Monica Ros School Fundraiser

 

Tomorrow night is the annual art auction fundraiser for Monica Ros School in Ojai, the sweetest elementary school you can imagine.... little stucco cottages nestled under the oaks, fabulous caring teachers, lots of art and music.  We are very fortunate to have our little guy attend (and his big sisters years ago)...  it is a little slice of heaven. Every year, the school has a theme to encourage the students to learn about something historical.  This year, the theme is The Renaissance.   To benefit the school, I have donated the precious metal clay necklace above..... which seems to reflect the schools theme I think!  I'm excited to see how high the bidding will go..... I'll let you know!


You might want to see what the pendant looks like in its original design, before the hole was cut in the center and hung beneath.....see my earlier post "Mandala Meditation".

Sacred Talisman

Taking a little break today in the rainbow.....


I drew this design many years ago and made this pendant for myself a few months back.  I  wear it almost everyday.  To me, it feels and looks like a spiritual talisman from some unknown ancient culture.  Someone once asked me if the design was symbolic for something.  Well, all my "mandalas" are drawn as a sort of meditation.  I don't usually think about the meaning.... the meaning usually comes later.  This is how I interpret the design.   The octogon, which is the shape of the baqua in I-Ching, is a good luck symbol in China.  Eight is also a significant number in many other cultures.  In Islam, there are eight paradises, there are eight petals in the lotus flower (lotus represents rebirth in Buddhism) and eight is an auspicious number in numerology.  There are also eight chakras.  The design also contains a central point surrounded by a circle (a circumpunct) which is an ancient symbol of God or "our place within God".  There are also twelve small circles.... the number twelve is symbolic for the cosmos. And, there are four small squares.... the number four and the shape are symbols for the earth.  So, I just call this pendant my "sacred talisman".... my good luck charm. And I do feel very lucky! This week I made another (the one in the photo) for Etsy.  We'll see if it brings good luck to someone else!

Cosmic This, Cosmic That

I photographed my "Cosmic Disc" yesterday and then contemplated the hanging abalone and flat pearl. Hmmm. Maybe the disk would be better with a single round turquoise bead in the middle instead. Or, maybe I like it better without any beads. So, I cut them off! Now, I think I regret my choice. Why not just make more disks and sell them in different ways (as I said in high school... "Duh!"). At least it's an easy fix, unlike a mistaken stroke of the brush on an oil painting. Maybe that's why I'm not painting these days....too much pressure! Though every time I stroll though a painting exhibit a lump forms in my throat then I burst into tears. Maybe I'll paint in the meadow when I'm old and gray.

PMC Eternal Spirol Ready for Etsy!

I finally had some time today, after spending 9 days straight playing Star Wars with my son on Winter Break, to get back to the "bench". I spent all morning assembling various pieces together for my new collection as well as some fun new earrings to add to the Gandhara Collection on Etsy. See above for a sneak peak! This is the pendant I made from the linoleum cut I made in college with a faceted carnelian bead, a homemade pmc fine silver beads and braided hemp cord.

What's my line?

a PK original hand formed pendant

Now that my jewelry die collection is up an running, I'm thinking about my own personal designs.... I have shown a couple on this site but I haven't put any up on Etsy yet. And do I put them in their own line? A new collection? I am thinking...... something to do with Ojai? But, some are made with stamps or stamp matrixs from my drawings and etchings and others (see above) are formed completely by hand. Maybe two new collections? Hmmmm.

To Die For ......

Here are the amazing vintage bronze jewelry dies I found in Pakistan. As I am so very fortunate to have these creations in my possession, I feel obliged to help the Afghan people who created these incredible works of art who were forced to sell to traders so they could eat. I plan to send a percentage of all pieces made from these dies to the Central Asia Institute who build schools for boys and girls in poor rural areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Below is a finished piece next to the die that was used to create it. Notice that the finished pendant is quite a bit smaller as the PMC shrinks when fired.

Greg Mortenson, co-founder and Executive Director of Central Asia Institute (and author of Three Cups of Tea) will be on PBS this Friday night with Bill Moyers to discuss his new book"Stones into Schools". Don't miss it!

Pure Congratulations!!!

Pure Life and Home is celebrating their 6 month anniversary. Congratulations Jayme!

Here are more PK Studios goodies to check out at Pure. I created these silver pieces from antique central Asian bronze jewelry dies my mother and I purchased at the weekend bazaar in Islamabad Pakistan.....12 years ago!

Happy New Year everyone!

Mandala Meditation

I often draw mandala designs as a type of meditation. This design, as well as the design in "Winter Whimsy", had been in my sketchbook for years until after only one PMC (Precious Metal Clay) class, I knew I had found a purpose for my designs and meditations. I redrew my sketches in black and white and sent them to a rubber stamp company. I now use the rubber stamps, as well as the rubber stamp matrix (the mold that the rubber is poured into) which I requested, to transfer my designs into the clay. If you are interested in this technique, check out this website:

http://www.polyclay.com/ready.htm

The turquoise green patina on this piece was a happy accident while I was experimenting with Liver of Sulfer solution which is used to create an antique look on silver.

This pendant is also available at Pure Life and Home in Ventura, California..... a fabulous new shop on Main Street opened by my dear friend Jayme. Check it out!

Winter Whimsy

Here is an example of a happy doodle turned into wearable art with pure silver precious metal clay that was fired in my small studio kiln.... then assembled with a handmade silver precious metal clay bead and tiny vintage copper beads. This piece is currently for sale at Pure Life and Home in Ventura, California.