The Nature of Contrast

Looking at the similarities in my jewelry to architecture started me thinking about comparisons in nature....particularly gemstones, a favorite subject of mine. I was reminded of this necklace I made a few years ago. In the locket is a monarch butterfly wing I found on the beach on the Vineyard. I paired it with a heart-shaped piece of "picasso stone" bought from one of the most creative lapidarists I have ever met. I love that the colors and patterns in these two item are almost exactly the same, but one is a stone, the other light as a feather.
From that idea, my minded jumped to a place I love to visit and yet don't get to often enough, the Harvard Museum of Natural History. My first stop will always be the gem and mineral rooms. I snapped some photos last time I was there and in reviewing them, was reminded of other photos I had taken this past year.
I especially like the contrast between something so light you could just pffff blow it away and a solid, unyielding stone.
When I was teaching art, I talked to my students a lot about the concept of contrast and how it could made their work more interesting. Something to keep in mind for future designs....

Inspired

I don't know if I was inspired by my last trip here to create this latest line, but it's hard not to see a connection in the texture, pattern and colors.
Perhaps it was a subconscious thing, floating around in my head for a year or so....
..or maybe I just like playing with the photos I take. Guess we'll never know.
So many of the buildings here have a definite patina to them, but the beautiful decoration and ornamentation is still there, as well as some left-over sparkle and luster, if you really look.
See more of the new line here.

Silver Linings

I am now a proud member of The Cloud Appreciation Society. It's nice to know I am not alone in spending inordinate amounts of time looking up at the sky! The Vineyard never disappoints me with its clouds, and I have witnessed some lovely sightings here in Buenos Aires, even though clouds are hard to fully appreciate in the city....sigh.
Todays clouds are rain clouds and thank goodness they came rolling in. It's been hotter'n hades here. They aren't very pretty, but I love them lots.

This song works, even with the word "hooray" in it.

New Things, Old Things

Here is a picture of a necklace I made last year while I was here. I sold it that summer on the Vineyard to a stylish woman in her 70s. It was perfect on her. I love when that happens.
The other things are weird vegetation, an old botanical studies book and original vintage photo of NYC I found at the San Telmo Sunday flea market, and of course, a bird reference....

I will be starting a jewelry course here In Buenos Aires tomorrow. Exciting! I am going to be learning the ancient art of wax carving for jewelry design, so that my original designs can then be cast in silver and incorporated into my necklaces and earrings. It's something I have wanted to learn for a long time and so I bought a small kit and brought it with me here, thinking I would teach myself. Yesterday, while walking around the (boiling) city looking for jewelry supply shops, we were told about a school in the neighborhood, a very good jewelry school. We went to check it out and found that a wax carving course was starting up in two days and will be taught by the only teacher there who speaks (or rather, wants to practice his) English! What a stroke of luck.

Buenos Aires

I have hopped down from cold, snowy Boston to hot, sunny Buenos Aires for several months. While my body has been in shock for a few days, I definitely do prefer hot to cold and am looking forward to my first Summer of 09. I have been here a few times before and am excited to keep exploring Buenos Aires and hopefully go farther afield on this trip. In the mean time, I will be experimenting with lots of things; new jewelry ideas, crafts projects I never seem to get to, cooking, taking pictures, learning a little Spanish and who knows what else... Photos above are a few pics from my last trip.

It's a New Blog

I tried this blogging thing once before. A year ago. The one entry I wrote took a most ridiculous amount of my time to get posted half properly. So, here goes, another try with re-newed determination to post (at least once a week). Here, I will introduce new jewelry creations to be found at my website www.freebird-designs.com as well as info on shows, travel, and other art projects I am working on. Wish me luck! And patience.