i can't get enough of lake michigan sunsets on the beach. it's that simple.

 
i have long loved the work of lalique (1860-1945) and his breathtaking art nouveau and art deco jewelry. many people are more familiar with his art glass pieces, but the jewelry is even more stunning in my opinion. i am very inspired by his use of color in particular. the color is primarily glass enamelling, a process i dabbled in way back in high school, but would really like to learn to do well. i'm all about having a huge skill set so my ideas are not held back by what i can do technically.

lalique often celebrated the female form in his work, as an element in nature that was purely beautiful. he clearly also saw beauty in all sorts of creatures not classically considered beautiful, like bats, sea life and insects of all kinds. the pictures here were taken from a book called the jewels of lalique.

 

just look at these magical, delicate honesty plant pods on the necklace below. it just may be my favorite piece of his. and it is totally on trend right now. truly timeless. i imagine most of the work is held in museum collections, which is good news. we can see it in person if we like. when i visit museums i always seek out any jewelry they may have on display. and i bring my sketch book!

last sunday at the orange house artisan fair, i picked up some yummy stuff! two big handle-less tea mugs in the most perfect matt green glaze and a tiny carved surafce tea bowl/cup, white on the outside and blue-green on the inside. i'm drinking tea out of one now and loving it. the prize i am most excited about is the hat i got in trade from shannon, the talented knitter and gracious hostess of the event. of course, it's green...but just look at those stripes! and the ear flaps have big ole tassels! and there is another tassel on the top! it's so cute and perfect for a cool spring evening sitting around a backyard fire pit - which is exactly what i did that very night. there are some new pictures up on the orange house blog, of the actual event if you want to take a peek.

i stumbled upon the work of fiber artist jeung-hwa park recently and just had to share. this scarf piece is one-of-a-kind, made from hand-dyed wool and silk that has been knitted and felted. it's one 75 inch long scarf and simply gorgeous! you can check out more of this wonderful work here. as i've been thinking seriously about a collection of hollow-formed copper and silver jewelry pieces i want to make, i've been noticing all sorts of hollow work in other mediums. this piece is really inspiring.

one of my favorite blogs, oh joy, featured a wonderful jeweler last week. i've been thinking about the collection alot since then. here is the work of marianne anderson, a brilliant british designer. i love how fearless she is in transforming a precious metal - silver- into something almost architectural by using a matt black patina. the work is modern, yet makes reference to lovely vintage shapes and patterns. as i am also influenced and inspired by unusual objects, this work really resonates. i see cookie cutters, 1920's lace, fireplaces screens and old chicago buildings. the limited color palette reinforces how strong the shapes are here. it's not often i see jewelry that i would love to own. marianne'e work is my new favorite. browse here entire collection here.

yesterday at the orange house artisan fair, we had a great time. channel 12 news listed us in their "fun things to do in portland today" segment. our friends, families and fans came out in droves and it was a lovely, sunny day. it was fun for me to interact with my customers and i finished the day with a good sales total. many thanks to shannon for hosting the fair in her beautiful orange house and to larissa and jessica for helping organize and promote so well! it was great meeting all the other talented folks showing their work and i made a couple of wonderful trades!