The Sand Sweeper - Completed

The Sand Sweeper, version #1

The Sand Sweeper, version #2

As an abstract artist, one thing I sometimes struggle with is getting too literal. This unfolding saga has exacerbated this problem, especially if I name a piece before it is completed. I then agonize over making the piece fit the title. With this one I had partially built the vessel and hung a "tassel" from the keel, including the "brush" and the quartz crystal, and this had led to the name.

Now, how to complete it! I got stuck until I got frustrated and angry (ok, I got mad!!) and that's when I'm able to throw caution to the wind and just play "what if?"

I find I tend to set problems for myself, simply because I get a lot of satisfaction from solving problems. In this piece I had created a very strong asymmetry. With jewelry one has to establish not just visual balance but also physical balance - you don't want this thing swinging around as you walk and hanging on an angle, especially since I had restrained the asymmetry with very symmetrical links going up to the neck. The kinetic (yes, it spins) polymer clay "wheel" sitting at the stern of the vessel increased the "weight" on the left side, but continued the visual line up from the tassel, so it "felt" good there. 

I needed considerable physical weight to balance the right, also I needed something relatively dark and not too small to balance the visual weight. I chose a large fossilized shark's tooth, discovered on a beach in Ponte Vedra, Florida, during one of many times my family exiled me to the beach to dispel my depressive episodes (I have over 6,000 shark's teeth! Maybe that says a lot about my state of mind at that time! See, I need the beach - it keeps me sane!)

The effect was that of an anchor, but it created a problem - it visually takes your eye down rather than up to the face, and that's not good in jewelry.

Furthermore, the piece hung too low for such a relatively large focal point, so I enlisted the eye of a fellow artist (my younger daughter - I knew all the difficulties of raising children would pay off someday!) and the decision was made that the piece had to hang higher, which meant the two mokume gane beads had to go. 

The shark's tooth "anchor" was exchanged for a heavy, dark glass bead bracketed by two heavy copper endcaps to bring the eye up on the right.

The three white seaworm casings  with swarovski crystals at the tips are very kinetic and also move along the black wire, creating a strong, light focal area as well as eye-catching movement. They also add a feeling of fragility to an otherwise substantial piece.

Detailed images follow:

 

Gamla : The Saga Continues

Back home, house is listed for sale, you could definitely say my trip to the beach was eventful! We're moving - to the ocean. I guess you can only keep a Norwegian away from salt water, seaweed, wind, sand and smoked mackerel for so long before she starts to shrivel and become nasty!!! So, the excellent adventure continues. It probably explains the sea-related sagas that have taken up room and board in my head.

The Troll from the Tre Bukkene Bruse Book Bracelet 

thatch-roofed house

the complete bracelet with the oldest Billy Goat Gruff

The bridge under which the troll lives

the book

More characters have appeared and I'll introduce them as they develop.

Gamla (The Olden One): More feared than the Krakken, more terrifying than Surt, the Fire Giant, Gamla sits in her rocking chair, wizened and shrunken. A mountain of pillows add nothing to her diminutive size and the heavy blankets do little to keep the cold from chilling her bones. No one is sure of just how deep her knowledge of the olden ways goes, or of how far reaching her inner sight. None call her kin, yet none dare to send her away.

Gamla stretched out a gnarled hand, gripping my arm with surprising strength. Her skin like thin parchment stretched over a bony frame with veins dancing beneath the surface like swollen worms pulsing with life. Her years stretched thin: her body a frail 4 stone, her will - iron! Fierce determination gleamed in her eye. She had lost none of her passion. "You must tell the story, Anne-Brit!" she rasped. "It cannot end with me, for then there will be no escaping the fjaerning! " Gamla coughed and wiped some spittle from her lip, "Someone must keep watching" she hissed. "Call The Gatherer." Closing her eyes she seemed to shrink into the blankets, dismissing Anne-Brit with a deep sigh.

Liv tugged urgently at her mother's skirt. Anne-Brit was white as the lace on her blouse. "Mama, what was she talking about?" she asked, fearful as much for the look on her mother's face as for the words she had just heard. "I don't know, child...... I don't know." Her mother's voice was low. "Is she a troll?" Liv's words drew a quick glance from her mother. "Don't be rude, child." she admonished. Liv couldn't stop, "But she looks just like a troll with that one big eye glaring at me like that," she muttered.

to be continued.......

The Sand Sweeper

As is so often the case these days, I'm obsessed. This time it's The Sand Sweeper. Perhaps it's this time in my life that has me dreaming and imagining - no, I guess I've been doing that since the day I could put together two coherent thoughts. The storyteller has been awakened. The one who thought she could only say it visually, through her paintings, is now streaming words. These vignettes seem to end in cliff-hanging anticipation and I realize, finally, that it is because they are related. They are all fragments of a larger picture, an epic Edda/Rune/Skald that has been percolating for quite a while. I look forward to each segment revealing itself, and then, to the angst of bringing them all together.

Here is the beginning of the next character - The Sand Sweeper:

The Sand Sweeper walks the beach in the grey of the early morning, as the spray from the roiling surf shrouds the driftwood in glittering capes of moisture. She studies the sand, looking for disturbances in the patterns traced by the sea nymphs. These she sweeps urgently back into the relentless waves, doing her part to ensure that the balance between sea and land is maintained, that Gjettling won't be disturbed.

"I saw her this morning, Mama!"
"Who did you see, child?"
"The Sand Sweeper! I saw her but she didn't know I was watching."
"How do you know she didn't see you, child?"
"Because she was making strange motions with her hands and singing and then she started sweeping very hard". Liv's voice dropped to a whisper, "and, besides, I was hiding" she breathed. Mama smiled, "Maybe your were dreaming. The sunsprites often play games with young children in the afternoon, when the gentle breeze helps lull then to sleep."
"No Mama, it was real! I know it was her! She looked just the way you told me when you read me the poems from the Northern Skalds. She was tall with long, silver hair. Wisps of foam clung to the strands and crystals were twined in between, crystals that made song!"
Her mother turned sharply towards Liv, "what do you mean: the crystals made song?"
Startled, Liv looked at her mother, "I don't know how to explain it, Mama. There was a beautiful sound in my head and I knew it came from the crystals and I knew the melody and I knew the words and I was singing the song - I just knew it...... somehow."
Anne-Brit's breath caught in her throat. "She saw you," she whispered. "She knew you were watching!"
Grabbing her daughter's arms and pulling her close, Anne-Brit demanded, "This is important, Liv. Tell me everything you remember."
Liv's beautiful, hazel eyes grew large with fear as she looked at her mother..........

Unfinished

Burlesque Blend - More Color Variations

In preparation for the final workshop this coming weekend, here are a few more color variations. These are less dramatic, but very elegant. When exploring a particular technique, keeping certain design elements similar, really helps you to see the impact of the elements that you are experimenting with. In this case, the shape of the bead and the shape of the "path" are similar and this makes it easier to concentrate on color.

The Wind Whisperer

The Wind Whisperer

No more Mr. Nice Guy, or should I say, no more "pretty" stuff. I'm caught up in imagery and story-telling and that's going to be the focus for the foreseeable future. It's like with my paintings - I'm drawn to old (no, not I AM old, I'm DRAWN to old!!!), slightly grungy, stuff with history or herstory or, at the least, a story. The more illusory, the better - more like sagas and runes and eddas - stories with lots of word-of-mouth distortions that may or may not be true, yet spin emotional realities in the unfolding. "Unfolding", "enfolding"... yummy words that keep me awake at night spinning verbal visuals that I find enthralling. So... jumping in with both feet, hairy and grungy, but excited to take the next steps.

The first birth: The Wind Whisperer. She sits quietly on the rocky outcrop, gazing raptly through the fir boughs for glimpses of star-strewn sky, the black velvet of night like a warm caress. Can't let the moment enfold her - there are stirrings by the bridge! The wind teases wisps of hair across her forehead. "I hear her", she whispers, "She's awake!" The soughing rises and branches punctuate the symphony with their brittle talk.
"Hush," the Wind Whisperer cautions, "The time is not right, not yet!"

This piece will walk with you through the moss-coated trees and maybe, just maybe, you'll hear the breath of a soft whisper.

The important thing for me in these pieces is that most of it be of my imagination. Except for the odd glass or stone bead, when that bright bit of glimmer becomes essential, the remaining oddments and fragments and antiquities and relics are made by me from polymer clay, metal, and an assortment of mixed media. The shapes are important, as is their arrangement. I'm still figuring out what's gestating here. I'll say more when more unfolds.

A few close-ups:

 

Selling the Sizzle!

Hiroki, The Dragon Lady, on display

http://www.claymagination.blogspot.ca/2012/03/sculpted-polymer-clay-relics.html

I'm sure some of you feel the way I do after presenting my work - it's the most unpleasant part of the creative process!!! I'm exhausted and unsettled even though things went extremely well and most of the collection was accepted and even applauded (I've included a couple of pictures from their window display). I guess that's why many artists have agents. That having been said, I recognize the need for good marketing strategy and, yes, I want my work to be seen, and it does feel wonderful when someone appreciates a piece to the point where they will pay to own it.

So with that in mind, let's talk a bit about how to "value-add" to the actual work of art.

Selling the Sizzle

My husband was a marketing executive. Early in his career his boss took him out for lunch. The first steakhouse they came to was known for its excellent food and there were several people inside, enjoying lunch. They walked on to a second steakhouse which also had a good reputation. Here the steaks were cooked in a glassed-in area so the chef was visible to both the diners inside and people passing by on the street. The place was packed. His boss asked, "What's the difference? Both have great steaks." He then dropped this gem: "The first place sells great steaks. This one sells great steaks and it also sells the sizzle!"

This powerful lesson has been translated into the marketing of my art, both paintings and jewelry.

The key is The Story - the story behind the birth of the piece..... the story about the artist..... the story about the process itself. People enjoy hearing about these stories, and so often, when purchasing a work of art, the buyer is also buying a bit of the artist. Knowing what led the artist to make that particular piece, knowing a bit of the history of the artist, her/his quirks, foibles, needs, knowing a bit of the process of the creation or of the material from which it's made, this gives the buyer inside information that she/he can share with those who notice their purchase. It's called "selling the sizzle". It makes the piece more than just a visual experience. It enlarges it, giving it history, connections,  reasons for being, even an aura of mystery with hints of even more to know.

How to value-add? One simple but very effective way is to include a little write-up about the piece with the piece. For example, each of the pieces in this collection has a specific, personalized write-up, including the name of the piece as well as a bit of background on the medium itself and on the experience of the artist (me). At the back of the little folder I have cut two slits so I can insert my business card. Not only does this give the potential buyer "the story", but it makes it easier and more interesting for the sales staff to present the piece to their shoppers. Furthermore, it becomes a more interesting item to buy as a gift for someone else.

Mine are all handmade. The inside is printed on my printer for easier reading, but each is personalized to the specific piece of jewelry. This is a choice I've made (over having it professionally produced) because of my feelings about "the mark of the artist", discussed in an earlier post. That's why I also make my own clasps to the extent possible. I want as much of each piece to be handmade by me as can reasonably be done.

So I encourage all of you to consider "selling the sizzle" along with your art.

Now let's talk pricing.  Another unpleasant facet, but necessary and therefore dealt with. I decide how much I need to get out of the piece including material cost and reasonable labor costs. I don't include prototyping because that is very time consuming and the most enjoyable part of the process for me. Coming up with a new creation, whether a new technique for surface veneer or new shapes or new connections is what I love to do and would do over and over and over again. Having made the prototype (and having worn it to make sure I have worked out all the kinks) I then make a second. That gives me a realistic idea of how much time is involved. On that basis I work out a reasonable wholesale price, then double it and look at it from the standpoint of whether I, as a buyer, would consider spending that amount of money to acquire that specific piece. If it is way too high, I look at ways I can change the production of it to make it more reasonable. If it is not possible to do that, I don't make any more of that type of art.

It is important to differentiate between one-of-a-kind and reproducible pieces. I have chosen to position myself as a one-of-a-kind artist and as such I charge more for my work. I'm willing to put myself into a smaller buyer pool, knowing that, in time, my work will prove itself unique, interesting, well-made, and that this reputation is what will fuel future purchases.

Silk Purse Necklace

Silk Purse Necklace

(click on image to make it larger)

I'm sure you've, like me, gone into the studio with the intention of cleaning it out, getting rid of "quap" as my 6 year old grandson says, throwing out old clay scraps, organizing, simplifying - in other words, being artistically adult. So I pull out this scrap that I've hung on to for several years because I wanted to remember the colors (why not just bake a sample disc, you ask?) I decide I'll use it to practice spiral lentil beads.

If you ever get the chance to pick up a book by Sean McNiff called "Trust the Process", you may find it fascinating. It deals with the fact that the creative process is independent of your deliberate intentions, and, that if you allow it to proceed and unfold, in other words, you trust it to be true in your case, things will happen that will amaze you. My right brain, in working to create beauty, even in practicing with lumps of scrap clay, made creative decisions, and "what if's" came to mind that caused me to handle the clay in new ways, exploring ways of manipulating this scrap to reveal it's beauty.

Here are some more close-ups:

 

 

Assembling the beads with black agate rounds and Czech crystal facetted ovals in dusty rose, picking up the hints of rose color in the lentil beads, silver spacers and a sterling toggle clasp definitely has turned a Sow's Ear into a Silk Purse!

Creative Process: Birth of the Flamenco Collection - Mining a Vein

As mentioned before, the seeds of future work often lie in what you've just done. Having finished the Urban Urchin necklace, patterns and shapes keep my mind ablaze.

The beginning of the new Flamenco Collection, born from this little element in the Urban Urchin necklace.

This red ruffle is like the skirt of a beautiful flamenco dancer set against the black of her hair and her lace shawl - you can almost feel the movement. Problems have arisen that push forward, uninvited, demanding to be pushed further. The strength of polymer, properly supported - how thin and delicate can it go?

This prototype is the beginning of the new line. I'll be exploring this concept over the next while. You're welcome to eavesdrop on my thoughts and add some of your own.

Step by Step Assembly of Urban Urchin Beads

This is a slightly different way of wiring beads and assembling them into a pair of earrings. It goes along with my views on "the mark of the artist", i.e. not being perfect.

These beads are hollow and there is no "top" to them, so they can slide around a bit on the wire. I have pattern around the entire surface of some of them, but others are fairly plain in back and I would like them to sit relatively deliberately positioned. A little ingenuity is required to wire them. Follow me:

I'm using 20 gauge blackened steel and brass wires.

Shape the blackened steel wire as per the upper image and the following close-ups, making sure to put the curve into the shorter end as shown,

 Loosely wrap the brass wire around the neck of the blackened steel as shown below:

Carefully tuck the end into the wrapping:

Insert the wire assembly into the bead and slowly push it in. The curved piece should be fairly tight as it creates tension and holds the bead in place. If it is too big a curve, snip a bit off the end until it goes in without distorting the bead yet holding it in place. The loosely woven brass wire will sit slightly into the hollow top.

Add the brass spacer bead and coil up the wire from the bottom, as shown. Consider how the beads will hang at the end. If from a necklace, I place the coil at right angles to the bail end so the coil faces to the side. If from earrings, with no jump ring between, I place the coil on the same plane as the bail. Make sure the image you want facing forward is in the right position when you are pushing the tension wire down into the bead.

If you are concerned about the blackened steel rusting at all down the road you can put some Renaissance wax on the exposed wire.