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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Ancient Tlingit People

Hello. I hope this day finds you healthy and well. 

I have always been and still am interested in all things ancient, indigenous American peoples, and other cultures around the world. And I love making jewelry that connects in any way to an expression of any of those things.

A shop I recently discovered, and love, makes, among other things, white and yellow bronze elements that depict images inspired by ancient Egypt, Africa, the Mimbres, and the Tlingit. The pieces are cast in the U.S. from their original masters and molds. The shop's name is that of its owner, RobertWGilmore. And once again, I am hooked!

My earrings today are made with Robert's "Tlingit Whales." The Tlingit are indigenous people living, past and present, in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and U.S., including Alaska. Their art is unique, as are Robert's elements. They are extremely detailed, beautifully made, thin and lightweight.
earrings available here

I had a specific color in mind I wanted to use with these and thinking through my beads, paddling through some of them, there wasn't a single pair that fit what my mind was stuck on. 
So I pulled out the old polymer clay and made a handful of beads. 

Squares, rectangles, rounds, some textured, some not, and in the end the plain old round beads worked best for me. I used several colors of acrylic paints to get the color I wanted, a vibrant, vivid, turquoise blue. That was to be the only high-contrast in the earrings. As an aside, if the beads appear to be too large for the design, they don't look that way in person; it must be the way they are angled in the photos???? I used Mykonos patina spacers and square brass-plated spacers on both sides of the polymer bead, something I don't often do, the same thing on either side of the bead, but it was the right look. 


earrings available here

The dangles below are 3mm Czech glass beads, and the intent with those was to elongate the design, and not to create a high-contrast to the whales. They are so perfect in and of themselves that I really did not want to take away from them at all. However, the beads behind the whale are a bit more colorful to create interest when viewed from the side when the full face of the whale is not visible.

The next two photos are of earrings I made previously with Robert's elements. Both of those have sold so they're not available, but I wanted to show them to you. Robert's bronze pieces were inspired by the Mimbres. Mimbres first referred to beautiful and distinctive pottery found in southwestern New Mexico, and eventually became the name used to describe the people who had created the pottery.
 















That concludes our history lesson for today. 
Class Dismissed!

As always, I sincerely appreciate the time you take to view our posts. I hope your day continues, unfolds, and ends with peace of mind, no matter what occurs.
Norbel Marolla
SheFliesAgain
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram



11 comments:

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    1. Thank you Susan! I appreciate your feedback and your support. 😊

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  2. Ohhhhh beautiful earrings!! Wonderful components (great find!). I just love the pop of color from your polymer clay beads. They look the perfect size to me. I also really love the thoughtfulness of your design with incorporating the tiny colorful beads for when the whales can't be seen full-on. Beautiful work as always (I love all those earrings, such great designs!)

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    1. Nathalie, thank you so much. Your detailed feedback really helps to know what appealed. I appreciate it! 😊

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  3. Absolutely fascinating Norbel - great lesson and beautiful earrings xxn

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    1. Thank you Lindsay. I just can't get enough information about our ancestors. Their art always intrigues me. You and I have wildly different styles. It's great that as creators we can appreciate and understand the other. I am always blown away by your work. I very much appreciate your taking the time to offer feedback. 😊

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  4. What a great series and you put some of your new acquisitions to immediate use I see and to great effect. I am so happy to see your creative spirit shining when darkness has been threatening some of our well-being lately. The best tonic for us I'm sure!
    The charms are delightful and you've used them in the most expressive way!

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    1. Kim, thank you. You are so right. There are times where it's all just too much. I am so grateful when I am able to whisk away and focus only on what gives joy! And you my friend are such a bright light. Your support and kindness has always lifted me up. The Turquoise stones are amazing. Someday I'll make myself a long, long necklace filled with them. Maybe next year. 😉 Hugs.

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  5. Beautiful earrings Norbel, fascinating. They are not only earrings, they tell a story. Thank you for introducing this wonderful artist.

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  6. I love this--get to drool over your lovely pieces and increase my knowledge at the same time ;) Really cool components and love what you did with them, sweet Norbel!

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