This week’s “exotic location” for the Self Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenge is Angkor Wat, Cambodia.  Built in the 12th century and known as the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat was first a Hindu and then Buddhist temple complex.

The architecture and history of Angkor Wat is rich with inspiration for jewelry design. In addition to conducting an image search for visual inspiration, I did a little research on the two major philosophical, religious, and cultural systems that have been housed in this “Temple City.”  My jewelry designs for this week’s challenge take a little from everything I learned and saw. Although I’ve never been there, I am left with a sense of the strong inherently spiritual feeling of this place. Continue reading →

The location for week three of June’s “exotic locations” theme challenge for Self Representing Artists in Jewelry Design is Antelope Canyon, USA. It’s one of the most visited and photographed slot canyons in the southwest.  What’s most exciting about this location for me is that it’s located in my home state, Arizona.

As with last week’s theme – another exotic desert landscape – the colors and shapes I see in photographs of this location are screaming at me to use polymer clay for this design challenge. I think I will have to revisit these inspiring images this fall when it cools off enough to work with the polymer clay. For now, however, it’s another back-to-basics gemstone and wire design from me. Continue reading →

The location for week two of the June “exotic locations” theme on the Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenge is Deadvlei, Namibia.  When I saw the images for this place, I really – and I mean really – wanted to use polymer clay for my design. It would be so perfect to represent the textures and vivid colors.  Alas, it’s summer here and too hot for reliable results with polymer clay in my studio, which has no air conditioning.

So, I turned to my jewelry design roots – semi-precious gemstone beads and wire – to help me capture the beauty of this exotic place.   Continue reading →

It’s my fifth month participating in the Self Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenges and the themes are getting tougher. At least for me. The overall theme for June is “Exotic Locations” and the first weekly theme is Kyoto, Japan.

I have never been to Japan, but I have caught glimpses of the architecture, fashion, and culture through television and the internet. My impressions of Japan are of course filtered by these selective media. What I think of as symbolic of that country, or one of its largest cities, may not be what someone who’s from there, or has visited there would envision. But that’s what I’m working with for this design challenge, my impressions from television and the internet. Continue reading →

The overall theme for May’s Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenge was “Greek gods and goddesses.” I designed jewelry for each of the weekly themes, which were based on attributes of individual gods and goddesses. For ideas to represent the overall monthly theme of gods and goddesses in general, I consulted my mythology books. And of course, Google, god of internet searches.

I needed a commonality, something shared by the gods and goddesses.  Something I could represent in jewelry design.  There’s Mount Olympus, where the most powerful made their home. Making a mountain into jewelry? That’s a bit more challenge than I’m up for.  What about ambrosia, food of the gods? I can do food-inspired jewelry. Happens all the time.  Before I tell you about my ambrosia design, here’s a little recap of the weekly deity themed designs. Continue reading →

The theme for week four of May’s Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenge was “Chronos, god of time.” This one had me stumped from the day the theme was announced. I don’t know why. It seems like it would be the easiest thing, right? And yet I couldn’t get past the concept that time equals “clock.”  How do I design jewelry around a clock? Continue reading →