Konnichiwa - Welcome to Kyoto

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Welcome to another SRAJD challenge. 

    This months challenge theme is "Exotic Locations". 

    This weeks sub-theme is Kyoto, Japan 

   Now, where on earth am I going to find inspiration for this challenge............hmmm

    Let's start with a tour of my apartment. 

    Uchikake - Phoenix embroidered, Japanese wedding kimono hanging on the living room wall.
    A pair of black lacquer geta (wooden shoes) on top of the TV.
   The Japanese wooden block print photo above the wall unit and the red wrought iron Japanese character are the four seasons.
   You can see my collection of wooden Japanese Kokeshi dolls arranged throughout the wall unit.

    My prized possession - a carved black lacquer Chinese coffee table.
    It belonged to my grandparents.
    My great uncle was a merchant marine and brought back a pair of them from the orient in the 1950's. My uncle owns the matching one.
    On top you can see my two foo dog incense burners, and my Thai dragon candelabra.

    My sofa - a wrought iron day bed loaded with pillows. Most of the pillows are made from Japanese obis (kimono belt), vintage Chinese embroidery, or are otherwise Asian themed.
    All but three were handmade by me.

    You can see the rest of my kimono collection hanging in the bedroom.
     Two Furisodes (worn by a maiden, long sleeves), one Tomesode (worn by a married woman, shorter sleeves, less intricate design), and a gold Chinese robe with dragon embroidery.
    My Chrysanthemum sheets and Duvet cover.

    Featured on the Imperial seal of Japan, the Chrysanthemum is the symbol of the emperor and the Imperial family.

    A brightly colored child's kimono with a crane theme and paper lanterns hanging on the bed.
    Even my cat is part Siamese.


    My silk velvet Geisha scarf filters light from a window.
    Even my fleece blanket  has the Japanese symbol for "garden" on it.

        Let's not forget the patio......

    Zen garden complete with Pagodas, Koi pond and fairyland inhabitants. 

As you can see, I have a bit of an infatuation with the Orient. 

    This challenge was a piece of cake for me! 

    Asian influence is something that regularly makes an appearance in my creations.     As a matter of fact my Bead Soup Blog Party collection from last year had two Asian themed sets of jewelry containing handmade paper lanterns. You can view those here. 

"Hanami" 

  花見  The Japanese art of flower viewing. Generally Sakura blossoms (cherry). Occasionally Ume  blossoms (plum).

   In the springtime, the Weather Bureau actually reports the blossom forecast. "Sakura-Zensen" literally translates as the cherry blossom front.

    They take this stuff seriously here.    

   
       Sakura blossom shaped laser cut wood slices have been heavily spray painted to a bright red lacquer finish.


    They're topped with black and white kimono fabric Ume blossoms.

    They hang from handmade copper ear wires.


    Lava bead dangles represent Mt. Fuji.

           

    Hanami is an excellent excuse to have a garden party.
     Maruyama-koen Park is one of the most popluar places in Kyoto for Hanami viewing parties.

"Fushimi" 

 An upcycled mint tin decoupaged inside and out with Japanese paper. 
    Adorned with Geishas, and transformed into a "snuff box".   
    An Art Noveau style dragonfly button is perched on top of the box. 
    From a carved fan bead in black Cinnabar, dangles a long tassel tail.
   
    The red arches seen all over Kyoto, are called "Torri".
    These gateways are the traditional Japanese entry to a Shinto Shrine or temple. 
    Symbolically signifying the transition into a sacred place. 

    The red archway of the Torri has been replicated in red Coral beads above the snuff box.
    Hung on a unique strand of mixed beads. Red mother of pearl coins, turquoise Greek Mykonos wheels, Chinese Chrysoprase rondelle spacers, white ceramic coins with Japanese characters, Turquoise Chrysanthemums, Peridot green potato Pearls, large blue Mexican Zebra Jasper rondelles, red Coral nuggets, Lava beads, vintage black glass beads with murini, silver plated lantern and barrel beads, and black Komono fabric "Ume" blossoms. 
    Closes with a stainless steel hook through a Japanese Yen coin.
    
     This vessel will hold close whatever is sacred to you.

"Sadako & The Thousand Cranes"

     Miyako Odori - the traditional cherry blossom dance

    The auspiciousness of the origami crane finds it's origins in Kyoto with the man  named Abe no Seimei who worked as a spiritual adviser to the emperor. 

    He was believed to have mystical powers rivaling those of the Wizard Merlin. 

    Legend has it that he folded a paper crane and turned it into a real one. 

    Fast forward over a thousand years, and we meet Sadako. 

    Sadako was just a toddler when the atomic bomb was dropped on her home town of Hiroshima. 

    By the time she was twelve she was dying of Leukemia. 

    Hearing the legend of a wish being granted for a thousand cranes, she set out to fold them, with a wish that she could live. 

    When she realized she wasn't going to make it she changed her wish to world peace and an end to suffering. 

    "I shall write peace upon your wings, and you shall fly around the world so that children will no longer have to die this way."        - Sadako

    I'm adding my energy to Sadako's wish for world peace.

"This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world" reads the inscription at the base of Sadako's statue in Hiroshima.

A vintage filigree fan pin adorned with a slinky cloisonne dragon was used as the focal.
    Accented with a golden crane, a marble inlay globe, a Peridot briolette, and a gold sakura blossom dangling from a Carnelian rondelle. A small snippet of brilliant red sari silk added for texture.
    The bail was designed in a way that allows the pin to still be removed and worn searately. Then slides right back into it's coil.
   It hangs from a beaded chain of Carnelian rondelles, Green Czech glass rondelles with gold plated bead caps, and vintage blue pressed glass.

 Interspersed with vintage cloisonne Sakura beads and golden origami cranes.
    It closes with a gold plated blossom design toggle.

    




          "Blue Dragon"


       

  The blue dragon guards and protects the Zodiac. 

    He symbolizes leadership. 

    These earrings are made from upcylced cloisonne pen casings. Accented with Sari silk, recycled African glass, and Chinese bells.

   "Byodoin" 



    Once the home of the most powerful aristocratic of his time. The chief adviser to the emperor transformed his villa into a temple.
    This necklace was named for this temple, seen on the face of the ten yen coin.







        The Pheonix Hall at Byodoin is almost a thousand years old.
    The bell-fry is one of only three original buildings remaining of what was once a huge complex.

    A large cast coin pendant with double black tassels. Strung on black thread with alternating vintage mother of pearl buttons and turquoise lampwork glass beads with an awesome "Lava Lamp" design in red and yellow.
   Across the back of the neck is tightly strung mother of pearl buttons.
   Closes with Chinese Frog knots.

    I hope you have enjoyed your tour of Kyoto. Please don't forget to tip your tour guide.  ;)

    Now head on over to the SRAJD blog and check out everyone else's fantastic Japanese themed creations for this week.


   Just a few more days to a new destination......... Next stop Namibia, Africa.


    Hope to see you there.

Time, is not on your side.....

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Father Time

    Welcome to another SRAJD challenge. 
    This weeks theme is Chronos - Greek Mythology.

"Time, time, time,

See what's become of me,
While I looked around
For my possibilities,

I was so hard to please....."

    "Hazy Shade of Winter"  
                           - the Bangles 

    A bit of an understatement regarding Chronos.

   The Titan God of time and the ages in Greek mythology. 

Chronos devouring his children

    
Son of Uranus (sky), and Gaia (earth).
    He overthrew his own father from power by castrating him. 
       OUCH!
    He was so worried about the same thing happening to himself that he devoured each of his own children as they were born. 
        REALLY?
    If you didn't want kids you should have used protection. 

sentenced to hold up the sky

    As you've probably figured out by now, I'm not a big fan of "Father Time". 
    Fortunately Rhea, his sister and wife (Eww!), wised up and fed Chronos, a rock wrapped in swaddling cloth in place of her youngest child. 
    Then ran away to the island of Crete where she delivered Zeus and hid him from his father until he was grown. 

Zeus defeating Chronos

    Eventually Zeus did fulfill his father worst fear and overthrew him from power.
    Zeus led the Olympians in a ten year battle that eventually defeated the Titans, and banish them into Tartaros (a pit even deeper than that of Haides). 
     Not to mention saving all his brothers and sisters, by making Chronos regurgitate them.

Zeus

    A mixed blessing? ............Perhaps.   
    It is said that the period of Chronos' rule, was a "Golden Age on Earth", and that Zeus brought war to this world...... 
  
    Ironic, that even though the God of Time was defeated, he still rules over every moment of our present day lives. 

    Time is not my friend. Never has been. 
    For me it doesn't tick off seconds on a clock. 
    In my life, time is fluid like water. It flows like a river. Sometimes moving rapidly. Sometimes pooling for a rest in the shade. 

    My piece is a tribute to the defeat of Chronos. A bow to my hero, Zeus.
  
    "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"

   The center of my necklace features a postage stamp from the island nation of Cypress, encased in glass. 
   Cypress is a neighboring Greek isle to Crete, the birth place of Zeus. 
    It is adorned with Cypress' coat of arms featuring the laurel wreath, which represents the twelve Gods of Mount Olympus.
    












   Below the framed postage stamp is an upcycled watch face, representing Chronos. The hands of time that no longer turn. 

    On the bottom of the pendant hangs a vintage silver plated and enameled horse representing the Anemoi. The Gods of the four winds, who in the guise of horses drew the chariot of Zeus. 
    The Anemoi sired the Hippoi Athanatioi, the majestic immortal horses of the Gods, and eventually gifted the horse to mankind.

    It hangs from a chain of  Lapis Lazuli diamonds, alternating with upcycled pottery shards. 
    I used pale blue moonstone rondelle gemstones as spacers, and for lots of little dangles, to add sparkle and movement. 

    Culminating with two Greek Key links. 
    The Greek key, is also know as the Greek fret or the meander. 
    The meander took it's name from the river Meander, mentioned in Homer's "The Iliad" which had many twists and turns.
    It was the most important symbol in ancient Greece. Symbolizing infinity, or the eternal flow of things. 

    I used sari silk, wrapped with a deep blue textured yarn accent, across the back of the neck to wear comfortably. 

      It closes with a Greek key hook clasp with a moonstone cluster dangle. 

    On the back side of the postage stamp the title of the piece is pasted, ransom style. 






    All in shades of blue and white. 
         The national colors of Greece. 

theme music....

         "Everybody Wants Rule The World"
                                          - Tears for Fears

    Thanks for stopping by.
    Now head on over to the SRAJD blog to see what marvelous creations the other participants have dreamed up this week.
 
                     Here's hoping you Rule the day!  ;)

Night At The Acropolis

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    I'm a member of the SRAJD. That's the Self Representing Artist in Jewelry Design if your unfamiliar
    I just discovered that they've started a regular challenge. A monthly theme, and for the really ambitious, weekly sub themes.
    There is a weekly blog post of all the submissions. A winner is chosen from each month's submissions and there is a prize. The monthly prize is a feature on the SRAJD blog. There will also be an annual winner, receiving a trove of jewelry supplies.
    I'm intrigued of course. I could certainly use a little publicity.

    This month's theme is Greek Gods. This weeks sub theme is the God Dionysus.
    Some of the images seem familiar, but I had to do my homework. I'm not up on my mythology, and I didn't know anything about Dionysus.

Arno River, Florence Italy

    When I googled him I discovered that he is also known by the Roman name Bacchus.
    I know Bacchus. I learned about Bacchus when studying up for a trip to Florence Italy back in October of 2004.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence Italy

    He was the God of fertility and wine. He invented wine, and spread the art of tending grapes.
    He was also a patron of the arts. His festivals were a driving force behind the development of Greek theater. The theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus, built in the 6th century B.C. sits at the base of the Acropolis in Athens Greece.
    The last of the twelve Gods accepted at Mt. Olympus, and the only one with a mortal parent. He was the child of Zeus and Semele.
    Semele insisted upon seeing Zeus in his true form. She was instantly burnt to a crisp at the sight of his glory. Zeus rescued Dionysus and stitched him into his thigh until he was ready to be born.


    He was also known as the God of indulgence and ecstasy. Probably most famous for his wild parties.

    After doing a little reading a plan started to formulate and I got to work. A rather ambitious plan, because I could really use that feature for some publicity. Trying to get my work out there and actually sell it.
    Keeping my fingers crossed that all would work out.
















"Night At The Acropolis" - The wine flowed, the music played, and the Gods danced all night long. 

    The lute was forged from copper sheet and wire scraps. Ten separate pieces were soldered together, and then the strings were wired on to create the three dimensional instrument.

    Wrapped in a sea of twirling grape vines, with ruby Jade grape clusters and olive green glass grape leaves..
    Centered between two Lyre, made from heavy gauge hammered copper wire, and wire wrapped with 24 gauge strings.
    Flanked by two sections of Laurel leaf wreath. The twelve laurel leaves were also forged from copper sheet scraps. Soldered onto hammered 6 gauge links with drilled ends

    A laurel wreath is traditionally made with twelve sets of leaves to represent each of the twelve Gods of Mt. Olympus. I used just twelve leaves due to space constraints. One leaf for each God rather than a set.
    The laurel leaves are wrapped in Merlot sari silk. Finishing off the back with the sari silk for a comfortable wear.
    It closes with a hammered copper hook and sari silk loop.
    I am really proud of how this piece turned out.
    I mentioned that it was ambitious, but that was a bit of an understatement. This instrument is so far beyond my skill level. I'm completely blown away that I was able to pull this off.

    Soldering is one of the things I still greatly struggle with. I was completely winging it.
    Not to mention I didn't even know about this challenge until Saturday night. I cant believe I managed to pull this off in two days.
    This might be one of the coolest things I've ever made.

Head on over to the SRAJD blog to see the rest of the Dionysus inspired entries for this week.