material

i checked uniform studio's most recent post tonight - after spending the last few days thinking extensively about the power of the material-choice in my work. (funny how thoughts mingle!)since the Walker chose to keep the majority of my wood necklaces and earrings, the response i've been getting from people (desire for the wood) has been heard loud and clear: people like the wood. i like the wood, too.














not unlike martha's Random Fold dress in wool, there is a different depth and warmth and tactile quality to the TOPO necklace in wood compared to the acrylic....same with the Hollow necklace... the color of the acrylic is so powerful in its own way - and i've found the combination of wood and acrylic to be the most dynamic thus far.

which makes me realize that i have pretty much spent the last 4+ months exploring different material choices and material combinations for only four necklace designs --- which is quite different from my normal creative tendencies: repeatedly designing variation after variation of a formal idea or quality of an object, instead of committing to the form and investigating another aspect of the design. (perhaps this means that i am finally satisfied with some of my form-decisions??)

anyway, it has spilled over into my ornaments, too. my friend, berry, does paintings on thin sheets of plywood (her material of choice) and threw out the idea of making the ornaments out of plywood. of course i had to jump right on it - and they are quite beautiful, i must say -- a very different quality than the punchy-acrylic. they are softer and warmer .... the light wood is somewhat "personable" if that makes any sense... perhaps humble is the word i'm looking for? but the darker/burned edges add a refinement that was entirely unexpected. --->next step of exploration ... color/stain??? hmmmm.