My next show is the Letchworth Arts & Crafts Festival. This is the only juried show this year where I will have my jewelry. It’s also the last juried show that I plan to bring jewelry to. Period. From here on, weaving only. But I’m committed to jewelry on Columbus Day weekend.
I have very little jewelry stock left, so have to focus on that for the next few weeks. Earrings are usually the easiest to make, and the easiest to have fun with, so I started there.
Hmmmmm……why am I having a hard time?
To begin with, my hands have lost the quickness and sureness to make the same loop in the same size repeatedly. So practice is in order before I start wasting supplies.
The real problem, however, is lack of sufficient inspiration. All I want to wear, and therefore all I want to make, are relatively long, dangly earrings. I had one idea in my head, so started there.
These are a very dark green agate rondelle. I made the same earring in a dark pink agate.
These two weren’t enough. I made them in a blue triangle glass for a brighter look.
That still didn’t exhaust my desire for these 3-stroke dangles, so I made a pair, a bit shorter in case everyone doesn’t want them quite as long as I do, with an 8mm amethyst round.
Then I played with sterling silver wire. This is one version of the earrings I made.
After every pair of earrings, I felt like I was again empty, devoid of inspiration. It was a struggle to come up with something else. I kept opening my drawers of beads and waiting for something to pop out at me. I had a pair of blue cane beads that I like.
Next some hematite teardrops said, “use me.” Although the two agate pairs are my favorites, these run a close second.
After what felt like several hours at the table, I have created only 18 pairs of earrings. I need to make 3 times that many, for sure. Plus necklaces and bracelets.
Sigh.
Your turn: where do you get inspiration when you need it?
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