My Life In Jewels

I've been working on a new side project for the past little while.  I have started a new blog called My Life In Jewels.  I created My Life In Jewels because I wanted a place to tell my personal jewellery history and I wanted to learn other stories of jewellery.  I know that lots of people have pieces of jewellery that mean something to them and I want to learn about those stories.

Please have a look and if you have a story that you would like to share with me, I would be honored to share it on my blog with creds and links to you.

New Jewelry

New Cherry Blossom Necklace
I live on a street that is lined with big lovely cherry blossom trees. These trees are charming all year round, but they are absolutely divine when they are full of bright pink cherry blossoms. I so wish that this divineness stayed longer, but the cherry blossoms, like so many beautiful moments in life only stay for a very short time. The Cherry Blossom Necklace is a special necklace for those moments in life that are the most divine. 
Sterling silver, copper, enamel, freshwater pearls.

Renkum Artist Residency - A Little Movie.

While I was on my artists residency in Renkum Holland I created jewellery pieces based on the theme of movement, change, and growth.  I watched spring bloom around me and sewed brightly coloured felt into flower petals.  I accepted the changes that have been heaved my way recently and twisted wire into wheels.  I propelled myself to the other side of the world to solder wire into wings.  While I was doing this, my beau was making this video.  It's not until coming back to Canada until I realized how connected this video was to the work I was creating.  

What Makes Me Ecstatic About Being a Jewellery Artist?

What makes you ecstatic about being an artist?
This question was given to me in a course I'm taking from Alyson B Stanfield.  In one of the lessons the other day she asked us what makes us ecstatic about being an artist.  What moment in your life have you seen something or done something that made you stop in your tracks and feel completely connected to being an artist?

I am grateful that I recently got to experience some of those moments while I was doing my artist's residency in Holland.  We spent a few days exploring Amsterdam.  We went to the Van Gogh gallery.  After waiting in line with the hordes of tourists we went inside and I led my beau downstairs to check out the "Dreams of Nature, Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky"exhibiton.  I knew that somewhere in this exhibition I would see for the very first time a Wassily Kandinsky painting.  I whizzed through the exhibit......and got to the end.......and there it was.....my first up close and personal view of a Wassily Kandinsky.................I stopped......I stared.......I felt........I felt elated.......I felt my soul stir..........I felt a connection to the past, I felt my body firmly rooted in the present......I felt ecstatic to be adding art to our world.  

"Cossacks" Wassily Kandinsky 

Jewelry For Your Wall

When I was in Holland my workbench faced a big window overlooking a garden.  I would start my work day by quickly sketching one piece of the garden.  I didn't want this act to take up a lot of my time.  I wanted my eyes to hone in on one detail from the garden and quickly transfer it to paper.  It was like my little daily exercise before I started "the real work".

The garden I was looking at bloomed while I was sketching it.  Pinks, purples, reds, and oranges opened into life in front of me.  Each day I was excited to wake up and see the changes happening outside, and then one day I started to see my sketches differently......I started to add metal to them.  I was twisting wire that represented movement, change, and growth.  I was making these little wire tornado like earrings, so I started sewing them onto my sketches. They became these little objects for your wall......a huge stray off of my regular path.  Something I wasn't even quite sure I was comfortable with, but it felt right so I kept making them.

When I was presenting this work at our dinner in Renkum one of the artists there suggested I view it as jewelry for your wall, which I loved!

So here it is, your first glimpse at my Jewelry For Your Wall and the blooming gardens which inspired them.

My Biggest Struggle With Creating Is My Mind....

I have been at OBRAS artist residency in Renkum, Holland since the beginning of April.  My goal was to create 30 new one of a kind pieces while I was here.  I'm not sure if I will reach 30 pieces...it will be close. 

My biggest struggle with creating here has been my mind.  Big surprise.  I keep saying these things to myself "Just play, explore, experiment, take risks, try new things"....."but, what am I doing? Is this going to become a sellable line? How am I going to make money?"   It's like the 2 sides of my brain are debating inside of me.  

I try to remember what Heidi Schwegler said when I heard her speak about doing 4 artist residencies in 1 year, at last years SNAG conference.  She said that the real work happened when she returned from the residency and she learned that her job at the residency was to take in as much information as she could - to take photos, to explore,  and to really take the time to see things.  

I've spent a lot of time creating at my studio space here in Renkum, but I have also taken the time to really see things.....

At a Farmers Market on my trip to Prague.  Hippy boys and hot metal.

Prague, earth, buildings, sky.

Prague, The importance of inviting beauty inside. 

Sculpture Park, Kroller Muller Museum, Holland. 

Telling The Truth

"Telling the truth is like spreading the underside of your wings, you see that part only when you fly" 

- Sabrina Ward Harrison. 

I brought the above words with me on my artist residency. 

I also brought images of birds in flight, wings, butterflies, flowers, flying sculptures........

Sculptures by Ranjani Shettar

Papaya Art

My life for the past couple of years has been moving.  At times I've been pushing it..... and dragging it forward. At other times its been tunneling right over me and I haven't been sure if I can catch up with it.  

Through-out all of this movement I've had my feet firmly planted on an earth that was familiar, my home, my life, my apartment, my street. 

Until now.  I needed to firmly step off of solid ground - on my terms this time......and fly.  

For these reasons my work while in Holland has been influenced by the ideas of flight, moving, propelling forward, leaping, taking risks, changing, evolving, wings, wheels, growth, petals, freedom, letting go, growth, renewal.......

"Telling The Truth", Brooch - copper, wire, felt, thread