W/Hole hearts...names beginning with r...

the back of names beginning with r

Made 23/09/2011...names beginning with r...roger(my dad)... I had made a serious of bird rings and brooches that were dedicated to my father, so placing a bird on the back of the r brooch seemed fitting. the cut out clouds was imagery that was conjured-up from thinking about my dad still watching over me...sitting in the sky watching. I placed gold leaf as the background, because is connects to my mom's brooch (p) and it was sunshine and happy.

Birdbath Brooch

 Birdbath Brooch
Silver, Perspex and Steel 
2010

I realised that I have not posted this brooch as a finished jewel, I set the 'bath' into the perspex rim and created quite an elaborate back...also need to take an image of that. I'm happy with the finish and way that I have linked everything together.

Bird house brooch

Elements that make up the Brooch, the bird will set the back

Back view of Birdhouse brooch

Front view

This is what I've been doing today....

Bird house brooch

View from the back with plate cut

The front view

Cutting a pattern on the back of the brooch

Second Rhino cut of Birdbath rim

Bird-bath rim re-designed (Rhino) and cut (JWX10)

This was my re-design everything is alot bigger and the perspex is not trancelucent but, a solid white this is much more effective. I was desiding wether this should be made into a ring or a brooch, it became a brooch with quiet a complex system to 'set' the bird-bath...pic's to follow

Birds

My new adventure is about birds, as always they relate to my childhood and memories as well as a reminder of my father, who was an enthusiastic bird watcher and kept a beautiful aviary.


The images that I associate with the birds are...bird-baths and banksia roses...there was a massive bush over the aviary at home. This range started by modeling birds in bee's wax and then casting them...I did something similar for artisan a while ago but as always things move on. I'm using my new shape ring as a base for the birds to perch on and am trying to model the birds in quite a lot of detail...The first ring was quiet simple three little birds sitting on the ring...I sort of remember a rhyme about dickie birds sitting in a tree...there are also three children in my family and I think three is a great number.

Birdie with feet, sculptured from bees wax then cast, sterling silver

How the bird sits on the ring, its feet will wrap over the top

The next ring is my little bird sculpture where i wanted to try be a bit more realistic, so I decided to add feet,it was quite fun filing these up a challenge to say the lest.Soldering it to the ring was another story all together, I had to add a pin that comes up through the shank in to the birds body. I'm pleased with the end result and the bird is much sturdier with the pin.

Rhino design for bird-bath rim. Cutting on JWX-10

Next challenge the bird bath...not to sure if its a ring or a brooch but I have designed the outer rim on Rhino and am doing my first cut on the JWX-10... this takes ages but the results should be worth the wait.