And the (April COM amulet bead) winner is....

Amulet beads ready to mail to winners... 

On Monday I will be mailing amulet beads to....

Jess Green and Brooke Bock!! Thank you to all who commented and I do so look forward to seeing your creations this month. (I will have more amulet beads this weekend at Bead Fest in Oaks PA - so please contact me is you are interested in purchasing one... )

Until next time - have a great weekend! 

Musings on Creativity

Lately I've been working on a series of Bird Totems. I'm really loving this idea and each time I approach the subject, I continue to expand on the idea and improve it. Watching it evolve is a lot of fun.

Here are some of my pieces...

Here are some newer pieces, in clay (not yet fired)... one of the images shows my hand carved stamps used to create the belly symbols. I am playing with the idea of the Bird Totem as symbolic of the Bird  as Messenger - who brings us insights, messages, and gifts of inspiration from the inner workings of our soul / consciousness, and from the connection we have with sources outside of ourselves and our everyday world.

About Creativity and How Art Happens... 

As artists, we sometimes play with ideas, not really knowing where the underlying sources of inspiration come from. Upon seeing my bird totems, a friend pointed out that they reminded him of native american art, especially that of Pacific Northwest nations. Fascinated, I looked up some of the art of these sources and was immediately excited. I love the idea of art as a dialogue with our our selves, our culture, other artists, and historical - often ancient - sources. Art is not created in a vacuum, but rather, works as a kind of PLAY on themes both old and new. I emphasize the word "Play" because it is critical to step outside of one's routine and get into a state of absolute flow. One must not worry or fuss about the particulars (such as planning what to make, how to make it) of a particular meme or idea, but rather, continue to play with it, riffing on it with each iteration. The particulars happen as part of the flow. This flow must not be interrupted by our logical reasoning daytime brain. Moreover, it is important to sometimes "sleep on ideas" - when one is stuck or tired, just allow it to rest, go to bed and approach it anew.

Here are some of the native american pieces that I find absolutely fascinating and inspiring. I was not consciously aware of this body of work prior to making my bird totems, but when I reflect back I clearly see a line of evolution... (these are all images from the Shaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

Thoughts about Creativity from John Cleese...

Finally, I would like to share a lecture by John Cleese, about how we create. I think you will find this enlightening... particularly about the notion of how our unconsciousness contributes to the creative process...  I invite you to watch and learn...

Crazy for Clay

Just another in the continuing series of updates from Starry Road Studio.... Needless to say, I have been knee deep in clay, relishing with joy the ability to work in this medium again after a so long a time away while transitioning from KY to NY over the past year. Yes, that's right, it has been nearly a YEAR since I packed up and left KY to return to NY. Most of my studio has been packed up in storage and only in recent weeks have I begun the slow process of getting everything set up here. I was dying to get my pottery wheel set up and thankfully I managed to throw a few pots this past week. I still have to get my spray booth set up for glazing, but for now I'll use some dipping glazes for these pots.

I am continuing to explore beads, creating a variety of new forms and ideas.

Continuing in my series of woodland-themed beads, I finally got started on a new design for "Camping Beads", based on sketches from late last summer. I blogged about it here.

I am having a blast playing with various textures. I am especially LOVING wood. This started with some woodland themed pieces (logs, trees, etc.). I am carrying it over into my line of ancient amulets and beads. I wanted to convey the sense of the ancient along with the wood texture, so I created a texture I am calling "Petrified Wood" (as seen in the dark brown pieces below). I love the mossy old stone (in the lighter, greenish pieces), and ancient wood look of these...

I plan to explore these textures in pottery. I can't wait! Here's an idea with a sort of plant form growing out of a "tree" base. I will throw this in porcelain and sculpt it after. I'll post pictures when I get around to it. And perhaps it will inform new designs for beads too. Stay tuned!

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. 

Folklore Friday: Have a heart ( Ancient Egyptian amulets Part2)

Welcome back! Last time I talked about Ancient Egyptian amulets in general - and some of the iconic symbols that many if you had previously seen. This week I wanted to delve a little deeper into a few of the more obscure, yet quintessentially Egyptian motifs. ( It has been hard for me to decide what to include, as this topic enchants me. I thank you for your attention and perseverance!) 

The Tyet knot, also called the "Girdle of Isis" depicts a looped and folded cloth; they were placed on the neck of the deceased. The tyet symbolizes strength/power/protection. They are often red, for blood, as they represent the blood of Isis; her protection and by association the magic and power with which she raises the god Osiris/her husband from the dead. Life and death and regeneration are the essential beliefs in Ancient Egyptian mythos. 

The Djed pillar represents stability, strength, endurance, and protection. Symbolically it depicts a stylized Tree of Life and simultaneously Osiris' backbone. It was placed... near spines of the mummies and was thought to lend them strength. The spell in the Book of the Dead associated with them calls out to the god: 'Raise yourself up Osiris! You have your backbone once more. O weary-hearted One; you have your vertebrae!'

Thoth, Sekmet & Tawaret. glazed clay/faience.
 App. 1.75" - 2"

Amulets of Egyptian deities were worn to honor that god or goddess and seek their protection. There are so many, and so many interesting myths - I cant go into it all here...

( The Ancient Egyptian Mythology page gives an overview... )

 I will be discussing materials and methods in my next post though... 

What really inspired me lately - both in the studio and to write these posts - were the heart amulets. 

Images from Walters Art Gallery, The Met,  British Museum

Their shapes are reminiscent of urns - urns where the mummified actual heart was placed. These amulets were only used for the deceased, placed at the heart. Vessels often symbolize the soul across cultures, but to the Ancient Egyptians it was more:  For the ancient Egyptians, the heart (ib) was the source of intelligence, feelings, and actions. A person's memory was also housed in the heart and so at the judgment ceremony (Weighing of the Heart) in the afterlife, the heart was able to speak on behalf of the deceased, accounting to Osiris for a lifetime of deeds. Therefore, heart amulets were only used on the mummy to protect the owner's organ and to ensure that his heart gave a positive response at judgment.

Left: Anubis, God of Afterlife leads the soul. Center:Anubis (smaller) weighs the heart/urn against the feather of Maat. Right: Ammit, the Devourer of the Dead (hybrid crocodile, lion, hippo) awaits to eat any souls deemed unworthy. Thoth, God of Writing records the ritual. A jury of gods and goddesses are seated above to witness. 

Balanced against a feather? Yes. the feather of Maat.   She was the Goddess of truth, justice, balance, order, law, morality. She was world order and harmony; without her - chaos. So when the heart was balanced with a feather - it was a feather that stood for... "rightness" and a life lived in harmony with the principles of the culture. 

But I digress. The beads.... the inspiration... harvest from the studio ^10 gas fire reduction kiln... 

These are stoneware, very rustic, with a simple stain of iron oxide. The larger round one has bits of glaze in the impressed designs. I am thrilled with the results, and may have to save one for myself to wear at Beadfest! ( Come see me - Booth 461). I see it with earthy colors; jasper, jade... or maybe turquoise! Hmm. What do you think? 

Until next time - 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Folklore Friday: Ancient Egyptian amulets

Collection of amulets, Senckenberg, Naturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany.

Amulets... 

From Merriam-Webster: : a charm (as an ornament) often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to aid the wearer or protect against evil (as disease or witchcraft)

And while that definition may sound a bit Medieval - I think the definition infers that a piece have meaning and believed power/symbolism to be seen as an amulet. And when I think amulets - I think Egypt. Since I decided to do this series of posts, I have been reading and researching - and having great fun... I look forward to sharing it with you. 

Warning: I have been fascinated with Ancient Egypt my whole life. Well, specifically since I was 8. When the monumental exhibit of Tutankhamen's tomb goods was in DC at the National Gallery. ( No, my parents did not take me, and yes, I begged. Scarred for life? maybe a little...) A secondary degree in Art History and supplemental study on my own... clearly this interest wasn't a passing fancy. So let me start with the more iconic symbols... 

In Ancient Egypt, amulets were worn by the living... and the dead. Worn as necklaces, placed in a mummy's wrappings, they were a unifying element across the levels of society - from the common folk to the nobles, to the divine royalty. Certain symbols were used by both living and dead; others had specific funerary purposes. Their recorded use dates back to app 3100 BCE, 1000 years prior to the first Egyptian Dynasty. Most frequently worn for protection, some were fertility amulets, others invoked certain deities and their attributes. ( More on that later)

Materials - 

 Clay, faience, shell, gemstone, gold, glass, bone, ivory to name a few. Cost was a factor in materials - of course - but so was symbolism. Colors help great symbolic meaning to the Ancient Egyptians. For example, lapis imported from Afghanistan was very precious, and expensive. The deep blue represented both the heavens ( the gods, life, rebirth) and also the primordial Nile flood (life, fertility, rebirth). Gold, plentiful in Egypt was seen as the sun;  un-tarnishing, unaffected by time it represented the immortal, the divine. 

Images from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Ankh  - life, immortality, rebirth, reincarnation

The Egyptians believed fundamentally in an Afterlife. Hence the tombs containing all the items needed to live on in the way to which you were accustomed. The ankh appears everywhere in Egyptian art. Worn as an amulet it would also confer health and strength to the wearer. 

The shape can be said to reference a sandal strap - top oval around your ankle, long tail down between your toes... It is also seen as a reference to the Nile. The top representing the Delta, the length being the Nile itself, and the 2 side arms representing the annual flooding of the river. This flood deposited rich silt, creating arable land on either side of the banks. This truly represented the life of the ancient people in that desert climate. 

Images from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Scarab  - sun, resurrection, transformation, protection

The dung beetle, common in the region and highly symbolic. The beetle lays its eggs in a ball of clay or dung and then rolls it off, burying it. This was a direct metaphor of the sun, rolled across the sky, to disappear, and magically reappear the following day. As the sun god Ra was chief among the Ancient Egyptian deities - the scarab was an important symbol. 

Worn as an amulet it brought health, strength. and virility. A scarab amulet was placed at the heart of a mummy; the heart being the seat of all thought, emotion, intellect... 

Photo credits: 1 & 4 - British Museum, 2 - Bader Ancient Art 3 - Williams College 

The wedjat or Eye of Horus - protection from evil, healing, restoration, protection, sacrifice

The wedjat eye is perhaps the best known of all Egyptian protective amulets. The drop and spiral below the eye imitate the markings on a lanner falcon, the bird associated with the god Horus. The name wedjat means 'the sound one', referring to the lunar left eye of Horus that was plucked out by his rival Seth during their conflict over the throne. The restoration of the eye is variously attributed to Thoth, Hathor or Isis. The injury to the eye and its subsequent healing were believed to be reflected in the waxing and waning of the moon.

The first use of the wedjat eye as an amulet was whenHorus offered it to Osiris. It was so powerful that it restored him to life. The regenerative and protective powers of the amulet meant that it was placed among the wrappings of mummies in great numbers. It could even replace food offerings in rituals. It first appeared in the late Old Kingdom and was used until mummification was no longer practised, in the Roman Period (30 BC - AD 395)

Amulets were made from many different materials, but blue or green faience was the most common, as these colours symbolized regeneration to the ancient Egyptian. The wedjat eye was also worn by the living. Faience factories have been found at Tell el-Amarna, where rings with wedjat eye bezels were very popular among the inhabitants.

(Who am I to paraphrase the British Museum?!  I normally write my own entries, but that was too succinct to pass up. The Isis and Osiris myth is a powerful one. Love, treachery, deceit, a quest, magic - and a great insight into Egyptian beliefs on life, resurrection, rebirth. Read it here if you are interested. 

Thank you for staying with me until the end! I hope there was something interesting there for you - I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Stay tuned in 2 weeks - a few more obscure symbols and how they translate into pieces I am making - making and making... as the Beadfest clock counts down! 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Folklore Friday - milagros

 Folklore Friday - milagros

I have been thinking a lot lately about what inspires me to make a piece, to create a pendant, to wear a certain piece of jewelry. Yes - partially this is inspired by preparing work for Beadfest in Philadelphia this upcoming August. But I have been chatting lately with fellow bead makers and discussing inspiration, ideas, motivation. It seems to make me a bit introspective. I am motivated to create a piece with meaning, with intention, with a history and a symbolism that speaks to the wearer. I want a person to be drawn to my piece ( be it pendant for their own use, or a finished piece I have created).  I hope it resonates with them; that it is a meaningful piece they can carry with them, an amulet, a talisman. So I plan to do a series here, if you will join me - on ancient and multicultural amulets - their meanings, and how they inspire me. 

Milagros - trans. from the Spanish -  "Little miracles" 

Photo credit: nomads and zingari blog

Milagros are votive charms, a sort of folk medicine and prayer combined. They are used in many Hispanic regions and countries, from the US through Latin America, even the Iberian Peninsula. Made of gold, silver, wood, wax... but most frequently found in tin and pewter, milagros vary greatly in size and depth. (Most are relatively flat, and smaller than a quarter.) Whether found at a saint's shrine, in a church, left as an offering or hanging on a simple ribbon in a home - they are unified by their symbolic meanings, and their intention.

"As part of a religious ritual or an act of devotion, milagros can be offered to a symbol of a saint as a reminder of a petitioner's particular need, or in gratitude for a prayer answered. They are used to assist in focusing attention towards a specific ailment, based on the type of charm used. Milagro symbolism is not universal; a milagro of a body part, such as a leg, might be used as part of a prayer or vow for the improvement of a leg; or it might refer to a concept such as travel. Similarly, a heart might represent ideas as diverse as a heart condition, a romance, or any number of other interpretations. Milagros are also carried for protection and good luck." (Wiki)

Ceramic milagros fresh from my kiln this morning. 

My favorite: the eyes milagro. These are currently available in my Etsy shop. 

I find the eyes a very powerful symbol of the self and the soul. I like this icon paired with inspiration words - perhaps things we need to "see" in ourselves or our lives. 

Two very different necklaces that I have made - and wear often.


What milagro symbol would you wear for protection and luck?
What do you need to "see" more clearly, or manifest in your life? 

Thanks for stopping by - I would love to hear your thoughts... 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

References and shopping: 

Zanzibar trading 

Sacred Art Images

Happy Mango Beads

Direct from Mexico

An assortment from Etsy: 

Milagros on Etsy: LindaQueally, SHIWASHIWA, reDonewhat, LaMariposaGallery, HINT, suenosimports, TheRealJackChow, suenosimports.