Walk with me Wednesday...

I love to walk - especially in the middle of the work day to decompress a bit. There are many times that I see things that are funny or interesting or strange or pretty...so I've starting taking pictures of them!

So...won't you take a walk with me?

Thanks for joining me!

My mother's jewelry

Is there a piece of jewelry that always makes you think of your mother? Is it something she wore often? My mom had some fun, fabulous jewelry when I was growing up. The one I remember most is the ladybug necklace. I thought it was sooo cool that if you pushed the button, the wings opened and revealed...a watch! I remember the giddiness I felt when I knew she would let me push the button. It was like waiting for the coo-coo to come out of the clock.

I've included an image to give you the idea...but it's not the giveaway! :)

Leave me a few lines about your mother's jewelry that you remember and it will enter you to win these sterling silver and shell flower earrings. Enter a second time by tweeting about this giveaway and leave the link of your tweet. If you want to enter a third time, just visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me your favorite piece. Make sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win!

Share your story about your mother's jewelry! Giveaway will run until Friday, May 22 9:00 pm (EST). The winner will be chosen at random and posted on the evening of Sunday, May 25. Earrings dangle 1 and 1/4" from the bottom of the ear wire.

Spring Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone that submitted an entry in the What does spring mean to you Giveaway! It was wonderful reading your words - thank you so much for sharing them.

Congratulations Cathy H!!

Spring, she sighs a reassuring breath of life into the winter's sleepy

ground. The first peeks from the Red Budd trees guiding the
bumble bees to dance circles in the air. The longer days giving

hope to bigger dreams. Spring, no matter the world's state,

reminds us that nature is constant. This comforts me. :)

Stay tuned for my next blog giveaway which will be announced Tuesday evening (EST)!

Kudos Collection for the week

It's so nice when we get featured we want to shout it to the world. As an active tweeter I see a number of these tweets throughout the week and I thought it would be nice to start collecting them. These wonderful artists deserve some Kudos...so here is the collection found via tweets for the week!

Kudos to sagittariusgallery - featured on luvhandmade

Kudos to thehauntedhollow featured on Etsy front page

Kudos to AliBaliJewellery featured on Etsy front page

Capturing these Kudos is a game of right place, right time so if I miss yours and you would like to be included in the Kudos collection for the week, please email me k.nice.artworks@gmail.com with the details by Friday evening of the week you were featured and I'll be happy to include you!

Jung and my Art - project

Previously, I wrote a little bit about this class I am taking on Carl Jung and his process of Active Imagination. The final project of the course was to create something - a painting, a poem, a dance, a song, etc., from a dream, or a feeling or image from a dream. The idea is to tap into our unconscious world while in our conscious state and allowing the result to manifest itself physically. The ultimate goal being "individuation" or solidifying the Self. This can be therapeutic as well as allow one to investigate worries (consciously known or unknown).

Jung believed in a universal symbolism which we can apply to the analysis of our dreams once we have identified our personal references. This process is incrediblely personal and complex.

I tried an number of mediums to explore the dream image I selected. The image I selected was a blue flower in the shape of a sun-flower. Without going into all the intracaies of it, a blue flower is an archetypical image and representative of a mandala. As I mentioned, I approached a number of mediums before deciding on this one. I did this as I was concerned I would not be able to separate the "artist" from the process and allow the experience to flow. But I found I could not commit to the other mediums and as I started this piece, I found I was able to let it flow, without editing or judging the quality or refinement of the work.

I enjoyed the process and I am pleased with the outcome. And, without going into a semester's worth of exploration, I feel I was successful in Active Imagination and my journey to individuation.

materials - copper wire, lapis (philosopher's stone), thread

What spring means to me Giveaway

What does spring mean to you?

Leave me a comment with a few poetic lines describing what spring means to you. For each comment you leave you will be entered to win these Think Spring copper wire and freshwater pearl earrings. Please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

Don’t be shy, have fun and pay a little homage to spring!

What does spring mean to me?
Sun-filled days and cool nights,
Finding reasons to go outside.
Nodding petals basking,
In the warmth and light,
Bursting blooms throughout the day.
Sweet scents floating on the wind,
Anticipating the soft summer breeze to come.

Earrings dangle ¾” from bottom of earwire.
Please submit all entries by 9:00pm (EST) April 24. The winner will be announced the evening of Sunday, the 26th of April.

Using Images in my work

First I will tell you a little about my background. I started in theatre and my degree is in oil painting. My painting was always centered on still life. I loved arranging those little objects like characters on a stage. As I continued my painting I found I enjoyed working in a very small scale and this aspect has carried over into my jewelry design.
I love working with stones and shells but recently I have been fascinated with this idea of incorporating images in my work. I think what pushed me explore this was a couple pendants my husband found for me. One is a Frida Kahlo pendant (she is a major source of inspiration) and the other is a wonderful Asian figure embedded in resin. Through experiments I have found a number of ways to incorporate images. For now I will focus on image transfer.
In some pieces I use the image directly on the object. I will just cut out the image, place it on the support (whether it is metal, bamboo tile, a button) and then apply a clear protective coat finish. I also like to be able to layer images. My penguin piece is an example of this.
I like to use OMNI-GEL you can get it from Fire Mountain Beads http://www.firemountaingems.com. This transfer gel dries clear so it can be used as a protective coat and glue as well. Cut out the image you would like to use, but leave a little edge surrounding the image you can remove this later. I like to prep several images at once. I cut along the seams of a plastic bag and lay it open for my surface workspace wax paper works too.
Apply the gel in three coats with a brush. First coat brush across the image horizontally and then let this dry. The second coat you brush vertically, let it dry. The last coat you brush in a diagonal direction and let this dry. You can brush thick or thin - I like the thick because it adds a painterly texture. After the three coats I usually let it sit overnight.
Typically the paper gets stuck on the plastic so in the morning I just slide an exact-o under the edge of the paper - otherwise the image can stretch. Soak the images upside down in warm water for 10-20 minutes. Take them out one at a time place face down and begin to rub the paper off the back of the image with your finger or a lint-free cloth - I like to use a dishtowel. You can decide how much paper to remove based on how transparent you would like your image to be. Let them dry. Once they are dry you can remove the extra edging you left when you first cut out the image. I usually use scissors for this as the exact-o can sometimes pull at the image and stretch it.
Now you can apply your image to the desired surface. It can either be placed in the original orientation and have a glossy finish or upside down and have a mat finish.
As for images there is a great free ephemera website http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/ephemera.html and of course the collage websites are awesome. Some of the collage sheets are on thick paper so you really need to commit to rubbing off the back. But if you print from a free image website or royalty free book (Dover has a great series) then plain printer paper is pretty forgiving.

Additional photos of work in progress can be seen below...