Monday, May 31, 2010

MiddleEarths Jewels: Raku Cross pendant...The Dead Marshes

From this humble creation.....to this splendid creation.......................................




This stunning work of wearable art has one of my raku crosses as it's focal point....but the hole piece is a focal point!!! Perfect blending of color and balance and interest....PERFECT!!! An honored to have a piece of my work included in Mary Anne's creation....check out her blog...and her shop...it's listed on Etsy!! Better hurry though...:)
Middleweights Jewels: Raku Cross pendant...The Dead Marshes ...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." ...New project in the Works...


"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us — by that God we both adore —
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore
."
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."







I downloaded the works of Edgar Allan Poe to my Kindle several weeks ago. I have fallen in love all over again...Poe is such a master of stories of hauntingly beautiful love and devotion and loss. I am savoring every word, every sentence... every story line. The Muse has taken notice:)

I've been gathering little ideas and objects to do a Edgar Allan Poe inspired necklace. I have ribbons, and skull beads, and lace and a couple of my new Charlottes and two wonderful black ravens from Lucinda at http://www.etsy.com/shop/belvedere . But my focal piece... I wanted to create a new digital alteration ...but you know how the muse is...the time must be right to work on these things:)

Thanks to Steph who shares her creative talents on her blog...http://vladthebatsattic.blogspot.com/2010/05/dont-look-back.html .. for her new digital alterations that made me itchy to work on a digital alteration project again... so my muse perked up and last night my focal pendant began to take shape!

Using vintage photos, and some of my own photos to play with, I came up with "Nevermore". I'll put this between two inch glass slides and solder it with loops and such for the main piece. I also drug out my polymer clay and fashioned a large two inch raven to attach to the focal piece and compliment Lucinda's lampwork ravens.

There is still a lot to do...andit will surely take a while longer to pull it all together....but I am well on my way!!!! I thank...
Steph at Vladthebats Attic for her new digital alterations,
Lucinda at Belvedere Beads for her gorgeous lampwork beads,
Elsie at http://www.etsy.com/listing/32462426/tibetan-wood-and-silver-skull-pendant for the inspiration to search for those wonderful skull beads, and
Mary Anne from Middle Earths http://www.etsy.com/listing/45713722/pendant-the-timeflies-clock for her inspiring use of my digital watch face.

And of course...Edgar Allan Poe...for his amazing genius, and sharing his pain through some of the most beautiful prose ever written:)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Baby Scarabs with Mom...Just Kidding...They are Raku Beads

Happy Mother's Day to each of you wonderfully thoughtful and creative Mothers!

Though I would share a custom order that I am working on. Aren't these little guys cute? They are so much smaller than my usual scarabs...was not sure I could manipulate the 1/2 inch clay with details and hole for stringing. But I think I succeeded. These are my test batch...the next batch will be even better...I hope! These are every bit as labor intensive as the larger....maybe more because of my fumble thumbs:) But I love working in the small!



I was delighted to see that several would fit in a watch case...that gives me a few ideas for creative projects...Egyptian themed no less.



I have more in the bisque firing, and hope to do a glaze firing mid week. I am trying a couple of different clays to see if I can get them to shrink even more. Can't wait to add these to my Etsy shop!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!!!


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Love then woke her up and she ate this burning heart


There is the most passionate quote in the movie Hannibal, just after the mesmerizing operatic scene, where Hannibal's intended victim quotes from the Dante Alighieri's poem, La Vita Nuova.
When I first saw the movie years ago...I had to immediately dash home to search for the original...


"I write this piece of poetry for any soul taken by love and any noble heart,
so that they may write me back their opinion about it. I greet our lord, that is Love.
Love itself appeared suddenly to me when one third of the night had already passed.
If I think back about it I’m frightened. Love seemed cheerful while bringing in its arms a sleeping woman wrapped in a cloth and in its hands my heart. Love then woke her up and she ate this burning heart; it then went away crying."

(This is a free prose translation from Dante Alighieri's Vita Nuova, chapter 3...See more at http://www.greatdante.net/hannibal.html)...

After which Hannibal offers this incite from possibly his only human connection to normal...
"Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for her, and find nurishment in the very sight of her? I think so. But would she see through the bars of his plight and ache for him? " ... It renewed my awe of Dante's genius. So much love for his Beatrice...and Hannibal's unrequited love for Clarisse?
Based on these quotations I started to work on these two hands...and charms. I was also watching "The Fountain" so the top hand is also inspired by Izzy's Tree of Life.



My husband laughs at me because I am forever mixing metaphors...but this may be a first for me... mixing movies:) Light and Dark at their movie extremes:)


Sunday, May 2, 2010

Passion In All Things...Raku Cross


This turned out better than expected! New glaze combination that I can see great possibilities for:) Would you believe...the heart is stamped with half a walnut shell?

I am always picking up little odds and ends, never knowing how I will use them. Most walnut shell halves remind me of little piglet noses...but this one had the most perfect natural heart at it's center. Could not have wished for a better found object:)