In the zone

Up and in the zone, great feeling when nothing else enters the mind except for what is immediately in front of me.  Up to now I have been working with clay that is air dry, very  convenient and comes in all forms.  Recently I have a foray into the clay you bake in the oven, have resisted this as not from paper, but one has to try everything.  On the jewellery making front, I can see its endless  possibilities, but for me the endless kneading and rolling for the clay to become soft and the fact, that in the baking it can be a bit hit and miss and can easily discolour and take on a scorched look !

Tried various Faux ideas, turquoise, coral and pebbles have all been very successful, tried a different technique today, making canes.  I didn’t want some “neat and precise” flower design which many are, instead I made my own version of “delft ” a contemporary look ! in the same cobalt blue.  When I rolled out thin  slices the designs stretched and took on a whole different look which I pieced together over a bangle blank, in fact its one of the stainless steel circles chefs use to force their food into neat circles, worked a treat.  Ended with a nice “handmade” kind of look, which I quite like.

Then I tried a black and white geometric affect, again rolled out to give different sized triangles.  Again very patchwork and handmade looking.  Need to talk to other people who are working with this medium so anyone reading this get in touch or share your page with me……..