Studio Musings

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Lisa Jones - Into the Deep

Into the Deep by Lisa Jones
Into the Deep by Lisa Jones
Two of the artists in our Freeform Peyote Challenge don't currently have their own blogs, so I'm hosting them here as guest posts.  Here's Lisa Jones talking about her freeform peyote design:

I actually had a few found objects to choose from:  the big key found in the front yard, a small apothecary type of bottle found in the back yard and several old, rusty washers that I’ve been collecting from the front parking lot where I work.  I knew I’d used them sometime, as they have a great patina!  

The key kept grabbing my attention, so I definitely wanted to use it in my piece.  Keys are so symbolic and a myriad of ideas came to mind while thinking about it.  I began thinking about how our minds work, the conscious, the subconscious and the mysteries that lurk there, waiting to be discovered.  This led to the idea of the lock “box” clasp.  The color scheme sort of naturally came together as a result of my thought processes and the items being used.

The whole bracelet is symbolic, really, from black matte beads representing the mysteries of the deep subconscious to the quartz crystal drops, which represent moments of enlightenment.  I thought of the old, rusty washers as representative of the how our minds can become entangled (going in circles) in old, rusty thoughts which no longer serve us.  Red, to me, represents adventure, love, and stepping out into the unknown.  Gold and silver are the fun of life, the joie de vivre, lightness – AKA “The Good Stuff”.    The idea of the box clasp is seen as a vessel of sorts, sort of like our physical brain, housing our thoughts, dreams, hopes, memories, worries, fears and our neuroses.

full view, Into the Deep by Lisa Jones
full view, Into the Deep by Lisa Jones
At the outset, I wasn’t sure if the box clasp would work.  So I embroidered the lock first to see if I even liked it.  I do like it, but in the future, I would use size 15 beads, or charlottes to get a tighter embroider.  My 11’s look a little disheveled, so I would definitely do that differently.  The clasp does work well, although time will tell if it holds up.  It is a bit of an experiment.  Overall, I am pleased with the bracelet!  So much, I am currently working on a freeform necklace to coordinate with it!  I have had a really fun time working on this project and will most definitely work in freeform peyote again. 

Now take a moment to visit the other participants.  The full list is available here.

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful work Lisa, and thanks for sharing so much of your thought process as well. I love the look into other artists designs. And knowing their meaning, I love the little red sparks of adventure sprinkled throughout.

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  2. Stunnnnnning!!! I love the use of the box clasp and the key and the washers, and the quartz drops are PERFECT!! The stream of thought you used as you made it is fabulous, and I so enjoyed hearing your process and your thoughts at the end; I do the same thing and take each piece as a learning tool, even if I really like the outcome. Beautiful!!

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  3. Lovely, I thought of using an old key, but then worried that it was the key for something important that I'd forgotten! I love the 'padlock'

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    1. Lol - I live on a busy street corner; I've mulled over what this key could go to, as someone must have thrown in out of a car window. Maybe a lover scorned???

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  4. Can't wait to see the companion piece. This is a really cool bracelet...Love it.

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  5. Cool idea and very beautiful bracelet!

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  6. Thank you for sharing the thought process behind the design. This is such a beautiful creation, and I'd love to hear more about how you created the box clasp. Not sure if you covered it in something to do the bead embroidery? The colors flow soothingly from one to another. Awesome work!

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    1. Hi Shirley,
      Yes, the box clasp is bead embroidery. There are two separate pieces that I embroidered and finished out and glued to a box clasp. Then, I used RAW to secure the top and botton together, creating the enclosed box clasp. It was pretty easy overall, although I did have to spend a few minutes thinking about how to glue it. I nearly glued it incorrectly, so I would say to go over this a few times before you glue it permenantly. Measure twice, cut once - Lol. Thank you for your comments.

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  7. The clasp is awesome, as is the entire bracelet. What wonderful inspiration, and what a great combination of texture and patina. Really cool!

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  8. Thank you, everyone, for your comments! I really enjoyed seeing everyone's work. This has been fun.

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