Chrysalis for the Curious

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ethnic Magnetism

I have been drawn to ethnic art my entire life. Even as a child, I had an interest in clothing, art and jewelry from other cultures (especially native American art). If the hippie era had not come along and made ethnic apparel more popular, I think I would have found a way to wear it anyway. Native American and Mexican weaving and jewelry were my first love. Later, I moved on to tribal African beads and weaving, that are so full of character and individuality.

Creating a piece of jewelry from beads that have been circulated for over 100 years, or handmade using 1000 year old methods, fills me with awe. Unless you feel that northern European roots are tribal, I have a strange and spiritual connection to this style of art. Tribal art is so free and expressive!

Copper Earrings with Recycled Glass

Uninhibited tribal jewelry by Gloria Ewing on Etsy and Artfire.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Peek of Summer

It is supposed to be a play on words Peek and Peak, maybe someone will catch it? Anyway, we are half way through the summer season and it has been a little shorter than usual this year, so I thought it deserved a little celebration. Boldly colored copper and pewter jewelry pieces with a casual summer 2013 attitude.

Red Flower Earrings
Copper Charm Bracelet
Turquoise Yellow Copper Earrings
Sunburst Pewter Earrings
Copper Heart Polymer Clay Earrings

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Hammering Out Depression

When all else fails to lift your spirits, pick up a hammer! No, I am not suggesting random acts of violence, just some therapeutic whacks to the metal of your choice (in a controlled environment and with supervision if necessary). My own unorthodox, but effective treatment for marginal depression.

After you have created something beautiful with all of that pent up energy and frustration, you can contort yourself into a pretzel to photograph your piece of art.

Feel that wave of relief and rejuvenation wash over you after all of that physical exertion! Who needs Lexapro anyway? Maybe under Obamacare, I should be able to get my hammers at a discount?

Hand hammered earrings on Etsy and Artfire.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Flirting with Fibers

An infatuation that began innocently enough with an idea to upcycle old blue jeans into decorative jewelry cords, is now a torrid affair with silk and cotton fibers. Not that I haven't cast a demure glance at fiber jewelry in the past, but I feared it would not withstand a long term relationship. It looked to me as though it would be here today and gone tomorrow. Denim has a reputation for its stamina and stability, so I fell hard! Then, floozy that I am, I started fooling around with multi-colored hand spun cotton yarn, banana silk yarn and sari silk remnants. They add so much texture that they make me tingle with excitement. But beware of their addictive qualities and be cautious about exposing those who lack impulse control, as they too may fall for fibers .

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Recycled Blue Jean Necklace

Recycled Blue Jean Necklace with Jasper Pendant

One day I got an idea for a necklace with denim cord and started looking around the internet to find something suitable for my design. I couldn't find anything even close to what was swirling around in my brain, so I decided to make my own. My husband volunteered some retired blue jeans he was saving for summer painting chores. The denim is torn or cut into long strips, which I wound around one another and secured with cotton cord. Some of the detail from a back pocket of my old jeans is woven into the front of the cord, and each end is embellished with rusty orange silk ribbon. The pendant is a freeform green snakeskin jasper pendant with patches of rust brown and blue.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

More Curious Bracelets

Turquoise Apatite Bracelet with Copper Focal

As bracelets are my favorite jewelry piece to make, and my recent bracelet post did so well, I decided to do a follow up. The bracelet above is designed around a copper metal clay focal piece by my friend, Kristi Bowman, using turquoise and apatite. I use different shaped accent beads of solid copper and a mala prayer bead from Nepal, added several dangles of turquoise, apatite, coral and Czech glass.

The bracelet below is a result of a sudden impulse to clean off my beading table. Rather than hunt down the proper containers for all these stragglers, I put them to good use in a multi-stone mixed bracelet with some rustic copper components. I am considering a few different names for this piece, maybe Goulash, Dim Sum, or Smorgasbord? Any of which sound better than "Left Overs". Every once in awhile I will design a multi-stone piece because people seem to like the seeming randomness of them. Of course, they are not random at all and it takes time to put together a pleasing arrangement. But this is the first time I did one to clean off my bead table. I may have to make it a regular event.