It’s been snowing here all day. Joan decided this would be a good time to take over the studio and start staging our booth for next weeks craft show. Every December we set up at the Montrose Bible Conferences’ Christmas artisan’s craft fair. We try to come up with something new each year. For this show J has been busy crocheting several patterns of “infinity scarves”. Last year we sold my metal work pieces and jewelry Joan designed using found items. I decided to try a different tack this season making painted pendants from smooth river stones. I got the idea for these while taking photos down in our lower pasture. The North branch of the Wyalusing Creek flows through that field. Neighbors from our area like to fish there (some families have multi-generational favorite spots) and also set out minnow traps for baitfish. This summer while taking some photos of a particularly nice home made woven willow trap, I noticed a few thin smooth water polished stones in the pool where the trap was being set up. I picked a few out of the water (why?) I haven’t a clue, they just appealed to me on some level. Weeks later I decided to try and use them as pendant stones with painted designs. This evolved into painting spirit animals, flowers, bugs, dragons, etc. Our small tributary creek couldn’t provide enough stones of the type we needed. Over the summer and fall we set off on a few stone harvesting safaris to the main Creek plus some other sites blessed by the glacier with stone deposits. It was an education. Not all smooth stones are suitable for pendants. Some aren’t drillable and shatter, others don’t take paint well. Over the course of the last months I managed to complete almost 200. Then J takes over (between scarves) and decides how to finish them off. Some will get multi-color kumihimo braids, a few beaded presentations, others just plain leather, satin or hemp cords. I had a good time with this project, it spanned a variety of subjects, from Smaug’s eye to a Jersey Cow. I’m thinking next years output will involve some weaving. J has a new loom.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 00:10:53 +0000