Back In The Studio!

After a week with the flu, I was eager to get back into the studio to finish several pieces I had started last weekend. I love the way they all turned out!

I began this piece with a vision for the black onyx cab, thinking it would be so neat to have an interesting cut out in the back showing the back of the stone. I switched back and forth between a telephone (very pop-art of me) or another house or my logo (the little swirl with leaves), but finally decided the angel wings were the perfect fit. Like I said in my last blog, cutting them out wasn't difficult, but filing them and sanding them down to perfection was really quite a challenge! I think they turned out pretty cool. I decided to add the hammered circle on the back just to give the piece some depth.

Meanwhile, I had been trying to think of ways to re-use cut links from chains and had come up with these sweet little flowers with brass ball centers. I just had to add one of these flowers to this piece. The necklace is quite long (measuring 29"--hitting just at the sternum) allowing the pendant to flip back and forth between 'front' and 'back.' I added a little flower bead several inches from the pendant on one side to give it some asymmetry and made the bead with double facing little flowers. Very sweet! I hope it finds a home in a very stylish girl's wardrobe!


I can never work on only one thing at a time (ineffective time-wise!) so, while I was working on that piece I was also working on another little bow necklace. Here is the finished result:

This necklace can be worn two ways: with the flower facing out or the heart facing out. Again, to add asymmetry, there is a red brass heart on one side a few inches up along the chain. The lobster clasp attaches to another bow.




After a week laying in bed and trying to get through my classes (I teach contemporary dance) and no jewelry creating, I had been dreaming up another design for a ring. Here's what came out of that dream!

I love this ring. It's made of red brass, silver, and copper balls. It turned out so cool! It will be hard to see this one go!

Okay! Enough with the blog! I'm ready to get back into the studio again! :)

New Pieces!

After yesterday's feeling of sickness, today I am feeling much better and am about to head in to the studio. First, I wanted to take some pictures of some of the pieces--really the stones--that I am working with lately!

This is the beginning of a cut out for the back of a black onyx cab. Lots of sanding and filing still needs to be done. I gave myself the challenge of a difficult cut-out, and, I have to say, the actual sawing was not difficult, but the filing and sanding part is! The wings are not perfectly symmetrical, but I really like them. They remind me of a mask for a ball. I'm pretty sure it will end up being a pendant, on a long chain, and I was thinking of adding a version of the 'top' of my Neptune ring to it somewhere. Here's what that might look like:

I think these two things together could be really beautiful. But, who knows what may end up becoming of these two settings! I love the process of having an original idea that then turns into something quite different. I think that happens with all my art--choreographing, music-making, painting, etc.

I'm really interested in making rings lately, but I think rings (that are not made to order, so, the one of a kind variety) are difficult to sell. Really what I want to do is make them in my size, because it's like insurance; if it doesn't sell, then I get to keep it! Yippee! But, I kind of have small fingers (my middle finger is a size 5) and the average ring size is a 7, so it always makes me a bit weary of making a bunch of size 5 rings in hopes that a wonderful buyer who loves the ring also happens to have a size 5. They can be re-sized, so that's always an option...I don't know, we'll see!

This stone, in particular, is one that I'd like to make into a big, gorgeous, cocktail-style ring. Size 7 or 5? Eeek.

Well, that's the update for today. I'm off to the studio!

Love,
Erica

PS I finally upgraded my Wix site, so now there are no more wix ads on my website! Check it out!

www.ericafreestone.com

Sharing Our Art

I happened upon this sweet video of Tanya Davis' song Art, created by Andrea Dorfman. It rings so true to me. It's a wonderful message and an inspiring example of that message! Check it out!

Tanya Davis' "Art" music video by Andrea Dorfman

Have a GREAT day! :-)

I'm Officially On Etsy!

My Etsy Store

I've had an Etsy account for several years now, and the time has finally come that I am ready to begin selling in this fabulous online marketplace.

Etsy.com focuses on handmade and vintage items, as well as arts and crafts supplies. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a look! It's a wonderful opportunity for artists and craftspersons to sell their work, and, instead of forking over half the sale to a gallery or business owner, the artist makes almost all of the sale. Etsy charges only .20 cents to list an item for 4 months, and charges only a 3.5% transaction fee. Needless to say, it is an extraordinary stepping stone for artists to actually make money off of their art.

Please visit my etsy store! Go to www.etsy.com/shop/ericafreestone

Houses and Bows

I'm not quite sure what's gotten into me lately, but I've had houses and bows on my mind. Here is one of the results!

Little House With Bow (Front)
© Erica Freestone 2011

Sterling silver necklace pendant with rich liver of sulfur coloring in texture and nugold bow and accents. Sterling silver chain and lobster clasp. Pendant completely hand-fabricated by Erica Freestone
(lobster clasp and chain were purchased from a local jewelry supply store). All jump rings soldered shut. 16" in length. Hand-signed and marked 925.

Little House With Bow (Back)
© Erica Freestone 2011

Little House With Bow
© Erica Freestone 2011