Summer Crush

Summer Crush
Pendant
Sterling Silver (Antique Patina)
Orange Carnelian, Prehnite, Green Tourmaline

This pendant was inspired when I was playing with materials in the studio during this last part of summer, moving stones and objects about in combinations on the work table, listening to an R.E.M. station on Pandora as well as listening to the materials for some connection to speak to me measuring. 

The songs Orange Crush and Crush With Eyeliner came on in rather close succession and that ancient mammalian Pattern Recognition skill in the brains of hunter gatherers kicked in spotting this orange carnelian cabochon cut and polished last year.  These song is such a summer song to me, and the greens of Life in summer, the long leaves of the willows or spherical park acacia's swaying in the breeze, the summer grasses
. . . I began to create a piece of art with words first: Orange Crush, Summer Grass . . . and unrequited infatuated summertime love comes in with Orange Crush in the Summer . . . from the Crush With Eyeliner inspiration of hot, cool, hip love interests . . .

Despite the Orange Crush's alleged references to Agent Orange and Michael Stipes fathers service in Viet Nam, and to me it will always be mixed up in my mind with Crush With Eyeliner (R.E.M. just has this Orange Crush connection) an always invoke meanings associated with Summer, Orange Crush soda, lying in the summer grass, bouyant sensations, bubbly-ness, brightness and birds (Emerald Green Swallows) flying over me, and how I loved flying and dreams of flying and these little birds were like flying dreams that I, high on summer in a country just like heaven, could imagine soaring both over me as well as in my expanded wild child heart . . .

"(Over me, not over me)
Comin' in fast, over me"

so then i began creating leaf or feather forms and it all started to come together, shifting the leaves or feathers to "bird" them up a bit and placing the bail in a way that the piece will hang at a swooping angle lending the piece movement or a still-life spirality,  brought about as much of my inspiration and vision to the piece as I felt possible . . . then the small green Tourmaline was added as an element of eye, inner eye of the dreamer, and the shine of the swallows with the darker green bringing the swallows green depth and the deep "green" of the inner creative to create a form both shining and dark and capable of reflecting and channeling light. 

Pendant measures 1&1/4" x 1&3/4" and the necklace or chain in the photos is not included.

"dark earth blossom" featured in Etsy Treasury

Mori Kemen Lokte

This mythical piece is currently included in an Etsy.com Treasury compiled by the Gufobardo shop. The collection holds a variety of wonderful handmade items with a nice theme that one can feel when looking through the items contained there. They would all compliment each other very well.

...dark & mysterious, Elvish but darkly so, Sauronic yet beautiful...there is a touch of everything in this piece, it is very earthen and metallic with touches of underworld subtlety, organic, even floral unfurling in the upper beaten brass portion . . . speaks of power, yet also grace . . . a sense of tremor and trial, but also of flow . . . the iron hold of deaths surety and the ethereal triumph of new life's promise . . .



This ring began as a found bullet casing.

Once beaten into a new form it became the base of a silver bezel with black patina holding a Serpentine cabochon in it's dark embrace.



A gnarly and complimentary wood-grain textured silver band with a matching black patina was affixed giving this piece a very unique character.

"mori kemen lokte" is Tolkienian Elvish for "dark earth blossom"

It is a size 8


The Treasury can be viewed at Etsy.com at the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=94812

"MAKE ME AN OFFER SPRING CLEANING SALE!"

WELCOME TO MY

"MAKE ME AN OFFER SPRING CLEANING/DREAM MANIFESTATION SALE!"

I am in need of some extra cash to fund a few of my dream seeds and I am trying to manifest it in a short amount of time. As a gesture of gratitude to the Universe (that's you) I am asking that if you are interested in any piece of mine (yes, any!) that you please write to me on etsy or on facebook and make me an offer (I'm serious!).

I am in an EXTREMELY generous mood because I am seeking EXTREME generosity from the Universe.

Like they say "It doesn't hurt to ask."

Art Outreach: Humanitarian Help For Haiti

So much of my work involves the beauty of the earth it's colors, textures, the senses which come alive and sing secret songs when particular elements and attributes are composed in a different arrangements.

The beauty of this has never escaped me and has in fact informed much of the work I do with a unifying and connecting sensibility. It adds meaning to the work I do. I see myself as one of those integral and intertwined elements of this one big song, this uni-verse.



In Honor of this, 10% from all purchases from my shop will be donated in the name of the purchaser to a recognized or specified verifiable non-profit dedicated to humanitarian efforts and relief in Haiti's devastated Port Au Prince region.



Your purchase will have manifold levels of satisfaction as the things we do will have a global enhancing effect, an act of positive direct solidarity and an affirmation of humanities highest human values, that of love and care of others.

Thank you,

Dave

Yu: Attuning to Spiritual Inspiration & Positivity through Community

Yu

This pendant emerged spontaneously through some experimentation. After considering it I realized that it reminded me of the hexagrams of the I Ching oracle. This pendant looks like hexagram 16: Yu, with an expanded or magnified fourth line representative of "the minister" who is a spiritual adviser. This is where the turquoise sits.

I Ching Hexagram: 16
Name: Yu.
Keyphrase: Enthusiasm.
Formed By The Trigrams: Thunder over Earth.
General: Revitalize your spirit through celebration.
Love: Give your partner a pleasant surprise. Suggest an outing or trip.
Business: Take time to celebrate your business successes.
Personal: Throw a seasonal party to celebrate the cycles of nature.

Turquoise is one of the oldest protection amulets, and was also known as a symbol of wealth in many ancient cultures. It usually carries the meanings of strength, protection from harm, psychic sensitivity and connection to the spirit world. If given a turquoise by a loving friend, that stone would protect the wearer from negative energy and bring good fortune. Turquoise is the symbol of friendship. It also brings peace to the home.

Turquoise carries great wisdom of basic truth within it. It is one of the oldest stones known. This is a stone that a person must learn to attune to instead of the stone attuning to the person.

Overview: Yu is related to raising the energy of not only yourself but of those around you. Yu suggests our existence and environment can be suddenly changes through celebration. We should each use our strong leadership to inspire those around us. Don't underestimate the power of shared enthusiasm, it will help increase confidence which will help to withstand any future difficulties.

The thunder that powers new growth is above the earth or beyond the realm of the physical or the material. The energy of innovation is free and storming through the world. For the ancient people, kings, warriors and shamen, this was the inspiration for music that channeled and focused their people's liberated energies.

It speaks to me of the power of attuning with the environment and celebrating or sharing enthusiasm to help the self and others tap into the energy of innovation and inspiration, to realign with our spiritual dimension and thus affect changes in our environment and existence.

The attuning or aligning our selves with our spiritual nature and providing a leadership of ourselves and others which spontaneously manifests in celebration and enthusiasm or positive energy can help us bond together, solve our problems, meet our challenges and bring peace to our home which in the big picture i see as the earth, the universe . . .our existence.

Handmade Holidays

Recently these earrings were presented in an Etsy.com Treasury collection alongside many other fine and beautiful items. The title of the treasury was Lift Your Voice (in praise of handmade).

below is a link to the Etsy Treasury
Lift Your Voice In Praise of Handmade

It was created by Barbe Beaty, an eco-friendly precious metals artisan and Founder and Facilitator of a community based workshop, "Promise Project" (http://www.promiseproject.com), for girls/women from various populations.

"During these sessions, participants engage in the design, hand-sculpting, and hand-finishing of a fine silver token which symbolizes a personal pledge made to themselves reflective of where they‘ve been, where they are, and where they wish to be on their path through life."

Through her art and her community work, she hopes to continue reach out, enlightening others to the thought that "We are all artists in the sense that we each have a story unique to tell, and we each have the ability to "design" (shape and influence) our existence."

More links to Barbe Beaty and her work

jewelry website :: www.njiastudios.com
community workshops website :: www.promiseproject.com
life tidbits :: www.soulyyours.blogspot.com
Follow her on Twitter :: njiastudios
Proud member of Etsy Metal Clay :: www.etsymetalclay.com
Proud juried member of Trunkt :: www.trunkt.org/njiastudios

Mycologia: A Mushroom Hunter's Testament

I was raised on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, a temperate rain coast which provided a rich experience of exploration and discovery. My earliest memories are hardwired with towering and benevolent Western Red Cedars, rich Edenic gardens of mossy nurse logs, shimmering alder groves and verdant glens of tall ferns. It was a warm,fertile and moist environment, ideal for my growth and blossoming. It was also the ideal environment for mushrooms.

I was raised in a mushroom hunting family. At varying points in the cycle of seasons my family would take knives and recycled bread bags and head out into the moist and fertile forests to hunt mushrooms. These forays often found my whole family hiking and then spreading out to comb the woods.

Humans are good at this hunting and gathering, we have the ability to scan a scene with a particular form in mind. Our brains can scan the environment and process the information quickly and recognize the particular pattern of attributes we are searching for . . . if those patterns are present.


Mushrooms have a general season in which they will fruit, but they are particular about if and when. Something I have learned through mushroom hunting as well as growing mushrooms myself is that they fruit when the conditions are right. If the moisture levels are right, and the temperature is within a certain range, and the lighting is just right they will fruit. Without fail. However, if even one of these elements is off, they will not fruit, no matter what time of year it is. This was evident when my family would return to a spot where we found many mushrooms the previous season to find that there were none this year, the conditions having changed slightly.

I have taken this bit of mycological wisdom and often applied it to my life. I have often repeated to myself the mantra of "When the conditions are right, it will fruit." It is simillar to the saying of "If you build it, they will come" from the movie Field of Dreams. Often when we desire change in our lives, we can liken it to the fruition of an intention. We must allow the fruiting to occur by creating conditions which are right for it to blossom. Often all it takes is acts of allowance, removing obstacles to the intended results manifestation.


And so, mushrooms and their process have been great teachers to me throughout my life. Their testament to the way of nature, the science of life, the Tao if you will have enriched my life. Sometimes with a peace of mind at times in knowing that when conditions are right things will fruit, and other times their wisdom has influenced me to shift parts of my life that are in my control, to, in otherwords, create conditions more condusive to the fruition of that which I intend to see blossom in my life.

This Companion Ring "MycoChromatic" is also titled "mycologia" and is a testament to my love of mushrooms and intended to honor and remind one of the wisdom they speak of. The Smaller side of the companion ring which is a rounded form meant to appear like a young mushroom button also has a highly polished top wherein the wearer can see himself reflected.

Unautumna / First Yellow Leaf of Autumn

Description

Each year I have a habit of keeping an eye out for the First Yellow Leaf. It's a ritual which has emerged naturally from a practice of Locality Mindfulness. It fosters a sense of place and seasonality in my soul. Autumn is such a juxtapositional time of transition, a beginning and and end. It often feels like a melancholy double-exposure. One foot is firmly planted in Summers ripeness and abundance, and the other foot is coldly planted in Winters season of silent reserve. I celebrate many personal holy days, and one is First Yellow Leaf of Autumn. Another is First Snow. In a few months I will be longing to celebrate First Leaf, but for now, the foothills are mostly swathed in green, but the time of the turning leaf is in full blaze in higher elevations. Large stone is Imperial Jasper, small stone is a Goldenrod Jasper. The upper bezel is Gold and the lower bezel is Sterling Silver as are the shank and leafy design elements. There is a light patina to this piece as seemed fitting, but the gold bezel also looks nice polished up brightly. Let me know if this is your preference and I'll polish it up before shipping. This ring is large, most likely a mans ring, and can be worn in either direction. Ring Size: 11

Merging Stewardship with Artistic Vision

It's Ear Season again. You mean Deer Season? No, I mean ear season.

That's right, it's ear season again, time for hunters to keep their ears peeled for the sounds of deer in the forest, and for hikers in the woods to keep their ears peeled for hunters. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons.

There are so many reasons for me to be out in the mountain forests at this time of year. The seasonal changing of the leaves, which around here amounts to groves of Aspen trees turning golden and quite frankly transcendent or ethereal. Their yellow homage to the years dying sun is, truly, something to behold. Also, when the Aspens change color I know it's time to harvest Osha root, a powerful anti-viral and bronchial stimulator good for fighting off the flus and bronchial coughing which are also just as seasonal this time of year.

This is also the time for mushroom hunting and the King Bolete enjoys the same high altitude haunts as the Elk do. So, not only am I up there root-grubbing around and meandering through the sun-dappled sub-alpine Douglas Fir ecosystems, but many hunters are as well, listening for the rustle of something in the woods. I am a lover of silence, I have learned a lot from the deer growing up in the woods, and my movememnts and manners can, especially when in reverie at Natures beauty, be much akin to deer and Elk. Emulating these peaceful and powerful forest beings is not a wise thing to do at this time of year, however, so i often find myself whistling a tune to signal my human-ness, or perhaps the spirit of the bard overtakes me and I get a bit lyrical or compose Tolkein-esque narrative.

I found these bullet casings on the North slope of Greenhorn Mountain in the watershed of a small spring. I like to pick up any trash I find when out on my hikes and forays, but especially anything hazardous to my environment, such as batteries. I'm not sure of the potential for heavy metal contamination of our watershed from brass bullet casings, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't a good thing. I collected these and brought them home to dispose of in a propper manner, which is to . . . well, . . . I really didn't know. Recycle them I guess, but I wasn't going to take a trip to the recycle station soon, so I kept them around. Soon, I began to look at them as found objects and metal material which might be fodder for my creative outlet.

These were a quick experiment in upcycling found brass bullet casings. I brushed, drilled and added simple Sterling Silver ear wires. This hazardous waste has been transformed into a simple yet edgy pair of earrings. They make great conversation pieces for earthkeepers and deer hunters, ecologists and Outdoor Educators.

Each pair come with small rolled scrolls with quotes about nature tucked into them. Particularly I like to put a quote by Aldo Leopold on his idea of a Nature Ethic in them, but there are many quotes from Emerson or Muir which would go great in them as well.

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land."

"This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species. A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these 'resources,' but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state."

Leopold, Aldo: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, 1948, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987, pg. 204.

If you like, they can be replaced by your own special scroll,scripture, list, wish, blessing or poem.

Or, sport 'em empty . . . or fill 'em with fairy dust, essential oils . . . get creative.

THE SERENDIPITY OF CREATIVITY

Creating jewelry is a very satisfying process for me. I find it a very enjoyable way to spend my time, losing myself in the creative process. I lose track of time with favorite tunes on for hours and hours as I "work"

Because almost every one of my pieces is a one of a kind unique creation, each one is also an experiment. I experiment with materials, design elements, textures and colors, and most of all, techniques of fabrication.

I make all of my works from scratch. Aside from some earring wires recently, i do not purchase pre-made components and put them together. I fabricate all of the parts of the pieces I make from scratch; everything from finding and cutting and polishing the stones/ materials to cutting melting, forging, milling, rolling and shaping the silver and gold. I find this to be very satisfying as none of my parts are standard sizes or shapes, everything comes from the creative process of dreaming of something and then manifesting it in the "real" world.

Sometimes this process amazes me even more by surprising me with lucky accidents which later become useful as elements on other pieces or as new techniques of fabrication or assembling. Recently I had to devise my own way of attaching silver to brass since the two metals seemed to be incompatible for simply soldering them together.

My latest ring, the Full Moon ring really stunned me with its surprise gift. The ring began as a nice lump of recycled silver which i textured in the brief moments while it cooled. It revealed itself as slightly moonish and so I re-melted it and re-worked it till i was satisfied with its moon-likeness. I like to have a lot of content in my pieces at least while I work. I find it very satisfying, so i began to contemplate and remember moon symbolism.

. . . ahh, the full moon, a symbol both simple and complex, speaking of completion of cycle, abundance, and symbolic of the height of power, the peak of clarity, fullness and obtainment of desire . . . and lunacy. In alchemical teachings, the moon is ...a facet of Silver.

Instead of any of the previous forms of ring shanks i have crafted, it struck me that a nice design element could be added to the piece by the mirroring of the full moons circular shape in the band. This was a great way to integrate the main of the ring with the shank, allowing the shank to be more artful on top of being functional. I decided on two large circles with a smaller one in-between which when laid out measured the requisite length to create a size 7&1/2 ring shank, a safe "average" and very common ring size for women. What I found after creating this ring astounded me.

These circles when observed from the bottom appear as another full moon with a waxing crescent moon to the left and a waning crescent moon to the right!

(this photo was taken before i brush-finished the piece)

This was a completely serendipitous aspect of it's design, not an aspect i had intended, but an unforeseen aspect manifest in the form of my design. It blew me away. I wish i could say that i had intended it to be this way, however, i am completely satisfied, and a bit in awe, with the way it came to be.

Sometimes things just happen this way and i take great joy in it.


The moon of this ring is of brushed Sterling Silver with a modicum of patina for the craters and seas. This sits atop a found White Agate which is set in lightly brushed Sterling Silver bezel.

This ring is a size 7&1/2
Main Bezel and stone of this ring measure 1" x 3/4"

Orlin Helgoe's Visions of the Prairie

When you google the web for Orlin Helgoe, you don't come up with much. He's mentioned briefly by name a few times and, oh, there's an out of print book about him and his paintings . . . and there doesn't seem to be any copies available. It gets even worse when you search web images with his name, all you come up with is misleading photographs of other peoples paintings which would lead the unsuspecting investigator to have a very wrong picture of his work. To me, this is a shame.



Lucky for me, I live in Pueblo Colorado. Now, I haven't used that sentence an awful lot in my life, and I do not use it lightly in this instance. This is Orlin Helgoe's hometown and so there are clues about him to be found here. Many of his paintings are collected at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center some of which are displayed through the year. The Pueblo City County Library District has a copy of the out of print book. There are other local artists living here who were students of Orlin Helgoe. His family and friends still live here.

The late Orlin Helgoe is known by some as "The Shaman of the Prairie." His work often depicts life and inspired moments on the prairie which he both loved to roam and paint. To me he was one who had absorbed the spirit of earth and sky, and took strength from the visions he recieved of the prairie. His powerful paintings exhibit that he was one who sought to pierce the veil between the seen and the unseen, to unify the outer landscape with the inner world.


His paintings are, well . . . full. Full of images and emotion and something else. Something they draw from the observer, elements which lead the mind of the beholder to translate, or fill in the blanks. Some of his paintings are close up shots of something, like the one of the dead deer he painted after killing his first and last deer on a hunt, or bleak landscapes with mysterious circles floating in the air, or some like the one these pictures come from which is an enormous painting depicting a scene which seems like a multiple exposure shot of several moments and perspectives at one level and then one finds that this multiplicity of scenes is comprised of many other smaller elements, smaller scenes and micro-mysteries.



When I found this stone the scene depicted in the picture jasper was instantly recognizable to me as Helgoe-esque. Although nowhere near as colorful or complex, it definitely reminded me of the elements in his work. When my subconscious mind sought to interperate the imagery of this stone it's only corroborating connection was "Helgoe." Here was a desert scene of mystery complete with the floating wheel within wheel orbs. No mistaking it, this piece was some kind of memorial to Helgoe and and the mystery of the wilderness of the local landscape. Were the stones speaking? Did they miss their lone wanderer? Did they miss the seeker of meaning and mystery, the "Shaman of the Prairie?"

Integration of Metal & Stone

I absolutely love being creative!

At times I find myself wondering and wandering around the studio looking at my materials. Things are arranged in a way which to the untrained eye might look chaotic. However, to be more accurate I would have to say it is a time-spanning chronicle, more of a testament to what is and has been of interest to me for the last several months.

Bits and pieces of stone large and small, found and oxidized metal parts, scavenged circuitboards, interesting and very old bits of glass bottles, sea glass, even sticks and wood scraps and old bits of burl lay about the large table I built for the shop. There are old watch parts, half made pieces of jewelry, stones already polished sitting next to custom bezel cups awaiting their setting, un-nameable iron fragments from machines and mineral composites from steel making processes, owl and turkey and finch feathers from recent hikes, sketches of pieces already manifest and pieces still in the sea of possibility.

Often when seeking some new inspiration I arrange stones in different positions, place them on top of one another, shift them around slide them over next to metal bits, looking for patterns of recognition on color compatibility or texture or composition. All of this process and analysis, to me, is felt and "seen" on a more instinctual level than those previous words let on or allude to.

According to the inner critics schedule, this is "Work" and can be thus seen to him if that is what he needs in the moment. That satisfies that "adult" and responsible part of me which is intent upon being efficient.

But to me, the real me, the little boy inside, this is merely playing, a natural pastime of exploration and creation.

During this sacred play time I often become aware of my subtle shifts of interest. Shifts in interest turn the compass for me and change the world I see. Soon I am sailing my ship in new directions to chains of small islands i have never been to but love.

On one of these islands I found a lovely integration of textured silver and amazingly textured stone. The rare bit of Hematite, reminding me much of the frog pond when it drys out toward the end of summer leaving only cracked mud, had an amazing texture. Unlike most Hematite you will find on the market, usually made into rings, this piece is not as dark and doesn't have the polishes black chrom-like aspect one usually sees. Instead this piece is a chocolate and more natural or organice color, a warm and rich darkness which alludes to it's story. history and ...mystery. This stone has been sitting in eyes-reach of me when in the studio for several years and has had this small orange Carnelian cabochon sitting atop it for nearly as long. I have often known these two would be mated, but it was still missing something.

For months and months now I have believed it was another stone, something which would pair up with this amazing stone and somehow compliment the things I see in the texture of the Hematite. But on this new island of creativity I realized that instead it would be I who creates that component of the piece through the fires of silversmithing and the esoteric arts of texturing and patination.

My work nearly always involves the integration of metal and stone, however this piece and the process in creating the front section for it takes it to a new level and a new field of play. I was able to experiment and create a texture process through amazingly simple methods (Using fire and stone and cedar wood grain and knot whorls) to create a piece which would refer back to the deep lines and sectioning found in this particularly interesting piece of Hematite.

The result is not only a very satisfying piece and a great sense of completion for a stone pairing which has been waiting years to be set and completed, but a confirmation that indeed my course of discovery and creativity lies in this direction for awhile ahead.

Inspiration Is Everywhere

"Sometimes you get shown the light/in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
-Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia

Inspiration is everywhere!

Yes, as a jeweler it can come from checking out other jewelers art, but for an artist with an eye for the abstract, the microbiological and the organic miracles of life on planet earth i also often find paintings to be inspirational, giving me a sense or a feeling or triggering a memory associated with color or texture.

Periodic synesthesia and, as Rimbaud would put it " . . . a long derangement of the senses," can help the poet become a visionary for sure, but "sometimes you get shown the light/in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

Such as reading the Sunday paper.
In particular, the New York Times Book Review.

There has always been a love in me for the sweeping and feminine forms of classic cars, and those fins and often creative tail light placements capture my attention.

It's something that is missing from todays car designs. An it's something that I miss.

I have no idea what the inspiration was for car designers in the last 25 years, but it definately wasn't aerodynamics, the female form or even the contributions of the ever-phallic rocket ships.

Oh well . . . we still have classic cars and we still have the history of them captured on film.





This inspiration is still in it's initial experimental and embryonic design stage, but i have a feeling it will fruit something beautiful and modern with roots in the classic.

Corbitals

Wheels within wheels of Sterling Silver hoops and a red Coral sphere bisected with an ear wire axis of Sterling Silver. Simple yet as dynamic as any two planets trajectories.

LIKE PLANETS

Like planets,
we orbit a common source

sometimes
we range far out,
on our lonesome

at other times we come so close
. . . passing in the night
with the knowing glint of starshine

this silver flashing lining
so momentary in the velvety bed of night
a warm and welcome touchstone
of unity.

main hoops measure approximately 1"

Midnight Inspiration

The inspiration for these Sterling Silver and Coral earrings came to me at midnight. Not a typical tale for me, for you see, i am a night sleeper, a dreamer. But, alas, this particular night found me awake and restless. The heat of the day had subsided with a miraculous rainshower earlier, and so . . . out to the studio i go.

To get there i must step out onto the back deck, my feet feeling the rain wet wood. I step down into the garden, following the straw lined path now very cool and wet, nearly squishy to my bare feet. In the day i have to be mindful not to step upon any creature for the rolly-pollys and ants are busy moving from the garden across the concrete patio between the studio and the garden.

I do not put music on, but opt to listen to the music made by the wind in the trees. A cool night breeze this is which blows through making my tall carrot flowers sway sleepily. And as i sit to meditate for a moment and take in this nights present moment, i am filled with inspiration and begin to look through my materials and my silver to manifest this complex sense of the night . . .

. . . and these earrings "inspircoral" are born . . .

. . . there is something in them of the sacred circle, the path of planets, a cool night breeze and my neighbors backyard wind chimes...the striving of the life force in the sea...the transformation of extreme forces, met with grace and peace, a creation somewhere between allowing and dreaming...

The silver swerve and circle are free to rotate around the axis of the ear wire. The coral bead is free to spin.

Upcycled Innovations

Human kind are story tellers. From connecting the stars in the night sky to create images of our mythic understanding of the seasons and our own cyclic nature to the stories we tell through television and new media we express ourselves and our dreams, our fears and our hopes. The pendant pictured above is Sterling Silver and upcycled television circuit board material. Once finished and about to be given a name, i suddenly noticed that it has circuit solder points which reminded me of the constellation Orion. "Orionic" is the first in a series of upcycled creations using circuit boards. When i saw the broken television someone had dumped in a parking lot, i was immediately struck by the turquoise like hue of the circuit board. I didn't even think twice about harvesting one mans trash. The neo-primitive urban hunter gatherer in me took what i could use and cleaned up the rest of the mess. I remembered my fathers code of "Leave it cleaner than you found it." This bit of culture would come out when we arrived at the place we would camp after hiking through the Olympic Mountains and we would scour the immediate area for pop lids or any trash. These days i impart this "leave no trace" on to my children as well as emphasizing a lifestyle of recycling, precycling (making consumer choices which reduce the need to recycle, such as buying produce from a local farm instead of in a plastic bag or a can or jar), and upcycling (taking a piece of trash or found object and using it as a raw material in the creation of something of greater value). I am glad i have found this piece of circuit board, it feels like the perfect upcycling material to integrate into my work.

Recently i made some lovely little Jade earrings. Getting back out into my studio after a hiatus was so much fun. This particular Jade was a lighter color than most of my material, and although not that milky sea green color, it is a beautiful shade of green.

My friend Kate said that they remind her of old styled "hippie glasses" which made me wonder about the subliminal influences. Has the muse gone all misty eyed and nostalgic on me . . . perhaps. Whatever the influence, they came out well and quickly found a new home with someone who loves them dearly. Another happy story.

There are many shades of Jades out there, and i have my favorites. But the fun is in the variety. I have some lovely rare "chrome" Jade which i prefer to call "juicy" Jade.

I also have a lovely darker and mysteriously marbled jade which my father sent me from Washington State. It was unearthed in a construction project near the place i come from and i am excited to use it in some upcoming pieces.

David A. Martin Interview with Fresh Peaches at Such Cool Stuff blog!

I was recently interviewed by Fresh Peaches for her Such Cool Stuff blog. It was fun to answer the questions and hopefully everyone will find it lively and entertaining.
The interview asks me questions about myself, my craft and things i love and love to do.

There's a link at the bottom of my blog to her blog, or paste the link below into your browser bar at the top of your screen to go to her site.

I am featured on Sunday, March 8th.


http://suchcoolstuff.blogspot.com/2009_03_08_archive.html

Stones From The Pools of Time

I gathered several small stones (as well as fallen bits of wild honey comb and several large Great Horned Owl feathers and Wild Turkey feathers) from Little Owsl Canyon with the intention of creating some jewelry to auction off as a fund raiser for the Friends of Little Owls Canyon.




This stone, when found immediately spoke of a starry night caught in a lightly reddish/purple stone. A canyon night with its ambient canyon colors and white specks. I cant wait to see what this one looks like smothed and polished.




Another favorite is this simple grayish stone with its ghostly footprints (well, that's what i see, a series of whitish markings in a line, to me this always feels like the print of movement, as in my The Path Illuminated ring.) "Ghost Dance" whispered the stone, or was it the wind through the owl feathers i had found, or the canyon itself, or perhaps . . . my inner shaman.





And this stone, so exemplary of much of the canyons colors and form. The play of sunlight and shade. The line of the canyon rim and the sky as seen from below. The corners and cracks and shifts in color and layers of geologic time of this canyons tale.

I am very excited to get to this series of projects because of its timely relevance and to the local flavor of its spirit. More time in these canyons is my intention for the coming good weather.

David A. Martin Jewelry in Etsy.com Treasury

Marta Sanchez has included me in another Etsy Treasury, this one tickles me pink!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41886