stand in wonder

mary jane dodd

praying mantis wings that were respectfully collected

'he who can no longer pause to wonder 
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead;

his eyes are closed.

- albert einstein

these delicate wings belong to those of the praying mantis - a creature i have been strongly drawn to since i was a child.  my daughter and i found one that had been stepped on and was still living - we wrapped it up and put it in a quiet place.

some small rodents (i am guessing) ate the body and left the wings... and so now i have them... and i am grateful for this reminder of strength and fragility, of the cycle of life... of the fact that, somehow, this creature ended up in a place where i was... 

small bronzes by daniel fleming

these beauties grace my home... 

fortunate enough to have lived near to manhattan my whole life, to have aunts who lived in the city and who had me visit, i was brought to art museums at a young age... always knowing to never touch the sculpture - though the metal and its surface called to me - i admired from a close distance... with my camera i would try to catch light on texture, in shadows and fractures... 

daniel makes small bronzes - 

daniel makes it possible for me to do what i was never able to do - to run my fingers over the surface of the bronze, to hold it for however long i choose,

to admire his work not from a distance, but as up close and personal as i can be... 

he cannot know what this means to me - 

there is a reverence for these little figures as they stand with me at the bench... 

they bring me joy

and return me to wonder... 

Hot off the................kiln :)

                                                                                                             by Kelli Pope

  Here are the latest beads.   Apparently, I have the blues................

 Above, opal blue on black clay.    



Right - Matte turquoise on black clay



Below - turquoise on black clay




















And being in high gear preparing for shows, I thought I would just share some of the latest pieces.......

 ceramic bead and copper over patinated copper

 copper and ceramic

copper and ceramic

 hammered copper with Miss Ficklemedia's red patinated copper links

 hammered copper and ceramic

 hammered, antiqued copper and olive green ceramic

 ..............now back to the studio............. 

permission to whine

mary jane dodd

granted!

what do you deplore doing as a part of your jewelry making?

come on, there must be something... 

for me, it is making ear wires - and judith glende and i used to laugh about that... 

is it the stinky liver of sulphur?

wire wrapping?

here's your chance to whinge amongst peers!

Flow

Julie Holmes

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about creativity and how it arises.  I said that for me, my best work isn't created by me so much as "through" me.  I trust the wire to know where to bend, I trust the scissors to know where to cut, I trust the enamels to go where they need to go, and I get to watch in amazement as something beautiful emerges into the world through my hands.  He said that he had long believed that great work is created when the ego is let go....when we get "out of our own way".

"Exactly" I said.  So then, he asked me; if I was teaching others...how would I teach that concept to them?

It's a tough question.  The best I could do was this:

"I would tell them to follow the path of least resistance, whatever that meant for them"

I tried at first to emulate my cloisonné "idols" by using a prepared design and carefully bending my wires to match it.  I've felt guilty that I've never made a test sample...not one....  It's just not me.  I'm impatient, spontaneous, impulsive.  Drawing a design, for me, is getting in my own way.  What aspect of your art do you resist, postpone, hurry through?  I suggest you try just letting it go.

Fall is in the Air!!!!

 Although I've lived in Florida for years now, I grew up in NW Pennsylvania, and fall is always one of my favorite seasons....It's hard not to get a little wistful when I hear talk of people busting out sweaters, hitting up football games on a friday night, talking about weather that calls for spiced lattes and teas...I fondly remember the crunch and crackle of raking leaves and seeing summer's bounty slowly fade into oranges, reds, and then into warm browns as nature, finally spent, winds down for a rest.

Although, our fall here in  Florida is much less pronounced, I look forward to turning off my AC and opening the windows for some fresh cool air that begins coming in a few short weeks!

So, let's grab a nice spice chai tea let's take a fall walk through Love My Art Jewelry member's shops to celebrate the season!

This beautiful pendant by Mary Jane evokes the smell of burning leaves and the beautiful glow of a autumn bonfire.......

Doesn't this collaborative set of Staci & Genea's remind you of a perfect day at the pumpkin patch? These colors evoke the beautiful hues of autumn with just a pop of beautiful blue sky.

Copper enameled hoops by Mary Ann can't help sing the praises of autumn's beautifully changing leaves.....

My own Lumpy Vertebrae beads remind me of smoldering bonfires.......

The colors in these fantastically shaped beads by Libby remind me of the first frost on the tips of the leaves.....

The buttery warm medley in Stacie's earrings remind me of taking a deep breath on a fall and feeling the last warm rays of indian summer kissing my face.

and finally, this stunning pendant by Julie, reminds us to pull on our cozy hats as autumn fades into the coolness of winter!

Thanks for taking a fall walk with me! I don't know about you, but I feel very inspired by autumn now, even way down here in Florida!

Look who's strutting their Stuff......

Some lovely work from our Flickr pool this week!



Set in Stone by QuimeraDesigns


Tribal Sea Glass Pendants from our very own Staci Louise!

To read more about the inspiration behind these pieces, please go visit our Flickr pool! 

Are you ready to strut your stuff?? Check out the sidebar for directions.

 **Remember, to give a description of your thought process, while creating your jewelry or beads/components. We really want everyone to share their creative thinking. .** Thanks, as always, for creating and supporting "handmade".

giveaway winner

remember this beautiful ring?

it now has a home - 

carol of beads and birds please contact deborah lee taylor here... 

congralations!

and thank you to all who entered -

i am sure there will be another giveaway soon - have a wonderful weekend