The Archangel Cuff Bracelets

It took me a long time to design these bracelets... a lot longer than it usually does once an idea occurs to me.

And I think this was for various reasons; the form... I've never made cuff bracelets before, I had to take the time to experiment, the materials... once I decided to use fauxbone, I had to take the time to better familiarize myself with that material, but mostly I think it was the subject matter.  My Goddess Necklaces were easy for me to conceptualize, and I realized, I talk to my Goddesses all the time, but I really only turn to my Guys when I'm in trouble or I need help.  I think they were just givin' me guff for being that way :)

In any case, it gave me an opportunity to really think about what I gain from these angels, with which parts of myself they really help me connect.  If these are my divine intermediaries that I turn to when I need something beyond myself, then why do I really talk to them?

Michael is the archangel of protection, guidance.  He lends strength and courage.  I use him as a shield in stressful and frightening situations.  I honestly think of him as some sort of bad-ass knight, so it made perfect sense to me that his bracelet should take the form of a gauntlet, complete with custom coat-of-arms.  But more than the strength, Michael is really about the love for me, that deep river of light that is so worth fighting for.

Raphael is the archangel of healing and creativity.  I really think he and I have been buds for a long time, even before I knew his name... of the three Archangels for which I made bracelets, he's the one with whom I feel the deepest kinship.  In this bracelet, I made a mandala from silhouettes of human vertebrae... because my creativity heals me, and my healing only adds to my creativity: the two are inseparable, my backbone.

Gabriel is THE messenger angel and known to help with clarity and creativity where communication is concerned.  I used to think that he was my need to know about damn-near everything.  But really, I think he has more to do with how I think about strength.  I like to think Gabriel helps me take responsibility for myself... because most days that takes real strength.   In this bracelet, I combined the hurricane symbol with a typographical mandala made of the word "authentic." 

Handmade Time Machines

Handmade objects have their own magic, a quality given to them the the hands of the maker.  I'm not talking about magic in a fantastical sense but magic in the sense that these objects have the ability to cross the boundaries of time, they have the power to take you back.

I haven't visited the Carnegie Museum of Art in years... years!  I can't remember the last time I was there.

But I visited a couple days ago with a friend. 

In the art galleries, I found myself wanting to touch the paintings.  Some of them had a texture... globs of paint left behind either by accident or design, a texture.  I wanted to touch those paintings!  Reach out my hand and feel the paint... as if by some transference, I'd be able to feel the brush upon the canvas, the hand upon the brush, the mind connected to the hand.  It was all I could do to stop myself!

And the same thing happened in the hall of decorative arts and design... especially with the furniture of inlaid wood.  Some of those objects have at one time or another been in people's homes before they found their way into the museum.  I wanted to hear the stories that these pieces of furniture had to tell... Why is your door cracked?  It was a cold winter that year... I lived near the window, you see, drafty.  Or are you talked about this crack?  Lovers' quarrel, the damage was too extensive to be repaired.

What have these objects witnessed?  What sorrows or joys have they been a part of?  They're in museums because they're examples of craft that are meant to be preserved, used as examples to teach future generations about the art and culture of the past.  But I found myself preoccupied something much more interesting... the human element.

On the Art of Surrender

Sometimes... but only sometimes, I wish that life was a straight line.  Life can only be lived in one direction, but it is not a straight line.

Things happen.  People come and go.  Knowledge is gained and lost.  Experience is a sword that cuts both ways.  Something will happen, and I'll find myself saying, "Oh my God, am I really in THIS place again?  How many times do I have to learn this lesson?"

It's an expression that's starting to find it's way into my work... I find myself wanting to break things and use the pieces to create new objects, as if by the act of breaking, I'll will myself to cut a new path.  I find myself wanting so badly to incorporate incredibly transient materials like water, fall leaves, flower petals, and fire.  But how do I solidify things that by their very nature only exist at a single point in time?

It's the need in me to hang on... even though I'm not allowed.  I am allowed to keep the memories but not the people attached to them.  I'm allowed to keep the experiences but not the circumstances that created them.  I'm allowed to keep the love, and the pain, for as long as I need them.

But the truth is that what I'm really afraid of letting go of is not the memories, experiences, or emotions... it's this person that I am.  I've known her for a very long time.

I've come through years of heartache.  And for what... thicker skin?  If anything, I'm more sensitive now than I was back in the day, my skin worn smooth and crisp from the years of erosion.  Who would I become if I didn't use these hurts as the second skin I never acquired?  Who would I be if I stopped using my generosity and creativity as shields?  Sometimes, when I meet new people, I feel like I'm playing at slight of hand... look over here, and I won't have to show you what I'm really about.

Lame.

Lately, I find myself wanting to take myself aside and say, "Listen, you've been great, but it's time for you to leave me alone.  I'm going places where you can't follow." 

All I really know for certain is that strange and wondrous things happen on this road that I've chosen... when I made these earrings, I broke the glass with a steel punch.  The glass broke the steel.  The glass broke the steel before the steel broke the glass.  True story.

Cuff Me

So, I've finally been moving forward on my designs for my Archangel Cuff Bracelets... and I've realized, making cuff bracelets is freakin' hard!  A cuff bracelet is defined as "a rigid bracelet with a gap in the material, usually on its reverse side. The opening lets us easily slip the bracelet over a wrist." (Definition from About.com)

I think I may have actually shot myself in a foot a little bit by deciding to make cuffs as opposed to any other type of bracelet.  Generally speaking, bracelets are lengths of chain or any other material... they stay on the arm by being large enough to fit the wrist but small enough to NOT slip over the hand.  "Fit" is a relative term.

But with cuffs are different, fit is of the utmost importance... if a cuff bracelet doesn't fit the arm just. right. that thing is gonna fall off, without a doubt.

Lots of push, pull, and experimentation in these bracelets for me.  I'm glad it's something I conquered... but will I be making another suite of cuff bracelets any time soon?  Most likely, no :)

At The Speed of Thought

I can't seem to turn around these days without someone giving me the most brilliant ideas that I've ever heard... design ideas, marketing ideas, business ideas.  People just keep handing me these gifts, these incredible, creative, stunning gifts.

And all I have in return is a "thank you."  That's difficult for me... not the act of saying "thank you" (they're actually two of my favorite words when put together), but having nothing else to offer except the "thank you."

As an artist and designer, ideas are precious to me; they are an intimate and powerful currency...

They are a meeting of the minds, a sharing of knowledge and experience.  And, in my mind, the most startling and wonderful aspect of ideas is that they can so completely change my perspective... when I'm faced with a problem, the right idea can change everything, give me the power to walk forward over, under, around, through any obstacle.

And now, I have all these ideas... that were just given to me.  And all I can do is bow, thank, and honor the minds that shared these thoughts with me by walking over, under, around, and through. 

The Spiral Staircase

I self-identify as a fabricator, as opposed to a wax-carver/caster... so, I am always surprised when a design occurs to me that requires wax carving.  And then I'm always freakin' flabbergasted when I actually carve that design with any amount of competency.

However, this ring did occur to me... it is actually the first design that came to me when my friend suggested I begin designing jewelry based on the body's chakra system.  Seven steps, one for each chakra.

Ring blank, this is where the fun begins.

Tracing paper is a girl's best friend.  I cut a piece from the ring tube, transferred my design, and then carved the wax using files and rotary tools on my Foredom.

Top is the finished carving, middle is how the ring looks straight from the casting company, and bottom is the finished ring.

The Spiral Staircase: sterling silver

The Root Chakra

So, recently, a friend gave me the superb idea of making jewelry associated/based on the body's chakra system.  People have been giving me the best ideas lately!  It's better than Christmas!

Anyway, I'm starting at the beginning... Chakra 1.  And this is what I've come up with so far.  But I love this idea because this is just the beginning.  The possibilities are endless!

I don't claim to be an expert, but here's a short lesson about Chakra 1.  Also known as the Root Chakra, this is the energy center located at the base of the spine and physically it governs the spinal column, legs, bones, feet, and immune system.  Dealing with safety and survival issues as well as family and tribal sensibilities, the Sacred Truth inherent in Chakra 1 is that All is One.

Root Chakra Bracelet: sterling silver, epoxy resin, transparency film, a touch of fine silver, a touch of copper.

From Within: fauxbone

I Have Everything I Need: sterling silver, stained glass, white topaz

because I like matching earrings: sterling silver, stained glass, tears of job

Remember Bangle: fauxbone, epoxy resin.  "Remember, it's okay to dig your way out."