased out of sheet using tiny hammers.  They are going to go off to be molded tonight.

Mother's Day on the horizon - by Ani

Hands change so much over the course of a lifetime.

Remember that tiny hand imprinted in plaster for mom to cherish?

Memories of mother's hands caring for you.

The Child's Hand bracelet reminds us to honor those mothers near and far, today and everyday.

Don't forget to show mom some extra special love on May 13th.

love is love's reward.

-Dryden

Childs Hand

this is an early one of a kind version of the Child's Hand, in 18k and moonstone.

When my son William was born I dedicated a sketch book to him. It includes letters to him from me, his father, grandparents, and close family friends. I add little journal entries when I remember just to let him know what he said that day or funny thing he did.  I also draw pictures of him from time to time.

 I sculpted the Child's Hand bracelet out of wax based on a drawing of Will's hand that I did while he slept. He was around 1 and we were newly in love. He is now 4 now and still the light of my life.

Dogwood Very Much in Progress

sterling, Tahitian pearl, diamond


I have been working on this dogwood necklace for my May collection. I ran to the caster's this morning to pick up this master.  I was super excited to see it in metal for the first time.  The petals are actually inside out--I love how the stem is wearing a little petal skirt.  I can't wait to finish it. Currently it weighs a ton.

To see if in the blue wax it was carved out of go two posts below.

Things Get Messy...

paper, wax, brass, copper, enamel

I read a quote by Kit White recently about letting the materials speak to you, instead of only working in your head, or drawing (or working on CAD). "It is easier to find new worlds than to create one."

I can't figure out why this picture will only go into the blog sideways.

In Progress

To draw a living line and not tremble from knowing it to be in danger of death at every point along its way, I must sleep in a sort of slumber allowing the sources of my life to flow without restraint into my hand, so that my hand ends by working alone, by flying into a dream, by moving without any care for me.

--Jean Cocteau

National Poetry Month by Ani

Poets have given us such inspiration and guidance

with their carefully crafted words.

April celebrates these treasured writers with National Poetry Month.

Jeanine has set so many favorite lines in harmony with her jewelry designs.

Take a moment this month to savor some poetry, in print and on metal.

Ani wearing her favorite piece from the Spring collection, the Tassel necklace.

The souls should always stand ajar

ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

-Emily Dickinson