Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 5: Snake Charmer

Snake Charmer Oriel Pendant and Matching Itsy Bitsy (front of both pendants)

This week's pendant is taken from a photo of a dance I performed a number of years ago. I played a snake in a Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers performance about "fractured" fairy tales. Snake-y, beautiful music with Doree Clark choreography that utilized some of my belly dance training. And of course I crawled all over the stage. I made an Itsy Bitsy that could be worn with the Snake Charmer, using bits of the ribbons used on the front and back.

Snake Charmer Oriel Pendant and Matching Itsy Bitsy (backs of both pendants)

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 4: Serpent Eagle Custom

Custom Philippine Serpent Eagle (Front)

Last week I was finishing up on a custom oriel that a friend asked me to make as a gift for her brother's girlfriend. She owns one of my oriels, a custom Golden Eagle, given to her by a group of friends. Her brother's girlfriend fell in love with it, so Bonnie wanted me to create something similar for her. Since this woman was born in the Philippines I went online to look at birds that are indigenous to the islands. I was struck by the fierce beauty of the Serpent Eagle. What a gorgeous bird with its golden eye, raised crown of feathers, and the white dots that decorate its neck, "underpants," and wings. As this is a custom animal totem oriel, eagle energy represents strength, ferocity, vision, and endurance. This is power that needs to be handled with respect, and I saw the bird wheeling in blue skies surrounded by the light of blue crystals, which call forth the clarity of higher knowledge.

Custom Philippine Serpent Eagle (Back)

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 3: Vamp Lifeblood

Vamp Lifeblood Oriel (Front)

I am resuming my (definitely) sporadic Weekly Oriel Pendant Challenge, but in truth I created more than 30 new pendants for my street faire last month (and will be posting some of them as the days go by) so this could actually be Week 33. But that would be cheating, wouldn't it?This pendant was inspired by this year's Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers production, Vamp. The graphic image was taken off the net -- I couldn't find a credit, but if I run across it again I will give the artist his or her due for this strong, feminine image. (I suppose I picked her because she looks a bit like me in my vampire costume :).) She is backed with a black silk ribbon and a cool white embroidered ribbon (like her so so pale skin) embellished with a maroon ironwork scroll design. A blood red Swavorski crystal rhinestone dots the base of her neck -- like a drop of blood. She has the power to take, or to give, lifeblood. Swavorski crystal beads in jet and red hang from an appropriately Gothic pendant.

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 3: Animal Power Oriel -- Bobcat

Animal Power Oriel: Bobcat

In the past few months a friend of mine, Nise Santiago, and I have collaborated in designing necklaces for my Animal Power Oriels. Nise creates magic with gemstones and silver, and is a wonderful teacher. We just recently went to a bead show, which opened my eyes to the completely primal and beautiful world of gemstones. I felt that Nise's necklace creations could complement my oriels, especially the Animal Power (or Totem) oriels that I wanted to start making. These collaborations would showcase specific wild animals and the power, beauty, and substance that these animals bring to this world. And -- if you wanted to go one step further -- in wearing these necklaces you would draw on those physical, emotional, or creative qualities that each animal symbolizes.

This first Animal Power Oriel collaboration features the Bobcat, a small wildcat not easily spotted, but very familiar to the Western Hemisphere. The Bobcat constantly observes his environment, but only rarely shows itself in public. In ten years of walking my local Deer Island I have only seen a Bobcat twice -- within the same month. It was only about 10 yards down the path in both instances. It looked at me boldly, then jumped off the trail into the bushes the one time, and the next sighting casually slinked around to the other side of a fallen tree and watched me carefully as I moved on past him! Knee high in height, with a coat beautifully marked, tufts of hair at its ear tips, almond-shaped and colored eyes -- this is no ordinary housecat -- the Bobcat radiates exotic, wild beauty! In my readings about Bobcat energy, the trait that speaks loudest to me is the ability to "see deeper" or to pick up on hidden things. "Trust in your senses. Even if there is no logical reason, trust in what your inner voice is saying." -- Lin Here are some other links to Bobcat totem information: Wildspeak, Animal Properties.

Animal Power Oriel: Bobcat

Necklace: agate, muti-faceted crystal quartz, silver beads and findings
Oriel: lead-free solder, (3-D) beveled glass, paper, hand-dyed ribbon, Swavorski crystal rhinestones and beads, dried flowers, silver beads

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 2: Harem Wish

Harem Wish Oriel Pendant (Front)

This is a 3-D oriel that I just created. It still seems unfinished to me, but I'm posting it anyway. I'll let her sit around for a while, maybe even wear her and perhaps the inspiration will come. The front of this oriel features a beautiful harem girl. It was taken from an advertisement, probably from the 1920's. I like her open face and the colors of her garments. She is resting on the middle pane of glass. A fused ribbon and Swavorski crystal rhinestones ornament the bottom of the oriel. On the reverse is another harem dancer, this one is an Erte drawing, also from the 1920's or 1930's.

Harem Wish Oriel Pendant (Back)

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 1: Deer Totem

OK. I am restarting my pendant challenge to create one new oriel design a week. I think I've started and stopped this twice. Maybe this time -- the third attempt will be the charm.

When I was living in Boston I would often drive out to one of the parks a few miles outside of the city. I would hike out into the woods and try to get a grasp on what direction I wanted to go with my life. One park in particular sticks out in my mind. I found a trail that led up to a crop of rocks surrounded by pines. There in the warm afternoon sun, I would sit down on the rocks and gaze out over the view of trees and hills. A feeling of calm and rightness would soon merge with my awareness. During these visits I would meditate and call on spirit guides to help me. The one that appeared most often in my musings was a female deer -- I called her Ramona.

There are many different interpretations of deer symbolism. Stephen Farmer's Power Animal Cards says that the deer totem represents the pathfinder, the instincts that we have and should trust to guide us through situations. In Medicine Cards, the deer totem represents gentleness of spirit, which heals all wounds. And then what also comes to my mind is the movie Powder. In it a hunter shoots a deer and then touches it as it lays there dying. He merges with the deer and feels its fear and pain as his own. In doing so his life is transformed and changes forever.This Animal Totem Ariel is 3-D and shows two deer standing side by side in front of a field of tall grass. The back is a hunter green ribbon with gold flourishes. I used beveled glass on the front. The dangle is a silver-toned East Indian charm with Swavorski crystal and green semi-precious stones hanging below. I have dangled from the necklace Swavorski crystal beads in Erinite green and Dorado copper-orange.

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 1: Flowers Perfumed Her Hair

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" -- Frida Khalo

This new year I am restarting my personal Oriel Pendant Challenge to create one new pendant design a week. I may not achieve that, but that's what I'm going for! In this last week I finished one that features Frida Khalo. I used an image of her from one of her self-portraits, placing it on top of two ribbons fused together. I added tiny dried flowers to her hair, the kind that manicurists use to ornament fingernails. The back of the oriel shows the words "Perfumed with Flowers".



This pendant is also my submission for Day 4 of the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge.

"Through her paintings, she breaks all the taboos of the woman's body and of female sexuality." -- Diego Rivera on Frida Kahlo

The Bird and the Rose: Pendant Challenge -- Week 8

I decided to keep working on shadow box-style oriels. I had a pin I purchased in Mexico a few years ago and thought it might look good in a 3-D. I took a pair of pliers and snipped off the pin-back and glued the bird-rose pioece to a rust-colored, embroidery type ribbon. For the back of the oriel, I found this verse from a poem: "the bird and rose in rapture sing...." and glued the phrase to a piece of scrapbook paper. I sandwiched the two pieces between a beveled glass front and a plain glass back, then wrapped them both in copper foil making sure I left an even space around the whole oriel. A green-enameled leaf branch, a red bead, and a pewter bird charm complete the oriel. I really like the way this turned out, and it is fun to wear on a big ball chain necklace.

Red-Tail Hawk Totem: Pendant Challenge -- Week 7

I am behind in my posting on my weekly pendant challenge! Shameful, but I'm over it.

I have always had an affinity for Red-Tail hawks -- ever since my high school sweetheart introduced me to the art of falconry (and kisses in the back of his Dodge Dart). I even learned to mimic their cries, thanks to my grandfather who taught me how to call my ponies up from the lower pasture with high-pitched Indian whistles. Whenever I hear a hawk calling, I call back (you really can't say it's a whistle, it's more like a scream). Shocks the hell out of whoever is near me, but the hawks respond positively and we have a conversation back and forth until one of us tires of it. In animal shaman lore, Red-Tail hawks represent mystery and magic. So look for good things coming into your life when you hear or see one.

If you like this oriel and want to know more about it or purchase one, visit my Etsy shop.