Finishing those odds and ends

#21 /365 rad "castle" ring mosaic
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

Here's an example of one of my new rings I've made for the ring a day project- Made of oxidized sterling silver and 18k yellow gold.

Yes, it is a complex piece- something that I really love to do, work in a dense manner- I made it in stages........

the tubes I rolled and put together as a collection a few years ago-(I went on a big tube making kick) and the ring I finished in a day-

This is the story with many of my ring a day pieces....I am simply "Finishing" work that I have set aside...you know, those pieces that you just can't seem to make work, and you don't want to send them to refining....

So I guess you could say this ring a day project has me re-purposing some of my work- I must admit, it's pretty satisfying to find homes for these odds and ends!

nuff said- I'm off to the studio now for a FULL DAY of studio work- Yippee! ciao- Maureen

strap bracelet secrets

strap bracelet fall 094
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I love making these pieces- they are a collection of diverse components made with differing techniques- I work on them in a peculiar way...

first of all, the shapes are almost always soft organic forms- the idea came from looking at stone walls and how they are constructed...

then I play with different techniques...roller printing, chasing, repousse, filigree, cloisonne, wax carving, inlay, mokume, hollow construction, etching, wire work...I tell people that I "binge on techniques" I play with them until I've scratched the itch of curiosity in my mind.

After I have completed and am satisfied with the quantity of components I sit down and compose a line of approximately 10-12 components, thinking about the way they will wrap around the wrist.

I have made a belt buckle by carving it in hard wax and then taking a mold of it so that I can produce it when I need it- I have a casting company make my buckles for me- but they are my own design, the original made by my hands, and cast exclusively by my order for my work only.

The buckle is set on the leather strap by a tube rivet (my design also)
and the components are then "strung" on the bracelet and locked in place.

By using this process of sampling techniques and composing after the pieces are complete I keep my work fresh and interesting- and, more important- UNIQUE! each bracelet therefore is one of a kind - I could make them all the same, but what's the fun in that?!!

I'm hoping to find some time this month to put together a few more bracelets- they do take a long time to complete, so this may be a challenge! Currently this piece is the only bracelet I have in stock- I will be happy to take special orders, and holiday requests. (send your honey this link so they can get a gift giving hint)

OK- I'm off to the studio- metals await! Have a great week- stay tuned, and please send me comments! (I love to read your responses!)
ciao!- Maureen BZ

images and compositions

Sometimes when I am taking these images I imagine the photos to be paintings, so I am playing with composition in the images as well as the piece...here are a few images I took today of some of my new work..

you can hopefully see the play on composition and lighting that I utilize to make the images approach something other than just documenting the metals piece...

I feel like these images are as important as the piece, and may become a larger player in my artwork as I develop the image vocabularies...
each of these pieces are almost becoming characters in a play- in a similar way to how Giorgio Morandi would play with the still life compositions and bottle figures that he was so masterful at composing and infusing with life ...