 |
| the noble Tia |
 |
| the goofball Tonka |
The first order of business is to clear out the old to make room to buy more beads to make more stuff.
I used to use pretty much only silver, back before the prices went through the roof. I have a bunch of older pieces that I'm putting up on Etsy to sell. I couldn't afford to buy the materials at today's prices, but I only have one neck so there is a limit to how many necklaces I can wear. The prices reflect what I paid for the wire and beads a few years ago, not what it would cost for them now, so I think they are a great bargain. Here are a few - I was using a lot of silver from Bali and Karen Hill Tribe beads, pendants from Tibet and Afghanistan, American borosilicate beads - going for an urban, ethnic aesthetic.
Man, I was a slave to symmetry. I still find myself falling back into that design solution pattern, but it's so much more interesting to achieve balance in other ways. It just occurred to me that it's also a metaphor of sorts for my life the last few years. About a year before I was laid off from my bookkeeping job, I developed a neurological disorder called Mal de Debarquement Syndrome. Essentially, landsickness. My brain perceives everything as being in motion and it's difficult to keep my balance. So I guess if I can achieve balance in my artwork, that's satisfying some need.
Here's some new stuff too. Uh-oh. They're BOTH symmetrical. Mostly. That blows that theory to hell.
6 comments:
Interesting reflections about your creations.
However, symmetrical or not - they are very beautiful!
Your older works are just as beautiful as your designs now - although yes, they are much more symmetrical. I love reflecting on my older designs; I also see more symmetry and more stringing in my older things (as well as much more silver back in the day too!) as opposed to wire work and more mixed materials these days. I think Tia and Tonka are gorgeous - Tonka looks very comfortable in this pic, too! :-)
Thank you Eva. Just reminds me that I know nothing about anything and that's a very freeing realization.
Thanks Shel. Yeah - Tonka's pretty laid back. Tia is the alpha dog and takes all the responsibility for protecting the house, so he's got it easy.
Our human brains are programmed to be comfortable with symmetry. It's always intrigued me that although we're symmetrical on the outside, we're not at all on the inside. More functional that way, I guess.
I too have lots of the Thai silver and am not using it much in my designs anymore. I have the conundrum as to whether I bought it as an investment or do I still use it in my pieces because I bought it when it was low. I barely sell anymore of the loose beads at shows anymore and because I don't want to undersell the current market price. Also my designs have changed quite a bit as I have migrated over to other metals. I have been making asymmetrical pieces for a good while and kind of surprise myself when suddenly a symmetrical one emerges.
You can have symmetrical as long as you have balance. Interesting correlation you made to your condition. Beautiful new pieces!
Thanks Kim! What I've done with some of the Thai silver is oxidize it heavily and use it with steel wire. The dilemma then is how to price it. I also have a few unfinished silver pieces and I hate to invest in the silver wire and clasps I need to finish them.
Post a Comment