It feels like it has been a reeeally long time since I allowed myself time to design - as in, design a new collection. Last summer and fall I realized that I just didn't have enough energy to pull together a new line. Instead I thought I would "buy myself some time" by simply offering my existing line in a new set of oxidized+sandblasted finishes. That decision, in the end, took nearly as much energy as designing something new, but it was equally as pivotal in determining the direction in which my entire jewelry collection would move forward. {Today I'm sending out my second largest order to date -to a new account: a store on Martha's Vineyard- and it consisted entirely of the new finishes.} So, I was bound and determined to have some truly brand new work for this Spring and for the Walker Jewelry Artist Mart this weekend. Refining details always takes longer than it should, but I will have some of this new collection on Saturday.
A lot of my brainstorming tends to stay in my brain, but lately the thoughts that make their way into my sketchbook have made their way into actual physical pieces. After working so intently with flat wool to create voluminous (CLOUD) earrings and (COIL) bracelets I found myself anxiously waiting for the next big idea that I
hoped would come to me, but like so many things, it was the small ideas and small moves that brought me to these new pieces.
I had read somewhere that polka dots were a new trend (not really sure that it's true) and it got me to thinking about trends and timelessness. I started thinking simply about the earrings I used to make for myself
15 years ago - stringing beads on stems that would hang straight down. Then generally about beads and how pearls are the truly timeless "bead" and how beautifully imperfect pearls are. Then when flipping through my supply catalog, I learned that the thread that one of my favorite necklaces (by
Emily Johnson) hangs from is historically and traditionally used to string pearls.
(The silk thread is less expensive than chain, making it possible to have a more affordable version of each necklace. Always nice.) The details started to come together. My sketches ultimately brought me to the opposite of what I was trying to accomplish with the wool. Instead I found myself thinking about the visual flattening of voluminous shapes - of beads and pearls .. and then chains (which has only partially been refined, so stay tuned for more about the development of that line. )
