~ collectible contemporary artifacts to display on your wall or around your neck ~
The ann*ifact© collection of Jackalope Jewels® is our ultimate line featuring my original graphic art ("jackalart©"). These pieces can be worn as necklaces or displayed as artifacts, and each is available with a matching shadow box frame.
The images
My imagination provides me with all of my jackalart© images. Most of these are inspired by rock formations in which I envision a figure or a scene. After I draw the image, I scan it into my computer graphics program and reduce it for tracing onto the porcelain pendant medallion.
The pendant medallions
Each ann*ifact© begins with the image, as do all of my jackalart© pieces. I select one of my original art images and decide what shape and size I think is most appropriate for a background to the image, then I roll raw porcelain clay and cut out that shape and size. I make a little high-fire wire hook and insert it into the top of the piece; this will serve as a hanger during glaze-firing and as a way of securing the silver wire to the pendant when I wrap the pendant later.
After the medallion blank has air-dried, which takes 1-4 days, I sand and smooth it, then incise the back with an appropriate decorative design. Sometimes I do a bit of carving on the back, as well. I apply 3 coats of clear glaze to the area of the front where I will paint the image. When the glaze has dried, I fire this piece to over 2100 degrees F.
After determining what I feel is an interesting background color for the image I intend to paint, I apply that color of glaze to the front rim and the back of the medallion. I usually apply 3 coats of the color-glaze; sometimes I paint all or a portion of the back design with appropriate underglaze colors. When the glaze has dried, I fire the piece to 1828-1900 degrees.
I trace my original art image onto the front of the medallion, then paint it with porcelain paints and fire to 1320-1450 degrees. To obtain the interesting color nuances and degree of saturation that I prefer, it's necessary to apply multiple layers of the porcelain paint, with a firing after each layer. The final layer includes my signature on the ront of the pendant. When the image is completed to my satisfaction, I wire-wrap the medallion with sterling silver wire; this wire-wrap serves as a hanging device as well as an additional decorative element.
The ceramic beads
With the pendant medallion finished, I determine what shape, size, and color of ceramic beads I want to accompany it. Sometimes I like to match or complement the colors in the image, and sometimes I like some dissonance, depending on the general "feel" of the image. Of earthenware clay, I roll or cut the beads I want, pierce each with a barbecue skewer, let dry, sand and smooth, apply 3 coats of color-glaze, let dry, then fire to 1828-1900 degrees. Sometimes before firing the glazed beads, I paint a bit of decoration on them with underglazes.
The handmade glass beads
With a propane torch firing at around 1700 degrees F., I melt glass of the colors I've decided upon to accompany the pendant medallion. As the glass becomes molten, I wrap it around a steel mandrel. After I''ve created a satisfactory core bead, I melt additional colors onto the core color in decorative patterns. As soon as the glass is of a diameter I like for this particular ann*ifact©, I remove the mandrel from the flame of the torch and insert it into my kiln, which is holding at 900 degrees. After all beads of this batch have been put into the kiln, I program it to rise to 960 degrees, hold for an hour, then cool slowly to room temperature. This kiln process anneals the glass beads, giving them additional strength and shatter-resistance.
The finish
In some of the ann*ifact© pieces, I've incorporated stones that my husband and I have collected, and which he has cut, tumbled, and drilled.
I select Swarovski® crystals, Bali-style sterling silver accents, and glass seed beads to accompany the beads and pendant I have made. I also occasionally use vintage glass beads or natural material beads like shell, stone, or coral.
After stringing all of these components in what I believe to be an artistically meaningful arrangement, I make a clasp of sterling silver wire, attach a sterling tag with our Jackalope Jewels® logo stamped into it, and attach the clasp to the piece.
Note:
As I stated in my introduction to the general jackalart© collection, my objective figural work is imaginative/intuitive/surrealist/symbolist in concept and is not intended to portray any actual person/s, living or dead.
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