The theme for week three of May’s Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design challenge was “Dionysus, god of wine, parties, madness, and ecstasy.” I had to put away the polymer clay I’ve been using to create my designs for these challenges because it’s too darned hot in the studio (a.k.a. my non-air conditioned kitchen) this time of year, and overly warm clay is extremely uncooperative. Continue reading →

I don’t always sketch my jewelry design ideas before getting to the business of assembling a necklace, earrings, etc.  When I do sketch, it’s very rough and tends to resemble one of my old cellular biology lab assignments where every little part is labeled and has a line connecting the label to the doodad.

So maybe it’s not too surprising that there are times I have to go back to the bead board because the execution of my idea does not connect to my vision of the design.  Here’s an example of what I thought was a pretty good design idea (in my mind’s eye and in my doodling) that went so badly some of it ended up in the trash.  Continue reading →

I am participating in the monthly and weekly themed jewelry design challenges on the Self Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog. The theme for April is “elements” and the first weekly challenge was “earth.”

I immediately thought “green” for this theme, because when I think of the earth element I imagine lush green plants and blooms. (I’m getting to the yellow beads part, I promise.) I have made many green beaded jewelry designs, but the point of the challenge is to create something new, and more than that, to challenge your own limits.  Continue reading →

Sometimes I take my jewelry apart and re-do it. I don’t like to. It feels wasteful to cut off crimps and things that can’t be re-used. Sort of like ripping seams out of a costume when I sew. Can’t re-use all that thread.

But sometimes, seams have to be ripped and crimps have to be cut. Because the design just doesn’t work or didn’t come together the way I envisioned. Continue reading →

It’s been a wonderful clay-filled three-day weekend (Happy Birthday, Mr. Presidents! and thanks for the holiday). After almost two months of abstaining from playing with polymer clay, or making jewelry, or anything else remotely creative because of tendonitis in my wrist, there was so much I wanted to accomplish in the studio. Not the least of which is trying out some of the polymer clay extruder techniques I’ve been pinning. Continue reading →