Making Our Move

What you may not know about Nathan and I is that we left Florida in May 2019 to live in St. George, Utah, population 61,096, for four months, and then adventure on to a new location. Our vacation rental is ending soon and we will be moving to La Verkin, about 20 miles away. There will be much less traffic and much fewer people (population 4,398). What does all this have to do with my making artistic-crafted and southwestern-inspired jewelry?

Well, my artistic jewelry studio is preparing to move again. This has caused me to reflect on the studio I had in Florida and how challenging it was then to shed beads I would never use and take only what I had to have "for the road". That decision is serving me well right now as I am truly a mobile jewelry artist. This is going to be easy! I thought you might enjoy seeing my studio of past and present. The next studio is going to have fabulous mountainous views in La Verkin. Stay tuned! #tinassedona #southwesterninspiredjewelry #mobilejewelryartist #artisticcraftedjewelry

My Florida studio preparing to move.

My Florida studio in action before I painted my Sedona colors!

My final goodbye Florida photo... boo hoo... (but yayy!)

St. George studio in the guestroom. Hey, when its temporary...

But who cares when the view from my window is so spectacular?!

From Nothing to Something

Ever wonder how an artist designs jewelry? I sure do. Do they draw it all out? Do they count every bead or coil of wire to be sure they have all they need for the project? When I am itching to wrap a stone, I follow my own approach but wonder how other artists approach their work.

I can tell you that I don't look for clasps in my stash until I'm done with the piece. If I don't have the right clasp then I will either make one or buy one when I know what the finished piece demands. Besides, often times I don't know if my wire wrapping will swallow up a stone or get shaped into earrings or a bracelet.

I've just realized that this weave is too stiff and bulky for earrings, and I hear the rocks calling! At this stage I'm wondering if I want such a sharp contrast between the stone and the woven wires... Is this stone "the one"?Too many factors can distract me from the excitement of wire wrapping, and the anticipation of what I will produce! Ah, distractions, the biggest challenge to my attention span, easily influence my design and the artist within is good at resisting them. I wish I did as well in my day-to-day activities! But I digress...My design process is difficult to describe. The only plan I have, at the outset, is to gather wire, beads, and a rock that enhance each other-- in some odd way-- and then I start wrapping. I tend to let the piece create itself. I just tell myself it is an experiment and I'm not to worry about the end result. I can make it work, in the end!Though the backside tips are wrapped tightly, they will not hold long term without a strong foundation to hold them in place. What to do?

This additional weave will do the trick! Stay tuned...

The good news is that I always find a way to recover when the piece is not balanced or not strong enough to hold its shape and its cloak of wire. If I'm not struggling a bit with the ensuing design issues that present themselves then the piece just isn't worth making. This piece? I've got a plan to tie it all together securely and beautifully!

But I'm left wondering... How does the artist in you approach your creative process?