The need for colour!

So January is done (hooray!) and I am feeling the need for colour!

For this blog, I revisited an old design which is a bit of a favourite. I got hold of some of Helena Benkoczka's folded copper bails. Helena is perhaps best known for her beautifully colourful polymer clay components, but is a very talented jewellery designer herself AND also makes some gorgeous copper components on occasion too. These beauties have a teeny tiny Buddha stamp.

I paired these up with some of my favourite recycled glass chunks in a vivid purple and wrapped some colourful seed beads onto some oxidised copper wire and looped them through the bails.

Bright, colourful and a bit boho. However, I was in a rush to photograph them before I lost the light today and spotted a tiny bit of wire that needed to be trimmed/tucked in! It has been sorted, but I couldn't take another photo, so it sits above, annoying me! Can you spot it? 

These will be available in my next showcase over on The Earrings Show on Friday 23rd Feb. See you in a couple of weeks!

Sue x 

www.etsy.com/shop/utterlylovelystuff

We're All Ears :: February Reveal

As soon as I saw this statue, I knew that I needed to use brass or bronze for the metal.

I had to hit up my local hometown hardware store for some other items when I took a detour down the copper and brass fittings aisle. I love the myriad of tiny little drawers with diagrams of the metal bits within. In this particular aisle, the drawer wall was so very tall that a rolling ladder stood at the ready nearby. I climbed up gingerly when a sketch caught my eye for a compression nut. I liked the wide opening at the bottom and the smaller hole at the top along with the hexagon shape reminiscent of the dais on which the Buddha was standing.

The wavy lines of the Buddha's robes captivated me. I had an idea that I wanted to do something with a tassel shape and the compression nut would make a great cap. But instead of soft threads or fibers, I used a brass wire in 16 gauge. How to make a hard material appear soft? After filing the edges I used a pliers to make gentle waves in the wire. Flattened, then used a texture hammer provided some lines. They give a gentle wiggle when the earrings are moved.

To bring the teal bloom of the time-worn patina, I used some Vintaj metal patina paint in Onyx, Aged Bronze, Moss and Verdigris. Wiped off and sanded, this gives the perfect appearance of age.

At the top are some polymer clay disk beads from Humblebeads in teal with tiny blooms reminiscent of the flowers carved on the hand of the Buddha. The face of Buddha is so tranquil, serene. So these are called Tranquil Waves.

But I can never stop at just one pair. ;-)

I made a second pair inspired by the flame rising from the top of the Buddha's head and the swirl bindi on this forehead. I remembered that I had some vintage NOS (new old stock) hammered brass disk post earrings. These paired with the inverted flame-shaped dangles and some perfectly swirled silver plated beads. To make the different metals and shapes compatible, I used the same Vintaj patinas. The flame on the top of Buddha's head is referred to as The Flame of Enlightenment. Simple name for simple earrings.

Your turn! I look forward to seeing how you translated this ancient artifact into your earring designs. Share your version of the inspiration in the links below.

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We're All Ears :: February Inspiration

http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/75414
NOTE: This artwork is to be used for educational purposes only.

So I went to the MET. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wish I could say that I was actually in New York City. It was online. And they have a function there called Artwork of the Day, a random piece of art to enjoy every day. This was the artwork on Wednesday, February 3rd.

This is a gilded copper alloy statue dating to the 18th century of a standing Buddha.

http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/75414
NOTE: This artwork is to be used for educational purposes only.

According to the MET: "This work represents the Kandyan-period style of Buddha imagery at its best. The Buddha's physique is robust and the full face does not display the softness of features seen in lesser works of the period. The auspicious marks (lakshana) seen so prominently on the gilded seated Buddha displayed nearby appear here as well, and the left arm is now lowered, a convention that persisted throughout the later Kandyan period."

http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/75414
NOTE: This artwork is to be used for educational purposes only.

From another earlier 16th c. gilded statue, I read that Buddha exhibited many marks of lakshana - or his Buddhahood. Things like his extended earlobes, his urna forehead mark, the ushnisha or flame protuberance on his head and lotus markings on the hand and feet.

What I love about this....

• the peaceful expression on Buddha's face
• the flame motif over his head
• the slight verdigris color blooming in the crevices
• the ripples like water in his robes
• his outstretched hand
• the palm of his hand has flowers carved into it
• the tight nubs of his hair
• the square earring shapes in his lobes
• the swirl bindi on his forehead 
• the flower shaped dais he is standing on

(To see these really up close, click on the links to the MET, then click on the picture to zoom in to see every minute detail.)

What inspires you with this ancient statue?

Make a earrings inspired by the Standing Buddha statue and join me here on Friday, February 19th for the reveal of the We're All Ears February Challenge!