The inspiration for this month's We're All Ears Challenge from Earrings Everyday is the sculptural land art by Jon Foreman. As soon as I saw the sample pictures from Erin, I knew I could come up with something.
It was the textural elements of the rock formations that really captured my attention. I considered several different mediums to create something tactile and bumpy. Remembering that I had little time to complete my contribution, I fell back on what I knew - tin.
I used the plain bottom of an old cookie tin since I knew I wanted to color the pieces myself. Then, a disc-cutter was used to punch out the smaller circles from the tin before punching the larger circles. I felt that it would be easier to align everything that way. And, it was.
From there, I sanded all the edges before breaking out my Vintaj Patinas in deep turquoise and opalite. These two blended beautifully together.
I felt that the colors echoed the light, washed-out hues I saw in the artist's work.
Once the patina was dry, I used dimpling pliers to add the texture that had stood out to me in the inspiration photos.
I tried to get some of the symmetry seen in his work but struggled a bit with that.
The patina was sanded off the raised dimples before being coated with a matte sealer.
I added the glass beads to the open circles to give the earrings a little weight and additional texture.
With the addition of ear wires, these earrings were done. While I don't think these are any kind of exact representation of Jon's beautiful artwork, his sculptures absolutely inspired every step of the creation of these from the get-go. Thanks to him and to Erin for issuing this fun challenge. I needed a break from some of the other things swirling in my head.
Make sure you head over to the We're All Ears reveal at Earrings Everyday to see what Erin and other artists made with the inspiration!
I think you have nailed this challenge! Your earrings are beautiful and perfect for the challenge. They reflect the simplicity of the materials that the artist used in his creations and the symmetry of his designs. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Mary! I was totally rushing on this and didn't have colors I especially wanted and felt like I was floundering through this one, but definitely didn't want it to pass me by since the texture called out to me so much. I appreciate you taking the time to stop and comment!
DeleteHope, I love the earrings that you made. I have had dimpling pliers on my to buy list for awhile. I just moved it to the top. Using the bottom of a cookie tin is brilliant. Well done!
ReplyDeleteKathy, Thank you so much! As for the dimpling pliers. I LOVE mine! I don't use them often, but it's always so nice to have them handy for projects like this. I can't wait to see what you do once you get some. As for the bottom of the tins - I hate to see anything go to waste and those bottoms are such a great blank slate. I often find myself using them more that the rest of the decorated tins. That's awful isn't it!?
DeleteI admire how true you tried to be to the inspiration given. Adding the beads was a good idea since it adds the stacking quality that Foreman employs in his work.
ReplyDeleteI love everything about these - the disc cutting, the dimpling and the painting! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteTerry, Thank you! I'm glad I went with this idea rather than my first one, which involved polymer clay, which is not a medium I work well in. The textured came out just the way I wanted. Thank you so much for your kind words!
DeleteOh! The color just grabbed me the minute I saw these! I love the ombre effect! I also love that you took the inspiration in the direction of the concentric circles of the patterns that Jon makes with the rocks, translating the natural colors of the rocks into this dreamy palette. These are awesome. I could see you making these in a whole range of colors perfect for the summer! Thanks for playing along with me in the We're All Ears challenge! Enjoy the day! Erin
ReplyDeleteIt's evident that your earrings are inspired by Foreman's land art! I absolutely love your use of the dimpling pliers for the texture - very clever. Your earrings are beautiful, and you nailed the challenge.
ReplyDeleteOh, Anita, I'm so happy you do see his designs as inspiring my earrings. It was such a hard balance. And, any reason to break out those dimpling pliers is a good one! They're so much fun to work with. Thanks for hopping by!
DeleteThe dimpling texture is such a cool idea! Love your interpretation!
ReplyDeleteThose are super fun, Hope! I really need to get me some dimpling pliers. I keep forgetting about them. I love the texture you created and the pretty colors you chose for the patina paints!
ReplyDeleteSarajo, You should totally get dimpling pliers. I waited too long to get mine that's for sure. I may not use them often, but love the results I get when I do! Thank you for the kind words. Your opinion always means so much to me.
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