Something Sublime

Pompeii Inspiration

"Pompeii-Bars and Rods"

Yesterday, I finished a new earring design that I'm really excited about.  Ok...it's not exactly new, in fact it's an ancient design.  Remember when I posted about visiting the Pompeii exhibit at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston?  The jewelry in the exhibit was gorgeous and very inspiring.  Many of the earrings were a simple but beautiful design that I fell in love with.  The museum folks called them "bars and rods".

My version of "bars and rods" isn't exactly the same as the one those ancient jewelers created but I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.  They're very comfortable and, when I wear them, the pearls clink together in such a nice way.  I'm definitely going to be making more of these.

"Pomp and Power"

I've also been busy with some larger pieces.  When I name a piece, I try to let some part of it speak to me.  Sometimes, this happens during the creation process but often it's not until the piece is finished. For part of the focal on this necklace, I used some antique Bible text, sandwiched between mica and antique brass.  When I was finished turning the last wire, the words "pomp and power" in the text stood out to me and seemed like a good name.

I decided to use all sterling wire on this piece and it was fun using silver again.  It's a bit different to work with than steel but with a very similar look.  I really adore this piece...it feels very solid and, well...powerful around my neck.  It's long and a little heavy with large, freshwater pearls alternating with some gorgeous, faceted turquoise chunks I've been hoarding.

"Heishi Stack"

"Music Love"

These are just a few pair of, what seems like, the tons of earrings I've been working on.  In reality, it's hard to get "tons" of anything done.  Life has a way of getting in the way of studio time and, with the mini men at the end of the school year and Number 1 graduating, I've got my hands full...in a good way!

Red Birds Return

"Vines and Nests"

I'm feeling so inspired by all the birds in our area this spring.  Where I live, there are tons of birds year round but especially in springtime.  Texas is in both the central and Mississippi migratory flyways so we see all types.   During the last week, I've discovered a mama cardinal nesting right outside my bedroom window in the bottle brush tree.  I can hear her occasionally chirping and twittering as she sits on the nest.  At first, I wasn't sure if she was simply building the nest or if she actually has eggs there so today, I figured out a way to peek inside.  Here's what I saw:

Three lovely eggs!  I'm so excited because last spring we had a pair of cardinals begin to build a nest in the same bush but they had to abandon their project because of this:

Miss Menace Maggie discovered there was something funny going on in her yard and every time she spotted those cardinals flying in and out of the bush she ran over and barked her fool head off at them.  Needless to say, they decided this was a very unpleasant place indeed and moved their operation to a more peaceful yard.

Cardinals are very shy and (pardon the pun!) flighty so, when I began nosing into Mrs. Cardinal's business, she took off from her nest.  She returned shortly with Mr. Cardinal in tow...him complaining and scolding me very loudly.  She was soon settled back on her eggs and I didn't check back until later when I caught the couple lunching at the neighbor's house.  It's hard to get good photos because these two are so quick moving.

 

Cardinals make for a very close pair and where one is, the other is never far behind.  It's sweet to watch them together.  The male often comes to an area first to check it out then signals the female that it's safe to join him.  I had to be really careful not to disturb the Mrs. but I finally got a shot of her nesting.  I had to slowly and cautiously hang my head, and my long lens, out from the window above while she eyed me warily the whole time.  If it's not one danger around here, it's another! 

Eruptions and Aliens

photo by Deryn Mentock

Well, here it is...our 23rd wedding anniversary.  Whew!  That sounds like a long time.  But, when I asked Wife Whisperer what he thinks about all these many years spent together, his answer was "Seems like 2!"  What a gem.  You just gotta love a guy like that!  Besides his whispering capabilities, he knows what appeals to me.  He took me on a field trip today to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to see Pompeii: Tales From An Eruption.  The exhibit was awesome.

 

We saw a man similar to this.  He had died with his back up against a wall...just sitting, with his face in his hands.  There were quite a few more cast figures including a pet dog that had been caught in the eruption.  It must have been terrifying for them all but it really was fascinating to have a glimpse into their lives and lifestyles.

There were many beautiful artifacts and frescos, including an incredible mosaic made with thousands of tiny ceramic and glass bits.  One of my favorite things was the jewelry (of course!).  We saw many bracelets and armbands with the snake motif and we saw this stunning, gold necklace.  The designs were simple, for the most part, but very beautiful.

We also saw a very cool exhibit of Miwa Yanagi's work.  I love her clever take on the lives and dreams of women.  While Wife Whisperer was less impressed, I say...if you get a chance to see this artist's work, you should! 

 

After the exhibit, we met the mini men for dinner and headed home to finish off the movie marathon I started Friday night.  Let's see...we watched Alien, Aliens 2, Thou Shalt Laugh 2 (very funny if you're looking for clean comedy), Audrey Rose (just as bad this time as it was in the 70's), and The Sound of Music (excellent!).  So, yeah...I'm married to a pretty great guy.  How many husbands will tolerate this range of movies?  Even with chocolate cake bribery?...

Girls in Nighties

"Sisters in Their Nightgowns" by Sharon Tomlinson

Does this painting look familiar?  I did some serious coveting when I saw it on Sharon Tomlinson's blog All Norah's Art.  Sharon is an extremely talented artist and I've been following along, with interest, as she's worked on a series of "sisters" paintings.  When I spotted this one, I fell in love!  It arrived today and I opened the box with much anticipation, knowing how beautiful the painting  would be.

And hey, what's not to love?!  The girls in their nighties are just gorgeous.  Sharon does an incredible job with faces and her detail work is genius.  The depth of color and texture is exquisite.  I've already chosen two favorite girls:

Doesn't this girlie look like a nice sister?  One you could reveal all your secrets to and giggle with into the night?  I completely overlooked the fact that Sharon had painted butterflies onto the girls nightie collars until I started photographing.   Aren't they lovely?

And this one looks like my third grade teacher.  Oh no...wait a minute...third grade teacher was Mrs. Hairpuller.  It's favorite fourth grade teacher that this girl reminds me of...Miss Hokamp.  Don't you love that name?  Miss H. was young and single and pretty and oh, so wonderful!

And the most sublime detail of all...the reason I couldn't resist this painting...each girl carries her own divine butterfly (or are they night moths?) each captured in it's own, tiny cage.  Beautiful!  You can see more of Sharon's wonderful paintings here.

Scenes From the Studio

Ok...so I thought I would give you a little studio tour so you can see my workplace.  I'll tell you right now, things are a bit cramped in there so I've got lots of close ups.  Wouldn't want you to see that dang cleaning lady hasn't come lately!

In preparation for the trunk show DJ and I will be having June 20th before our class in Arizona, I've been picking up props here and there for my jewelry display.  I'm afraid I got somewhat carried away but I just couldn't resist these vintage jewelry boxes...leather lined with velvet.  They're the most delicious, vintage colors!

This pink one is teal inside...perfect.  I'm sure someone thought it was high time to get rid of these old things but, their loss is my gain.

Love this little velvet Italian number!

And this old, flowery, paper covered box.  When you see the inside of this one, you'll see that this is where I probably went overboard a bit:

Yes...she's a blue ballerina.  Well, I never had one as a kid so here she is now.  Besides, the inside of her box is lined with velvet and shirred fabric.  Who could resist?  She twirls around in the most wonderful way.  This particular item got some really comical, puzzled looks from my three guys.

Various fabrics to be artfully placed under the boxes...  The crochet on the right is handiwork from France.

These vintage, silk pincushions are another find I'm powerless to resist.  I just adore those little Chinese kids holding hands...and their tiny pigtails!

See how endearing they are?  I actually have a plan to use these in my display at the trunk show.  I'll be posting photos of the whole thing later.

You can't see much of it in this photo but I snagged this wonderful, old, wire greeting card display rack.  there are three wire sections and a heavy base.  The whole thing comes apart so I can easily pack it around with me. 

I got this lovely, small, china dish to hold my business cards.  Right now my collection of baby spoons resides there.  Back to some studio scenes and a few things I've been working on...or, will be working on.

"Babies in a pouch" Number 2 mini man stated rather facetiously when he saw them.  Funny boy!

Vintage stamps and carousel...I use these a lot.

A cool piece of crusty "junque" I have laying around.  This is one of those things that I have no idea what I'll do with but, there will be a moment when it will be the perfect thing for a project.  I love when that happens.  It just happened to me with these large, gaudy, copper rosebuds.  I didn't think I'd ever use them but...voila!...they ended up being the perfect element for a project I just finished...

The moral of the story:  never throw anything out no matter how useless it seems at the time and no matter how many times Wife Whisperer tells you you should.

This is part of my vintage globe collection.  The whole lot has narrowly escaped the trash bin on more than one occasion.  But hey...everyone needs a globe or two...right?

And, of course, some lovely baubles to work with.  Last, but not least, what I should be doing right now instead of giving a studio tour.  But, touring is so much fun!

Garden Party

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, Miss Maggie had a furry friend over to play.

As photographer of the event, I received an unwavering evil eye throughout the entire photo shoot.

The tail's not much to shout about but the face is kinda cute...right?  This face caused quite a ruckus in the garden.  Oh, the jumping, twirling and barking!  This is what happens when you're rude to your guests:

Maggie...stop licking your chops.  It's not good manners.  (Who cleans the windows around here anyway??  Please, pretend you didn't see that!) Of course, the mini-men and Wife Whisperer immediately ran for the bb guns but, not to worry, I put a stop to that.  We don't shoot at company!

Miss Maggie's friend soon drew a crowd.  "What the.........?????  Who invited you to the party???!!!"

Captivated by Artful Blogging

I apologize in advance but I just simply must indulge in a little mindless, shameless, horn-tooting.  As I thumbed through my new issue of Somerset Studio, I discovered this ad for Stampington's new issue of Artful Blogging.  I've been absolutely thrilled because I knew my blog would be featured in this new issue of AB but, when I came across this ad, I got even more excited because one of the featured spreads in the ad is from my article!  As terrific as that is, the thing that really has me going is the fact that the folks at Artful Blogging did an incredible job on the article.   From the little bit I see ("The Art Journal I Never Had") in this ad, it looks gorgeous!  Everything in this ad makes me want to run out and get a copy...the artwork, the colors the photos...yum!

Isn't the cover pretty?  My friend Ruth Rae's blog (you can see a preview here) will also be featured in the new issue along with...who knows?  Whatever is between the pages is sure to be fascinating.  This is one of my favorite publications.  I guess that explains my excessive enthusiasm!  I hear that the new Artful Blogging is already in the mail to some.  The rest of us will have to be patient as we "prepare to take another voyage into the captivating world of Artful blogging!"

The Good Shepherd

"The Good Shepherd"

It's a lovely time, with the Pope's visit to America, to have completed a piece called "The Good Shepherd".  This was a special order from a very sweet lady...it seems like everyone knows her!...Miz Carla.

Carla requested that a cross be the focal for her necklace so I gave her this beautiful, vintage, carved, mother of pearl cross.  I have several of these old, mother of pearl pieces and, as I understand it, they originally came from Bethlehem and were made by master craftsmen.  I've seen several online sources that claim this industry was introduced anywhere from the 14th to 17th century by Franciscan monks.  But, I have some original pieces that came with a card telling the story of Bethlehem mother of pearl.  According to the card, the industry was introduced by the Crusaders in the 12th century.  In any case, Mother of pearl carving is still an important craft there today.

I used a vintage, brass locket to go with the cross and a shell casing with dangling pearls...it reminds me of a flower with stamen peeping out.  The scripture inside the locket comes from John 21:17:  The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?"  He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."  Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

 

This link is one of my favorites to make.  I used it near the charm keeper as well but added some tiny pearls on fine steel wire to add interest.  Carla requested whites and neutral colors which I felt played into the theme of sheep/shepherd/purity.

Carla requested an extra "chain" made with wire wrapped pearls.  I added a bead wrapped stick of jasper beads and a vintage brass filigree bead.

To wrap it all up, I made a textured precious metal clay loop for the clasp.  This piece is one of the last of several orders I had to finish up before starting work on the pieces I'll do for a trunk show for my class in June.  Many of you have been asking when I'll be re-stocking my etsy shop.  I hate to leave it empty but will have to for now as I'll be working on pieces for the show for awhile.  So, no, my etsy link doesn't work for now and YES...I will be stocking my etsy shop in a few months.  I'm so grateful for those of you interested enough to ask!

A Charming Exchange

My dear friends Kelly Snelling and Ruth Rae have a brand, spanking new book coming out in a few months entitled "A Charming Exchange-25 Jewelry Projects to Create and Share".  The book is about collaboration in jewelry making and features jewelry made by Ruth and Kelly and by numerous other talented artists.  The idea for this book grew from a collaborative project called Just Simply Charming.  Make sure you check out the JSC blog for the full story but, the short version goes something like this:  Artists join together for charm swap;  organizing artists create blog for swap;  project is published in lovely magazine Belle Armoire, organizing artists have brain spark and submit book idea;  book idea accepted and published...yay! 

 

We've waited a long time to see this work published.  I was a part of the original charm swap and am excited to have several pieces of jewelry published in this terrific book.  From what I hear, it's going to be just beautiful and I know it's full of extraodinary jewelry.  I believe it hits the stands in June or July but, don't wait, you can pre-order it at Amazon.  Congrats Kelly and Ruth!

Mercy Touch

"Mercy Touch"

This necklace is a piece I just finished as a gift for my lovely friend Lelainia.  It was commissioned (half commission, half gift) by another dear friend, Deb Trotter.

   

You may be noticing my new photo prop.  I picked up this very cool cement swan during my weekend scavenge hunts.  I love this bird but I'm going to have to nickname her "Crumbs" because every time I touch her, her lovely vintage paint crumbles off along with bits of cement!

I wanted this piece to hold power and meaning for Lelainia so I added many elements that embody her personal imagery.  This imagery includes things she uses in her own artwork and things that are important to her.  The focal is a house shape representing, of course, home...a safe and happy place of one's own.

Lelainia uses a lot of buttons in her work.  They are found everywhere in the world and represent connection.  The vintage barkcloth was just the right color combination requested by Lelainia.

Hands are another personal icon for Lelainia.  Hands are all important to the artist as vehicles for creation.  In this case, the hand is representative of the healing touch.

I've also included two vials.  One is filled with broken robin's egg shells.  The egg symbolizes renewal, re-birth and hope.

The second vial contains a beautiful, red/orange feather I found years ago.  The feather symbolizes freedom...freedom from pain, the ability to move freely through life and upward movement.  Oh yes...see those wonderful, lampwork beads?  I got them from fellow Texan and talented bead maker, Moon Stumpp.  They were the perfect Lelainia colors of red, cream and vintage aqua.  Happy, happy b-day L!

I Never Got to Thank You

 

photograph by Deryn Mentock

There's something interesting going on at Bill Burn's blog Loving Her Beautiful.  Bill is a funny, witty man whose posts on life, love and other incidentals are insightful and entertaining.  He's working on a terrific project  in which he's gathering personal "thank you stories" to eventually be compiled into book form.  This is such a cool idea!  So, what's a "thank you story"?  A thank you story is a letter you've written, and delivered, to someone in your life who's had a profound impact on you.  It's a way of honoring someone who has enriched your life in some way.  In Bill's words:   "A Thank You Story doesn’t show off writing skills, it re-connects one heart to another with a Thank You. It’s about sharing your story, in your words, in your way."

Bill is asking for participants for this project.  If you'd like to be involved, check out the details here.  We all have people in our lives who have mentored us, enlightened us, inspired us, loved us.  What better way to recognize and reconnect with that special someone who's had a life-changing effect on you?  (This post can also be seen at Artsmiths).

 
 

A Muse Named Norah

 

mail art by Sharon Tomlinson

I have to show this incredible mail art I received from my fellow Texan, Sharon Tomlinson.  Her blog is called All Norah's Art and, for awhile, I thought her name was Norah, and even called her that once in an email.  Turns out, Norah is the name of Sharon's muse...awkward for me!  When you visit Sharon's blog you'll see that her muse works overtime.  Her paintings are brilliant and she regularly, and generously, features tips and tutorials on her techniques.

Sharon's been busy sending out mail art lately and I was one of the lucky recipients.  The envelope that came in my mailbox was a recycled envelope with a glassine window in it...the type that bills are usually sent in.  Instead of my address, peeking through the window was a hint of the goodies inside.  Sharon filled the envelope with snippets of all kinds of ephemera...yum!  When you visit her blog, make sure you look at her "True Colors" Flesh Journal (right sidebar of her blog).  Who knew flesh could be such a wonderful color?

Which brings me to this...remember when I posted about this book?  I wanted to bring you a few more insights from Mr. Pressfield and, as I was looking through my highlighted portions of the book, I ran across a few things reminded me of Sharon.  When I read her blog posts and see her work, I see a joy there...a joy in the act of creating.  Not for love or money but simply for pleasure in the act of creating.  You can see it in the generous way she shares, not only her artwork, but also her techniques and time.

Pressfield talks about why we, as artists, do what we do.  "Of any activity you do, ask yourself:  If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it?"  This is the test of our true ambitions...the answer reveals why we do what we do.  According to Pressfield, "We must do our work for it's own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause."  This is so true.  As a matter of fact, I would absolutely continue to create in some way if I were the last person on earth (have you seen "I Am Legend"?  Great movie!).  Of course, there are those of us who make a living with our creations but, would we continue to create if we didn't have to?  And, certainly, it's wonderful to have attention and applause, but the person who allows them self to be defined by adoration is in serious trouble.