Two tasks completed

 

Not a lot of photos in the blog post but they do show that I have completed two tasks: a watercolour commission; and the last couple of comfort stones.

The opening photo shows the completed watercolour - though it is not the greatest photo. The following photos show my workplace on the window ledge with light coming in from the west.

I completed the last two comfort stones which can be seen in the photo below.

I now have twelve stones to sell and gift. They have now been packed up for the trip home.

Before heading back to our Maleny home I will do a bit more pierced jewellery work. Couple more pendants and another set of earrings from the melted and rolled metal I brought over with me. If time permits I might make a few pairs of earrings from silver-plate and some pierced jewellery out of pure silver sheet I also brought over with me.!!!

Wee whimsical hoosies

 

As you can see from the opening photo I have cut a couple of wee whimsical hoosie pendants out of melted and rolled salvaged silver metal. I like the negative space form of the hoosies - particularly the one where I used holes in the metal created as part of pouring the molten metal and then rolling the metal bar. The top hole suggests smoke from the chimney and the bottom hole maybe a garden plot or pond???

Photos of the individual pendants follow - they are 4.5-5cm long and about 2cm wide.

Some process-progress photos of the piercing cutting work follow.

Cutting the hoosie negative space resulted in two rough hoosies - these have become earrings.

All the pieces still need to be given final filing, grinding and polishing - that will be done in the Maleny workshop. I'm hoping to have my priced jewellery for sale at our Pop Up Art Show at the Little Red Cottage in Maleny at the end of November.

Worth revisiting

 

On most of our stays at the cottage Fiona and I take a trip to Orkney - it is one of those places that simply speak to us. On a few occasions we have revisited Gurness - an iron age broch village. We visited Gurness again yesterday and were fortunate to get great sunshine between rain showers. The broch and surrounding buildings sat on the very edge of the coast as you can see from the opening photo.

It has been estimated that the broch was built somewhere between 500 and 200 BC. Information says the broth was about 10m in height and probably took 20 people over 6 months to build by hand.

As you can see from the following photos the village was an amazing solid complex that would have supported a sizeable number of people.

Further photos show some of the homely and complex aspects of the broch including the double walls - there were steps and passage ways between the walls. Most inner walls and storage spaces are stone.

It is just amazing what the builders achieved such a long time ago. The last photo is from the Gurness shoreline looking across to another broch village on the island of Rassay.

Wee stones for the hand

 

I have grabbed another couple of moments to go to the Wee Workshop to make a stash of quite small stones with metal. The opening photo shows one of the finished stones in Fiona's hand. The photo below shows me holding the smallest stone - about 2.5cm - on a leather pad in preparation for a one pass cut with the diamond blade.

A few more process-progress photos follow. The first one shows a stash of stones on the bench beside the side grinder and green diamond blade.

The final photo shows two completed stones in the palm of Fiona's hand.

Fascinated by light

 

Over the last week or so we have had such light early morning light shows. Some reach wide and deep such as the opening photo and a couple following. In the second photo below you can see the Orkney Islands!!!!

Some colour the bay and beach.

Some create amazing sky-sea vistas.

And the morning moon has its own charm.

I  am grateful for such beauty.

Metal and stone

 

There hasn't been much time for making over the last couple of weeks. I have grabbed an hour here and there. Today I grabbed a couple of hours to finish off some small stones with inlaid metal; and sawed a pair of earrings.

Four completed stones can be seen in the first and last photos in this blog post. I say they are small stones because the longest is about 4cm. They are comfort or memory stones to be carried in one's pocket or bag. They fit comfortably in one's hand and quickly take on the warmth of the person holding them. A couple of the stones were requested by a friend in Australia; and I hope to make enough for sale at our Pop Up Art Show in the Little Red Cottage in Maleny at the end of November.

Some process photos follow. The grooves in the stones are freehand cut with a diamond blade in my side grinder - a task done carefully and quickly - one quick and light pass of the rotating blade.

A few photos of the pierced jewellery process and rough cut pieces follow. I intend to take the rough cut pieces back to Maleny and finish them before the Pop Up Art Show. The earrings and pendants are being made from salvaged metal - a mix of brass and silver.

As I said at the beginning a final photo of the four stones - arranged by Fiona on a drink coaster!!!