#107 Autumn Sky...

 Autumn Sky. Necklace. 2011. Blown glass, crystal, quartz, pearl, rubber tubing, sterling silver.

The first bit of cooler weather, the blue sky brilliant after days of rain, the sun touching my face, the first leaves turning orange...all lovely inspiration for a new necklace.

Three days in the studio and I feel my voice returning.

A confident mix of color, textures, sizes and shapes, combined with the syncopated rhythm of an elegant line. Balanced.


It says what I've been feeling...what I feel now.

Fall is in the air.

-karen anne

#106 More adventures in steel wire...

 Necklace. Forged steel wire, rubber tubing, quartz, jade, glass. 2011

 

 Earrings. Forged steel wire, crystal, glass. 2011

The last is a bit of swirly-twirly linear thinking -which is my most usual mode- because who could resist these gorgeous blue blown glass beads??? Certainly not me!

-karen anne

#105 The Politics of Grief...

The political stalemate we are witnessing is, in my opinion, a manifestation of our ways of dealing with grief in the wake of 9/11. Being angry, self-destructive, and having an extreme desire to be in complete control, is one way of dealing with overwhelming loss. Recognizing and accepting the magnitude of the loss, using the energy of the void to create something positive, reaching out to comfort and support others is another way.

There is no doubt in my mind that a traumatic event can make the world stand still. But how we view the world after  the dust clears and our shock dissipates is what divides the pessimists from the optimists; the stuck from those ready to rebuild.

Grieving and mourning take time and no one way is "correct". Recognizing and accepting that truth might allow us to be gentle with each other instead of lashing out and cementing  the dysfunction that so clearly grips our nation. The different political views could be mirroring different ways of grieving or be, more simply, a sign that some are further down the road in their journey to heal. Maybe we just need to hold the "other" in the light of love and give them reassurance that, even though they deny it, all will be well.

Just a thought.

Vendala Rose. Digital photograph. 2011

-karen anne

#104 Adventures in steel wire...

Bracelet. Forged steel wire, wood, glass. 2011

-karen anne

#103 Beauty is so fleeting...

As I write this, the flowers from the wedding are beginning to wilt and fade, their beauty spent. I'll be posting more pictures with details of the wedding over the next week or so, but for today I just wanted to show you the two bouquets I made - the larger one with the pink roses was Megan's (the Bride!) and the smaller, cream one was for Emily (the Maid of Honor):

Photo by Jeff Benzon

Megan's bouquet was made up of Prince Jardinier garden roses (so fragrant!), Carla Romantica spray roses - both ordered online from Whole Blossoms, Vendala roses ordered online from Sam's Club, seeded eucalyptus, and rosemary from my sister's garden. I wrapped the stems with a wide satin ribbon dotted with pearls, securing it with a line of pearl corsage pins, and gracing it with my great-grandmother's sapphire and pearl crescent pin for the perfect old/borrowed/blue touch.

For Emily's bouquet I used mostly Vendala roses, a few of the Carla Romantica roses, and green hypericum berries (also ordered from Sam's Club) and just a touch of the rosemary. I wrapped the stems with a soft olive green wired ribbon, finishing it with a line of pearl corsage pins like I did for Megan's flowers.

I was really anxious about how the flowers would last in the heat of August, but they did beautifully and were much hardier than I could have imagined. Next time I do something like this I won't be such a worry wart!

Here's another pic (taken by her friend Sarah L. Smith) that shows Megan with her bouquet and her handsome husband Andrew:

I've gotten very little done since the wedding - I just keep looking at the photos! She and Andrew are such a wonderful couple and their love and happiness just leaps out of the picture, doesn't it???

-karen anne

#102 And more...

Jeff Benzon added a few more photos of Megan and Andrew's wedding on his Facebook page.

Click and be dazzled!

What a talent Jeff has, huh???

Her friend, Sarah L. Smith took this one and posted it - I love that Andrew's mom, Sylvie, is over Megan's shoulder (in the beautiful teal dress) and I'm over Andrew's:

-karen anne

#101 They take my breath away...

The wedding was all that I hoped it would be. Megan was an amazingly beautiful bride and Andrew an incredibly handsome groom. I'm so tickled with how her dress came out - the most exquisite garment I've ever had the opportunity to make. It was pure joy to work on, knowing it was for my sweet girl. The flowers that my mother and sister did were also absolute perfection. (I'll post pictures another day.)

Here's the "sneak peek" photo that the photographer sent Megan this morning:

 
He hopes to have all the rest ready next week...stay tuned! Jeff was a high school friend of Meg's and is now wonderfully talented professional photographer. I can't wait to see the rest of the shots he took!

-karen anne