...Celestial, Empyrean, Transcendental...

So.......! Here's how my mind works... A few weeks ago, the winner of my facebook competition Annabelle Loi came up with these delightful three words of inspiration:

~Celestial~

~Empyrean~

~Transcendental~

Beautiful, evocative words that paint such a picture in my mind...  Here's how I get from a word to creating a piece........bear with me here - I'm just going to write how it goes for me - just *my* own personal interpretation based-up my intimate association with these words...

The first thing that comes to mind is movement - stars across a dark, midnight blue sky. A starlit journey. A mix of dark and light. Chiaroscuro. Sparkling, shimmering yet subtle and enigmatic.  Each word, to me, is both feminine and powerful.  Powerful does not have to be 'in your face' bold.  In this instance, the words conjure up a delicate female beauty in neutrals, perhaps interlaced with subtle blues.

'Movement' - how to create in a piece of jewellery?  'Journey' - fluid, organic form taking the eye from a to b... 'Midnight' blue.....iolite.  'Starlit'.......dotted sparkling gems along the pathway.  'Delicate and feminine' - soft, curling, meandering, circle, cluster.  The colors....white, black, greys, blue....... (chatoyant moonstone / white topaz / labradorite / opal / iolite / spinel / moss amethyst).  Oxidized silver for the most magical effect of course... Here's how this looked in my sketch book (you'll see my sketches are usually *just for me*!): 

Plan in place and with my head spinning with creativity I begin............... Silver, gemstones, torch, hammer, and a few hours of concentration (whilst listening to His Dark Materials) later - the Earrings are ready to drop into the alchemic potion that is LOS!   Well:  Here they are!  Annabelle - I hope you adore them - I hope they meet the picture you painted for me?  And - *thank you* so, so much for giving me such a well of inspiration. xxx

But....... running on adrenalin that I currently am, my brain doesn't know when to stop and journeys off into poet form and expands this imagery into a moonlit love-story, which I'd love to share...Obviously the title a play on a famous Shakespearean quote:

~Well Met by Moonlight~

Celestial bodies of glistening light

A bright supernova salutes the dark night

And far, far away in a thought and a dream

A soul grasps it's twin in a shimmering beam

A moondance

A sundance

Transcending dimension

Soft touches

Deep glances

Empyrean ascension

And there on a mountain of tourmaline green

Two spirits meet in a moment unseen.

So... that's me done. Three words - three amazing words and that's what happens.  ~Emily~ xx

...the madness of may...

~May~

The Sun was there

The birds were there

and He was there

and She was there

And over fields

and streams of light

They danced their dance

'til day was night.

As night was dark

The stars their guide

Lit up their skin

which swayed and sighed.

Enraptured, consumed

Sublimely One

They coiled together

'til Morning Sun

                                                                                               

...the alchemy of art...

I've had this blog in mind for a long, long time... Somewhere to begin my ramblings on life, art, passion.  Last night I had a gentle kick up the backside in the form of a conversation with someone who I find beautifully inspiring, eloquent and soulful.  Waking up feeling poetic and grounded at the same time.......I realized I wanted to begin capturing my meandering thoughts on my work, my loves and my life....

As a jewelry artist, people are always asking me how I maintain my inspiration and creativity.  I realized last night it's down, purely, to being able to seek beauty in all it's forms - from the almost insignificant to the downright earth-shattering.  Having a clear and open mind helps enormously and, when my mind is troubled or chaotic, the creativity flows far, far slower. Simply noticing interaction between your own senses and the facets of life that move them is enough for ideas to be born. This 'alchemy' is what I realized to be, stripped down to words, the process of my creativity.  Soaking-up life's bewitching essence and using my medium of gemstones and metal to create pieces that express this magic. ~E~