To buy this, go to:
To buy this, go to:
I made this using the new wire my new friend Nicole Hanna told me about (her blog link is in my blogroll). It is copper wire, painted with antique bronze, and then enameled. I LOVE how this wire looks. It is a lot harder to make this kind of pottery with it because it is not as soft as pure fine silver wire. But I sure do love its looks, and the price doesn't hurt either :-).
This piece is based on the earthenware pots we used to have when I was a child, growing up in India. We stored water in them to keep water cool. We called this kind of a pot "Surahi".
I couldn't find any ready made chains in this finish/material. I was trying to find those to keep the price of the piece down. As it is, this type of weaving and shaping with this wire took a long time and plenty of blisters, I didn't want to add more to the labor cost by hand making the chain as well. However, I found no chain that looked just like this wire, so I created my own with 24 gauge wire of the same kind, and cream colored fresh water pearls. I have kept the chain long because this kind of a pendant does not look nice on a short chain. I have not really measured the chain, but the pendant falls around the heart or just below. The chain is so long it does not need a clasp, so instead of a clasp, I added a BIG white fresh water pearl, and made a scroll on it with the wire I am so in love with.
So...what you think?
I have been wanting to learn pottery for ages now. But no time for that. So I will use wire to do my own pottery :-).
Oh...and the last 2 pictures...that was just something I was playing with in Photobucket edit mode after seeing Nicole's black and white picture with color splash :-D.
In case you are wondering where I got this lovely wire from, I got it from Etsy...this store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/UnkamenSupplies?ref=top_trail The owner Ralph is a really nice and friendly person. Very helpful too! :-).
21 comments:
Oh I love this! Really does remind me of some piece of history. This kind of wrapping had to have taken FOREVER. I can't imagine. You weren't lying when you said it was labor-intensive, because this would take me days and days to finish. And I love the color spot photos. Those are always so much fun to mess around with. You did a wonderful job with this piece. I'd love to know what your guesstimated price is. lol
And it's a miracle that comment was even accepted, because I had to type the anti-spam words like ten times because I can NEVER tell what they are. LOL
That is a very cool look with that wire! And of course your work is fantastic just like you :) I like the photo playing as well - I've always wanted to learn how to edit photos like that. Loving your creations Swati!!
Nicole, yes it takes a bit of a time to wrap this, but it is funnnn! :-)) And I too have the hardest time getting the anti-spam words correct! LOL!! So I'm not the only one! I don't know why blogspot changed it to the harder anti-spam format. The earlier one was better. When I go to post comments on your blog, I keep changing the word again and again before I can even think I might understand what is written there. I swear, doing this kind of wire wrapping is much easier than figuring out the anti-spam words.
Shay, Nicole, the color splash/spot was made easy for me...you know how? I store my pictures online in photobucket.com. And their editing is pretty cool!! I was just playing around with it today, and saw this feature called "color splash", so I had to try it out, and it was what I had wanted! Yipppeee!!
I have a flikr account and lightroom editing program for my photography, so I've never tried photobucket except for years ago when it was just photo storage and there wasn't an editing program with it. That's kinda cool they are doing that now. Sign of the times, I guess.
I wonder if there's a way to turn the spam words off. lol
AHA! There is a way to turn it off. Just go into settings. I turned mine off. I know that increases the chances of spam, but those are easier to delete than the words are to type! LOL
Came by the blog to see the pot again:) I love the old world feel of it. I really need to try out that wire!
How expensive is Lightroom? And how hard to learn? The new Photobucket editing is really cool!! Plenty of stuff you can do there.
Mary, I just LOVE this wire. It is much harder than fine silver wire that I usually use for weaving work, so I had a tough time, but slowly got used to it. It is gorgeous looking! I would love to see what you make with it!
Swati~THIS IS GORGEOUS!!! And so very different. I love it. Your skills are just amazing!
Lightroom 3 is $75 at B & H Photo. I LOVE my program. It does everything and it's so super easy to use. You basically just have to move a lever to the right or left for the "tools" that you use. Nice correction brush for lighting, darkening, blurring backgrounds. All kinds of goodies.
Oh, and there's no spam thingy! YAY! lol
Oh, here... you can download a free trial of Lightroom 3
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_lightroom
Thank you Chris!! :-)))
And thank you Nicole!! :-))) I'll go get Lightroom trial version! Still having a major melodrama in my mind over which camera deal to go with. I am eying Nikon5100, but Amazon has so many different packages...can't decide which one.
Just perfectly beautiful Swati ... love your pieces ..<3
Thank you Flame (LOVE your name!)!! :-)))
Swati, As you were a detective on FB and found me, I did some and found your blog! This piece looks like something unearthed from an archeological dig. What a lot of weaving and coiling you did to create this beauty. The hand made chain is the ideal finish. The addition of the pearls softens the whole. As I am a new follower of Nicole, I will now become a new follower of you.
Hey Christine! :-)) So good to see you here! You know I was searching for your blog...but looks like you don't have one? I am looking forward to seeing more of your jewelry and the baskets after seeing the ones on your FB page. Just GORGEOUS work! I will follow your work on your FB page, but if you make a blog, please do let me know :-)).
Hey Swati, No, I don't have a blog. Have thought about it but not sure my voice would add to the world :)
Good for you for doing YOJ. I tried last year for the first time but found my muse or energy couldn't work that way.
I struggle with a jewelry identity too but love trying new ideas. Maybe suspense is good for the public! Looking forward to following your journey.
Yes, suspense is good! If what I am working on, "works", then my next piece is going to be very different. lol.
I have not really been following the themes given in YOJ (except for this coming piece)....just focusing on making one piece every week, because I had abandoned jewelry making for a very long time, having no wish, desire, creativity left. That was one of the main reasons I joined YOJ...just to try and get back to jewelry making.
You too struggle with jewelry identity? I too love trying out way too many different things to do any one thing with focus.
I don't know about the rest of the world Christine, but I love your work, and your blog would certainly add to my little world of beauty and creativity...to see your work, and to read what goes on in your mind when you make those lovely pieces :-).
The 5100 is an excellent camera. Even the 3100 isn't bad for a starter DSLR. Most of the kit lenses that come with the cameras aren't great for macro photography. I would suggest buying a camera body only and getting a good macro lens, a Sigma or Tamron macro lens will save you some money verses the Nikkor name brand. And you wont regret it. I love my Tamron 90mm. Great for portraits AND close-up!
Thanks Nicole! I was wondering about macro on this new camera...because the zoom itself is pretty low. My old camera...the one I am using now is very good with macro...my jewelry photographs are not bad, are they? And I use no separate macro lens. The camera alone even just on auto does a good enough job. So, do you use your Tamron 90 for regular use? What about telephoto lens? What do you use for landscapes and travel?
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