sprouts

My little sprouts, relaxing together on the couch. Max is a very expressive baby, always smiling, but here he looks rather pensive. Azalea is wearing a poseable snake around her neck, one of her many 'babies'. She is such the little mama.

It occurred to me that our work follows the seasons a little, like planting a garden. In winter, we are dormant, our days slow and sleepy. In early spring we begin sketching and designing, like sprinkling seeds into the earth. Our carvings are the sprouts, that will eventually 'grow' to what we take to 'market'. Thinking of our work this way is sort of satisfying, in a simple, uncomplicated way. This small clasp has evolved a long way from the drawing, which started as a pair of wings. That piece looked rather alot like a mustache, so a few adjustments were made. Its just shy of two inches across and about 3/4 of an inch high, a nice size for a chunky bracelet and hefty enough for a double strand of faceted stones. It will shrink a bit, rendering it a touch dainty, but still strong. I have my fingers crossed that it comes out.

I've long wanted to make a koi pond clasp and I believe this to be the first in (hopefully) a long series of them. I still may add more to this piece, perhaps some leaves floating on the surface or more pebbles. The pond part is about the size of a quarter right now. Wouldn't this be perfect with some smooth kyanite beads, or better yet, a delicate spray of round labradorites.

This beautiful ring, fresh from casting, is a new piece from the master of wax, Bob Burkett. He flew in last week to join in on the frenzied fun that precedes the gigantic Bead and Button Show. His pile of master waxes on the table is high, a heap of tentacles and tails, waiting to be transformed into silver. I have to say, this is my favorite batch of goods, heavy on the sea life. I want all of it! You should see the jointed sea turtles...so dang cute! I'm working on my own little dime store slider turtle, using for reference the tiny, perfectly intact skeleton my sister Sheila found on her way home from school. That sounds weird, but she's got a sharp eye for finding things she'd know I'd like ( a golden coin comes to mind, with the nude bust of a pin up girl on one side and a shapely rear end on the other- it said 'heads' or 'tails'). She's also good at finding Bob stacks of pictures of things he carve next, from articulated columbine blossoms to various creatures one never sees in silver, like jackaloupes and El Chupacabra. We're still waiting for the goat sucker, but if your into critters of the sea, you'll be happy with his next offerings.