Floral Inspiration for Jewellery Designs - April 2017

Whilst I don't make 'flower jewellery' as such (in other words, direct silver representations of flowers) at present I do find the shapes, textures and colours of flowers in particular inspiring in terms of design. I also find leaves and even bark equally fascinating in these terms but less noticeable, something you have to look past the more obvious flowers for. And flowers are extra obvious at this time of year, as nature throws off dull winter clothing and plants regrow with vigour and vibrancy.



Pictured above is Glory of the Snow (or Chiondoxa), flowering a little late for its name really (I'm kind of hoping we're not getting snowfall this April...) but it is glorious, especially up close. The petals are vivid blue - yes, you can imagine how even more vibrant they'd be against snow - and the stamens are rich daffodil-yellow. The blue makes me think of porcelain, China-blue hues on delicate pottery, perhaps something that could be recreated with polymer clay or enamel colours. The frills and subtle twists of the petals would be a challenge to represent in metal, but if done well would look organic and natural.



After some extensive searching online - and much scratching of head in frustration - I managed to find the name of the flower in the photo above - it's Brunnera Macrophylla Starry Eyes. The plant is small and the leaves fairly unimpressive, but the tiny flowers shine brightly white and, up close, the outer edges look hand-painted in blue. Again, I think of porcelain and delicacy, and yet also strength in the robustness of the flower shape and structure itself - they are found on the floor after they fall, nearly as sturdy as when they are in place on the plant.

Looking closely at these images and considering why they inspire me has allowed me think more about how to translate that inspiration into designs of all kinds. My earlier Vantage Point blog post was part of this current train of thought and I'm hoping it will continue to be valuable and helpful.

Do share in the comments below any floral (or generally botanic) inspirations you've found lately.

A Vantage Point of Light and Flowers

At this time of year light is increasingly present in the lengthening days; it feels like a balm after the long nights of winter. A sunny morning, the lighter evenings both send more natural light into our lives. And light always matters to a jeweller, whether it's finding enough to see those tiny jump rings, keeping it dull enough to be able to solder in (I had to shut a gloriously sun-drenched morning out recently as I couldn't see the flame from my torch in the light), or having bright but diffused light in which to photograph the finished creation.

Light is also the name of an internet startup whom I've been in contact with. It's also the name of their camera, which is of course so logical (since cameras are all about light) that I'm surprised no one has thought of it before now.

Along with other bloggers, from a variety of fields and interests, I've been asked to share a Vantage Point that matters to me, somewhere I find inspiring and beautiful. I've chosen gardens, mine specifically. But, in general, any one that has a profusion of plants is enough to prompt me to reach for my camera.

The photograph I've shown here is of a flower from an azalea plant that was given as a gift. When I looked through my archives I realised that so many of the photos of plants are actually images of flowers, ways of getting up close to them so the colour, texture, and the very structure of them is the subject of the photo and nothing else. I guess this fascination with the form of the small is reflected in much of my jewellery too. My creations tend to be petite and delicate-looking rather than big and bold. In both plants and jewellery, it's the detail of the tiny that interests me.

I don't have a particularly advanced camera and tend to use very little equipment so natural light matters a lot to my outside photography. Whether it's sunlight filtered through leaves or a cloudy day, natural light isn't always easy to use but it is an endlessly interesting challenge. The azalea image was taken on a cloudy day which had bursts of bright winter sunshine; some of the other images I took are a little more muted than the one I eventually chose.

When I'm next able to indulge in a new camera I will look at the Light model. It's price is pretty high-end and it is, at present, only available to those who've already pre-ordered them, although you can sign up for more information. But with the amount of features, including the ability to work well in low light and a feature that lets you change your area of focus after the photograph has been taken , fitted into a device around the size of a smart phone it is closer to a DSLR than a point-and-shoot style of camera.

So, today, my Vantage Point is my garden. Tomorrow it could be the seaside or a woodland. Quite often it's my mini jewellery photography studio. And at others times it's a snap taken from a car window that just happens, when I look at it later, to have captured entirely the mood I was hoping it would, with colours, textures, atmosphere and, of course, light, all just perfect.

Do you have a Vantage Point, somewhere you return to either to challenge your photography or to allow you just to enjoy how it photographs for you? If so, then feel free to share.

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NB. Whilst I was contacted by Light and asked to take part in their Vantage Point project I am otherwise not connected with them and the links in my post are not affiliate links.

August Break - Day 19

Sometimes I go out and I have my camera and I'm somewhere interesting and yet I still find that by the time I get home again I've taken no photographs at all and am wondering just how that happened...

This has been a common theme lately, rather ironically when I am taking part in a photo blog situation...

However I am saved by a slightly earlier photo from last month today...

... I am also noticing a distinct, if unintentional, theme in my photo choices for the August Break... Nature...

August Break - Day 5

I've been a little slow in starting my August Break, and so far I've failed to follow any of the prompts, although today I'm a little nearer as the prompt is "close up". Flowers are a love of mine at any time of year, but a true joy in the middle of summer...

I'm also using this as an opportunity to get to know Flickr again, after spending quite a time away from it... Hope your August Break is good...

Where I am...

It's been a quiet month for me, on the web at least. I've battled flu and am still battling general wonkiness of the back and neck. None of this in conducive to sitting down, bashing silver, and creating jewellery wonders. And it hasn't inclined me to spend much time on the net either, which doesn't help when that's where my jewellery, once made, lives. My Folksy shop has been a little quiet, although I am in the gentle process of remedying that...

But, thankfully, the sun has come out at last - it may make it even harder to do things in my studio (it's too hot, who wants to be stuck inside if you've got an opportunity to be outside, etc), but it feels such a relief after the wet non-summer of last year and the long, chilled winter the UK endured this last turn of the seasons. I love the warmth, how it seeps into your skin and bones, and makes you feel more alive. I hope, soon, I can try and translate some of that into my jewellery.

I've given myself a little summer treat (by way of Tesco Clubcard vouchers) and have signed myself up to a year's subscription of Making Jewellery magazine. I adore magazines (of many a subject) but have found the prices increasingly prohibitive, so this is a real indulgence for me - no many sneaky reads of this particular mag from the racks in the supermarket! For the other mags I'd love to peruse, well, for now it still won't be at my leisure, at home with a tall glass of lemonade... but hopefully a quick flick through can still reveal ideas and inspiration...

And because it's summer, and I love gardens, and gardening, and the blooms are just beautiful, I won't inflict a photo of the rubbish heap that is my work-table on you, but will instead share some wonderful flowers. I hope your summer is sunny and just the way you like it.

Folksy Friday - Spring Flowers

I've not done a Folksy Friday post in a while but I fancied collecting some flowers this morning, and collecting them in silver too. I've done a jewellery flower collection before so I'm wondering if this is my weak spot...

 

1 - Silver orchid flower necklace by Garden Shed Silver

2 - Silver flower necklace by Dancing Dragonflies

3 - Sterling silver flower pendant by Jewellery by Annie Combs

4 - Silver flower earrings by Gracie Flo Jewellery

5 - Silver flower ring by Jennie Swift Designs

6 - Silver flower cup earrings by Mila Jewellery

7 - Silver flower pendant by Crafty Pear

8 - Silver flower earrings by Iddy Biddy Boutique

9 - Fine silver flower necklace by Ruth Makes Jewellery

Hope you like - Happy Friday!

Floral linking . . .

The fantastic Haptree and Me has taken my 'advice' (ahem) and created a wonderful Folksy Mini Treasury on the theme of flowers. Well, it is still summer . . . so the calendar says . . .

Do check out Haptree's great blog and very helpful photography hints.

Blue skies, buds, flowers

It felt a lot like spring today. I dug down into the soil to move some daffodils and found the earth soft and rich and full of worm-life! I didn't take a photo of that but I did of some honeysuckle, against the blue sky and suitably fluffy clouds



Unfortunately, what you don't get with that photo is the sweet scent that was being gently released around me.

Some old hydrangea heads lurking in the shade looked a little like lace to me . . .



But my eyes were drawn back to the blue sky



Now to try and translate spring into silver . . .

Spring, snow, sun, blue skies . . .

It has been a slow silver week. I've got things done but only by edging forward, one step at a time. I had a good spell yesterday, worked on some more leaf ideas, developing the theme, playing around with it.

But the week feels dominated by weather and the results it's created in my world.

I found this earlier in the week . . .



A flower! Having seen snowdrops a little earlier, I felt all kind of spring-like.

Then this happened.





I added to the prints, inspired by some of the photos I've found through this wonderful blog



Yesterday, the sun came out. It didn't melt all the snow, which I was glad about, but it did make the sky glow.