Waking a Sleeping Muse...

Do you ever have times when your muse seems to abandon you? Many creative people suffer from these droughts and I'm no exception. I've had no inspiration or motivation since well before Christmas which is a long time for me. Usually I can kick start things just by swapping activities for a while to get a new perspective but this time nothing seems to have clicked. Sometimes we just need to take a break for a while - last year was pretty busy and I did dive into and get engrossed in quite a few new activities but it's been rather frustrating to find myself staring into the distance whenever I've tried to start something.

I've been trying to improve my fitness levels of late by walking more so this week I decided to see if I could kill two birds with one stone and use my walks to go in search of inspiration and try and wake up my sleeping muse. Camera in hand I headed out to Hengistbury Head - a beautiful coastal nature reserve that never fails to lift my spirits and this visit was no exception. I had plenty to play with by the time I got home

Anyone who follows me on facebook will know I have something of a passion for the beach huts that are plentiful in my region - they've inspired me to create beads and jewellery in the past and this photo certainly rekindled that passion. I just love the soft winter sunlight in this picture that creates a lovely muted tone to these huts compared to the bright harsh light of summer when they're usually photographed.

The great thing about taking photographs of things that catch your eye is that they can inspire you in more than one way. You can take the subject matter of the image as your inspiration and I certainly think I might be revisiting beach hut beads this year. Or you can use them for colour inspiration by using them to create a design palette. There is plenty of free software available for turning your images into colour palettes and you'll find some in a previous post I wrote here. I particularly like Adobe Colour CC as it allows you create specific mood palettes.

Once I'd created palettes with my favourite pictures I decided to go through by stash and pull out some beads that relate to the images through colour, texture and maybe the broad subject matter. Purely random choices they're not intended to work together for a specific piece but just working through this process definitely got me thing creatively.

Beads by Caroline Dewison, Helen Chalmers, Genea Beads, Jenny Davies-Reazor and Karen Totten

These abandoned lobster pots provided another great image - I just love the weathered colours and textures. Although I've only pulled beads for these so far they definitely make me think of fibres and wires - there you go, inspired already!

Beads by Staci-Louise Smith, Silke Grober, Outwest and Tracey Seder-Donoughe

This image is taken across a wild fowl reserve and I really like the way the stream wends it's way through the salt marsh and draws the eye to the Priory in the distance. It's a very tranquil scene and appeals to my love of anything earthy and natural which I tried to match in my bead selection.

Beads by Analyse Taylor, Rebekah Payne, Kaz Baildon, Jan Onipenco, Pippa Chandler and Elaine Ray

Of course, you don't always have to make special trips to find some inspiration - I took this image while out shopping and I am totally besotted with it. It's a wall of the church of Wimborne Minster which is 1300 years old and features Saxon and Norman architecture. I've no idea how old this particular section is or how long it's taken to weather the Dorset limestone to these glorious colours and textures but it stopped me in my tracks when I was walking by.

I was particularly interested in textures when I was choosing beads for this one but to be honest, I think this image may be more of an inspiration for my own clay work  - if I could get glazes or finishes like this...wow!

Beads By Kaz Baildon, Caroline Dewison, Julie Fountain, Karen Totten, Marsha Neal-Minutella, Kristen Stevens and Rebekah Payne

Don't forget what's on your doorstep either. This Hellebore is one of my all time favourite flowers with it's understated beauty and shy habit of hanging it's head. It graces my garden in the winter months when little else is awake and stays to welcome the brighter brasher blooms that arrive with the onset of spring. I'm not really one for pastels and rarely 'do' pink but this dusky hue with green is pretty sublime.

Beads by Mari-Carmen Rodriguez Martinez, Ciel Creations, Sally Carver, Lesley Jane and Anne Gardanne

So did this technique work in terms of motivating me? Well, apart from having the beads as a starting point my brain is also thinking ahead to possible clay and textile projects and I've been scribbling in my note book again the past couple of days. Put that together with the fresh air and exercise and I think you can say it was a success so, if you're suffering from a creative block grab your camera and walking boots and give it a go!

Faerie Finery: The Handcrafted Jewelry of FaerieCon

I just got back from spending my weekend at FaerieCon East.  What is FaerieCon? "FaerieCon is a fantasy convention, featuring artists and authors working in the genre.  It's known for its Masquerade balls and marketplace of artist/makers."~Jenny Davies-Reazor

Yesterday, the last day of the show, I took a final walk through the vendors and chose several to share with our readers.  I hope you enjoy a peek inside this fabulous world...

One of the first booths I stopped at was Crafty Celts.  Crafty Celts creates historically inspired Irish and Viking-style jewelry out of sterling silver, bronze and copper.  Their work was featured on the History channels "Vikings".  I'm considering a Viking costume for next renfaire season and this shop will certainly be on my mind for accessories. 

The next vendor that caught my eye was Twisted Bliss Designs.  Twisted Bliss Designs specializes in sterling silver wire-wrapped jewelry.  I was very impressed by their wire-wrapping skills.  Incredibly detailed, especially the fabulous headpieces. Unfortunately, many of my photos came out blurry so you should check out their Etsy shop to see more of their beautiful work.

Seeing Vagabond Metalworks in person was a true gem.  I was blown away and very inspired by Kest Schwartzman's metalsmithing.  Organic and eccentric, I just loved this work.  In addition to amazing metal jewelry, Kest also creates spectacular metal masks...

I wish I could've come home with all of them!

For those of you that love polymer and resin, Art of Joanne Schempp had these wonderful dragon egg pendants for sale.  Joanne carved the original dragon egg and cast a mold. Then she used polymer clay to create the eggs and set and domed them in gorgeous blingy metal pendants using resin.  

My friend Lithia, owner of Lithia's Creations, was vending again this year.  Lithia recently started creating pretty soldered pendants by upcyling broken plates and tea cups.  She also had some art bead jewelry this year including those pretty dragonfly necklaces featuring pendants from Round Rabbit.

And for our metal clay fans, the stunning work of Silvan Arts was on display.  Silvan Arts features nature-inspired jewelry crafted from metal clay, with many of the pieces incorporating gorgeous gemstones.  If you'd like to see more of their work, visit their Etsy shop.

And last, but certainly not least was AJE's own Jenny Davies-Reazor.  How else did you think I knew about this event?  Jenny has been vending FaerieCon for several years and she had a wonderful display with her pendants, necklaces and tiles.  

I hope you enjoyed this little peek inside FaerieCon's jewelry vendors!  I can't wait to enter the realm of magic again next year!

Happy Beading!

Diana P.

Suburban Girl Studio LLC

Birds of a Feather...

Last fall, when I first started playing with polymer clay, I played around and created a few little birdies.  Just experiments, didn't even finish them.  I thought they were cute, but not really sure how I would pursue them.

My 1st attempt!

Fast forward to this week...I found some polymer clay on sale at Michael's and bought a bit and played a little and decided to revisit the birdies.  My 1st ones were a bit flat, although I love the addition of the flowers.  This time I tried to keep them a bit rounder, made the flowers a bit smaller and started out with a neutral base.

Here is sort of a flow chart collage of their evolution!

I wasn't sure where to go from there, but stumbled on a tutorial from an artist I admire, Staci Louise Smith, on a crackle glaze technique.  Note to self, make sure you have the correct materials before you start a process!  I had everything but the crackle glaze, but since I am impatient and want to do everything when I want to do it, used a different type than the tutorial stated that I found at Michael's...I will be ordering the kind Staci recommended. My version didn't actually crackle!

Here is where I am now...aside from the "no-crackle" finish, I am smitten by their shabby folk-art look.  I definitely see more polymer clay birds in my future!

Melissa Meman

Melismatic Art Jewelry

Art. Life. Love.

Freeform Friday: Organic inspiration. Natural sculpture. Pods.

Hi. My name is Jenny and I am a pod person. 

No! Not THAT kind... this kind:

Mystery pods from my collection, including the essential acorn and something cypress. 

Eucalyptus, lotus, magnolia, Something from San Diego, milkweed. My personal collection... 

Its no secret that I find continual inspiration in Nature. Both the world around me, the turn of the seasons, the tiniest details. I have been in love with pods, leaves, fronds... as long as I can remember. ( And comparable water treasures: shells, seaweed etc.)

I discovered the work of Karl Blossfeldt in my college years. He was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher, and artist who worked in Berlin, Germany. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as, Urformen der Kunst. He was inspired, as was his father, by nature and the way in which plants grow. He believed that 'the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.' (Thanks Wiki) 

Image credit: Soul Catcher Studio

Medley of images from ASX

Very early piece of mine. Stoneware, maybe mid 90's. Influence seems obvious. 

Sculptural pods. A variety of finishes: smoke fired, glazed, reduction fired... All are handheld.

In the cyclical nature of things, I feel like making pods again. But I am in a different place now, and want to make small pods. Wearable pods, one of a kind carved pods, rustic stoneware pods... 

(This is where I am supposed to show you the pods I am sculpting. Oops. They are all still in my head. I tease you with all the pretty pictures, but I have been immersed in teaching clay camp and not in sculpting mode lately. Stay tuned!)

So I will grow these plans, nurture this idea - and hope to harvest the pods in time for Beadfest. (Too many plant metaphors?) Off to the studio with me... 

What is your favorite "old is new again" inspiration? What motif do you return to, time and time again? Talk to me! 

Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com

Blossfeldt books on Amazon: Many are reasonable priced and a treasure trove of beauty, awe, inspiration! 

Picking Flowers… on Etsy

It's no secret that flowers have been on my mind and filling my studio these past several weeks. And with summer quickly coming to an end (autumn is my favorite season and holds a special spot in my heart, but I still am always sad to see summer go) so, sadly, are the flowers and other growing things. I'm enjoying them while I can! And hoping to make a few more new beads too!


Yes, I love to make beads, but I also love to see the handiwork of other artists — few things are more inspiring — everyone has their own interpretation, yet we are basing it off the same inspiration. Maybe you're using the impression of nature itself, or maybe you are starting with the raw medium of your choice and carefully copying nature's design, giving it a new and stylized form — thankfully nature will not sue us if we copy its designs!


The bead artists of Etsy (a few of whom are my fellow blog writers here at AJE) always have something lovely to share. I hope you enjoy my picks today!

 1. jdaviesreazor 2. laurasouder 
3. KristiBowmanDesign 4. KristiBowmanDesign

1. MelismaticArtJewelry 2. maryhardingjewelry 
3. JeraLunaDesigns 4. suebeads

 1. TinasBeadMind 2. THEAElements 
3. suburbangirlbeads 4. ktotten

1. sweetrockcandybeads 2. suburbangirlbeads 
3. pipsjewellery 4. ktotten

If you notice, the colors of my picks started with soft colors, then a pop of brighter colors, and finally turned to browns. I'm taking one last look at summer… and then I'll be ready for shades of autumn… and all the creativity that accompanies them.

(P.S. That oak leaf from suburbangirlbeads is now mine, all mine! :-) This autumn-loving girl couldn't resist.)

What has inspired you lately? Do you feel that your creativity changes with the seasons? Do share!

Genius loci

From Merriam-Webster:

Definition of GENIUS LOCI

1

: the pervading spirit of a place

2

: a tutelary deity of a place

The place: Austin TX. 

The time: last weekend. 

The plan: take a walk, enjoy the weather. 

The result: inspiration!

I was born and raised in Maryland, and now live in Delaware. To be sure - I have lived other places, other countries, other regions... but I have four seasons in my blood. So when I was visiting Texas in January, and walking around in a tee shirt - I felt hyper aware of the outdoors, the environment, the ecosystem. 

Nature and natural forms always have inspired me... so trusty iPhone camera and I snapped a few pictures on a 4 mile walk...

Bare branches, net, blue sky. Patterns. 

Agave and sunbeams. 

Contrast. Complementary. 

Lone Star.

In the "spirit of the place" I was inspired to make earrings. (You have heard of our AJE earring challenge, haven't you?) 

Prickly pear: Dimpling with center punch, dimples, freeform similar shapes. Pearl "blossoms". 

Agave: shapes, marking a leaf ridge, mixing enamel colors.

The colors were as inspirational as the shapes. I am pleased with the shapes, and love the red/purple pearl "blossoms". The colors were another matter. The agave was a silvery green grey with hints of blue. The prickly pear was sage to chartreuse! I decided to experiment - feeling like an alchemist I threw together some enamel powders... opaque, greens, white, transparents...

The results are interesting, but not exact. I wish they were swapped, as one is more silvery grey...I like the speckles that result with opaque white in the mix. I could have tested the colors first, and taken notes. (No thanks). My biggest disappointment was the loss of my "dimples" - I would have needed much more transparent colors for the metal divots to show through the enamel. I knew that, but in the color mixing spontaneity I didn't think...I am going to have to revisit these, and keep experimenting.

What is inspiring you today? What new influences do you see in your work? 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com