Trumeau Inspired Bezel

Yesterday I found inspiration in this beautiful vintage book of poetry I bought at a rummage sale for 25 cents.  Yep, that's what I said...twenty-five cents!

I don't even know the title of it.  The cover is missing and there's no title page but the illustrations are absolutely stunning.  Every page turn reveals a new gem.  The artistry and attention to detail in the images in truly amazing.

My last pendants were so full of color, I thought it would be nice to change things up a bit and create something in a more neutral palette, using one of these beautiful illustrations as a springboard.  I've had this idea in my head for sometime...a little rectangular bezel shaped something like a trumeau mirror.

I love creating bezels.  I'm always amazed at the amount of creativity you can pour into forming sheet silver and wire into a tiny treasure.  Like the gallery wire embellishments?  I think the pattern compliments the elegance of the book illustrations.  (If you're wondering what gallery wire is, there's a quick description on this WireSculpture.com forum.)

I found that most of the elements in the book illustrations are too large to use in jewelry pieces.  I may scan and re-size them in the future.  I did, however, spot an intriguing little bird that was just right.  It looks to me like he's just about to land, maybe after a long day of soothing the souls of the world with his beautiful song.  The forms in the background remind me of Monet's poplars.  It's a rather quiet and mysterious image, don't you think?

I'm Linking up again today with Creative Every Day and finding so much inspiration in the work of other artists linking to Art Every Day Month.  Pop over and take a look for yourself if you have the time or, better yet, join in!

Thanks for taking a peek into my little world!  (Seriously...I've been working in tiny detailed things all week.  I may have to paint a wall or something today!)  Have a very great, very creative day!

Art Every Day Challenge

I did it!  I took the plunge and added my name to the list of participants in Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day, a website that encourages its readers to "be an everyday creative and be creative every day".

/

For the rest of the month of November I will try to create and share something with you every single day. No joke...I'm really going to try to do this!  (I might post about it on weekends...haven't quite decided yet.)

During the weeks of my Flying Lessons course I was so focused on learning from Kelly Rae Roberts how to build a creative business that I didn't have time to actually create much.  Now I'm ready to get back to making art and I hope this challenge will help me stay focused and productive!

Since I like to work on blog posts first thing in the morning I will post each day's project the morning after I create it.  So, without further ado,  I give you yesterday's project...a chandelier crystal collage necklace.

I was in the mood to do a little wire-wrapping, so I put this piece together using a mixture of stone and Czech glass beads, leather, and hand-made findings.

To make the pendant, I antiqued a blue butterfly image with a brown ink pad and affixed it to the back of a chandelier crystal using heavy gloss gel medium.

After forming the connectors and clasp from anodized steel, I hammered them for strength and polished them for a little extra sheen.  The steel looks a lot like oxidized silver to me.  It's a little harder to work with, though, as steel is not a very pliable metal.

It seems that I've focused my studio time mainly on collage and art-journaling lately.  It was great to make jewelry today.  The pliers and wire felt good in my hands.  Sometimes I think my favorite medium is simply the one I am using at any given moment!

Thanks for having a look.  Hopefully I'll get a few pieces together and reopen my Etsy store in the next few weeks.  I will definitely let you know when that happens.  This necklace may be the first new item I list!

Have a happy, creative Monday!