Saturday, November 21, 2009

Heart Chakra Window

Layout of stones including rutilated, terminated and clear quartz crystal, rose quartz, moss agate, white opal, apophyllite, lithium quartz, rhodochrosite, jasper, bloodstone, snowflake obsidian, herkimer diamonds, jade, selenite, pink and green tourmaline and antique carved jade. Healing properties include blood circulation, skin and tissue regeneration, grounding, clarity of thought.


Completed Heart and Root Chakra Window


Antique carved jade phoenix



Inspiration, motivation and determination: Healing.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Under the Ocean -process; designing and sketching.

Standing on the table to see my design!


And on a ladder....



Inspiration: "Mermaid" began with a mermaid Avon bottle, Roman glass, rutilated quartz crystal, pressed glass leaves, the client's glass dolphin with a penny inside.


Antique Kuan Yin beautiful carved opal, early 1900's carved shell, iridescent bottle from a sweet collection of miniatures sent by my sister.


 
Shells, coral, Roman glass miniature urn, agate, African glass beads.


Working clock, ammonite, sea glass and pottery,  hinged shell that I soldered in so it could open and hold something special), Maine mussel shells (I love mussel shells)


Layout detail of "Sea Souls", contains Murano glass, fresh water pearls, glass ship candy container, mermaids, antique Japonese carved ivory leaves, sea glass, coral, shells, a working clock; soldered in so it can be wound.


Bottom of "Sea Souls"


Inspiration: My client's love of the ocean and she said this would be the last thing she looked at every night before falling asleep and the first thing she looked at every morning upon waking. I wanted it to feel magical, dreamy and heavenly. 
Two Roman glass head flasks from around 200 AD. Probably my favorite bottles I've ever seen; I found them on Ebay, as a pair, one so resembles my beautiful daughter who is "on the other side" and the other; my brother, who was lost at sea in 1982. There is another gorgeous, tiny, blue Roman glass bottle that I love. It's shimmery, light iridescent color came from being buried for triple digit years; the effect of minerals in the earth on glass. 









Tuesday, November 17, 2009

More from the Under the Ocean series




 
"Mermaid" Front side backlit



Implementation: "Mermaid" Backside installed
The clocks have compasses on the backside and do work. They can be wound and can be removed to repair.

Inspiration: Clients who revere the ocean and see it first thing every morning since it’s right outside their window, commissioned these three pieces depicting the sea early spring 2008. They own a stained glass sea scene piece (not mine) showing the ocean but was, to me, more about the sky and it’s reflection on the surface of the water. 


 Immediately I was beckoned underneath;  into the dark;  the magical, mysterious, ominously peaceful depths of the unknown with limitless stories waiting to be written and archean songs singing out to be heard. Unwavering, ancient patience ebbs and flows with constant cleansing renewal;  glittering, ephemeral waves and tides in eternal motion. 



Embedded in the works are found objects that call to mind Neptune, Amphitrite and her Nereides and Pisces. There are pieces of Roman glass from around 200 AD, glass dolphins, an antique Kuan Yin carved from fire opal, assorted shells, jewels, gemstones, real shipwreck coins, nautical timepieces, ships in bottles, sea glass, objects that open and close to hold something secret, sculpted metal seaweed;  all things evoking ocean.  


Determination:The three pieces: Mermaid, Sea Souls and Fair Winds and Following Seas took over a year to complete and were the beginning of the exciting new line: the Under the Ocean series.



Implementation: "Sea Souls" front side at night installed





  "Sea Souls" backside



Daytime

"Fair Winds and Following Seas" detail


All photos in this post by the wonderful Robert Diamante
www.robertdiamante.com

Under the Ocean


Motivation: The Under the Ocean series emerged from my lifelong fascination with the sea.
As a child, I wanted to be in, or near the sea as much as possible. I always wished I could inhale the sea air every day; that cleansing air and ocean were so calming for me then and as a teen and a young adult. They still are what bring me to that suspended peace between reality and illusion; everything will be okay, the feeling that prevails when i'm floating on my back feeling the water make me weightless, my eyes soaking up the beautiful, vast sky, surrounded by the knowing that The Universe is immense and makes no mistakes.


Motivation: I wanted these pieces to evoke that feeling; Everything is as it should be. Everything and everyone is connected. 


"Mermaid"