I
apologize in advance for this long post. It is the last post
before I leave for vacation and I just wanted to let you see what
I’ve been up to since the Emmys!
Several
years ago, I cast some animals in Resin. Not sure what to do
with them, I took them with me to France last year hoping to be
inspired. I knew I wanted to mimic the look of "trophies"
but was not sure how to do that. I had cut out several "trophy
mounts" and attempted to bezel set the animals, but they were to
big. When we started to work in the studio, I was looking at
one of SLK's rings she had prong set a large stone in. I have
been prong setting for years but never crossed my mind to use this
setting for the cast pieces. It was perfect! I don’t know why
I did not think of it. That is why Susan is the Master of
connections!! Susan brought along some crackle nail polish and
showed use how to use it as a patina. This created the perfect
aged look to my "mount" I prong set my Buffalo and
carried him home. When I got home, I finished the piece with an
antler tip, bronze wire and chain and one sari scraps Susan had given
us in France. I used a large swarovski crystal to hang
from the bottom
I
love this piece. Its exactly what I wanted and all it took was
going all the way to France to get the right Western look!!
I
wear him all the time, often with one of my animal rings. I
have a Moose, sheep, dear and horse.
While
at a recent art show in Durango Colorado, I wore my Buffalo and Horse
ring. To my surprise, they received lots of attention. I
LOVE them, but who else wants a Deer or horse head on there finger?
Turns out, there are a few other nuts like me out there! I
really took them just to show off what you can do with ice resin, not
to sell them. I had several people ask about price, but I told
them they were not for sale. Finally a lovely mother and young
daughter (maybe 13-14) showed a lot of interest. They bought a
cast baby with butterfly wings (nutty) and my cast door knocker from
our neighbors in France (even nuttier!) They really wanted the
rings and lived in the area where these animals live. I pulled
the horse ring off my finger and sold it along with the deer. (I
could not part with the Buffalo) I was so sad to see them go, but
happy to know that someone else out there loved them the way I do.
(and I may have created 2 new Ice Resin addicts, as they left talking
about all the things they can cast in resin!)
A bit
later in the day, a long time customer, Bonnie, came by and saw
my necklace. She asked if I had any other pieces. I showed her
the sheep....not her style. But when she heard I sold a horse
ring she was disappointed. She asked if I could make another
one but as a necklace. A horse is not the kind of animal you
hunt and mount as a trophy, so I was not sure how this would work. I
told her I would give it a go.
She
called me daily to check on the progress. I immediately hit a
road block: my granddaughter has discovered my stash of animals and
has been secretly playing with them. Looks like my
perfect horse is gone forever, or at least until we excavate the play
room!! I had to sculpt and bake a new horse head. (thank
you Linda
Mcnulty for giving me this valuable skill. Great
sculptor and even better teacher. Amazing what she is able to teach)
Anyway,
Bonnie wanted the necklace "just like" mine. I don't
make anything twice and I try to push myself each time I make a
new piece. The antler did not fit with the horse theme so I
used some beautiful Mountain Jasper. This stone gives the
illusion of a landscape, often looking like our local landscape with
mountains, trees and rivers. Bonnie had expressed how much she
loved horses, so I found a beautiful bronze heart chain. I
used a small piece of organza ribbon and secured it with metal
clamps that mimicked the bridles used for horses
I
used the same prong settings I used for My Buffalo
I
feel like I should have only used 3 prongs as it looks like he is
being chocked instead of gently held in place!
I
used amazonite stone to complement the blues in the mountain
Jasper.
I
know these are shitty Pictures. My husband just bought a really
nice camera for vacations so maybe if I'm really nice and I don't
leave him stranded at the Metro station(I have the tickets and the
map and knowledge of the city!), he will start taking pictures for me
Bonnie
was THRILLED. And when I told her it was finished, she
made the hour drive down to pick it up. she immediately put it on and
walked around the restaurant showing all the diners!!
She
also called the next day to report that the piece was proudly laid
out on the kitchen counter where she could stare at it all
day!!! I do the same thing with some of my pieces. (Susans
druzy heart necklace for example!!)
I
know this has been a long post, but this interaction is why I love to
create art. I have had those rings for a year. I love
them, I wear them often (to my husbands dismay..he does not
understand why I need a 2 inch deer with antlers on my finger to go
out for ice cream!) But Bonnie does understand why someone would need
a deer along for an Ice cream date! Its the feeling we get from
having personal adornment. Real PERSONAL adornment. Not what
100 other people bought from target. Each of our styles are
different and what acceptable to me may not be right for another. But
those of use who love jewelry and love to create, know the joy it
bring us to have that special piece. I’m satisfied with
creating things I like and wearing them myself. But to be able
to give that feeling to another person is beyond words. I have
always had a passion for handmade items and I’m always drawn to the
odd and eclectic so my art reflects that. Last weekend I was
able to connect with others who have similar passions and
appreciations for wearable art.
I
LOVE being a member of the Ice Resin Design team for this reason.
Its a group comprised of amazingly talented women who have the
same passion for creating as I do. Our Fearless leader SLK and
Jen Cushman have allowed us to create what we feel is ascetically
pleasing and gave us a forum to present it. That is an amazing gift and if someone out there likes what your doing, thats just a bonus. I was so blesset to share with Bonnie this week and create something for her that she will forever cherish. So to all my fellow art sisters (and brothers) Keep on your creative path and one day someone will buy that freaky dear head on a sterling band!!!
Check out all the amazing artist at the Ice Resin ice queen blog site
