Earring Challenge Grand Finale

After much holiday eating and a little fun in the sun, I'm back to share the last earrings I made as a part of my earring-a-day challenge. I will say, that this was indeed a challenge. Trying to make art happen while juggling my work schedule and dealing with life stuff was not easy. Making art isn't just about having time, it's also about having inspiration/energy. I did my best to keep up the momentum for this challenge, but there were just days where the energy was not there. That said, I'm glad I did it, and would certainly do it again.

conch nautilus spirals

leonardo nautilus spirals

pop of orange dangles

These and many of the other pieces featured on this blog will be featured at the next Isla Mujeres Artist Fair, this Thursday! I'm really excited about the new spiral work and the new paintings that have come through this process. I'm hoping for big sales and lots of new connections.

Artist Fair!

And as for what's next in projects for me, I'm working on a photography book. I hope to be sharing pages soon, and am looking to publish some time in January.

Stay tuned!

And the spirals continue!

For yesterday's challenge day, I went a little nuts making spiral bases. I love the new design and want to make more more more. I managed to finish one pair, but will be busy-ing away on some more today.

touch of reggae nautilus spirals

And yesterday offered a bonus canvas.

red sky in the morning

Sometimes I feel like painting is a lot like writing poetry. Was it Robert Frost who said that a good poem is not finished, it is abandoned. I definitely don't feel like this canvas is finished yet. I know for sure I want more orange, but not sure where else it will go. We shall see!


10 days down, 5 more to go!

Earring Challenge Weekend

Apologies for the delayed post, but the weekend didn't allow for much blog time. I have new earrings to share, though. And I have a new design! *happy dance*

Here's the roll call:

Day 7

I decided to try my hand at some simple dream catchers. I'm not totally convinced by these, but it was a pair of earrings done.

pajaro catchers

Day 8!

For day 8, I decided to try dream catchers again. But, I cut my wrap thread a little too long, so I ended up with something that looked more like a constellation. Interesting, but I'm not totally convinced by these earrings either.

fire constellation catchers

Day 9!

For day 9, I had a little more time to play with beads, so I decided to experiment with a spiral design I'd been playing around with in my head. I love how simple yet pretty these little spirals are. They remind me of nautilus shells.

aqua nautilus spirals

Day 10! (That's today!)

I've got a full plate today, and am not sure if an earring is going to happen. So, I decided to start work on today's earrings last night and finish them early this morning. Maybe fudges a little bit on the timeline, but I'm happy to have some earrings done, just in case. For today we have a cute pair of half mandala earrings and more nautilus spirals.

complicated creamsicle dangles

neon nautilus spirals

Thanks for continue to follow the earrings challenge. Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

9 days down, 6 days to go!

Challenge Day 6!

Yesterday was another rough day for the earring challenge. I looked at the clock, it was nearly 9 pm, and I had nothing but some cut pieces of wire. I was really tired and unmotivated, but I pushed through. And, these earrings were the result.

touch of purple dangles

I was truly channeling "fake it, 'til you make it" last night. And knowing that I needed a pair of earrings to post on this blog really helped me push through. Thanks to all of you who check in on this blog and leave comments about the challenge pieces. You truly are my motivation right now.

6 days down, 9 to go...

Earring a Day Challenge, Day 5!

Yesterday was a super-busy day, so I wasn't sure if I would get my earring in. I managed to find a couple hours before having dinner with friends to play with my seed beads. I decided to pull 5 colors at random again to see what I got. I pulled black, gray, brown, royal blue, and turquoise. Considering that I've been working with really bright colors lately, this was not looking good. I tried to think of things that I knew that had that color combination. What I eventually settled on channeling was the peahen.

Source

While missing the grand plumage of the much photographed peacock, the peahen is just as majestic in her own right. After all, she is the one all that grandstanding is meant to impress.

peahen dangles

These are colors I seldom use, but I love how these earrings turned out.

5 days down, 11 days to go...

Earring a Day Challenge Part 4

For challenge day four, I stuck with my seed beads. These little neon wonders came into the world during a pretty quiet shift at work.

ocean sunset dangles

These ocean sunset dangles came about from pulling random bead colors from a bag. I really like the way they turned out. I will definitely be doing the random colors game again.

skittles dangles

These skittles dangles, believe it or not, came during a serious sweet tooth moment. I didn't get any skittles, but ice cream was on deck.

Let's see what today will bring!

4 days down, 11 days to go....

Earring a Day Challenge, Day 3

Yesterday I got the chance to have an art play date with my good friend Pamela. She's a fabulous painter, mixed media artist, and photographer. Check her out here.

We listened to disco funk and let the creative move. Pamela worked on a sequined Guadalupe collage, and I created these fun little half mandala earrings.

disco dangles

twist of lime dangles

Last night was a blast, and I hope to have another art play date soon.

3 days down, and 12 more to go....

Earring a Day Challenge, Day 2

Happy Monday, everyone!

I'm happy to check-in today with my earrings from yesterday. I'm definitely in thread-wrap mode.

purple with white triangle dangles

I really like the simplicity of the form in these earrings. The line design is a bit complex, but the earrings themselves are fairly neutral.

yay, line play!

I also really like the white triangle accent.

And, wouldn't you know, I got another bonus yesterday! Two, actually.

sun

wave

I started these canvases yesterday morning while listening to the lovely Esperanza Spalding. Maybe it was the music, or maybe it was the fakin' it, but I really felt some great creative energy while painting these. They're not quite finished yet, but I'm excited to see how they develop.

So far so good!

2 days down, 13 days to go...

Earring a Day Challenge

Ahoi hoi beaders and art enthusiasts!

I have a bit of a confession to make. While I have sketched many new ideas on paper, I have not made a new pair of earrings in a month. It's a little disheartening, as I love making jewelry and find a great deal of comfort in it. Sometimes the muse just isn't there. But, I'm a firm believer in "fake it, 'til you make it". So, I'll be challenging myself to make a pair of earrings everyday until the end of this month. I'll be posting the results here on the blog to hold myself accountable. I've done "earring a day" challenges before, and have found them to be deeply rewarding. The push to make something, anything, even if it's bad, is just the thing to get the creative mojo going.

Here's the pair I whipped up for day one of the challenge:

Tropical Tango Hoops

I made these late last night, and had so much fun. It was the first time in a while that I didn't feel pressure to make something that would "sell". Instead, I enjoyed experimenting with the thread and let go of the result.

Tropical Tango Hoops

I love big bright earrings, so these neon hoops are right up my alley. I think I'll be wearing them quite a bit :)

And if making a pair of earrings wasn't enough, last night also gifted me with a bonus canvas.

Random Rainbows 1

I'm so glad that I've started this personal challenge. I can't wait to see what else comes forth.
1 day down, 14 days to go.

A Poem for a Rainy Thursday

Lately my days have been spent working and not doing very much art. The muse is on vacation. But, I do try to write a bit everyday, just to keep the energy of art in my being. Here's a poem I've been working on called "Rorschach". I'd love to know what you think.


Audio and voice recording >>

A Father Discovers the World of his Son

Source

Source

As a budding photographer, I am always looking for inspiration. These beautifully haunting photos by Tim Archibald came up in my Facebook feed this morning, and I just had to share. Click here to see more of Archibald's images, including a full article on the series.

Giant Dream Catchers

I love dream catchers! They are beautiful delicate pieces that can created in so many different colors, sizes, and flavors. This week I was feeling a bit down and all my hands wanted to do was make dream catchers, BIG dream catchers. I have to admit to feeling better for it.

dream big

Happy Monday, everyone!

All who wander

wandering feet (a collage of my many journeys)

Follow the Light Within

Dancing in the Digital Realm

Hi all,

Sorry for being away so long! But now I'm back with something new: Digital and Photo Art!

hammocks

I have loved taking pictures for years, but what I love even more is playing with photos. I have spent the past week working with effects, filters, color exposures, and digital paint. I am in love! There is so much potential for this medium. And, although computers get a lot of flack, there is a lot of meditative potential here as well. Working with my stylus on the screen was just like working with a brush on a canvas. I even did some designing from scratch.

lovelovelove collage

This was designed completely on the computer, inspired by these hand-made cards I painted last month.

So with this fun new technology in hand, I decided to jump into the digital realm full on and post my new design on cafepress.com!

 
   
 

  love patter Note Cards
 
    by
    sunRaycreations
 
 
  Find more cards
  &
  unique gifts at CafePress


This design will be up for a trial period. I just want to see how it goes. Please check this out and share with your friends. And if you have any experience dancing the digital realm, please leave a comment. It's always nice to hear from you.

Here's to exploring new realms!
Cheers!

Stone Love

I love working with gemstones. I love the feel of the stones. Some are opalescent. Others cool to the touch. Some are heavy, and some are fragile as bird bones Each stone has a vibration, an aura, if you will. And if you're willing to listen, to receive, the stones will share.

This week has been all about rocks and wire. I got my start making jewelry this way, and it was such a joy to explore this space again.

Purple Light ring (Amethyst and Sterling Silver)

Lollipop Tree dangles (Jasper, Copper, Sterling Silver)

Now that my jewelry pliers are all warmed up, I have so many ideas for stones and wire. For more wire wrap jewelry from this week, check out my Facebook page.

Cheers!

Playing with Paint

This past week has been all about putting paint to canvas. While I never thought I would call myself a painter, painting has quickly become a heart space for me. That said, before anything else, I'm a writer. So, the canvases that have been coming up are really meditations on the words and feelings that I am exploring right now. Here are a few completed pieces:

love love love, acrylic on 7 x 9.5 canvas

Hope Cards

Smile Cards

It is often said that you are what you eat. I believe that that applies to language as well. The language that we consume affects our day. I created these canvases to create positive energy. Each word became like a mantra for me as I painted it. There have been some tough days in the past few weeks, but working on these canvases helped remind me that I am loved, there's always hope, and a smile can change everything.

As always, if you want to see more of my work and get prices for sale items, check out my Facebook page.
Please like and share the page with friends.
Thanks for stopping by!

Paint on the Fingers

Works in Progress

Rainy day paint day :)

Dreamweaver

I've been thinking a lot about dreams and dreamers lately, and even wrote a pretty lengthy post about them over on my other blog Life Explorations. Many cultures have their ideas about dreams and how to manifest them, but I would say that no dream symbol is more well-know than the dream-catcher. According to Dream~Catchers.org, dream catchers originated in a time of nightmares. Their design came from an elder's vision of a spider's web attached to a hoop. This is pretty good tidings, since a vision, itself, is a sort of dream. The hoops were hung over beds to catch the bad dreams and let the good ones slip through.

Silver Lady Webs with Aquamarine embellishment

While my little dream catchers are not exactly the same as the original design, the intent is the same. We take in so much energy throughout our day, much of it negative. What better way to filter the bad and take in the good, than to hang dream catchers from our ears.

Night Sky Webs with Blue Aventurine embellishment

I had a great time make these, and also got to play with some embroidery floss and stones that I've been carrying around for quite some time.

For more dream-catcher earrings, check out my Facebook page.

If you've had any experiences with dream-catchers, please share them in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading

Beauty of Bone Part 2

The little jewelry experiment I started with my calaveras beads ended up being an epic fail! I didn't even take pictures because it was not pretty. I did, however, find my rhythm with a different design. I'm quite happy with the results.

Blue on Blue Calaveras 

I love how the dark blue calaveras and the brilliant turquoise tassels play together. These are really fun earrings to make. I'm a big fan of tassels and had a blast making them in other colors. For pics of more calaveras earrings, check out my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/sunRaycreations/226959264486 

Thanks for reading!

Beauty of Bone

I adore Mexican sugar skulls. The vibrant colors are whimsical and fun, but the ability to embrace such a pivotal part of being human is what speaks to me most. Our bones are the building blocks of the human structure, and they are what we leave behind when we leave this plane. So, imagine my joy when I walked into a little bead shop in Hilo, Hawaii and saw these colorful calaveras (Spanish for skulls).

Colorful Calaveras!

 I've been carrying them around with me since that fateful day in December, and finally had an idea this morning for how I would like to play with them.

Work in progress

We’ll see how things turn out.

The Long Way Home

It's been far too long since I have posted anything on this blog. For shame!

Life is a bit of a whirlwind right now, but the one constant is the creative impulse. I've been making making and making some more. I even tried my hand at starting an Etsy shop. At the moment, here is where things stand:

I love paint!
I spent the better part of the summer with paint on my fingers (and clothes!) and I love being back in touch with this medium. When I wasn't able to carry my paints around, I worked with oil pastels. While I very much miss making batiks, paints and oils are more portable, which is what I need right now.

La Rosa, acrylic on canvas

Olas, acrylic on canvas

Metal Rocks!

On one of my recent trips I made a ring out of silver from start to finish. It was such an amazing experience. 

Ring in progress!

I really want to work with metal more. I picked up some silver wire and beads, which will hopefully appease my metal needs until I get settled enough to set up a metal working space. 

True love never dies.

While I've had the great please of picking up some new art/creative tools, my little seed beads are still number one in my heart. When things were really turned upside down recently, I turned to my beads for my deepest form of artistic meditation. There's something about taking such small, almost insignificant things, and turning them into earrings and other things that really makes me feel that art can transcend the physical plane. And knowing that those little seed beads can become something so much bigger, allows me to believe that so can I.

Expansion

I have been wanting to have an online store for a long time now. I had hoped to use this blog to jumpstart it, but I just haven't been able to keep it up. That said, I am always on Facebook for one reason or another, so I decided to launch an art page there. You can see all of the new pieces I've completed on that page, and if you would like to purchase anything, you can contact me from that page to do so. It's not as glam as Etsy, but it works for me right now. 

The link to the page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/sunRaycreations/226959264486

If you click the like button on the page, you'll be updated with any new pieces that I've completed on your Facebook timeline. I'll will try to post things more regularly on this blog as well, but the Facebook page will likely be the most up to date.

Sneak Peek!

Here's some of what I've been working on.

Complicated Rainbow

esperanza en el corazon, acrylic on canvas

Dancing Tree, oil pastel on canvas

Red Door dangles with carnelian stone embellishment

For more art, check out the Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/sunRaycreations/226959264486

Cheers!