Post-Processing Experiments: Color and Exposure

Devil's Weed (altered photograph), Magdalena, NM, Nov. 2011

I posted the "realistic" version of this Devil's Weed pod a few weeks ago but kept thinking it needed something.... So tonight, having had a LONG day and an unexpected long drive home (but much-needed for both myself and my girl child who was really missing her mama tonight), and feeling very far from calm or sleep, I thought I'd put on some music and play with some images in Photoshop. The image above started out with an accident: while working with a "hue" slider I slipped it way too far to the right, then... hmmm. And then, to the left... whoa, that's kinda cool. Then Monkey Mind woke up in a kerfluffle and I had a moment of, Oh, no, that's TOO FAR out there -- totally not believable -- what am I thinking -- let's just go back to realistic, shall we.... Just then, this line played through my headphones and, given that I have the music cranked up to GOODGODWOMANAREYOUFREAKIN'DEAF, I did manage to really hear it:

and if I close my mind in fear
please pry it open *

And so I kept playing, letting my fingers slip and slide across the color palettes and exposure settings, recklessly prying open my safe ideas of "realistic," and soon I realized I was letting go of the day's stresses and disappointments and my expectations and rules and everything else that walls me in when I allow it to. What is "realistic," and what's so sacred about it that I give up the freedom to play and have fun and just let the process go where it will, even if it goes someplace I'm not expecting to go?

I don't care whether this image is "right" or not. I think it's pretty cool.

* lyric from "The Outlaw Torn," Metallica {why, yes, I do listen to heavy metal sometimes...}

BTW: Confetti!

Confetti bracelet (in progress) in faceted millefiore glass and antiqued brass

One good thing (and there really is only one, that I can think of anyway) that comes out of a windy, smoky weekend is time spent indoors beading. I made lots of earrings last weekend, finished two necklaces (the faceted gemstone ones I had laid out last week), and started this colorful bracelet that I just love and may have to keep for myself. I found the faceted millefiore glass beads at Michaels about two months ago and snapped up the last two strands, knowing I would find some use for them eventually. For a while I was trying out a bead here and there, just to accent various designs, but they never quite worked and that's when I realized they all wanted to stay together in one fabulously sparkly piece. Now, of course, I want more; if Michaels was less than 100 miles away I'd have run over there several times by now, but I have to wait for a more substantial reason to make the trip to Albuquerque, and hope Michaels still has these in stock.... So, what's on your bead table this week?

Waiting for Springtime Blues

Blue Flax (May 2010) and Springtime Blues Bracelet (January 2011)

First, before I start rambling, I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog and left comments; you are all just wonderful. Anyone who thinks the Internet and social networking "isolate" us from real life hasn't (1) lived in a very rural, remote area, and (2) made the kind of lasting connections that I and many others have made online over the years. Remember pen pals? I had one when I was a kid, a childhood friend who moved away when I was 6, and with whom I stayed in touch for many years afterward. Now, thanks to Facebook and this blog, I'm in frequent contact with far-flung family and friends I don't get to see in person very often. Anyhoo, thank you again; I always feel honored when someone visits and takes the time to leave a comment, and I enjoy visiting your blogs and seeing what you've been up to lately, too.

So after a very brief interlude with muted winter colors, I seem to be pushing ahead into the colors and themes of springtime. I'm sure there's some wishful thinking there, but I can also feel myself emerging slowly from the mental fog that usually closes in on me after Thanksgiving and lasts through most of January. When I lived back east, it lasted from mid-October to mid-February, so New Mexico definitely is an improvement, and in any case I do try to just go with the flow of seasons, at least to the extent possible when I also have to keep up with my responsibilities. As much as I miss gardening in the winter, I probably wouldn't have the energy for it anyway, at least not till the sun was above the horizon for ten or more hours a day. Those of you who live in very northern areas, how do you function with six or fewer hours of daylight? Given that I'm about half Scottish, how is it that I practically fall apart with fewer than nine? Weird.

Spring Fever!



Cherry Blossoms, Necklace in Shell, Glass, and Copper, Jan. 2011



Looking through my photographs two evenings ago I came across and just drooled over one of my favorites, a shot of blossoms on the tiny old apricot tree outside my bedroom window. I wish I could say I took this photo yesterday because that would mean it's spring (with our warm weather these past few days it sure feels like it), but I actually took it in March 2009. The image clearly stuck in my mind because when I went to Michael's yesterday (ABQ trip! Yay!) I was drawn to the shell focal above and then picked out coordinating beads and components, all of which are way outside my usual style. I don't dislike pink, but I don't use it very often in my jewelry because I tend towards cooler, earthier colors. Maybe participating in the Bead Soup Party is piqueing my creativity and curiosity; in any case, this necklace practically laid itself out as I played last night (instead of doing coursework; after almost 2.5 years of that I am TIRED). I was amazed to find a length of sari silk in my bundle that matched perfectly, and I love how the copper works with the pink. I am thinking of antiquing the copper to darken it a bit and match the chain (top); that would also bring out the detail in the toggle bar I made -- I love hammering copper and want to make more of these toggles! I'm not sure the necklace is finished yet; in addition to antiquing the copper I might add more of the little glass flowers, and maybe more sari silk. What do you think?

Mosaic Monday: Red Sky at Night, Artist's Delight

I love Mosaic Mondays; the idea of making a photo mosaic spurs my creativity and also allows me to review my past creations and affirm that time spent creating is time well spent. This mosaic spans six years of creativity, from the art quilt I made back in 2005 (traded to a good friend for some of her wonderful pottery) to the mosaic I made in 2009 to the photo and fiber/glass necklace I created last year. I like to combine images based on both color and theme, and "sunset" can span everything from soft pastels to the deep jewel tones presented here. I was thinking earlier that I would not have time to create anything in the next few days because of coursework and travel (Lucy goes to the vet in ABQ tomorrow for a 2-week post-surgery checkup), but lo and behold, I already have. Be sure to check out other wonderful photo mosaics linked up here, and try making your own -- it's really easy, and whatever theme you pick you're sure to come up with something beautiful!

Color Breakout

Poinsettia in Afternoon Light, Jan. 2011

Maybe it's cabin fever, or a few days of warmer weather (tomorrow might approach 60F!), but suddenly I want COLOR. I took this poinsettia photo yesterday afternoon, and last night's bracelet play turned out the two pieces pictured here plus two super-springy starts that I hope to finish this evening. These two use sari silk and some brass filligree elements and classic millefiore beads from a necklace I remember my mom wearing back in the 1970s. I love the combination of primary colors with the antiqued brass, don't you? So, yes, I can appreciate the subtle tones of winter for a while, but it's just not who I am or what I love. I'll probably bounce between subtlety and saturation for another month or two until the first hints of spring push me into a new creative space. As long as I'm creating, I'm happy.

Copper Tones

Turquoise, Copper, and Sari Silk Bracelet, Jan. 2011

This bracelet started with a scrap of sari silk wired between a blue-green patina turquoise ring and a red patina one. Following my pledge to use what I have, I raided my stash for the turquoise, red dyed pearls, sunset-orange Hessonite garnet, copper heart charms and leafy bead caps, antiqued copper chain from a long-unsold necklace, and two fantastic patina copper beads and a few chain links from Etsy seller MissFickleMedia. I was tempted to get one of her patina clasps (along with about 27 other things) but, sticking to my pledge, decided to wire up the rest of the bracelet and make the toggle bar with plain copper wire from, of all places to find cool jewelry stuff, the garage. I'm hibernating and making more bracelets today and am also pulling together a package of treasures for my beading partner (as yet unannounced) in the Bead Soup Blog Party -- I am SO excited to get started on that! It's a perfect diversion for winter, and visiting the participants' blogs (which I'll start doing tonight or tomorrow) is incredibly inspirational! So, happy beading, everyone, or whatever it is you do to express your creative spirit.

Adventures in Sari Silk: Dragonfly Neckpiece

I consider this a signature piece and, if I even offer it for sale, will put a silly price on it so I don't have to part with it anytime soon... I started this piece in August and finished it a few weeks ago, taking time to let the elements come together and to get comfortable with the scale and complexity of the piece. I used 3 strands of sari silk yarn and ribbon, brass chain, an oxizided brass dragonfly (from Patina Queen, one of my favorite suppliers!), an enameled brass dragonfly from Nepal, lampwork glass beads in various shapes and textures, crystal, pearls, glass seed beads, and miscellaneous small gemstones. I have another one in the works that will draw more from the blue-green part of the color spectrum and will probably be more spring-like. In the meantime, more bracelets... stay tuned, I'm feeling creative!

New Directions

One benefit to hibernation is uninterrupted downtime, which sometimes (when I'm lucky) becomes creative time. Yesterday, inspired by creations from two of my favorite jewelry artists, Lorelei and Stephanie, I finally figured out some cool ways to incorporate sari silk into bracelets. Above is one creation, not quite finished (I'd like to add more danglies, aka charms). The millefiore and fancy brass links came from a necklace that I remember my mom wearing back in the 1970s; a few of the links had broken so I thought repurposing the beautiful components would be appropriate. The bracelet below uses tiger eye, dichroic glass, brass, and a scrap of sari silk; it too needs some charms and then will be finished. More pictures to come as I finish more pieces on deck while watching my favorite TV dramas and some cool independent movies on this cloudy day. I hope you all find some creative time in this quiet wintry space.

A New Creation

Corazón Inflamado, Necklace of lampwork glass and sari silk kumihimo, Anna Lear, 2010

A dear friend gifted me this exquisite lampwork glass heart almost 3 years ago, and I knew something special was in store for it when I found some flaming bright sari silk ribbon at a fiber arts show last summer. Kumihimo (Japanese braidwork) with sari silk is no minor feat, but of course I had to try it and have just loved the results. Put this amazing heart pendant on a plain chain or thin silken cord? No way. As bright and shiny as the silk is, it doesn't upstage but rather complements the heart beautifully. And I'm very pleased to be able to photograph this creation so accurately and artfully....

Summer Flowers

Summer Flowers, Necklace of handmade glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver

One of this week's creative prompts from The Gritty Bird is "summer flowers," and this necklace seems to capture the feeling of the season. Summer in New Mexico is, despite what many people might think, usually rainy and sometimes even lush. Once the rains start in July the earth comes alive with grasses and wildflowers of all colors. Most delightful are the sunflowers that spring up everywhere, including along just about every road in the state. Last year I took some seeds from a local roadside and scattered them in my front and back yards; this year I have been richly rewarded with my own personal flower show. These beauties reseed themselves, so the show will go on as long as I let them grow.

Some Like It Hot

Ah, Sonora Sunrise. This Two Cranes pendant is almost all cuprite and has wonderful color texture thanks to the flecks of chrysocolla and even some green malachite. I don't usually hang out in the orange-red range of the color spectrum but had the two small Sassy Silkies on hand and just went from there, adding in dyed pearls in several shades along with carnelian (of course), smoky quartz, brass dragonflies and Celtic knots, and a winding strand of tiny size 15 Delicas. This piece spent four months in Albuquerque at my friend Paula's gallery, but I kept thinking about it and just had to bring it home to my own gallery. August is here, and it's time to heat things up -- I have another red Sonora Sunrise pendant in the works (my very own lapidary work this time!), so I'm pulling out the red and orange again to see what happens....

Summer eye candy {sold!}

More treasures from February's Tucson trip have made their way into the showcase: cane glass! Lots of it, in summer brights, hand-wired onto sterling silver with Swarovski crystal and finished with a sterling sun clasp. I had never quite known what to do with cane glass until I added them, sparingly, into the bracelets posted earlier; this time I didn't stop at a few but just kept going, and going... I haven't counted but figure I have a few dozen on this bracelet. This piece is not exactly sophisticated. Like summer, it is bold (almost overbearing, yes) and unabashedly colorful, and looking at it makes me smile.

A Modern Odyssey {sold!}

Perhaps in response to this long bleak winter, I've been drawn to bright colors lately... this bracelet (see more views in my Etsy shop) started out as a sober study in black and white and then, as I started rooting through some African trade beads I got last year, just exploded into living color! I will definitely make more of these, though they're sure to be one of a kind and I am already imagining many different color and texture combinations. My main challenge with this style is finding beads that fit onto leather cord... I'm trying to keep an organic feel to the pieces and leather is a natural starting point.