The Three Muses - a glaze journey...

This is my newest tile design and it tells quite a tale. Pour yourself a cup and I'll tell you... 

And so it begins. 

Here is my new Three Muses tile - the original sketch and the first copy pressed from my mold. It was a long time getting to this state... designing, sculpting, casting in plaster, curing. I was thrilled to have it in my hands. Definitely my most complex tile to date - especially since I do not often do (human) figures. 

I have Lesley and Caroline to thank for the inspiration. In a truly "Scenius" way, a conversation we three had started all this. We were discussing felting, and wool, and curly locks, and gabbing a bit as you do. Someone, Lesley I think, names the thread Three Wise Women. A little cheeky, and a little accurate as we were each other's go-to for feedback and advice. 

I swear this image popped into my head fully formed. 

Please note: thumb for scale! All you are about to see takes place in a tile maybe 6 x 7". 

And then it went further. Three wise women. Three Graces of Classical myth, three Muses. Suddenly Burne-Jones and Rossetti and the Pre-Raphealite painters were there too clamoring for attention. Long Waterhouse style dresses to hide the body (not cheating; just simplifying) and evoke an era of art history? Done. Lets go all the way and inscribe the tile with the motto associated with the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood! ( In for a penny... ) The motto is "Ars Longa, Vita brevis" which translates to "Art is long, life is short". 

Animal familiars? Three witches? My 2 dogs naturally and Lesley's cat Cleo. A hare for Caroline? Sure! The two of them had recently met up for a hare themed exhibit in the UK and I was desperately jealous. You KNOW how I feel about hares. Oh and should I mention that the hairstyles are loosely inspired by we three? I know - it seems over the top. But it felt right to me. They DO need hairstyles, after all. 

So I recently glazed the first two of these tiles. Why only 2? Well... They are very complex. I wanted to share the process here in a photo essay of sorts. This IS how I glaze all of my ceramic tiles - this one is just many more small parts.. 

1. Stain the entire tile with black (or dark) underglaze. Looks a wreck until you sponge it back. I like the added depth it gives the relief and it prevents any glaring white areas if a spot is accidentally left unglazed. 

Trust is needed here. 

2. Glaze the background ares. I like to work "back to front". This is either underglaze or glaze depending on my planned treatment of the frame. Three coats in and around. 

I think they look good already! SO excited. 

3. Three coats of peachy underglaze on faces and hands. 

Dark dark blue used to stain crevices on this version. 

4. Base color of hair - 3 coats. Sometimes 2 if my underglazes are thick. 

Even working 2 at once there are many variations. Truly one of a kind results. 

5. Accents in hair. Highlights and low lights. 

Aiming for auburn in the middle. We shall see. 

6. First dress: green glaze - 3 coats. 

7. Secong dress - dark blue glaze - 3 coats. 

8. Third dress - turquoise glaze - 3 coats. I selected this analogous palette for the first tile because I knew these glazes and colors worked together, chemically and visually. 

They look so "bleh" at this stage. These are glazes I have used and trusted for 20 years though!

9. Paint the hare and cat in underglazes, with details. ( Sorry Cleo - your marking will have to wait.)

Feeling a little disappointed with detail in these two animals. Then I remind myself they are like the size of a quarter! 

10. Paint the dogs in underglazes. Include shadowing and highlights. Yes, they look like my dogs. What else did you expect? 

OK that was fun! 

Doggy details. Oscar in black and white. Zoey in fawn and brown. 

11. Glaze the background - 3 coats! And edges of tile. In this case I used a transparent grey; since the center area had an underglaze color on it the tile will read ad having a 2 toned background. ( Different tile as can see. I did say I did 2 at a time) AND glaze the center figures sash! 

Yes - different dogs. Simplifying a little and mirroring the cat and rabbit's colors. 

12. Very carefully paint 3 coats of clear glaze to all areas that are underglaze only. This will seal them, give them a gloss finish matching the other glazes and make them durable. 

This is tedious and my least favorite part. 

13. Fire the tile in the kiln. These are low-fired glazes and fire to ^04 at app. 1850 degrees F. 

Ta-Da! And yes - this one already sold. My husband told a return customer this story and it was a done deal! 

I couldn't be happier! I wish I could accurately tell you how LONG it took to do the 2 tiles pictured here in this photo essay. I will keep track next time. I like this palette - I think a tile this "busy" needs harmonious colors to read well without dramatic contrast - so it doesn't compete with itself. I do look forward to trying other palettes on the next few.

Thanks for staying until the end... I am proud of and deeply invested in my work, the details, the layers of meaning that may never be evident to the casual viewer. This new design means quite a bit to me and I am happy to share the backstory with you!

Scenius: or creativity ricochets.

Scenius.

Nope, I didn't misspell that. Its part "scene" and part "genius". Its a unique description of a healthy art sharing/viewing/inspiring/creating environment. Its something we have here at AJE.

In a recent post Jennifer reviewed "Steal like and Artist" by Austin Kleon. His "Scenius" concept is explained in his follow up book - Show your Work.

.."scenius"... Under this model, great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals - artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers - who make up an "ecology of talent". If you look back closely at history, many of the people who we think of as "lone genius" were actually part of a "whole scene of people who were supporting each other, looking at each other's work, copying from each other, stealing ideas and contributing ideas." Scenius doesn't take away from the achievements of those great individuals; it just acknowledges that good work isn't created in a vacuum, and that creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds.
What I love about the ideas of Scenius is that it makes room in the story of creativity for the rest of us: the people who don't consider ourselves geniuses. Being a valuable part of a Scenius is not necessarily about how smart or talented you are, but what you have to contribute - the ideas you share, the quality of the connections you make, and the conversations you start...."( A. Kleon from Show your work)

Here are a few Scenius examples from the team: 

Lesley (and Diana & Linda) took my mixed media amulet class at Bead Fest last August. Combining a polymer base with a metal tab setting - its a combination of techniques that isn't new, but creates new connections. Lesley found it inspiring, and goes into details in her Mixed Media Mojo post. And Melissa gave it a try as well... I wonder if that piece ever was finished? (I do hope to have a tutorial available soon... ) While this example does involve a classroom setting - my love of tab setting was inspired by Melissa Manley, my friend and uber talented metalsmith. So - you see? Nothing is created in a vacuum! Ideas grow and evolve...

1. Jenny's class sample. 2. Melissa's WIP. 3. Lesley's variations on a theme. 

This past April, Caroline wrote a gorgeous post regarding her current inspiration form the Far East. Rebekah was inspired by these carved beads to create a frame of sorts to showcase her polymer heart bead. (The April COM in fact.) She said her process went like this: " I want to frame the heart focal... trees! Carve trees? ... Caroline trees!... hmm. birds in trees... carve a new stamp..." You can see the fab results below in her carved wood thrush "frame" titled Forest Song.

1-3 Caroline's carved porcelain beads, netsuke inspired. 4&5. Rebekah's carved frame featuring her wood thrush carving. 

The team does love animals. From Karen's Bear totem pieces, and my Mythic Nature series... and you have seen the hares form the AJE themed challenge in March! The themed challenge, in my opinion, reinforces the Scenius concept. Lets share inspiration, references, techniques. We each came up with pieces that exemplified our own styles. There isn't any over sensitive fussing about ideas "stolen" - a hare is a hare is a hare! If they are well sculpted, and recognizable there will be similar elements.

Here are 2 animal pairings. Caroline's bronze head made me want to "up my game" in porcelain. Lesely's sculpture from a pottery class inspired Diana's bead!

1. Caroline - bronze hare 2. Jenny - porcelain hare 3. Diana - porcelain hedgehog 4. Lesley - hedgehog sculpture. 

There are numerous examples here and on the blog of our "mind(s) connected to other minds" but from my point of view I continue to see Caroline and I bumping heads creatively! (All in a good way!) Her post on the hollow lentil shrine beads blew me away... and I was working on my own shrine beads in polymer at the time. (I'm still finessing ideas. Maybe a class at a future Bead Fest? ) In true "Scenius" fashion the peyote surround on the hare shrine pendant was inspired by seed beads used in a similar fashion by the incredible Gina Dunlap.

1-3. Caroline's sketch and 2 hollow lentil shrine beads  4&5. Jenny's polymer shrine bead prototypes. 

Caroline's silhouettes are screen printed from her original drawings. They are delicate and ethereal, but also bold and strong... They turned me back to revisit my animal silhouettes... still a WIP, coming soon.

top: screen printed beads and vocals by Caroline. bottom: copper silhouettes for MM pendants on Jenny's workbench. 

I think "Scenius" is a great way to describe the creative community at large. We are artists, designers, creators. We are friends with other artists, designers, creators. We are constantly inspired and influenced by things we see, read, study, learn... and all of these influences trickle down into our selves... where the Muse draws upon them. A melting pot of ideas. I personally embrace this interconnectedness. I am confident, and comfortable in MY style, my work and know I can be influenced in a healthy, honest and ethical way by my peers.

Here's to wishing everyone finds their Scenius group in life, and let the creative ideas ricochet!

A Capital field trip - the National Museum of the Native American

Hello all - Happy September. As one who used to head back to the classroom at this time of year, I feel renewed appreciation that I am now heading back to my studio after Beadfest. 

Although a field trip is always welcome! Lesley Watt was here for a bit before heading home and I took the opportunity to show her a few select sites in DC. Its hard to narrow the choices down to one day - and it was a sweltering, insanely hot day at that. We opted for a bus tour to see the monuments and a museum. Fellow AJE member Melissa Meman met us in town... 

Knowing I had a post coming up I was on alert for inspiration. Well, that was foolish. It was everywhere, at every corner, textures, colors, forms... and to be touring with 2 fellow artists? So awesome. I wanted to share the highlights and some of the inspiration with you... 

We started at the Castle, the original Smithsonian building. ( Can I just say it was nice to be "home" - having lived just outside DC for 10+ years?!)

The Smithsonian "Castle", mosaic floor design, intense floral displays. 

The National Museum of the American Indian silhouetted by blue sky, petroglyph designs in the glass entry doors.  These designs alone sparked ideas popping into my head - clay, polymer... carving stamps. 

Feathered faces: 1 Raven carving. Totem pole. 2.Niska eagle headdress, carved wood/shell c. 1880  3. Tlingit octopus/owl mask. cedar 4. Ceramic owl vessel, Central Caribbean/Costa Rica c. 500-800 AD. 

Animal totems: 1.Inupiaq walrus carving  2.Hopi coiled ceramic chicken vessel 3.Inupiaq carved ivory school of fish
 4. Inupiaq Eskimo carved cedar seal.
There are so many distinct styles represented in the museum, and its thrilling to see iconic images/creatures/motifs represented across cultures. It speaks loudly to human nature, archetypes, and what resonates within shared or related cultures. 

Maidu Creation story. Painting by H. Fonesca. 2000. Acrylic on canvas. Its a pleasure to see old and new in the NMAI. This was a contemporary painting - very evocative. It struck a accord with all three of us. I enjoy the museum's presentation of AI culture in its history and evolving in its present. 

Beaded cradle board, detail, and sample glass bead card, c. 1850's. While AI arts are renown for their beadwork, it is interesting to place it in history... that seed beads were a trade item introduced by settlers, colonists and the like. ..

1. Sample bead card 2. Tlingit dance collar. c. 1900  3. Lakota doctor's bag. c. 1890

"Kiowa aw-day" by Terri Greeves. 2004. From the wall text: " Traditionally, Aw-day ( favorite Children) lead the Kiowa Black leggings Warrior society into the dance arena...These sneakers...honor the Aw-day children. Greeve's son... depicted in yellow buckskin on the left shoe... The moccasin leggings in the large photograph might have been made for an Aw-day child." 

1. Kahnawake Mohawk beaded wall hanging depicting Kateri Tekakwitha. c. 1965 2. Beading kit c. 1960 3. Sample Czech glass bead card. 

Black on black Pueblo pottery has long been an interest of mine. The techniques were rediscovered from pottery shards by Maria Martinez and her husband. The style re-emerged in the area and flourished; artists using traditional and modern motifs. 1. Carved and burnished plate, butterfly design. Rose Gonzales. San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1979  2. Burnished and painted plate, feather design. Maria Martinez. San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1965. 

The feather motif was especially symbolic to us as we had just completed the CoM with Rebekah;s leather feather the day prior! 

Wonderful polychrome pottery from Central America. The website for this special exhibit has wonderful resources.
1. Greater Cochle plate, human crocodile design. c. 850-950 AD 2. polychrome plate, bird design. 3. Greater Cochle plate with crocodile design. AD 850-950. 

Honestly - my head is still spinning a bit looking back over these images. The NMAI is an amazing museum, and one I recommend to anyone in the area.  We were filling up with ideas for designs, materials, forms... content, motifs... you name it. I predict there will be more posts in the near future that started with a spark from this day's trip.

Until then - their website!  wow. I was searching info to tag my images, and I got lost in a sea of pottery, ivory carvings, silver and turquoise. I want  a day just to surf their online site!

Thanks for stopping in... 

Jenny

Repurposing: anguish and anticipation

( Warning: the contents of this post may be shocking to some. Beader discretion is advised. Please note: no beads were harmed in preparation for this post.) 

Last week in the ceramic studio a friend and colleague uttered the fateful words:"Jenny, I have something for you..." I was at once intrigued and cautiously optimistic. She described a necklace, large, a multi-strand that had fallen out of favor in her jewelry hierarchy. It never gets worn, she confessed. And she would hate to donate it to a charity... Perhaps you could use it, repurpose it somehow. My interest grows. She tells me its filled with little carved animals... Oh! Can it be? Carved fetish* beads? YES! I, no exaggeration, had a little prickle up my spine.

Before. In all its beauty..

A close up of the critters, the multi-strand component and the sterling cones/clasp. 

I offered to remake it for her, or to make her something in keeping with her current more casual style.  ( Because then I could adopt the left overs...) No, she said. Its all yours. I knew from her first mention that I was going to cut it apart. And yet. 

It was a lovely piece. 5 strands of fetish animal beads strung with horn heishi, I believe. Turquoise animals served as connectors, and a turquoise hawk focal. And there was NOTHING wrong with it. No loose threads, no broken clasp... I did have a moments pause. As if I was doing the unthinkable. Someone was going to catch me... But the anxiety was quickly over... 

 Oh heavens! The carnage... 

Stampede! No seriously - there are many foxes. Average length is 1". 

The materials sorted. One purple animal! Random... 

That'a a plentiful pile of animals, a plethora, a pack, a herd, a sloth (bears), a skulk (foxes), a rout (wolves)... Sorry. I digress. (Sidetracked at Oxford, with coffee.)

I look forward to using these pieces in mixed media necklaces, in bead embroidery... their small size inspires me to use them in combination with other diverse materials. To take them far from their original context. And I think I am compelled to make a piece for my friend. She may not even wear it, but its good karma, you know? 

I asked my team mates for a few "After" pix - things they had repurposed as I am still pondering and planning.

Lesley shares this necklace from a former Bead Soup Blog Party. The pendant is from a brooch that was her mother's. The clasp is a vintage piece, repurposed as well. 

Melissa loved this pearl, but not its original setting. So when the bezel broke... she was thrilled to design this piece. She wears it often!

Linda pulled this chain of a handbag! The bag - still in use as a clutch. It has a great patina.

Kristen did bead weaving ( bead wove?) these pearls from her mother into a bracelet. 

Keirsten took apart an imported metal necklace and showcased the pendant with pearls.  Adds the luscious pearl luster, and makes the pendant really a focal. 

Thanks to my team mates for the eye candy! I Know I am in good company repurposing a piece of jewelry. I would love to hear your tales, and I wonder - did anyone else feel a twinge of anxiety? Or just the beading anticipation? 

Until later! 

Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com

* Zuni fetishes are small animals carved from gemstones. They are associated with Zuni Pueblo in NM. Here are a few links if you are interested in more information: 

Overview article 

How they are made. 

Types of fetishes

Animal symbolism

A little help from our friends...

John, Paul, Ringo and George said:
"How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna to try with a little help from my friends..."

Today was Sue's day to post, and she couldn't make it... I don't have anything really witty or inspiring to say - except that I am very grateful for this network of friends. Online friends, real live friends, old friends, new friends, far friends, near friends... ( Are you hearing Dr Seuss in your head? You should be. )

This is the inside of my kiln. The wiring, the controls, the guts and brain simultaneously. Its been broken for going on a month now. My friend Marsha has been helping me trouble shoot the problems and repair as she has the same kiln, and is generous and supportive like that. 

This is a rather goofy pix of me - loading my pendants into Marsha's kiln. Because she stepped up to loan me kiln space as I have a few deadlines and commitments looming. And she gave me coffee. 

These are the treasures unloaded from her kiln this morning. Can you see my ear to ear grin? Because all is well, pieces are ready, I will make a proper showing at my first Spring Arts festival. And I have new designs in there to show to loyal returning customers.

 So - I get by with a little help from my friends. And I am glad to help a friend if I can... 

Do tell - what tool/equipment would you be completely stuck without? What friend do you want to thank for saving the day? 

Headed back to the studio... See you Friday for my regularly scheduled post... 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com