Whimsy Wednesday! Playing Hooky!

Hello Hello! 

I’m writing the bulk of this post whilst listening to The Cars “Moving In Stereo” in stereo, in the car and on the road to visit a friend! 

I’m playing hooky from the studio for a little while! Wheeee! 

This feels grand!

I’ve been rather busy preparing for both a home Sprite Creations party tomorrow and the Women’s Art Festival this Saturday and I’m excited about all the new creations I have to share! 

Below are just some of the newest shinies! 

Title: Transcend 

Ingredients: 4GB (working) Flash Drive, non-toxic resin (hand-coloured & hand-painted), Swarovski crystals, vintage German glass, Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), aluminum, metal. 

There are all sorts of details in this creation, and let’s start with that fabulous Flash Drive! It is a working 4GB Flash Drive! The swirls are part of the factory design of this drive and it was named Transcend before it arrived in my studio. Since the creation design of both the Flash Drive and the necklace centers around the Drive, it seems fitting that it lends it’s name to the entire creation. The shiny flashes of colour on top of the Flash Drive are Swarovski crystal rhinestone, set in a rainbow pattern. (Some believe this pattern of colours also matches those of the 7 major charkas of the human body.) I would have loved to place each rhinestone in the center of each circle or swirl, but too much resin too close to the edge of the convertible flash drives can be a problem. The rhinestones are set and sealed with non-toxic resin that I’ve hand-coloured with pigment and literally paint onto the Drive. The Pegasus, Star and Sun all speak to traveling to other realms, realities or mythologies. The “Love” circle is also hand-painted with hand-coloured resin by me and fits the title quite aptly! After all “Love transcends all things”! Even in looking at the “Love” ring, there are hidden details. This is a repurposed charm and so while the Love is immersed in flecks of gold, there are marks of wear and age in the shiny metal underneath the golden resin. This is a love of strength, beauty and wisdom, wrapped with whimsy in the mixing of both modern and timeless. 

The second Flash Drive creation I have to share is just below… 

Title: Traveling With Turtle Island 

Ingredients: 8GB Flash Drive (Iamakey), non-toxic resin (hand-coloured & hand-painted), hand-finished brass, old watch parts, metal. 

The key-shaped metal bit is actually the working 8GB Flash Drive! I’ve worked with this shape before and had so much fun, I played with it again! The turtle charm enabled me to mix both dark and shiny metals and the turtle shape echoed the more boxy key shape of the Drive. 

I placed the old watch parts in a column down the shank of the drive, four gears and all over-lapping. This is what I love best about creating! I had no set vision of what to do with the gears, only that I wanted round gears on the shank. It seemed right to have four overlapping, and then the story of the "Four Ages of Man" popped into my mind! Very fitting since the Earth has been named Turtle Island by many aboriginal tribes in times past! The myth of the "Four Ages of Man" by Ovid is recounted here. While the resin is speckled with golden flecks, I also meticulously dropped alcohol ink onto the resin once it was painted on. That is the ethereal green you see. The ink pools and flows as I work with it and the resin and I love the “swampy”, yet misty and mysterious feel that it created! Perfect for a turtle in the water and the legends described above! And, again, wrapped with whimsy in the blending of both modern and timeless! 

So, there you have it! 

I'll leave you with information of my final show for 2012!

When is that, you ask?

The 20th Annual Women's Art Festival! Come join us at the Midtown YWCA in Minneapolis, MN (USA)!

Saturday, Dec. 15th only!

10am to 5pm.

There will be live music all day, an on-site coffee shop and art of all kinds and for all budgets!

I’ll wrap this up as I am almost at my friend’s house and see you Friday!

Ciao!