Rustnstuff

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Of morning and metal (cut and spiralled)

It was cold and clear this morning - so it made for some great early morning light as you can see from the photos below.

Yesterday afternoon I cut up 6 larger trays and marked the metal up as the start of a commission to make 30 Daily Word sets before the end of the year - good to do them in stages.

I got a bit sidetracked yesterday afternoon as I formed an ornate silver plated EPNS handle of a tray into a spiral bracelet.

The bracelet is to go with the spiral and pearl earrings. I think progressing a number of things is just one feature of my work - it keeps the creative interest bubbling.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Of fish and flags

Yesterday afternoon I finished the spiral and pearl earring; and today I was progressing three lines of work: the flag-prayer wheel I'm creating for Flags for Peace; finishing a Daily Word-leaf set that needed to have a rose on the bowl (courtesy of a tray I fortunately had set aside); and doing a prototype of a fish for a commissioned wall feature.

I have not made a fish before so it was all a bit of trial and error. I want to keep the design simple and able to be replicated in different sizes and also be unique. The fish form (stylised fish) in the photo below is made from old recycled copper, silver-plated EPNS and new copper rivets. All hand formed and hammered of course. The tail section needs refining.

The peace flag-prayer wheel will have eight curved 'vanes' to catch the wind and drive the wheel. There are eight vanes because that is what I was able to cut from an old fruit basket-tray thingy.

As you can see from the photos above I have stamped the peace words-aspirations on the curved metal vanes. I have polished the pieces but it was all getting a bit cold and dark outside so I'll assemble the bits and post on it on another day.

And this is how the spiral and pearl earrings finished up.

Always good to progress and complete a few things.

Friday, July 4, 2014

A lovely bunch of bracelets

I started making a few bracelets as I wanted to give one to a friend and work colleague as a gift. She is the sort of person who always goes out of her way to organise things in just the right thoughtful way. She has a fairly tiny wrist so I needed to make a small adjustable cuff bracelet from the rim of a recycled wine goblet.

But as you know one thing always leads to another; and so I ended up experimenting with how I might use the handles I cut from trays. Below are the results of two different approaches.

A simple adjustable spiral.

And a bracelet with a riveted piece from a old silver-plated copper tray.

And of course I made the cuff bracelet for our friend (the one at the back); and a couple of other to go with it.

I liked the fluting in the very heavy and thick goblet that produced the bracelet above. I'm not sure if that happens to you - you start one thing and it just snowballs - but I like that part of the creative journey.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Spiral earrings

A fellow artist friend asked if I could make a set of spiral earring that could encase a short string of pearls that she wanted to recycle.

I have made 3 spiral from the silver-plated fine edge of a serving tray - harvested, trimmed and ground. The edge is about 3mm wide and 1.5mm thick. Because it has a copper base it lends itself to form a spiral - in that it can stretch and bend.

One difference with these spirals is after forming the spirals I have hammered them to form a progressively tighter spiral at the top - almost like a cone shell.

I wanted to create this shape so that the top pearl in the string could sit snugly into the top of the spiral. You can see from the photo below that this has worked well.

I now need to talk with the owner of the pearls to discuss length of the spirals (they are currently 60mm long and about 10mm wide at the widest point); and also discuss where the string of pearls will stop. But so far the earrings are looking ok; and the spare spiral could of could become a pendant.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Carrying peace ….

As you can see from the photo above I have just completed a series of Peace Book pendants. Why Peace Books? Each pendant is unique: each has 4 leaves (eight pages); each leaf is made from different recycled metal - silver-plated copper or EPNS; some leaves are the ornate decorative edges of serving trays; each pendant has one page stamped with with the words "seek peace" or "imagine peace"; the leaves are held together by two jump rings which enable the leaves to be turned; and the pendants are on silver-plated chains that are 600mm in length. The tiny Peace Book pendant on the left centre in the photo above is about 30mm long and 14mm wide.

The concept behind the Peace Book pendants is that the owner-wearer carries a bit of peace with them - as a positive affirmation and goal; bringing a little peace and stillness. In our world it doesn't hurt to carry a reminder of peace.

Closer photos of each of the Peace Book pendants in this series are below.

When I make these pendants I imagine that they can take a little peace into the world.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Unpacking and using a Travellers' Shrine

I have been asked what is the purpose of my Travellers' Shrines; and how are they used - so I thought I would post on that since I have just completed making a series of the Shrines.

My Travellers' Shrines are small portable metal boxes used to carry personal objects that often form part of a personal sacred space. They can be used in the home to create a sacred space; but they are also meant to be packed and wrapped and taken on journeys to create a sacred still space wherever you are.

In this post I just wanted to share a few photos that shows the process of unpacking a Travellers Shrine. The shots in the hand below give a sense of the size of the Shrines

Untying the Shrine.

My Travellers' Shrines come with a standard set of inclusions: a small bundle of incense (longer lengths cut to fit the shrine - tied with silk); a small brass incense burner; a small hammered bowl; a fold formed inspirational leaf (with love or peace stamped on it); and a small square mat to lay the pieces on.

People who purchase my Travellers' Shrines usually add their own bits to the Shrine such as: medals, small cards with inspirational quotes, a crystal, a small stone, a feather, a shell etc. But because the Shrines are small there are limits on size and the amount one puts inn them. We all individualise our own sacred spaces.

Once the traveller's meditation or prayer session is finished the Shrine can be left open to maintain a sacred space; or packed away for the next stage of the journey.

The top of the Travellers Shrines are made from recycled ornate silver-plated copper or EPNS; and are riveted in the corners. The bottoms are made from plain silver-plated copper or EPNS and are folded and lined with felt. Because the Shrines are made from recycled metal and are individually handmade they have a sense of age and history about them. Fiona took the photos - thanks to her.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Early light, bits for Travellers' Shrines and bits of rainbows

Today has been a day of small things; finishing the small pieces that will go into the Travellers's Shrines - inspirational leaf, offering bowl and incense burner-holder; capturing the fragments of rainbows on our stone kitchen bench; and capturing the exceptional light of an early morning on Treehaven Way.

First that early morning light…