natural inspiration

Whenever I am tempted to say I am “inspired by nature”, I find I must bite my tongue.   The natural world leaves me in complete awe.   I feel so inadequate when I comtemplate the wonders around me.  The simplest things are so much more complex than we even begin to comprehend!

In case you aren’t following me, let me give you an example.

I am fascinated by the octopus.   Most folks think they are spooky, scary, slimey murderous monsters menacing divers and dangerous denizens of the deep thanks to horror movies depicting overgrown undersea monsters.

I think they are shy fellas with vulnerable soft bodies who have very little defense against natural predators.   That little ink jet they shoot out seems not much of a defense at all. You can clearly see, from this piece I created, that I have a soft spot for these simple creatures.

Sleeps With the Fishes

almost seems huggable, doesn’t he?

The late great Beatles also seemed to have a whimsical attitude about octopi when they wrote their song Octopus’s Garden, a light hearted ditty about an imaginary undersea garden.   The song was resonating in my mind when I created this Artfire Collection.   Imagination went wandering as I wondered what treasures would be found in such a garden.

Octopuss Garden

Curated By: StregaJewellry

ArtFire.com

Other pieces I liked that I thought might be found in an Octopus’s Garden:

This whimsical starfish ring from Sage’s Cupboard Artfire Studio

Epicetera’s magical bamboo coral necklace with a mythical mermaid pendant:   total undersea fantasy.

Spiral Studios fantasy flower hair tie of freshwater pearls

Personal Oasis’s beautiful sea green rhyolite necklace with pearls.

ahhh, the calming ocean.

All of these artists have let their imagination help them recreate the colors or feelings evoked by the natural sea world.

Back to my octopus friend.

After I made that funny little piece, “Sleeps With the Fishes”, someone sent me this video about a diver who has studied Cephalopods:  octopus, squid and cuttlefish.

I was so enthralled by the magic of this creature!   I had NO IDEA what a creative little guy he actually is!   Please watch and learn as I did, the wonder of the lowly octopus.   I promise, you will gain a new respect for this creature.  I have watched the video 20 times and never ceased to be amazed!  My grandkids keep asking to see it over and over.   It is beyond anything I could ever imagine!

Octopus Video

See what I mean about the reality of nature leaving me overwhelmed and feeling inadequate?   How can I EVER hope to create a piece that conveys the magic of an octopus’s camoflage?   I don’t know, but my imagination is working overtime.   I hope it will inspire others.   LOL……Now, I have given you a challenge, yes?

It’s a Black Thing

My daughter loves wearing black.   She has so many different outfits in different styles of black.   Oh, she wears colors too:   black and brown, black and teal, black and white, black and multi colors.   She also loves her jewelry.   With so much black, making unique pieces for her can be quite a challenge.  I do love a challenge.   Creating jewelry for her keeps me on my toes.   I wanted to share some of the totally different pieces I came up with.   

Beforfe I do that, let’s talk a little bit about the different kinds of black and what black says about the wearer, according the the language of clothes.   Black can give the impression of gloom or guilt, depending on the style of the clothes and the fabric.  Priests and monks have worn black as a symbol of the denial of secular life. 

Black velvet or stylish black dresses can also suggest sophistication……can say that the wearer has experience with the darker side of life.    The richness of the fabric and the cut of the clothing suggests the level of sophistication.  

With white at the neck and wrists, there is the suggestion that the person is pure underneath.  

Black can also suggest age, maturity, sobriety and piety. 

There is dramatic b lack and Bohemian black or dancer’s black.  Dressing in black turtlenecks, black slacks or skirt, black stockings or tights with longer hair originated in Paris after World War II.   Later, denim was added.   This type of clothing was worn by artists, intellectuals and students, indicating their serious nature, dedication to their art or work.    Dancers had similar costumes, indicating sensitivty and a serious outlook.  Actors, musicians, painters and poets have adopted this style.

Motorcycle black dates from the 1940’s and draws on the styles of Italian fascists……..the leather jackets, boots, black jeans and t-shirts with zippers, snaps and studs are a more threatening style.   Goth or punk wear evolved from this style also.   There is refuge in a layer of menace.  

Whatever your personal choice, black is beautiful.   And, of course, black goes with any color.  

Here are some of the pieces I made to tantalize my child.

silver and fabric

This is a really simple piece with and hammered silver pendant and some playful chiffon polka dot fabric.   It looks great for work with a suit or jeans and a black blazer or adds a bit of style to a simple black dress.   Polka dots indicate a playful nature in the language of clothes and these are just small enough to indicate a sense of humor to lighten up that serious black. 

classic black and white

A black onyx and silver pendants (onyx is a very grounding and a very protective stone).   Black and white stiped fabric, the perfect mixture of innocence and naughtiness.

pirate flair

I took the fabric a bit farther in this one, giving it a more playful aura, a sort of pirate flair with the fabric in a scarf instead of a collar.   The pendant is an onyx donut wrapped in silver wire.

onyx and beads on a cord

This one could be worn at work or with a casual top and jeans.   The black onyx and silver pendant is hung on a pleather cord and accented with faceted black Czech glass beads in plain black and some with an aurora borealis finish with hints of blue to break up the totality of the black and with silver beads.

onyx up close

the same necklace up close

black and brown

This one is a bit more dressy.   Pendant is black and deep brown glass.   I used brown Czech beads, black Czech beads and silver beads.   The brown beads help bring out the brown in the pendant.    A silver lantern chain gives it a bit more of a formal look but it can still be worn with anything.

up close

up close, the brown is still hard to see but it is there

Gypsy Pearls

She fell in love with this one.   There are three tiers of black curbed aluminum chain, one plain, two with black freshwater pearls and silvery grey mussel shells.   Wearing pearls helps bring wealth into your life, shells help you get organized.  This is a very lightweight piece in spite of the three tiers.   The misty gray shells give an ethereal, mystical tone to the piece.  

wearing the Gypsy pearls

very girlie girl

Well, I’m sure I’ll have more black pieces to make.  These are just a few.