Elysian Field Originals

I love jewelry and I love sculpting, and both can be expensive at times.   I am also a “casualty” of the current economic crisis in our country that has left me unemployed.  Panicked?  I was for a few weeks till I got it together and decided to suck it up and create my own job.  So how’s it going, you ask?  Well…I’m not living the life of luxury but I was able to pay my mortgage with my new “job” this past month.  Yay!!!  I sell my art on Etsy, a site that promotes hand crafted goods, and through word of mouth through customers and the Internet.  It’s a great venue with some awesome people that I’ve been privileged to meet along the way.  I also have joined a group of local artisans called, ArtsInRI, who sell on Etsy as well as do shows throughout New England.

What do I do? I sculpt.  I go for long walks in the country and collect leaves which I preserve and use to imprint polymer clay to make wearable art pieces.  I also have begun to create jewelry, which I am finding to be loads of fun.  It is a nice way to make some money and I get to create and wear some pretty unique things for myself.  Never mind that gift giving has become a breeze…

The challenge I find is downsizing my life and deciding what I need and what I can let go.  It’s tough when you tend to be a bit of a pack rat.   As an artist , I can find a use for everything and will talk myself into justifying why I “need” to keep a certain thing many might consider tossing.  (just created a nifty pair of earrings from an up-cycled sterling silver watch band)

The easy part has been cutting back on what I spend and becoming more aware of how I spend.  I find now I eat better,  sleep better, and am happier.  I have chickens who help out by providing me with eggs and are a comical group in themselves.  I hardly need to use my car so I’m saving on repairs, gas, tires.  Big surprise, I’ve gotten to know my neighbors much better and by putting resources together (ie. gardening, bartering, pooling).

Is it easy?  No, not at all.  Some weeks I make a sale and some weeks I don’t.  So it’s a constant ebb and flow of adjusting and readjusting my finances.  Is it  worth it then you ask? Yes.  To be able to create a living from what you really love to do is extremely satisfying, and that my friends, makes all the difference in the world.

So buy hand made art when you can. You never know when you are helping someone realize their dreams and allowing them to pay the mortgage.

Blue Dragonfly tells us that the fall is upon us and the long winter is approaching. With shimmering wings and delicate form, it seems a creature from the land of Faerie. It is a power animal which can help to put us in touch with nature spirits.

Blue Dragonfly spirit means you must consciously make an effort to express your hopes, dreams, and wishes. It’s spirit is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world.

This lovely 4″ dragonfly spirit has been hand sculpted of premium Kato poly clay and stands on an imprint of a Norway maple leaf. Colored with mica powders, inks, and heat set paints, her wings, bodice, and headpiece are drenched with AB iridescent silver Swarovski crystals. They sparkle and change color from different angles. There are two larger black crystals in the headpiece that mimic a dragonfly’s eyes. She has a long soft hand tinted mohair pony tail.

The 7″ x 5″ shadowbox is hand painted with multiple layers of different paint, mica powders.

This piece is available in the Arts In Rhode Island group shop.

The days are slowly waning and as autumn approaches many of the gorgeous Maple trees are beginning to change color before they shed their leaves.  It’s an ancient cycle of life/death/rebirth that plays out over and over again.  It is the beginning of the Autumnal Equinox , one of the only times in the year when day and night are almost equally long, it also marks an ancient holiday whose roots are traced back to before the Middle Ages!  On this special day, the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.  In tribute, here is a lovely tree spirit who is ushering in the long days of autumn.

Lovely iridescent colors shimmer in this beautiful 2” sugar maple pendant.  I’ve drawn the face of the tree’s spirit using quality artist pencils, accented with mica powders, and sealed in resin to protect the artwork.  A gorgeous green jade bead, sterling silver spiral, and sterling filigreed bail complete the piece on an 18” buna cord with sterling clasps.

You can see more of her in my Etsy shop.  Please stop by and say hello!

Hello my friends!  The spring/summer has come and gone and I’ve been a very bad blogger, so forgive me dear readers for my extended absence, but now I am back.

I’ve been busy with family, spending time outdoors,  working on new pieces, and experimenting with polymer clay techniques.  Ah, the sweet joy of success…and of failure too when trying new things.

One thing I’ve thoroughly enjoyed is incorporating precious & semi precious gemstones into my work.  I’ve met a wonderful gal, Shelly, who carries the yummiest gemstones and it takes all  my willpower to stay away from buying everything on her site, Sapphire Gardens. Make sure you stop in and take a peek.