The Importance of Play

 

I was working on making some earrings this weekend:

 

Lichen Sprout Earrings. Sterling Silver.

and as I was making all the tiny little “sprout” pieces, I noticed how sweet they looked piling up on my desk… I pushed a few of them around and started to think….

 

“sprout” production leads to new ideas….

These little guys make such sweet little branchy designs. I quickly soldered a few pieces together:

 

new prototype

 This first prototype is basically like a sketch. Though I tend to draw out a lot of my ideas in my sketch book, sometimes playing around with scraps and left over bits of wire is much more fruitful. These little sketches are an integral part of designing. Before I had soldered these babies together, I though they’d be hook / dangle style earrings. An accident with the torch resulted in the very top of the earring to ball up, so I embraced the accident and realized that it was the perfect spot for a ear post.

I’ve completed another variation of these earrings that is much more successful (I’ll share pictures as soon as they’re ready!). I’m really excited about them. But more importantly, I’m glad I allowed myself to take the time to play around at my bench. Though I was trying really hard to get some serious work done, even just a few moments of playing opened up lots of new ideas. 

Also, here’s another pair of earrings I recently finished:

 

Lichen Sprout Earrings. Sterling Silver and Garnet.

They’re my new favorite and look so beautiful on. I’m becoming obsessed with these little sprout forms – I want to cover everything with them!

 

 

 

 

Writing an Artist Statement / Bio

 

If you’ve ever been in a position where you’re required to provide an artist statement or artist bio, I’m sure you’re familiar with the resulting feelings of stress or anxiety. I was asked to provide an artist bio for the MOCFA museum store last month when I dropped off my first batch of jewelry. I was slightly caught off guard, as I hadn’t written like that for quite some time. I went to art school, so I knew all about the importance of being able to express my ideas or point of view with words, as well as with my art. But in the real world after school, there haven’t been many moments where a visual artist / craft person needs to exercise their written skills.

First, I debated with friends over the difference between an artist statement and an artist bio. The clear difference being that the statement is about the work, and the bio is about the artist. I decided to get comfortable with my assignment by starting with a hybrid version: I’d write about myself and my work.

Getting started didn’t take much time, since my jewelry is divided up into four lines, all of which have clear inspirations: Leaves, Lichen, Spores and Cells. I like the idea of exploration and discovery, so I played with ways to tie these elements from my work to some personal information (it’s supposed to be a bio, after all). It took a while, but here’s the final version:

 

Large Petri Dish Earrings

My Final Statement:

My interest in the rhythmic forms of nature began when I was a little girl growing up in coastal Maine. Exploring ocean shores and dense pine forests revealed a world full of tiny living creatures and plants that I later learned could be easily overlooked by an untrained eye. My current body of work speaks to the journey of examination, beginning at the surface of an enchanting botanical form and transitioning to the more illusive and unseen inner world of cellular formations and microcosmic structures. I enjoy examining nature and infusing it with my own fanciful and imaginative interpretations to make curious and compelling jewelry.

 

Large Leaf Frame Necklace

 

it doesn’t always work out

when i get really overexcited, i tend to forget the lessons of my teachers, and i skip a typically important step: making models. 

so i had this idea for what i was calling the “inside out ring”. let me illustrate:

1: i make a ring

 

2: i cut it into 4 equal parts.

 

3: Turn the pieces inside out!

I knew that the once turned inside-out, the ring would instantly fit a much smaller finger than the initial ring. I compensated for this. I made it up. It would still be too small for any of my fingers. 

Also, what was i thinking make the first attempt out of such incredibly thick gauge wire??? I honestly don’t know. I got carried away. I just wanted to solder.

Anyways, as i’m getting back into the practice of making things at the bench, i am remembering to document my ideas, and the outcomes and progressions. Hopefully i’ll be able to catch some happy accidents and avoid future disasters!