Mussel and Pearl Hair Stick

November 5, 2012, 3:11 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

During the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and throughout the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates I do my best to stay informed by watching as much direct source information as possible. Meaning, as best I can, I listen to folks giving speeches live, in real time, without moderation/pundit babble. I have trouble though, multi-tasker that I am, sitting still, not fidgeting and staying focused. This year, to combat that issue I did all the chasing and repoussee for this piece in my studio. Each time I’d sit down to listen to a speech I’d do another round of work on this small copper piece. I wasn’t sure what it would end up being, but in the end I decided on a hair ornament, something that I use quite frequently (most often it’s a pencil in my studio). I liked the hammered texture, and the abstract form reminded me of a freshwater mussel, so I soldered in a pearl post, attached a stem/stick of sorts, blackened the copper and dipped the piece in a thin layer of iridescent epoxy resin. It’s a hard piece to photograph because of the contrasts of the black/shiny copper, the pearl and the sterling stick base. Hopefully you get the gist of this approx 2″ x 1.75″ hair ornament, with approx. 6.5″ stick. Have a look-see!