ArtFire

Artistic Growth - Part I of a Series

Published On: 01-07-2012 11:00am

Comments: 3 - Hits: 278

Looking at my own work, I can see how much I've grown artistically over the years since I began making jewelry.  It's been quite a journey.

Reflecting on my growth, made me wonder what other artists felt about their personal growth in their chosen field. 

Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs shared her thoughts on this topic and here is what she has to say:

Looking through by necklaces that need to be taken apart, I chose "Interstellar Winds" because of its major BORING factor.  Hmmmm . . .  the photo makes it look more interesting than it is right now in my hand, but believe me, it's boring.  Even my husband agrees it was boring and he usually likes everything.  LOL!

To have such a beautiful piece of ocean jasper and then pair it with black.  Not that I have anything against black, but I should have picked out one of the other colors in the pendant, like the peach or the green.  Can you imagine how the pendant would pop then?

The only thing I find interesting about the design is the name :)  It does zippo for me and obviously for people at shows since it never sold.  Plus this was the days before crimp covers, as you can see in the 2nd photo.  And, YIKES!, what cruddy crimping and at least I could have used a decent clasp for this boring necklace.     

   

"Beachcomber" is one of my favorite necklaces.  Nothing boring about it!  I love everything about it:  the color; the textures; the chunkiness of it; the hammered chain, the kinetic look of it when worn, etc.  Also love the mythology of the Shiva shells - what an interesting story!

 When I first bought the strand of Shiva shells, I thought "Hummmm . . . what am I going to do with these?" because they were so different.   They sat on my work table for 6 weeks or so before I started playing with them.  The Muses finally took over one day and the necklace almost designed itself!

It is one of the most viewed necklaces in my studio and always attracts people at shows.  Quite frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't sold yet, but there will be that person that will be drawn to it like a magnet and will just have to have it.  "Beachcomber" is a necklace that can definitely be dressed up or dressed down, and, because of the chain, can be worn short or longer.     

When I was first starting out, my designs were definitely very conservative in look, both in the use of color and the size of the stones.  Think a lot of us were.  I was afraid to dabble much in color and to use stones much larger than 8mm in size!  The pendant on "Interstellar Winds" is actually on the largish side for that period in time of my necklace designing!  When I look back at some of the early photos, I am shocked at how boring many/most of them are in color scheme.  They are mostly black or earth tone stones, usually round,  with no pops of color.  Way too much of a monochromatic look. 

Today, I love to have fun with colors and sizes and textures and do a lot of experimentation.  I still make smaller necklaces, those are always a steady seller, but those are also much more creative in the use of materials.  And I'm definitely not afraid to go for the big, bold look these days.  I have made some VERY bright pieces and some that are honking BIG in size!

In addition, my necklaces today look so much more professional.  I've been through my penny-pinching phase where I used cheaper clasps because I thought clasps didn't add much to the overall look.  Wrong!!!  I'm always amazed at shows where ladies do notice a cool clasp and comment on it.  A  clasp can make or break a sale in some instances.  And what a huge improvement crimp covers make in the finishing of a beaded necklace!  I hope whoever invented those gizmos is now extremely rich.

I try not to second guess what people will like - learned that was futile long ago.  Some things I thought would never sell sold right away, and some necklaces, like "Beachcomber", that should have sold right away, are still with me.  I design what I like, whether large or small, or bright or more subdued.  I want to have fun in what I'm doing!      

Great read - thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Catherine! 

 

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