04 July 2008

Keep it Simple...




Sometimes it pays to keep things simple. I keep a sketchbook around and will draw specific ideas, and sometimes just doodles of shapes. Earlier this spring I was having a slow Sunday at an indoor craft show and was bored with the work I had brought, so I opened up my sketchbook to look through ideas I had sketched months ago, and I found a page full of simple spirals. Hey, why not?! So I made some earrings and I loved them! They are super lightweight and cute, plus they dance nicely (especially when actually dancing!). I made a few more, each one slightly different than the last. Turns out that these ultra simple shapes are popular and I continually sell out of these earrings. Fortunately, I am finding them fun to make. Of course, it is not in my nature to just leave the design, such as it is, alone, and have begun to explore new uses of this simple spiral, such as the three pendants shown. The bail is a fused ring of Argentium silver.

I have a sketch incorporating spiral links and viking knitting; I am just waiting to have some more "free" time to fully explore new ideas. This probably will not occur until September as my weekends are full of shows until then

2 comments:

Janine said...

I love your earrings! I've decided the same thing about keeping it simple. But it's so hard not to add embellishments!

Jan-Ra said...

I agree! Lots of times people in my booth will pick something up, admire it and then say something about adding a gemstone or some such. Sigh. I, personally, am much more interested in the patterns themselves. Why make everything so busy and glitzy?