Then I reminded myself that I had, after all, stated when I set out the rules for myself at the start of this challenge that this was quite permissible.In fact, here is a quote lifted from the 'rules' which I posted back on New Years Eve:
4. If I have time and inclination to do so, it will also be permissible for me to accumulate partly made items as an emergency supply to finish on other days. The item will count as the piece for the day on the day it is finished and documented. Again, the ideal would be to make something from scratch, and while I will attempt to do this as far as humanly possible, there are bound to be some days when I’ll need my emergency supply.
Okay then! There was more than ample reason for me to take this option today. I only had a little over an hour of actual sleep last night, along with about another hour and a half of disjointed napping.
This after several nights running of less than adequate sleep. Not good for me, or for my work. It would have been bliss to sleep in today, but I had to be at work by 8.45 this morning. I only had to work a couple of hours, but I had a whole series of appointments set up for the afternoon that I couldn't skip out on (medical stuff for a family member) and then I had my couple of hours work this evening. I didn't get home till quite late and it had been a long, very hot, exhausting day. The smart thing would have been to just skip it tonight and make two pieces tomorrow. I have allowed for that in the rules also - and there is a very high likelihood that I will have to make that choice at least a few times during the year.
Not yet. For tonight, pride and my stubborn streak just wouldn't allow me to do that. I felt way happier settling for a low effort piece and being honest about it here on my blog page. It's part of the process.
So, to the piece itself:
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| Scarifier Point Pendant. Sterling silver, cubic zirconia, neoprene. |
The shape of the pendant is something I'd been squiggling in my visual diary on and off for a while before I used it. Classmates thought, not unreasonably, that it was an arrowhead. Actually, farmers daughter that I am, I was thinking of scarifier points. These are, if you aren't familiar with farm implements, metal tines - 'teeth' or blades, shaped a bit like an arrowhead or a spade (well, both!) which are fixed in rows onto a piece of machinery which is pulled around behind a tractor to break up and turn the earth. It's primarily used in shallow cultivation. It's something I grew up with - the sight of the long rows of turned soil and the rich scent of it, especially after rain, coming up off the furrowed earth - you could almost smell the fertility of it. This strong visual and olfactory memory is one of those you could say helps bind me to the place where I was raised and informs my character. That really does make this shape a strong personal identity mark or spiritual anchor for me. Definitely NOT an arrowhead. I'm a hereditary cultivator, not a hunter gatherer, though I suppose that must also be in my ancestry, as it is in all of humanity. Certainly one could argue there are bits of both in my nature as an artist - and in general - but I digress. It is late at night and I am prone to rambling!
When I designed this, I set the stone off centre as I enjoy a bit of asymmetry in my work now and again. I suspect I may have had in mind to further embellish the piece, perhaps with some etching or engraving. When I looked at it tonight, I decided it was fine without that. I do still have another that is in about the same condition this was when I picked it up tonight, so perhaps I'll decorate that one to distinguish it from its partner. The piece was formed and the stone pretty much set already. All I had to do tonight was a bit of filing, sanding and polishing, including smoothing the prongs a bit. I'd already made the bail and attached it, so apart from the clean up, all that remained was to choose and put together something to suspend it. None of my ready-made cords were the right colour, so I cut some 2mm black neoprene and attached a clasp. I used a commercially sourced hook and eye set, in keeping with the commercial prong setting. I designed and cut the piece from sheet, formed it, soldered in the prong setting and cut the prongs to fit the stone. I also cut and formed the bail, which was a far better match for the piece than a jump ring would have been.
Actual 'making' time tonight was therefore probably about 20 minutes, though I was almost an hour in the studio, as I spent a lot of time cleaning up - filing, sanding and polishing. I know it took a lot of time to get the piece made to begin with, mostly because it was my first go at prong setting and it was a very fiddly job for clumsy, novice fingers. I could really do with some more stone setting practice, so expect to see more gems in future pieces. Not just prong set, either. There's several other types I've learned the basics of and need to brush up on, besides also feeling I should have another go at this, and at making more of my own prong settings instead of using bought ones.
I seem to have spent the time I saved making something tonight in rambling on about making things instead. It's high time I signed off and had a serious meeting with my pillow. Perhaps I'll dream up something exciting for tomorrows piece!
That's cool! It might have been quick to make, but the end result is interesting as an arrowhead' shape, and the touch of colour is effective.
ReplyDeleteAntonia
Thanks A! It's a little hard to tell from the angle of the photograph, but although the setting for the stone is seated into a recess I've drilled into the pendant base, the stone is set quite high up in the prongs, so that it stands out from the piece and the light can reach it. That little touch of orange sparkles in the light. It was quick to finish, not quick to make. It was only a short job last night because the piece was made and only needed polishing and having the cord attached. Even so, that means it's now a finished piece, which it wasn't quite before yesterday.
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