A Mysterious Disappearance: New work, part 1

"All we know about your great grandmotheris that, apparently one day,she wandered off into the snowand never came back.

They say she was wearing
nothing but
her favourite pieces of jewellery.

And a hat."

















Into the snow (Inari Kiuru 2010)
Pendant, Earrings, RingFound objects (rusted can lids, a driven-over jeans' button, two squashed safety pins that I altered into mini-ornaments, resin, cotton thread with araldite, 18c gold, brass, enamel paint

So, our first semester of the year is over! As promised, I'll post pictures of my work over the weekend, and will start with the smallest of the pieces made.

This project for our Jewellery subject at RMIT was to re-create a "lost" piece of jewellery. My inspiration was the above photo and the images I got when inspecting the white resin pieces I had made earlier as a part of a material investigation. The rusted parts were in the collection of my found objects, as was the ring stand and the parts to make the ring; they seemed to go beautifully together.

PS. Sunday 27 June: Sorry for random addings of images – I'm archiving the work for myself as well as recording it here, and updating the posts as I have a chance to clean up images etc.
: )

Click on the images for a larger view and better detail.
photo © Harvey Brothers (?)

The most beautiful neckpiece, maybe ever

Neckpiece
c.1900, Papua New Guinea
Uncut stones in natural fibre (grass?) setting, woven and wax-hardened

During the JMGA Perth 2010 conference, at Gallery East, Fremantle, I met a beautiful lady wearing this beautiful piece. I could not stop looking and admiring it, there was something about it that completely captivated me. The contrast between the rough, natural stones and the soft, dark weaving; semi-transparent and opaque, the way light played on the piece, and the way it looked a perfect fit for the wearer who appeared luminous herself – something that particularly interests me in the aesthetics and culture of wearable jewellery.

The lucky owner was happy to engage in conversation and kindly let me take a photo. She, a well-travelled owner of a boutique specialising in Asian imports, told me that she found this necklace in Papua New Guinea, and estimated it over a hundred years old. The substance used to harden the woven setting must therefore be very durable, to last and be able to hold the heavy stones. The design is also timeless as this (to me, at least) could be a contemporary neck piece as well as an ancient, ancient work of art.

I realise I should have taken a peek at the attachment system also, it would have been interesting to see how and with what materials the "catch" had been resolved.

all the rocks lead to orange

And the mystery ingredient is …

: > )

emery II

a fijole in the night …

… or a small animal hiding?

enamel on steel and silver

Here's a few results from my resent playtimes with mild steel and enamel …
I called these three first brooches Amazon, Caribbean and Spain, you guess which is which! They're all welded mild steel with liquid enamel, some have also glass beads; the brooch backs are sterling silver and stainless dental steel wire.













The last two pieces are May and March – the month of the Bull and the month of the Fish. These two pieces are somehow related, or at least trying to co-exist. The bull brooch has industrial cardboard and plastic on roller-printed fine silver base which was enamelled by underfiring, to match it with the matte of the other components. The square pendant is welded mild steel with liquid enamel, the attachments fabricated from 18ct gold and brass. It has a long beaded chain which I'll photograph properly in its entire length when daylight comes again. September?? : )





Click on the images for slightly larger detail.

artichoke, cabbage, rose

Sometimes when I'm feeling a little low
photography is the perfect meditation

The flowers -
artichoke, cabbage, rose
were still hanging in there
after a week and a half.

And then it occurred to me
if I ever had a daughter
I could name her not Sunday
but Cabbage.

Cabbage Rose!

Smiling again.

way home

12 June, early morning hours, past the sleeping zoo to brunswick west

winter flowers

howlin'

Today I locked myself out of the house.
Without phone, wallet, any kind of ID, money, or toothbrush.
But I had my camera!

And kind friends who helped me out.
Thank you.

These were some remnants of things, rubbish floating in and out of water on the damp ground. I can never get enough of what I see around. Thinking about making jewellery directly based on accidental compositions on the street …

walking again

Sydney Road 06/06/2010

June 5

When a good husband and a good parrot team up, the results are spectacular!
And nut enriched : )