Jewelry!

Life is very busy! I'm getting ready to take a much needed break with John to San Francisco. We'll explore the coast and relax and drink wine and explore some more. I really can't wait! :)

New Jewelry!

Have a great weekend!

I'm Back!

Today I signed up to participate in The Sketchbook Project! You can follow the link and sign up too! It looks like a lot of fun!

The summer is progressing nicely although it got off to a late start. I've been painting, sculpting, making jewelry and sewing in my studio and not photographing any of it or updating my blog.

I've been reading the poetry of Mary Oliver and I am almost finished this book, Sing Them Home. I bought the book because the story is situated in a fictitious town in Nebraska and my family and I may be moving there within the next six months! I also liked the image on the cover. If I like a book cover I will pick it up and read the back and if it sounds interesting I will buy it. I have about twenty books that I am currently reading, fiction and non-fiction.

I just got this treasure of a book in the mail and am working my way through some of the projects. I love getting things in the mail, don't you?

New Earrings!

Art Dolls & Journals!

Esme has fed the chickens and is now free to read.

A hand bound journal with tea stained pages with a resin filled frame on the front with text.

Treasury East!

One of my journals has been included in an Etsy Treasury featuring artisans from Newfoundland. Thank you Julie!

Art Dolls

This is Brigid and she's a gypsy. She's my second art doll. I sculpted her face and hands out of paper clay. Her clothes have been made with recycled clothing and the bag hanging from her waist is made with tea-stained muslin. Her hair is made from wool and the earrings are made from steel wire.

This is my very first art doll, Morgaine. She's my learn how doll. I sculpted her face out of polymer clay. She's old and had a very hard life which shows in her face. She spends so much time walking in the woods that the birds have made a birds nest in her hair.

I like working with paper clay much more than polymer clay. Paper clay is easier to smooth and can be sanded when dry and air dries. These are my first sculpted faces and I have to say that I LOVE sculpting. I'm totally hooked! I'm starting my third doll tonight.

Today I spent an uninterrupted afternoon in the studio. What a treat! This morning I dropped my car off for an oil and transmission fluid change, did some errands with John, came home and put the groceries away and cleaned the kitchen. With coffee and laptop in hand, I headed to the studio to finish an order for Johnny Ruth and my Etsy customers. I also made some new earrings for my shop. The jewelry is now in the tumbler where it will tumble all night long.

I'm very happy to have received some new beads in the mail and I can't wait to use them. I have more on the way.

Happy Weekend!

I recently started working with copper wire and I love it. It is so versatile! And I don't have to tumble it like I do steel wire. I can make the earrings, oxidize them and photograph them all at once.

With steel wire I tumble it for hours and hours to shine the wire. So I'll make the jewelry and I won't be able to photograph, edit and list on Etsy until the next day.

I really like the way copper looks when it's hammered, oxidized and sanded. So cool!

Here are a couple of new designs.

Hand Bound Canvas Covered Journal

I have a lot of heavy sailing canvas in my studio that is just perfect for the covers of my journals.

It's stiff enough so that I don't have to gesso the canvas before I begin to paint on it. Anything goes and I get the creative fix I need.

New Work!

What I'm Doing!

I've been a very busy beaver this month -- drawing, painting, making jewelry and journals. I never seem to settle on any one thing; I really do want to do it all!

I'm delighted with the warmer weather and the sunshine. I can see the ground through the snow now and that excites me. I can't wait to wake up to the sounds of birds through the open bedroom window. I want to take my camera and go to the beach and take a million photos of the ocean, the endless sky and the beach rocks. I want to walk the length of the beach with my head down looking for treasures that I will take home to my studio and place in a basket for later inspiration.

Cool!

Jane Adey, the host of CBC Late Night, wore my jewelry -- pendant and earrings -- on the news last night! Yippee!

SALE!

I'm having a sale on all my bracelets in my Etsy shop until Sunday! Come on over and have a peek!

Another piece of work with an image of a tree transferred over the layers.

Hello!

Three Trees

The piece above was created using acrylic paint, ink, image transfers, text, old newspaper and several texturing techniques on gessoed masonite board. The board suits my needs perfectly because I tend to scratch into the surface and use a rough sandpaper on it. The trees were transferred from an image of a photo I took at Bowring Park.

I used brass wire to wrap these beautiful stones. I antiqued the wire to age it and add depth. I really love the look of this wire and I'll definitely continue working with it.