At the Speed of Life

The world has been going by at the speed of life!  I’ve been left breathless with all of the changes happening in my life and I’ve seriously neglected all of my readers.  :::hanging head in shame:::  You will be glad to know that I haven’t dropped off of the face of the earth – I am alive and well!
So, feeling contrite about my absence here, I decided that I must redeem myself and check in.  I have been a busy little bee, make no mistake.  The torch in my studio has been humming!  I’ve been making enamels galore and wire wrapping like a mad wench!  :::crazy laughter fills the studio:::  Muwahahahahaaaaa!  So many pieces have come and gone without being documented that part of me despairs. It’s like sending children off into the world without so much as a single baby picture to keep close to my heart.  Life’s pace has just been too hectic.  I have resolved, however, that despite the time challenges that fill my life I MUST get back to sharing my work with the world at large – not just at art shows and galleries, but here… with my fellow artists and fans who enjoy the little view into my world of wonder and creation.  Today, I take my first step forward in this resolution to share a few pictures of recent work with you.  More will come; process photos, views of new work on the bench, news of new directions and experiments in both old mediums and new… but for today, just a few pictures to whet the appetite and get me back in the bloggin’ groove.

One of the items people have been requesting for so long is “Peace of the Beach” earrings to match their necklaces and bracelets.  I finally created some, though I chose to minimalize the weight of them by creating them in an open form, in otherwords without adding additional wire or metal.  They are light weight – and adorable!  No bias here!  I’ve created them in the round and in the rectangle.  Sadly, ovals are out for now but triangle shapes will be coming eventually.

Earrings in rectangle

Earrings in the round.

And of course, just as in the original pendants and bracelets these tiny versions contain genuine white quartz sand from our amazing Gulf Coast beaches fired right into the sand dunes.  If you’d like to add some ‘Peace of the Beach’ earrings to your collection you can find them here: Peace of the Beach Earrings

I’ve also been hearing many requests for new mermaids.  These little ladies aren’t as easy as they look.  It’s difficult to create a human/fish form on my tiny canvases, believe it or not.  However, I do love them and I’m always pleased when I manage to pull one off well.  I rather like this sassy mermaid.  I even managed to take a few process shots of her along the way.

Early on in the process. Four firings down and MANY left to do.  So far I’ve only added color in her hair and in the water along with an application of slivers of fine silver foil to give the impression of movement in the currents in which she swims.

Adding additional color to the tail, water, hair and body using.  Many firings still ahead, then grinding and polishing… 

Finished piece wrapped in 14 gold GF wire wrap setting.

Isn’t she just adorable?

If you like my lovely watery lass and would like to make her your own, you can find her here in my etsy shop: Mermaid Cloisonne Necklace

Another Cloisonne piece I’m pretty proud of is my Purple Mountain Majesty Necklace.  I have a couple of process photo’s for this piece too.  I made the pendant some time back but only recently found a way to present it that I liked.  I tried various chains before I finally settled on a hand forged chain with blush freshwater pearl accents.  I don’t think I could have found a better match for it.

Here’s a picture five or six firings in.

Several firings and layers of color later it’s finally beginning to come together.  Lots of work left to do, however.

The finished piece!

A more direct view.  Forgive the unedited picture. 🙂

If you want to own the Purple Mountain Majesty necklace for yourself, you can find it in my etsy shop here: Purple Mountain Majesty

As a thank you for hanging in there with me you can take 10% off of your order on any purchase in my etsy shop using this code: WP316 for a limited time.

Well that’s probably enough sharing for today.  I have a lot more to post in the weeks to come.  I promise you (and myself!) that it will not be so long between posts again!  Thanks for hanging in there and thanks for giving me a reason to blog.  As always your comments are not only welcomed but they are appreciated.  Sincerely!  Until next time…