A goddess bead for day 7. One entire week only 51 to go. Whew. The goddess form is from a mold from Penny Jo I got while at the IPCA retreat this year. My mantra of "if it doesn't run away, I will try it with my clay" was in effect as well. I used a strange pod/leaf like stemmed item found in a florists shop to add the wild texture to her metal leaf adornment. Pearls on head pins make up her crown. Perfect pearls metallic powder gives the body a little extra sheen. That seeming crack in the head is not a mistake but planned and represents a divided mind.
You know you are loved and understood when your spouse does not give you diamonds, furs or chocolate for valentine's but instead lets you spend money on new toys (tools) for the studio. I had wanted this mold for so long and had to use it as soon as it got here this morning. A mix of metallic copper highlighted with Perfect Pearls is the main attraction. A ball stylus and vertigris gilder's paste help the edge to look similar to hammered metal on this hollow lentil core.
On a more personal note....I usually do much better work. The current problem is I did not realize how much interference frankenfoot would be. It is very difficult to concentrate on the details when every step is painful or when I've given up and taken a pill for the discomfort. But hang with me a while. This won't last long and the workmanship will go way up.
Herb "B"ottle with the herb mixed into the translucent clay before covering. This is part of an ongoing project. Most herbs should be stored in airtight bottles away from light. Using the herb infused polymer appeals to the artist in me. Couldn't show it with the top on as it is high up in a cabinet and I cannot climb until the frankenfoot heals up.
Day 4 and a complete lack on inspiration so I made up about 25 assorted sizes of lentil bead blanks. Part of the challenge process for me is to be in the studio when I have no desire and to do SOMETHING towards the creative process. Maybe tomorrow will be a more creative day for me with better eye candy for any visitors.
I am almost embarrassed to offer this one since it is obvious it has some cracks. I didn't notice them until I was adjusting the background color and cropping the photo. This is another hollow lentil form covered in an embossed veneer from the cuttlebug machine and highlighted with gilder's paste. Some of the paste was mixed with golden's iridescent medium but the iridescence does not really show up well in this photo. Again, not my best effort but at least I am keeping up with the challenge. If the "frankenfoot" ever stops annoying me with pain I expect the efforts will get much better. Hope you'll bear with me, or better yet, join me in your own polymer challenge.
So why is she showing us a photo of measuring spoons? Because they are a very cool tool in the studio. Make up bead blanks ahead of time for when you don't have a lot of time to create. Ready made palette. Not to mention how easy it is to make graduated sized beads and reproduce the size and shape later. My mantra? If it doesn't run away, I'll try it with my clay.
This is the finished bead next to the original mold.
And this is the finished bead. Not much to look at but "frankenfoot" (recent surgery on all 5 toes of right foot with many, many stitches) was not happy today and I couldn't be in the studio as long as I would have wanted to. The nice thing about this bead is that it demonstrates how useful making bead "blanks" ahead of time can be. And the canes? All of them are at least 5 years old. Creativity when you don't feel like being creative.
Yes, I fell down on the job of my challenge but I am here and ready to start again.
This bead will serve as day 1/325
It combines hollow lentil formation of my own style with covering similar to what I learned in Jeff Dever's class last summer.
The image was "embossed" with a cricut cuttlebug machine and an embossing plate and then the image was highlighted with a wax.
Bits and pieces of old watches and sprockets have been added to give it a steampunk feel.
At right is detail of the "broken" bottom pieces spilling out.
This photo shows some of the elements I plan to put with it when I make it into a long lanyard type necklace.
