Impressions of an Island City
Jewelry has paved the road back to my own youth. Silver, turquoise and a western and Native American artistic sensibility inspired this wanna-be hippie back in the late '60s, and now that I'm older the look and feel of an American craft takes me back to an imaginary past that seems complicated only by youth. Handmade silver jewelry was … Read more
My blog=my alternate world, so here in Anneland we are wishing each other Happy Holidays all over the place. Because I know a bit about Florida history and I like to make jewelry, paper art, lawn ornaments, coloring books and anything else that crosses my mind, I chose a friend's house decorations as my virtual Christmas card. The small concrete … Read more
The earring and pendant were made out of BronzClay, a wood texture was added and the center holed was carved. The clay is fired at 1500F for 9 hours in a kiln. This design is based--loosely--on Japanese tsuba which are sword guards and show off the Japanese artistic heritage in the best possible way. Bails are gold-filled 26 gauge twisted wire … Read more
My hometown of Ft. Lauderdale FL (Wilton Manors FL to be exact) is so overbuilt and touristy that it easy to get grumpy and overlook the fact that here is a different and very tropical beauty. The increased number and diversity of people down here contribute to creativity and culture in ways that rural settings lack. For example, here is a yacht … Read more
Time to change the clocks, change clothing colors and start thinking about the holidays. That's a tall order in South Florida where the seasons run together, but when it's dark in the mornings and late afternoon, warmer colors seem to reflect autumn even in the tropics. These earrings have old (very old as opposed to vintage which starts about … Read more
Until now, I have dropped my thoughts about life after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are finished with earthlings into the mental file cabinet that contains Big Questions such as "Dinnertime, yet?" and '' I Wa-Wa-Wa- Wonder Where She'll Stay, My Little Runaway". After reading a couple of modern post- apocalyptic heavy-hitters (The Dog … Read more
I'm taking a break from all the wire projects I've been doing lately to show you my first fused glass project. It was part of a couple of workshops at the Bullseye Glass Resource Center in Portland OR where I spent my summer vacation.. The colors are much warmer than the blue and turquoise that are my usual go-to colors. The mountains, huge … Read more
Wire working is a little like cooking. You can follow a recipe (project directions found in magazines and books) or you can just wing it. Of course, if you are an experienced cook or you have completed a few wire projects successfully your chances of a great outcome increase. These lightweight 2 1/4" inch earrings are a summer classic and a joy … Read more
Some finished wire-wrapped pendants! These have been long-delayed because I chose to start cleaning and sorting my studio and bead room ala "The Art of Tidying Up" by Mari Kondo and I keep going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of organization. Each little bead and finding is about as big as a fingernail and each one has its own place. So … Read more
Love cuff bracelets--and after my recent two-week walkabout in the UK where I saw lots of ancient jewelry I love cuffs even more. Crown jewels in England and Ireland are spectacular but of a different era and really can't qualify as inspiration for me at least. Vikings however are a different story. Celts and Vikings have their own versions of … Read more