The Art of Living by Making Art

Jewellery inspired by nature and made by hand.
How I make it, why I make it, the challenges I face and the successes that come my way.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Finished at Last

Snowdrift Ring
Yes I managed to finish my entry for the juried exhibition at Influx Gallery and got it sent in just in time. The finished piece is not what I envisioned when I was designing it - although the silver structure is as planned, the enamel was going to be far more experimental. But as with any experiment - some work and some don't and this one didn't. I was originally trying to fire gemstones directly in the enamel but I couldn't get them to 'stick' to the enamel. Perhaps someone out there knows how to do it?

When that didn't work I went onto plan B - opalescent enamels with silver embellishments. I just didn't like how it looked and the enamels were yellowing with all the firing. On to plan C - sugar-fired opaque enamel. No, too plain. So in desperation I went to plan D - do something you know will work and finish the damn thing! Actually I am pleased with the result although it is conventional and I was planning something which I thought was radical.

Does everyone else go through this agony when trying to do something unusual for an exhibition piece?

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