Sunday, March 09, 2014

Bead Cruise Swag...

I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I was super excited to share these porcelain pendants that I made.  I carved out a heart with wings a few months ago.  It has sat on my workbench for awhile and I never got around to pressing out any pendants.  I decided to do so for the Bead Cruise that Heather Powers of Humble Beads is organizing.

I normally am not very fussy about my glazing.  I prefer a rough, rustic vibe.  I like them to feel almost like faded tie-dye and my process reflects that.  Usually, I stick to a single color (sometimes jazzed up with a few watercolor-like washes), but I thought that I would make these pendants special.  So I went in and noodled around with a tiny brush and did three separate colors.  Blue-green for the background, bright red for the hearts and a transparent clear for the wings.

I was so excited for them... I couldn't wait!  And then when I finally did pull them out of the kiln, I was highly... unimpressed.  Every flaw stuck out and I could see where the glazes had bled.  I was kind of bummed out.  But then, I continued as normal, with my process.  I tumbled them with polishing grit overnight.  Something happened.  When I did finally pull them out, I was pleasantly surprised.  The extra step helped bring things together.  Instead of looking like mistakes, embracing the flaws allowed the pieces to soar!  I hope that the participants of the Bead Cruise enjoy them in all their handmade glory.

5 comments:

Beverly Herman said...

Andrew I know the Bead Cruise participants will be thrilled with the pendants! Thank you for creating the perfect swag for the Bead Cruise!

Beverly

Beverly Herman said...

Andrew I know the Bead Cruise participants will be thrilled with the pendants! Thank you for creating the perfect swag for the Bead Cruise!

Beverly

Beverly Herman said...

Andrew you are awesome! The Bead Cruise participates will be thrilled with those very cool pendants. Thank you for creating special swag for the Bead Cruise!

Beverly

Erin Siegel said...

Andrew, they are lovely! I like how you describe your glazing style. I love the effect on these pendants the way they look "distressed" something like the look of worn in jeans. That's probably what I would wear with this pendant: My favorite pair of jeans, which is my everyday look, anyway! All the Bead Cruisers will love your pendants, including me!!!

Sarajo Wentling said...

Woo hoo! I'm just getting more and more excited about those Bead Cruise gift bags! Thanks for making us something special!