THE NEWBORN

Well, it's time to go further with an Improvisation theme...
I already mentioned that wood is material full of surprises, good and bad, but beautyfull anyhow.
Among those pieces on the earlier posts, you can see some that looks like a "curly" or so. It is very unusual pattern, wich I found when I halve apple tree's bottom. Still, it's not a whole piece good for carving. On some parts, it is soft and porous, not realy rotten, but it certanly behave that way. Drill goes thru it like you working with chees, not with wood. On the other parts, it is so hard that you are forced to use tools for dealing with metal. (It literally caught fire while I drilled holes to insert the silver.) Tools for wood just aren't strong enough to produce even a scratch on the surface.
What i did is to slice the piece on the smaller parts and "clean" each of them from "softys". Than, when i realise what's left of it, to finaly create something wearable and possibly likeable.
At the beginning, I had some rounded forms on my mind. Something like when you squeeze the sponge or a soft ball (well - if thay stay in that position). I also thought about some wrinkled surfaces, draped, swirled... it's a bit hard to describe. Idea was to make something that looks soft, of a hard material. As I'm not a sketch lover, even if they are so usefull, I made few fast drawings, just to remember an idea. Of course, it was just for a start. It is not an obligation. So I'm changed it a little bit, considering the shape that appeared infront of me during the "cleaning" process. I think it's more like "sedimentary rocks"-look, sort of.
I've also planned to attach silver or copper elements with wooden parts, thinking primarily on precious metal clay. It turns out, however, that I first used a piece of silver wire.

I didn't wanted to finish anything yet, but there was an opportunity to participate in an auction sale in the exhibition to which I invited next month. Theme of the exibition is "enviromental awareness", so I found that my work fits perfectly. All incomes are intended to purchase so-called "recycling Islands" ...
However, I finished this ring and sent it to the organisers. By the way, I needed a new packaging which I will use for this collection. I made a simple origami-box of recycled kraft paper and natural band, with which I am very pleased.

You'll be the judge of how it looks ...

TWO STORIES ABOUT THE WOOD

I'll share with you two stories. Each of them have a two versions, one for a romantics and another for a realists, becouse from neither of them i can not get rid of...

I - "MURMURING AND WHISPER"

a)

If you know and love trees and woods, this version is for you...

First you should know that I myself consider all the nature as a person. One who is many, who is all, and whos tiny part also are we.

So, when you have a piece of wood that you planning to reshape, first you just look at it, knowing that wood will eventually speak to you, if you are willing to listen carefully.

Somewhere in those blocks, my woodgems are hiding, about which you'll get a picture at the end. Voices were quiet and hardly you even hear tham beneath all that layers that cover them. Seems like indistinctly murmuring, which become a whisper... But, as deeper you go, louder they become, untill all the layers ware rejected to expose the naked and beautyfull soul of the tree, whos piece you hold in your hands...

(On those pics below, we were still not much farther than a whisper.)

. . .

b)

When we are among the wood, you never know what you could expect. Sometime, everything going by plan. Often, still, you find or a interesting and unusual decoration or a problem, like wood-node, a wormhol or even rotten part. Especialy if you use a unknown piece of wood whic isn't from the store, and you have no idea how dry is it and in what conditions it was stored.

In depends of what you find when you cut it, you must decide about your further movements.

Since i speak to you from the perspective of recycling and improvisation, you should keep in mind that almoust every piece is usable, only if you are able to adjust to the circumstances.

(On the pictures below are my firewood pieces, roughly halved, and than sliced on a smaller parts.)

. . .

There is also one shot of a saw i used, as i'm mentioned... The one who was almost killed me... ;)

Next story arriving soon, just after i take a little nap ;)

II - "THE TREE WHO WANTED TO BE A SUN" or "A GIFT FROM A FRIEND"

a) Once upon a time.... There was a tree, grew between the birch and chestnut trees in a park. It was so miserable that did not want to grow at all. In time, it is stopped even talk to other trees.

In the spring,it's saw the sun for a first time, and from that day looked only at it, wanting to become so shiny and yellow and forever leave the old park in wich was no place for him in any way.

Years are passing, the tree grew old and very tall. Men from the city decided to cut him down and build a fountain instead. People came, with a heavy machines, killed him, cut him to peaces, put them on their trucks in a hurry and left. But, near the hole, from where his roots are pulled, remain some branches - yellow as a sun.

(As you can see down here.)

b) Well, it was almous that way...

It was a tree from the "Futoski" park, near the Iodine spa, in Novi Sad (Vojvodina). Seems that the spa is really working, because that yellow is natural one.

Friend live in that neighborhood and often walks thru it. He collected this branch one day, without having an idea what to do with it. When i started to work on this collection, he gave it to me, on what i'm very gratefull.

(I put some pics down here, trying to convey how really "yellow"-yellow it is. Even my little companion agreed to pose, just to compare the color...)

Till the next post... :)

Rule No 1 - Everything is good for something

Where to start?... Huh...

I presume that, if you live in real world, that the way of making "something" looks like this: You think about what you want to create; when you got an idea, next is to buy all materials needed; after that, you just have to make it. Job is done.

Since I am here, in the Twilight Zone, everything going in a diferent order...

If you are an Penniless Improviser, you must always have in mind a few things:

-Keep your eyes wide open, you never know when you gonna find som cheap or even free material. It isn't about whether you need it or not right now, as long as you can buy it. You're goin to use it certainly, good opportunity should not be wasted, ever. Of course, the same is worth for the tools also.

Yeeeeees, I must brag about my catch of the week! And this one was badly needed... :

Did I mentioned those wooden blocks ?... Man, they are made from steel or stone, or both! I still don't have circular saw. What I have is a jigsaw, but those blocks are too thick... You guess - I cut them with a simple hand saw. That wasn't a fair fight - I could tell. (There is a good side of that all, I will not need a gym for a while). And I still have a lot to do, but (Here I look on You very significantly), for the next step, the solution is arived.

Aww, How beautyfull she is, my new engraver-drill! Found in a last minute, on the e-auction site, when noone is looked - Can you believe that she costed exactly 25€, and with a sending fees included? A new, unused, fully equiped drill with a flexible shaft, table clamp, telescopic stand rod + 214 different drills, pins, cutters, brushes, polishers...

Here she is, My Pretty One...

TO BE CONTINUED...

HELLO AGAIN :D

THIS BLOG IS NOW RESURRECTED in slightly different form than the one you have seen before :)

Starting from now, on this page, you could follow my actions in jewelry making, step by step. This would not be one more "how to make..." kind a blog, I don't have that ambition, just wanted to show you how it's possible to make really good stuff even if you don't have fancy tools and equipment ( it seems that on this point I need to make a little digression )...

Well, if I look back on the years that passed in searching and learning, allways with hunger for new technics, new way of using some materials or tools - I almost see the pattern: HOW TO CREATE WITHOUT MONEY? If you feel a real passion for creation, but you are not able to improvise, that could be a problem. Improvisation is way to survive. So... I decide to show how I do it.

I have no idea what that could be ( when I see it, i'll inform you ) , but, for a beginning, i spotted some interesting wood pieces down in my backyard. They look like rest from firewood cutting but have nice colors and some of them are very hard. There is also two or three realy light wooden bricks, easy for shaping....

I'm going to show them to you, one of these days, in original form, just the way I found them. In a meantime, i'll think about what they are good for, so you going to be a witness the whole proces of how from a firewood becomming a lovely jewelry.

I will also show to you all my tools ( which is not so many ), that was used to this project untill is finished.

What more can i tell?

If you're interested.. Welcome and enjoy :)