Tuesday, June 5, 2012

It's been too long....

It's been too long since I have posted! Time really goes by so quickly: I could not believe that my last post was about 4 weeks ago. So, what have I been doing.....?

I have had two shows since the last
post. I finished my Pierre, the Green Man, and my client is very, very happy with it. After this commission, I wanted to play a bit before tackling something serious again. I showed you my  mixed media Inukshuk in the previous post. I have now added a new whale and a new polar bear ( previous 2 sold quickly). Here is the bear, King of the Ice, even if it's difficult to photograph because of the metallics. It is 6"x6"x1.5" on a wooden panel with the sides painted black.

However, the most fun I've had is creating watercolor/acrylic earrings!!! They are made of layers of watercolor paper, hand shaped, sanded, painted, decorated with acrylic gels and metallics, then sealed with layers of gloss. Most have sterling silver ear wires or 14k gold plated wires. A few have silver or platinum plated wires - clients so far don't seem to make any difference between the types of wire.

 I have made just over a dozen pairs in the past two weeks and have sold more than half to the few people who have seen them. Some people  first thought that they were in copper enameling and were very surprised to see how light they were. The gloss sealer/varnish makes these earring very shiny and resistant. I am sure that this surface protects them from water, but I would certainly not take a shower with them...just in case.

Here are a few pictures: these are all the small sizes ( approx. 1.5" long) except the black "Samurai" which are approx. 2"( without the wire of course). I am anxious to see what you think even though the pictures are not very good.

SAMURAI -





Monet's Garden -

Sunset -

Ice and Metal -
I would love your comments. I will be offering them online for a while. I have just started a page for them (see tab at top of this page). These earrings make wonderful gifts. Check out other gift jewelry on FineArtAmerica. There is always something for every taste and every wallet:-)

Next time I need to play, I may try making pendants:-)

Happy painting!

12 comments:

  1. Christiane you are becoming so diverse! I really,really enjoy your mixed media pieces and how creative you are with all the different media. The earrings are a very cool idea as well. Can't wait to see what you are up to in six months! Smile! Keep on exploring. It suits you! Cheers!

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    1. Ross, I am not sure that "diverse" is better than "focused":-) but I am having a lot of fun and that's probably what counts. Take care. And I love your cow paintings!

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  2. You are so creative! I love the polar bear painting. Watercolour and acrylic earrings? how very interesting. They are a pleasing shape; my two favorites are Sunset and Ice and Metal. Congratulations on your earring sales, wish you many more!

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    1. Laura, I am so pleased that you like the polar bear painting and the earrings: the earrings are so much fun to make! I am certainly going to look for other venues to sell the earrings. Have a great week.

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  3. Love the earrings - how clever you are! And the bear is beautiful - that design on him really makes him special. I've been out of town so will have to go back to catch up with what you've been doing :)

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    1. Rhonda, you love the earrings and the bear? I am so pleased to get this positive feedback. I am often too close to what I create to assess it objectively.
      Welcome back after your southern adventure. I am quite impressed by the work you have been doing with the gelliplate (sp).

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  4. Christine - your earrings are beautiful. How truly creative. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Debbie, I am very pleased that you like them! What a wonderful gardener you are: the flowers on your blog are wonderful!
      Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  5. You are so creative and so diverse. Bravo to earrings and the bear.
    Thank you so much for your support and warmth, Christiane.
    A big hug!

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    1. Irina, I am so proud to be your blogging friend! I hope that I am not being "too" diverse these days:-)

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  6. Chistiane, first I am in awe of your experimental pieces, so different from your beautiful watercolors, and very exciting. The earrings are beautiful. No wonder they are popular. How did you decide on process?

    Retirement from your previous day job agrees with you!

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    1. It's so nice to hear from you, Mary. I know how busy you always are.

      I have to admit that, to my surprise, I love retirement! I was somewhat of a workaholic and was afraid a year and a half ago that I would miss work terribly. I don't at all:-)

      I am having fun with all the experimental pieces. For the earrings, I started with research on the Internet and am slowly making the process my own. The earrings are really time consuming, but I am enjoying the process and the results.

      Congratulations again on your acceptance in the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society's show, "Think Big," and your granddaughter's artistic talent and success. Take care.

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