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new and recent work
This page contains my
'hot off the presses' pieces, and other recent work. The designs are created soley from different
colors of clay...no paints are used. Read more about the technique of millefiori caning on the "arabesque canes"
page.
Click on any image for a detail view
I had to take a break
from the intense project I'm working on to play around with this 'woven' style a bit, as shown in the experiments
above, and detail below (even with the extreme detail sideview, it's difficult to see the depth of the patterning...it
feels pretty cool to the touch as well).
It sure helps to temporarily turn attention away from
such intense focus (as this project I'm doing) and let the mind wander :) Can't wait to have time
to explore this look further...
"Claudia"
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After
six months away, I'm back in the studio again trying to 'find my legs'. My time in the studio has
been sporadic since coming back, but I did have some time to work on a few items, some going off to the gallery. I'm
anxious to dive in head first and really create from that place deep within me, but for now, here are a few simple pieces....
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Antiqued Laser Cut Pendant in fall tones
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Customers love earrings (as do I)...here
are several new pairs made using my Laser Cut technique,
and
a variation there of (in the image directly below)....
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I went beyond taking inspiration and into outright theft for a portion of "blossom" (above right)!....
Daily Art Muse featured enamel work by Danielle Embry that knocked my socks off and I just had to give it a try in clay. And, I didn't stop with Danielle's
work...I incorporated berries inspired by a photo taken by Tamara (Block Party Press) that I've been eyeing on her flickr site since the image first made my heart go pitter-pat! Tamara's
berry photo hit the sweet spot for me, and I knew I needed to use these berries somehow, someway...
My rendition
can't come close to the perfection of the originals; many thanks to those who created such beauty in the first
place!
The concept for the techniques used in creating 'stonegarden' popped
into my head as I was finishing up 'blossom' (proving that direct inspiration from someone else can lead to discovering
a new personal creative expression!). Each thin 'petal' is lined with metal, leaving a shiny silver 'outline'....looks
pretty cool, irl :)
As I was creating these two pieces, I became aware that I was using long-ago honed skills from
my years as an interior design florist (in what seems like a previous life, I owned my own interior floral design business
for 20 years). It was a fun surprise to find myself instinctually placing the petals and berries in precisely the fashion
I'd done in my floral work. This isn't the first time my past experience has surfaced while working with
clay.....I have found myself using skills from a lifetime of work in sewing/textiles, painting, leather tooling, cake
decorating (!), and now floral design; it's always gratifying to see this stuff surface unbidden while I'm creating
with clay...nothing's ever forgotten, is it? :)
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'stone' leaf and layered tube
bead (the bead is 3 1/4" long)...
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"Wink"
(name courtesy of Connie)
One seashell brooch, four different views...
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It's all about Inspiration....
The new pieces shown
in this section are all influenced to some degree by recent experiences. Often, influences in my work are subtle, and
may show up simply as a detail here or a color there. But, these first two "pen and ink sketches"
were fully inspired by my stay with Bette Abdu....she turned me on to "Zentangle", and it took no time for me to want to translate what
I'd learned into clay. Visit their website and watch for more information on this Zen-like approach to sketching from Bette in the
near future (and don't miss out if you have the opportunity to attend one of her Zentangle workshops....I'm sure you'll
be inspired by it!).
Pen and Ink Sketch : 1 Pen
and Ink Sketch : 2
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The image below and left
shows items created with 'earthenware' in mind....none of them a 'home run' in my mind (lol), but I'll
continue following the direction in which I'm being led; items in the image below and right were created using
the left over trimmings from my earthenware attempts... |
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'Punk Derivitive' (two views)
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The simple brooch below carries with it twenty-one separate bits of inspiration from my trip to New
Zealand.....water and waves are easily seen; green twisting strands represent the giant kelp (so beautiful!!) I was amazed
by; and the shape of the piece itself was influenced by traditional Maori designs. Many of those numerous bits of influence
are very personal and somewhat ethereal. When I look at this piece, I seem to feel all of those influences again, and
at once....pretty nice...
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