This post is about the wonderful artist, Beverly Ash Gilbert, and my explorations of color based on exercises she has written about in her blog. Let me tell you... this woman is a brilliant artist and knows how to use color! Check her out at her blog, beverlygilbert.blogspot.com.
or her web page: gilbert designs.net.
Here is one example of her work... (It's very hard to not show more so you'll just have to go see yourself!


I'm partial to carnelian and amethyst myself so this one just blew me away. (well honestly, they all do.) I can't remember how I even stumbled upon her blog, but I found it a couple of days ago and I've been on a color ride ever since. Woo-hoo!!
If you read her last couple of blog entries, you'll see that she is introducing some color exercises. Beverly has posted 2 steps in a series that she uses in her teaching. The second step has resulted in that image I've shown to the upper left. I began with red and blue magazine bits and then formed the rest around them. I'm astonished at what came of it! The first step was a matter of using just one color in a 10 minute quick exercise. Here's a photo of that one:
I know, my greens look brown, but at the moment I decided they were green-brown and she encouraged us not to think about it too much! lol... The first exercise is about understanding different value differences in color, as well as using the right side of the brain and not "over thinking" (my words) it. I was happy to find that I had no problem about whether my greens were really "green" at the time (as we can see!). I even had no problem when it came to making a big "blob" and not trying to make it pretty. I was actually amazed that it wasn't difficult for me because I'm pretty heavy on the perfectionist side of things (a blessing and a curse I'd say). The part that was challenging to me was that I ran out of time before I got all of my pieces glued on! And being the honest type that I am, I'll admit it... I was bad. I took an extra 30 seconds to glue those babies on! Bad Shay... (I'll try to do a real 10 minutes again soon -- promise!)

So, step one was the one-color, 10 minute blob. Step two is about color transitions. We are told to start with two color blobs on opposite corners of our gluing surface (a piece of cardstock for me) and rip out colors that will transition from one color to the other (adding in an additional color between the two if that worked best) . In my piece, I started with blue and red. I intentionally did not look much at her example because I wanted to be sure to do my own without outside influence. Before I started I was sure to see if there was a time limit on this one. No limit. Now, when I look at my final piece and think about how long it took me to do it (2 hours?) I laugh out loud at myself. I look at Beverly's versus mine and she made the transition in quite a few steps less (pieces) than me. Of course, this was my perfectionist self trying to find the exact right blend. I wouldn't have even thought it possible to do it in fewer steps as she had done. Her is hers on the left and mine on the right: I did the whole rainbow without realizing it!


LOL.. still laughing at myself. I know there is no "right" way to do it, but of course I would make it more time consuming than need be! It was a great project and I can't wait to see what the next step is!
In a post soon to follow , I'm going to show a photo montage that I've created based on the first step.
Fun!

So I was sitting here thinking that I might as well post something I've made in the recent past rather than posting nothing because I've not had a chance to get back to "The Project"...(for some reason, I'm hearing evil laughter in my head.)

I began to look for a photo, but couldn't figure out which one so I decided to post a variety. Sad thing is -- even with these 4 options, I'm still not thrilled with the photos. It's also rather amazing how different a piece looks with different backgrounds. How are we to choose which is the most "real" representation. Oh so many conversations I can have with myself ;) It all makes me wonder if I'll ever be happy with my own jewelry photography? I think a lot of you know what I'm saying. It's quite a process -- the jewelry photography thing -- who knew! I imagine I'll find a happy ground one of these days, I just wonder when and what the ground will feel like;) I like the piece. She was fun and different to make and I got to play with some gorgeous faceted apatite and faceted cube amethysts. Now for some photos...

Any photo conversations in your own head that you care to share??
Any thoughts on my own thoughts?
I do love a good share:)

I made this pendant some time ago and she is one of my favorites to wear. Actually one of the few pieces I do wear other than a chain maille bracelet that I wear ALL the time. Oh how I love chain maille! A few days ago, she jumped ship on me! Somewhere along the day of errands and shopping I noticed her chain broken and hanging loose on my neck. Oh what a sad sight to see. Fortunately one thing popped in my mind, "Hey! I made this and I can make another similar one." She won't be my first and she won't be the same, but I'll still enjoy her just the same. The other thing that came to mind is that she must have left because someone else needs her. This is the thought that gives me solace at times. I used to be very competitive -- well I suppose I still am, but I don't exercise it much. At one point I wanted to be a professional billiards player (that's another story), and I sure did love playing, but I got so upset and down on myself when I lost that it was damaging to me. My friend talked to me about it one day and said, "You must have lost because she (my opponent) needed to win. For whatever reason in her life she needed to win -- maybe she had a bad day or she needed the boost of self-esteem -- whatever the case, she needed it more than you. That sentiment has helped me so much in life, I just love it. So in any case, as I'm rambling on here, I tell myself that someone else needs my goddess. She is making someone out there happy! (crossing my fingers that she didn't go in the trash!) And if she did.. maybe she's for the trash collector or dump scavenger?
I've actually been wanting to do a series of Goddesses so maybe she'll spur me on. I'm not one who likes to duplicate -- it's not that I have to have one of a kind items, it's just how my creative bug works. I make something and then move on to another, never really knowing where I'll go next. So there you have the story of my Goddess!
Peace,
Shay

(The next day...) I forgot to mention that I did not carve the Goddess. She is made of bone and was hand carved in India. I got her from Szarka (a great goddess source) at:
Magpie Gemstones

Soon I'll be back and posting. I've got a week ahead of me of sunny weather and beads and wire just screaming in my head for me to attend to them! Now, if I could spend less time looking at everyone else's blogs..... Nope, it's just not possible. Too many great people and wonderful artists for me to get lost in!
Soon though:)

Whew...
So yesterday we ran out of water. If you know me at all, you'll know that I live off-grid up in the mountains. We get our water from a spring - gravity fed. The spring pops up into a creek where we "catch" it in a box and direct it our way. Sounds nice, but it's a lot of upkeep -that spring. It's been raining for days (thanks to the goddess for that! We need it) Long story short -- wet, mud, sitting in wet mud, walking water lines in the snow, tripping over all the fallen branches and trees under said snow, raining, dripping, hurting, gasping, OUT OF SHAPE, trouble shooting, sinking in wet mud, foot comes out of rubber boots, standing in mud pulling boot out of it's very rooted positing in the muck, breathing, finding about 7 breaks in the water line, fixing some myself and getting help for others, wet, mud, sitting in wet mud. You get it. Finally after one long day we get to have baths tonight rather than heating up rainwater on the stove. Yeah!!! I'll tell you, one thing I do by living up here is really appreciate and never take for granted - water, electricity, gasoline for generator, and propane (so glad we can get deliveries here!).
So that was my day and now I get to go enjoy that luxurious warm bath!!! Good night :)

Apparently I don't have time to work on my jewelry for a number of days. I took on the project of taking lots of leftover things in a house that my friends moved out of, in order to clean them and give them to goodwill. I can't stand seeing things go to the garbage, so sometimes I get myself caught up in crazy endeavors like this. The result is lots of stuff piled through the house that needs to be dealt with asap before Jesse and I go absolutely crazy!
Soon I will be playing with wire again. For now, it's back to work!

Shay

Oooohh I'm having fun with this one. It's feeling luscious so far. It definitely is a challenge for someone who works like I do, without much of a plan. I really have to sit with the piece and try to think ahead a bit rather than my usual free-flow way of working. It's coming along though and I'm pleased that I'm keeping up to my initial goals. Here are a few more glimpses:


Yummy beads! I was inspired to start with the big strand of rubies at the bottom, then decided to add some beautiful AAA faceted citrine brios (my only AAA beads) , very pretty peridot that I got at my first Tucson adventure last year, amethyst, maybe iolite, and some small microfaceted rhodolite garnets to mirror the larger rubies.

Below are some photos in progress.





The two on the top are details of the focal piece and the one on the bottom is a start of what the chain part of the necklace will be. Above right is a close up of the wrapped 3 mm garnet. I just thought it was so small and cute that I should show you a size comparison to my thumb nail.

That's it for now!