27-28/52 Just Friends

Finding happiness being alone forces you to see not just the relationships of significant others, but of friends and family as well.

I have been wanting so much to make friends, now, if you're my friend, please understand I love you, but I probably haven't seen you recently. The kind of friends I've been wanting are the kinds I get to be with, to share food and time with.

This pieces is making friends with the opposite sex. It's freaking hard some times! It's hard because I am always on my guard, I don't want anyone to get hurt or mislead and sometimes that leads me to limit how open I am with them. At the same time I don't want to push away a good friend because of my own suspicions.

I took my filigree motif from Circle of Love to depict a deer and a wolf, they are separate and not even facing each other, yet there is still some connection and they are fragile. If you're not careful they will break.

26/52 Anniversary Ring

I made this piece specifically for me, in honor of my own anniversary.

Lately it seems like a lot of couples I know are having their 50th anniversary and while everyone tells me I have plenty of time, 50 years from now I'll be 75... the odds of me having a 50th wedding anniversary are getting pretty slim. And you know, I decided that's alright, I've been taking new steps towards being happy and satisfied with myself and my life. I had an exceptional good day and decided that was my own anniversary. 50 years from now if I'm around, God willing, I'll buy myself something gold and celebrate 50 years of love and satisfaction :)

 With a matching necklace

Half way slump...

So friends, fear not, I have not given up. I am getting pretty behind on my rings (and even farther behind with my posting of the ones I've already made)

A lot has been going on and on top of that my delay comes from a place of not wanting to settle for easy. I have 3 rings that I've started, made a bunch of parts for, but didn't complete because I wasn't "feeling it". Instead of pushing through and making something I wasn't satisfied with, I started with something new to let the ideas cook a bit. This is different from what I had been doing this year, which was pretty much going in with an idea and making a ring within a day once a week. I'm getting back to my process of ideas and development. SO the good news is that I'll probably catch up quick when things click.

More good news: I got my very first Fordom Flex shaft and I am so in love. I've been doing everything via elbow grease for the past year and a half and it is SUCH a relief to be able to get things done quicker and more efficiently.

See you soon with lots to share :)

Love Rae <3

21-25/52 Elements Puzzle Ring

This is a VERY late challenge ring, for the Japan Relief elements ring.

I'm still working on figuring out a mechanism to keep the pearl in place once all the rings are together, either a screw top or button mechanism.

21 & 22

Fire and Air

23

Water

The pearl needs to be removable for reasons shown below

I'm thinking up a creative mechanism to do so. 

24

Earth

21-24

Set

25

With our Powers Combined...

All 5 join together to make one ring.

20/52 Friendship

I made this ring at home while contemplating friendships, it isn't much in it's self, but it inspired me to create the following necklace. I used to make friendship bracelets and necklaces often as a child, my early craft habits peeking out I suppose. I made them fast and well and girls would ask me for them. Ironically, while most people like me, I struggle to maintain lasting friendships.

Yes, life happens and people move away, but I feel it's more than just that. Everyone is too busy, but busy with what? Busy with being with other people. It used to be my grand pity party, but recently it's more of a sober reality. No matter how close I come to someone, to the point that I would do anything for them at a drop of a hat, at some point they push away. I thought perhaps that I am overbearing, so I made an effort to give plenty of space, all that resulted was not being included. So, what now? I'm out of college and working in a very small work environment, I join book groups and hang out in public spaces hoping to make friends... hope... hope... hope...

 The Strands are not a simple continuous strand with equal amounts of string, but a complex web of smaller and larger connections, some of them continue into others while others taper off. 

19/52 Separation Anxiety

This came to me in an instant. I think after being away from my studio for three weeks, my creativity allowed for the 5 hours I had this week for instant production. 

Here we have two rings, both permanently attached, and yet very distant. The pieces representing a relationship, some of you may recognize the play on symbols... The square is another piece from my "chaos" textures (see Pandora's Hope) and well... the copper circle is for you to figure out. sigh.

18/52 Still Running

This deer (yes, it's a dear and not a kangaroo) was an abandoned piece from my VERY FIRST soldering project. (see Octiram) My instructor thought the legs were too thin and the piece not fitting for the project... so I set her aside and every time I'm brain storming I would think of her and somehow it never worked. Seven years later I had an idea that was perfect for her and she was more than happy to get out of her little box and into the world. "Still Running" is perfect for her because when she was first conceived my concept was about fear and running from it, after all these years... well... she's stil running.

RAW 17/52 "Consider the Birds of the Air"

Third in my Kawaikute Shinde series, "Consider the birds of the air" refers to one of the bible verses that I remind myself of quite often in order to not worry. However, sometimes in life, we see the birds of the air fall to the ground for no apparent reason and it becomes hard to consider them... this idea came to me during the news rush reporting mass black bird deaths a couple of months ago.

 (expanded to see entire bird)

I made it a little to long for my fingers, but I am happy with the textures.

RAW 16/52 Easter Tryptic

A play on my previous tryptic, idea borrowed from MetalRiot :) 

On Good Friday Alan and I decorated Easter eggs to celebrate, I managed to successfully blow out a few of them for my future Easter egg tree ^.^

15/52 Final Flight and the completed "In Between" Triptych

Concerning Meaning:

I conceived this concept a little less than a year ago, with the combination of not having a work studio and being scared of getting it wrong, I had prolonged the completion. Four weeks ago I started (only working on Saturdays) and this past weekend it was finished. 

Please feel free to see what you may in this composition, however, everything I do has purpose and meaning. I have heard many an artist refuse explanation in order not to undermine the viewer's ability to draw on these meanings and arrive at their own. I am in between this philosophy and being forthright in my intentions. Below is a BRIEF and abstract explanation of why these creatures are standing here together. Please, again,  I wish you to find your own meaning, expand on mine and gain an appreciation of my message.

Together these three beings (all representative of aspects of my life) create a complex environment. The Deer finds herself (yeah, I know, she has antlers... deal with it) she finds herself between two personalities which may harm or help her. The attention is drawn to the one who can help, not only by destroying the enemy, but by giving her freedom... this creature however, isn't easy to find or to hold onto. She could infact walk on her own, but it is not her nature... she would rather risk gaining the attentions of the Great Deceiver in order to have a companion. Her heart knows however, what a true companion should look like and she hopes to discover him. If she is so fortunate, it would be her final flight. 

 Final Flight

 In Between Worn

In Between Standing

14/52 The Great Deceiver

This weekend  I fixed ring number 12 (Oh Dear). You couldn't tell in the original photo because I photoshopped it, but in the process of soldering the two bands onto the base, the ring popped open. In general it was a bad solder, the metal melted a little and the bands themselves were too thin. I liked the look of the thin bands, but being too small and square, it was rather uncomfortable to take on and off. Clean up was also in order so I got that done as well.

So! 

I took off the o rings and fashion incredibly comfortable U rings. I also completed the second of the series "The Great Deceiver" which much less difficulty than the first. 

Oh Dear, The Great Deceiver and a preview of the last ring in this series. 

 Before ^ and After v

 Back and Front