This photo is of an anklet.  The design is simple.  It didn't take much to create this piece….. or did it?

So what makes this piece of jewelry one of the most significant to my collections? It is the first piece of jewelry I ever made.  It was somewhere in the late '80's and I was at my mom's house. She happened to have some beads on the table. Having art supplies scattered all over the house or completely covering the kitchen table was a common occurrence but that's a subject for another blog. :-)

Seeing all of the colors and shine, the feel of them as I ran my fingers through them….. I. WAS. HOOKED.  And I've never been the same.  My designs have become far more sophisticated but I don't ever want to lose that feeling I had on that day. The feeling of of taking a pile of beads and creating a design. Having something born of my own imagination that I could wear.  

I've been asked many times, what do I like more, the design or the creation? That's a hard question to answer.  I love the design process because I enjoy what happens in my brain. I also LOVE to hold the finished product especially when it turns out better than I imagined.  That's when I know I've nailed it. And most usually, it's that piece that sells first at my monthly shows.  

I've enjoyed every moment of being a jewelry designer from that first simple anklet to my current designs. I hope you enjoy them too. 

Do you make something that gives you that feeling of awe, totally surprised that your brain can produce something so stinking cool?

Click here to see my "signature" design I call "DNA". 
Click here to see wire sculpted crosses.
Click here to see wire sculpted free floating hearts.

Below is a gallery of some of my work and a fun tidbit about a recent road trip.

I hope this finds you enjoying the summer. For those of you in the Tulsa area who are still out of power from the storms, I hope you have electricity soon. For just a moment, maybe I can distract you from the heat with a description of my process to create this necklace.

This is what is referred to as a collar necklace.  They're very popular right now and can be seen in many different styles. This is my version. Using bronze wire, I sculpted it into this shape. 

There's something very fulfilling in taking a roll of wire and turning it into something.  In this case, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do. I was actually chatting with a friend on the phone and just began creating. Before I knew it, I had the shape. From that point, I wanted it to look very random and organic so I had to carefully weave so each area was balanced.

It may sound odd, but creating something to look random is a balancing act. Hardly ever are my pieces created quickly without a lot of engineering to make it look random. Even my asymmetrical pieces require balance or they just look like a mess. The process requires repetitive steps of building and then stopping to look and I do this over and over again.  

My process right now is adding beads to the wire. This involves twice the balance and engineering so both the wire and the beads look balanced yet random. I can't wait to get to my studio table to get working on that collar necklace. After that one is complete, I have another design I plan to make with a beautiful clay flower incorporated. The flower was acquired at the First Friday Art Crawl in Tulsa from Julie Box, a local potter. It warms my heart to use materials purchased from local artists. It makes the piece that much more special. I'll post pictures on my facebook page so be sure to go follow me there. Here's a link: www.facebook.com/blithe.ology  If you've already followed me but haven't seen any posts, it's likely because I've fallen off of your newsfeed. Be sure to find me again and engage (like, share or comment) and that should get me back into your newsfeed.

Thanks for reading my blog. 

Warmest Regards,

Jennifer

What styles of jewelry do you prefer? Are you a 'statement piece' kind of chick?

Before I describe this new piece, I want to send along a friendly reminder that my monthly show is this Saturday June 8th from 10-5 at The Martketplace located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave. just east of Catoosa. There's a map at the bottom of this post.

I started out wanting to make a long necklace. My inventory could use about a half a dozen more. The process took a turn and this is where I ended up......not long. But hey, it decided to be a multi-strand which is just as wonderful. These projects just seem to take on their own life.  This is what it looked like before I did my construction magic. 

The creative process this time was completely about the color and texture, so much so that no matter how hard I tried to make a long necklace, it just kept coming back to these elements.  I started with the copper chain. It's chunky and has a beautiful patina. It's hammered so it has that look of toughness, like it's survived through the years. From there came the trapezoid shaped semi-precious stones which are called pink feldspar. It's a muddy pink. Just enough to really play well with the copper. And then of course, it's a moral imperative..... you know.....the bling. The peachy wonderfulness of the faceted crystals HAD to be added.  The color mix and completely opposite textures here immediately made me really happy. It's hard to describe but when all of the elements are right, I just 'know'. Here's the finished product. I think it would look fabulous again sun kissed skin. 

As promised, below is the map to get to the show where you can see this piece and all of my latest work. We have a total of seven artists collaborating at The Martketplace. You'll not only see jewelry, but also many other types of functional/useful artistic creations. 

Tell me about your summer wardrobe. How do you stay fashionable and deal with the summer heat?

Someone with a bunch of letters behind their name could tell you how the artistic process works. But I prefer to let it take me where it wants and leave all the mumbo jumbo scientific stuff to others. I examined the inventory and noticed I only had a few long necklaces.  That's how the whole thing got started. This one ended up being 48" long.

For me it's about the textures and the colors. With this necklace and bracelet, I began pulling focals (large interesting shapes) within the same family of colors as well as some "pops of color". I had copper chain I wanted to somehow incorporate. I knew I wanted it to be made completely of semi-precious materials. I also knew I needed something to pull it all together besides the chain.

The 'something to pull it all together' are the beautiful fresh water pearls which flank each section. They're a nice off white which brightens it up. For versatility, I put a clasp on it so it can be wrapped several times to make a multi-strand necklace.

Knowing that I have some clients who prefer sets, I decided to create a bracelet (photo below) with the same components. Sometimes the creations in my brain turn out much prettier than what I imagined. This is one of them. 

Wanna see it in person?  Appointments are welcomed (918-850-3736) or see it at my next show which will be on June 8th, 10-6 at The Martketplace located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave., Catoosa, OK.

The process of choosing a color combination is a huge part of my process. I walk around my studio and find beads which speak to me. If they're enough to tell the story alone, then I go with that. If not, then I find them some friends to help them along.

In this case, I was creating  a birthday gift for my nail tech (Debbie Segura http://www.debzartsalonspa.com/). The glass flower beads have been sitting quietly for over a year just waiting to be chosen for a special occasion. My eyes scanned the shelves of jars, bottles and glasses filled with beads of every color and shape. They're organized by color and when I reached the red section, the flowers nearly audibly screamed at me to be used for Debbie's birthday. I found the little red filler beads and I was on my way.

To take a pile of beads from nothing to something is such a thrill for me. In my mind's eye, the outcome is fairly clear and there is no bigger feeling of satisfaction than for that vision to become reality. I can remember my mother saying something similar about fabric. She is an excellent seamstress. She used to say that she got not bigger thrill than to take a piece of fabric and turn it into a beautiful outfit. 

I wrapped the necklace with a beautiful ribbon and gave it to her this morning at my nail appointment. She opened it and I was met with a big gasp and huge smiles. When someone loves my work, I am filled with a feeling of accomplishment. 

What do you do which brings you joy and/or a feeling of accomplishment?