…of the quick photos of necklaces I’m dropping off at The Gallery Next Door today in Bar Harbor:
Tag Archives: necklaces
A couple of drop offs
Today was one of those days where I couldn’t seem to get out of my own way. All I noticed was what I didn’t get done rather than what I managed to do. Pricing and dropping off (mailing) work to two galleries is not nothing, but I thought I would be putting more time in at my bench this week. I have to spend both Wednesday and Thursday off the island so that means no solid working time until Friday. Well, no need to call in the waa waambulance. I’ll just post some photos of what I managed to finish and get myself off to bed early. Tomorrow is a new day and we can only live them one at a time, right?
The necklaces below (along with 9 pairs of earrings I did not take time to photograph) went in the mail today to Red Dot Gallery in Deer Isle, Maine. I almost forgot to photograph them, so the photos are rushed and the price tags are already attached. D’oh.
The second “drop off” was to Winter’s Work, right here on Little Cranberry Island. Again I rushed through the photos, and I did not take time to photograph the earrings I priced. Summer is just crazy busy.
Off to bed for me!
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Pretty light inside too
Not only is November light beautiful at the beach in the afternoon, it looks pretty good inside my studio, too. Just look at the shadows cast by tiny beads on my bench, calling me to sit down, be creative, and enjoy.
And that’s just what I’ve been doing. Enjoying my work. Making that final push before the holidays and feeling more energized by the deadlines than frazzled. I don’t know if I will still feel this way after Thanksgiving, but for now, I’ll take it.
My focus has been on beach rock and sea glass necklaces. Today I sent 8 of them to the Center for Maine Craft in Gardiner, Maine. Just in time too as they have a big promotion going on in the gallery for “Black Friday “and “Small Business Saturday.”
If you are traveling up or down interstate 95 or 295 in Maine after Thanksgiving, this stop is right on your way. It’s the only place I know of where you can get gas for your car, pee, get something to eat, and shop for some great craft work made by my fellow Maine artisans. Sounds like a wacky combination, but it’s really a great idea, and it’s a beautiful gallery.
I photographed the work I sent, but after it was in the mail and I checked my photos, I questioned the backgrounds I used in my haste to get to the Post Office before the mail went out at 11 a.m.
This combination of sea glass and beach rocks also includes some of Sue Kennedy‘s beads. I really love the way her etched beads compliment the rough sea glass. (If you want any of Sue’s shiny beads etched, you can just ask her and she’ll be happy to do it for you.) Can you spot them below? There’s a sweet disc with frit (bumps of glass) along the edge on the right side of the photo. (It’s right next to a cream and caramel colored bead that I actually made myself in a class 2 years ago. Yes, I wish I had the time and set up to delve into glass bead making, but it’s not to be right now. Good thing Sue makes such beautiful beads!) The white egg shaped bead with the dots is also one of Sue’s.
I hang on to most of the wacky beads I’ve made myself because I never know when they might come in handy. Like this experiment with translucent polymer clay covering a copper bead. (It’s the center bead.)
I like to use this necklace design with the smaller pebbles and handmade fine silver beads:
That is sterling silver-plated Beadalon cable between the pebbles.
Oy! Time to leave this nasty background color behind. What was I thinking?? Here’s a longer (37″) necklace combining the beach stones, some sterling chain, freshwater pearls, and some flat disc fine silver beads I made.
A more symmetrical piece with beach rocks and fine silver:
My favorite thing to do is to combine the fine silver beads I’ve made, with the beach rocks I drill and the handmade beads of others. Below, two ceramic beads made by Keith O’Connor really work with the granite pebble and the lines in the silver beads: (I buy Keith’s beads at Beadin’ Path in Freeport.)
More examples of sea glass, silver, and Sue beads:
When I have all my beads spread out in a mess on my workbench, I sometimes see combinations that would not have occurred to me. Here are fine silver PMC beads with a copper clay bead that I have patina-ted.
I’m ready to go back to work in the studio after a walk with my sweetie. I have a show on the last day of November and the first of December in Bar Harbor, and another show on December 10 in Boston. I still hope to get my Etsy shop up and running again…But more about those later. Time to capture the last of the afternoon light.
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A few of the pieces I dropped off…
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Necklaces for West Gardiner
Where can you pull off an interstate highway, get gas for your car, get something to eat, make a comfort stop, AND shop in an amazing gallery of fine crafts?
The service plaza in West Gardiner, Maine of course. It’s where I 295, I 95, and the Maine Turnpike converge. You can be going south or going north and it’s still easily accessible from the highway. Just inside the building, among the usual suspects in the food court, is the Center for Maine Craft featuring juried work from many members of the Maine Crafts Association.
I’ve had some of my jewelry there since the beginning of May and I’m happy to say they need more necklaces. These are from the batch I mailed out today:
All 7 of the flame worked beads below are by Susan Kennedy of SueBeads.
I wondered when I would get around to using these translucent polymer clay discs that I made while fooling around in April with my friend Holly. They just seemed to fit right in with the recycled Indonesian glass and the English sea glass. Old, new, and renewed; linked together by their matte finishes.
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I love my new lights!
And the photo cube. Before I priced pieces to send off to Red Dot Gallery on Deer Isle, I took the time to experiment some more with my new photo set up. I love having so much light available at the flick of a switch. What a concept.
It was interesting to see how different background colors and prop colors affected the feel of the photos, especially when the pieces were more colorful. (as opposed to being all silver) Here are just a few of the shots I took today:
Translucent Pardo polymer clay, colored with alcohol ink, embedded silver.
Stick or plexiglass rod? Which do you think works better? I waffle….
More translucent Pardo with embedments.
Same plexiglass rod, but different background colors. Bronze and copper metal clay.
Seaham Beach sea glass, fine silver PMC beads, Sue Kennedy lamp work beads:
Cedar print fine silver PMC beads on silver plated Beadalon™ with sterling silver and nephrite jade:
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Etsy at last!
Well, it’s a lot easier to tell someone else to take an hour a day to keep up with their Etsy site than it is to do it myself. I took the photos a while ago, but didn’t get around to listing things until this evening. I have yet to make it a part of my routine.
I did learn something, though. That is to “pin” my newest listings to Pinterest. Then someone else might see it and re-pin it to their pinboard. I still don’t get how it all works, and how people find you to follow you, but I know it’s another way to put yourself or your work out there. Free advertising is never bad. I’m afraid to look too much at Pinterest because it could be yet another thing to keep me away from the studio. (“Could be?” who am I kidding. Of course it is!)
Here are the items I listed on Etsy tonight:
The last pair of earrings, with the purple patina, have already sold. Cool beans! Thanks Karen! If that isn’t a sign to get to work on all of the pieces I have ready to patina, I don’t know what is.
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Two necklaces: finished
This was a commissioned piece. A request for a silver beach rock necklace with just a few beach stones added.
The piece below is one I started as soon as I drilled some of the English sea glass. I LOVE how well the colors combined with the flame worked green glass beads made by Sue Kennedy. I love it so much that as soon as I post this I’m going right to her Etsy site to see if she still has the other focal bead I’ve been eying! (Actually, it’s gone. I bought it before posting. Didn’t want to have any regrets.)
I am so happy with how the frostiness of this bead by Sue combines with the natural frosty finish of the hundred year old sea glass. I like the dichotomy of being able to combine something so old with something so new in a piece. ( I also like using the word dichotomy in reference to a necklace.)
There are two of Sue’s beads in this necklace. Can you spot the other one? Note to self: Time to make more PMC toggle clasps.
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Restringing
After stringing this beach rock necklace, I decided I did not find it very interesting. Too symmetrical, or predictable. I like the peanut-shaped glass seed beads, but not necessarily with the beach rocks in this design.
I took the necklace apart and used some of the same beach rocks in a different sequence, with additional beach rocks and different handmade silver beads. I’m a lot happier with this one.
Sometimes I have to make necklaces I don’t like, before I can make the ones I do like.
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Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 