Editor's Pick for July

My Oak Goddess Necklace has been chosen for Bead Trends Blog - July Editor's Pick (see second article on this page) VISIT - http://scrapbooktrendsmag.com/blogs/beadtrends/

Wicked

After a weekend of taking care of some unplanned home repairs, I thought I would take a minute to post one of the photos from Saturday nights thunderstorm. Summer storms in this mountainous area of New Mexico can provide an incredible light show. It's been about four years since we have had this kind of activity, it was a welcomed relief from the heat. My husband captured this shot with a one minute exposure.

TODAY

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY !!!

Oak Goddess Necklace

The Oak Goddess necklace in the July issue of Bead Trends Magazine is one of my favorite creations. The center piece was finished some time ago, and only recently transformed into the wearable art work you see today.


For many years my husband and I attended Renaissance Fairs as vendors. Some of my designs are a cross between Celtic & Contemporary. My introduction to PMC (precious metal clay) was in late 2006, the flexibility of the media gave me the ability to create truly one of a kind works of art with out the cost of casting equipment.


The first time I worked with PMC, was at Mama's Minerals, here in Albuquerque. It was a reasonably priced half day class, with only about 7 students in attendance. Although the class was structured, students were encouraged to experiment and come up with our own ideas. My Double Calla Lily focal piece was one of the creations from that class - and is currently part of my private collection. PMC has become kind of an addiction, and now with bronze & copper clay – the possibilities are endless.

With that said, after investing money into a kiln, tools, and pmc; the concept of the Oak Goddess was developed. Wanting to create something on the line of the mythical Green Man, I started experimenting with different face molds. Once I achieved a face that I liked, it was a matter of how to form a base to support the pendant & shape the leaves around the face.

The Oak Goddess has a sister the Elm Goddess aka. “The Survivor” and she has her own story. Both were ready for firing at the same time, but do to a kiln mishap, The Survivor would not be fired for another six months.

Once fired the Oak Goddess was tumbled polished, and then treated with a solution of liver of sulfur giving it a slight antique look. At a later point, on one of my trips to Mama’s Mineral, I found the Olive Jade beads. It just seemed to click – I could see in my minds eye exactly how the necklace should be put together. It’s like having a good song or computer code in your head, it bounces around, and at some point has to be let out.

When I found a Bead Trends Magazine in our local Barnes & Noble book store, I was hooked. All the beautiful items handmade by other artists, with instructions on how they created them - what a great idea – so fearless! I know some artists who are so guarded that they are afraid to share their ideas with the world. It is my philosophy that if you can follow my instructions and create something similar for yourself, it will never be an exact copy; for the simply fact we are all different.

I would also like to thank that all the people at Beads Trends Magazine, who allowed me the opportunity to be published in such a prestigious magazine, and share my art work with the world. You Rock!

Doulbe Calla Lily

One of the first pieces I made from PMC was the Doudle Calla Lily pendant, it was later turned into a necklace.