Unearthed: The Beads of Fremont State Park and Museum

You may recall that back in November I went out to Utah to visit my parents.  I wrote a post about a few of my favorite things out there and how they inspire my work.  Well, I had another wonderful trip and got to visit Zion,  Snow Canyon State Park,  Arches National Park and my favorite was actually this little side stop on the way home... Fremont Indian State Park and Museum.

Fremont State Park is located off of I-70 near Sevier, Utah.  This little gem of a site contains pictographs, petroglyphs and a host of other artifacts left behind by the Paiute Native Americans.   This site was used as a place for seasonal travel between two hunting areas.  

In addition to all the fabulous petroglyphs and pictographs, there is also a small museum.  I only got to spend a few minutes inside but I managed to snap a few photos while in there...

Of course I photographed the most important things....beads!  

I'm ashamed to say I passed right by all the artifacts recovered from the site just so I could quickly gaze upon the beads, pendants and buttons that have been recovered.

I love the simplistic look of the beads even though they took time and skill to create.  Makes me want to return to some more simplistic designs.

I wonder how much more is still out on the site just waiting to be discovered.

In the early 1800's, the site was used as a wagonroad.  In 1877, the Lott family settled in the Canyon. These sewing bits were discovered at was once the site of their homestead.  

I wish I could have spent a few more hours at the park but we had been on the road for hours returning from Arches.  I suppose it gives me an excuse to visit again in the future.

Oh, remember that rock shop I wrote about in the prior post?  I went there again on my second day of the trip.  Since it was the end of the season, the owner didn't have as much stock BUT I still managed to find some goodies.

There's an assortment of dendrites, wonderstone, picasso stone, unakite, turquoise and a couple of trilobites.  Most of these are gifts that I still need to send out (oops!).  

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to visit Southern Utah I highly recommend Fremont Park and Museum AND a trip to Springdale Utah for the rock shops and Zion National Park!

Happy Beading!

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

Folklore Friday - faience of Egyptian amulets

Image: egyptological.com

Welcome to the third, and final installment in the Ancient Egyptian amulet series. Today: the material faience. - prized for its intense blues and versatile for its inexpensive, even humble origins... 

I think my interest in faience is twofold. I love clay, and the alchemy of firing and glazing. I am continually inspired by Art History. And that color! I could dive in and get lost. It really resonates with me... 

To the right is William. Have you "Met" him? (Art history humor! Forgive me...) He is a famous piece in the Metropolitan's Egyptian collection. He has his own page in the shop!  How he became a celebrity I do not know - but he IS made of faience... 

The Egyptian word for faience is "tjehnet" meaning "shining, dazzling". Archaeological evidence dates the use of faience to as early as 3500 BCE. It was developed as a substitute for lapis lazuli and was used for beads, amulets, statuettes, bowls... 

Vessels, a shabti figure*, and a beaded netted collar. 

Comprised of finely ground quartz, lime, copper oxide, water, and a binder/gum arabic - this was a recipe of common ingredients, easily sourced in the area. The materials are mixed with water to form a paste, them molded or modeled and fired when dry. The paste is thixotropic - and hard to work with as it is much less plastic and malleable than clay. The interesting thing about this material ... it is self glazing!  The term is "efflorescence of glazing" - glaze materials ( water soluble alkali salts) are mixed with quartz. As the water evaporates, the salts migrate to the surface, recrystallizing on the surface. When fired= glaze. 

Knowing that - take a look at the detail in these amulets of Egyptian deities: 

In my research recently I have found recipes and may attempt mixing up a batch of Egyptian paste in the fall when I return to the Ceramics studio /classroom on my regular schedule. In the past I have used "Egyptian Paste" from art suppliers like Dick Blick. (At the writing of this article, I could not find this prepared version for sale. Recipes for making  from scratch are readily available with a Google search.)

 Its like trying to sculpt peanut butter - the consistency is so gooey! As per the ancient methods - I found bisqued ceramic molds the most user friendly: they are porous, and absorb moisture quickly, allowing the molded paste to release, and drop out easily.

The challenge is patience. The paste is best left alone... as the crystals form on the surface as the piece dries. Sometimes patience is tough... Shown here are a few samples done when researching this material.

I love the colors and the history of the materials. For all its quirks - I do think I am inspired to give it another go!

Thanks for following this exploration! I would love to hear what you think... 

Until next time - 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

*The ushabti was a funerary figurine used in Ancient Egypt. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as substitutes for the deceased, should he/she be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. They were used from the Middle Kingdom (around 1900 BC) until the end of the Ptolemaic Period nearly 2000 years later.

References: 

Faience research article by G. Mackenzie

Blog about experiments with Egyptian paste.