A Winter Day in the Maine Woods
What do you do on a winter day in the Maine woods? If you're lucky you work on a custom Etsy order.
The client has a very small wrist (the same size as mine), 5.75 inches measured over the wrist bone. So I'll make a 6.5 inch bangle.
The first step is to cut about 11 inches of wire. I'll use Argentium sterling since it rarely needs polishing. And I'll use 10 gauge wire, the heaviest I can work freehand.
The second step is to file, sand, steel-wool, and polish the ends.
Tools with Bangle in Process
The last step is to form the bangle. Be careful. You only get one chance. A bend cannot be undone without showing---it's like footsteps in the snow.
Finished Asymmetric Bangle
After 18 years of making bangles, how do you come up with something new? Not just a new design, but a fundamentally new direction.
The answer came to me while working on a series of mobiles / stabiles. The overlapping and elaboration of geometric triangles in my Hanging Sculpture 2, (the mobile below) gave me an idea.
The result, after loosening up the idea, is a collapse bracelet. Instead of a rigid bangle, the geometric elements stand or collapse with wrist movement, creating a wristpiece that has a life of its own, that changes personality when it interacts with the wearer.
Collapse Bracelet 2
Asymmetric-Organic Bangle, 9
For the past 20 years, the only pictures I have taken of my jewelry are for occasional juried shows or a snapshot to help me remember a favorite piece. But now with an Etsy store and this blog, it seems like I do nothing but take pictures of my work.
It hasn't been easy.
I started with incandescent light, then moved to sunlight, and now use full-spectrum fluorescent lamps. Here's the setup I used to shoot the bangle above:
Photo setup
I shoot freehand with a Nikon E4300 point-and-shoot digital camera. A tripod feels too clumsy given the short working distance of my lens in macro mode.
A year from now, I hope to look back at my setup and smile at my novice ways.
