Inside the Studio with MaryHardingJewelry

Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process, or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you will leave  comments!  As an incentive, we offer a PRIZE each week to encourage you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think.

At the next Inside the Studio post a WINNER is chosen at random from all eligible entries.
Here are the results from the last Inside the Studio post.

Congratulations to Victoria Lee!!!  You are the winner of a $20.00 gift certificate from GardanneBeads.  Please contact GardanneBeads to claim your prize.

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Hello from MaryHardingJewelry!! 

 I am happy to be back  posting after a six month hiatus while I waited for my broken ankle to heal.  I just got back into my ceramic studio about 2 weeks ago so I have limited new ceramic work to share with you today.   Below is a picture of some I made in June, 2016 but could not glaze and fire until a few days ago!!  My studio was inaccessible to me until I healed well enough to get around with a cane.  When I was laid up I had to keep my ankle elevated most of the time, so I could spend limited time making beads and jewelry but I adapted!! I made the beads below for use in my free form peyote stitch jewelry.

                            Picture below is some beads I glaze fired this week.

Beads in their unfired, greenware state by MaryHardingJewelry

Here is one of the peyote bracelets not quite finished that I worked on during this time.  I am excited about using my new beads in some new bracelets and necklaces.  So happy to have been able to fire them.

Since I have been back in my studio, I have also been working on orders for some very patient customers and for an update in my Etsy shop. I have about 5 racks full of greenware waiting to be sponged and bisque fired (hopefully this weekend.)

                                         greenware awaiting further finishing

Since I could not fire my ceramic beads, and I was feeling the need for more immediate satisfaction, I turned to my polyclay skills which I learned a few years ago at Christine Damm's Art on The Farm Intensive Workshop.  I was able to work in polyclay while keeping my ankle elevated in my LazyBoy chair.  I devised a tray for the clay and conditioned it with my hands and worked from my lap. 

I share below some pictures of what I made.  Most importantly, the making helped me tremendously in terms of keeping up my spirits and and filling my need to be creative.

                                   Poly open tube beads by MaryHardingJewelry

                        poly beads made in my lap and stored on a soft surface before being cured

                                                       more uncured polybeads

     Large leaf necklace I made to  participate in a challenge--poly  clay MaryHardingJewelry

Large hollow beads in polyclay using technique learned from Claire Maunsell

         Lillies inspired by the art work of Paula Modersohn Becker  ABS September  Challenge artist

I hope you have enjoyed this look at how I adapted to not being able to create in my usual way and medium. 

And this brings me to my question for today.  What medium would you choose to express yourself if you could not engage in your usual way for an extended period of time?

Leave a comment below and you will be automatically entered to win a $20.00 gift certificate to my Etsy shop. Hopefully it will be restocked in a couple of weeks.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I love being able to post again!!

Mary

    

What's New frome the Art Bead Scene Team

Now we are in the 2nd month of presenting What's New from the Art Bead Scene Team to share with you what we have been up to and what we have been making.  Due to the many commitments of our Team members it is possible that not all of us will have something new to share.  This month we have the work of 3 of us.  I will start today with Anne from Gardanne Beads and her new collection of Silvered Enamels.  These beauties are a mix of fine silver and enamel.

Don't you just love the way the enamels mix with the silver and explode into such wonderful shades of all sorts of color.

From Gardanne Beads  Silvered Enamel collection

For more purchasing options check out Anne's Facebook Group  Gardanne Handcrafted Enamel

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Michelle McCarthy has announced her 2nd Jewelry Designer Challenge with a sea side theme and lovely kit .  There are two color options for the coordinating beads.

                 2nd Jewelry Designer Challenge Kit by Michelle McCarthy  in blue

Another option is the sandy brown kit  in Michelle McCarthy's Jewelry Designer Challenge

You can participate in this event by purchasing a kit in Michelle's Etsy shop. FireFly DesignStudio

and joining her Facebook Group called Firefly Design Studio Designer Challenge

You will find all the information you need there to participate.

Michelle makes 30 kits available for purchase and has only a few kits, it any left.

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I have been working on a free form peyote stitch bracelet lately since I won't be able to get into my ceramic and metal studio for another 2 months due to a broken ankle.

 The ceramic beads are made by me and were fired at the Thousand Islands Art Center Community Raku Day last October.  The blue glaze is one of the many raku glazes that their resident potter, Serena Buchanan, mixes up and provides participants from the community.  It is an exciting and fun event.  I especially like the bumpy blue glaze that is on some of the beads and the sides of the snail focal.

       A work in Progress--Snail shell free form peyote stitch bracelet by Mary Harding.

Well that does it for this month.  Hope to see you in May with more new work from the Art Bead Scene Team. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Mary