What's Next?

Damejoyas has grown a lot since her incipience, and that growth continues with the upcoming Arts & Crafts at Iroquois event that I'll be participating in this Friday-Sunday. I've been in San Francisco for the last several days, so I haven't been able to create, but I did glean quite a bit of inspiration that I'll tap into when I return to my studio tomorrow. Here are some of the sights I was attracted to:

Sculpture on the Berkley Campus

The End of the Forecastle Journey

The Forecastle Festival event ended at 12:30 this morning, and was a blast except for the dust. I found homes for Damejoyas jewelry characters, gathered a couple of commission prospects, met a few awesome people, reconnected with old friends, and danced a little (I couldn't resist the live band beats). While I made it home at two, sleep did not envelope me until three, and boy did it feel good.

The following mixed-media pieces feature my hand-formed beads/pendants (I'm working on matching earrings):

Naranja Peace--Necklace

Lala Bead--Bracelet

Lala Bead--Bracelet

Lala Bead--Bracelet

Fiesta--Necklace

Time--Necklace

Mina--Necklace

Forecastle Countdown: Today is the Day!

It's been a rough journey, but with lots of help from family and God, here I am. The Forecastle Festival has begun, the Damejoyas booth is beautifully adorned with my one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces, and the following was the first to be adopted:

Features hand-formed, striped box beads

Forecastle Festival Countdown: Day 2

Only two days before the festival! I've been working around the clock like a crazed artist (which I suppose I am), but when I behold the round table of completed, one-of-a-kind jewelry characters I designed and crafted, all I can think of is how there simply aren't enough of them. If only I could hire 50 elves to help out in my studio! Or if I had sixteen hands, or the ability to alter time, or create at warp speed. I can't imagine where I'd be if it weren't for my parents, who have continued to volunteer hours of enthusiastic support. My husband has also pitched in with bead sealing and food preparation. My son has found his niche in sanding. And my brother, who joined the crew yesterday, is a jack of all trades. He learns fast and spent the hours sanding, sealing, stringing, and modeling, as you can see from the photo to the left. He also jumpstarted his own Damejoyas marketing campaign to get the word out to his friends. I am grateful. I must also thank my Aunt Joyce, who so diligently spread the word about Damejoyas on facebook.

There are three things I have learned during this part of the journey: 

1) Having faith in God has the power to eliminate the stress factor. If I were doing this without him, I would have had a mental breakdown by now, instead of experiencing this calm that allows me to continue to be productive.

2) Quality is ALWAYS superior to quantity. If I don't make the big numbers by Thursday night, I will still have peace of mind because I know that what I do bring to the table will be wearable art that I am proud to share with the world.

3) I'm doing EXACTLY what I need to be doing: Creating. I deeply enjoy the process of hand-forming my own beads (the Lala Beads are already a hit) and pendants, and visualizing how pieces will need to come together in a Damesque sort of way.

I must get back to work, but here's another peek at what I'm doing:

Forecastle Festival Countdown: Day 7

Lala Beads

I refer to the little red bowl on my sculpting workbench as my Lala Land Bowl because it's where I toss random pieces of left-over clay. But from the bowl to the palms of my hands, these beads--Lala Beads, were formed, and they're just as beautiful as the beads designed with a specific plan in mind. Ultimately, they appeal to my appreciation for asymmetry and strangeness. 

Forecastle Festival Countdown: Day 8

Since the forecastle festival is an advocated earth-friendliness, I plan to have numerous jewelry creations from my EcoExcéntrica and De La Tierra Damejoyas families, which are composed of recycled, repurposed, and natural materials. Thanks to my awesome parents, who have become paper bead obsessed as a result of supporting my creative efforts, there will be no paper bead deficit at my booth on Friday. Here's a peek at a few hundred beads they managed to produce in record time.

Here are some additional jewelry characters I've been working on. Only the first one is finished. Subsequent characters are works in progress that I hope to finish tonight. I don't know if I'll have time to name each piece, and put together the creation certificates I typically include in the packaging. If any of you have ideas for names, let me know.

Tribal Necklace

Necklace Pendant

MyTree--She will be cut into smaller components to
form necklace pendants

Pendants and Earrings

Pendants & Earrings

Forecastle Festival Countdown: Day 9

People, places, paintings, and literature typically inspire my jewelry creations. And when that is not the case, touch comes to my rescue. I walk into my studio, put my hands on a piece of clay, metal, wood, stone, glass, paper, or leather, and I let the tactile nature of the experience become my guide, which was the case last night. I'm nowhere near satisfied with the quantity of completed jewelry characters I have to date, but I'm pleased with the quality and diversity of the evolving collection.

The following pieces are not yet finished or named, but here's a peek:

Necklace

Earrings

Necklace Pendant

Necklace Pendant

Paper Tadpoles (The product of my father's meticulous labor). 

Forecastle Festival Countdown: Day 10

In ten days, I'll be at the Louisville waterfront dazzling a few thousand patrons with my mixed-media jewelry art. This is good, right? Of course it is. I prayed for this. God has prepared me for this. I'm passionately living my dreams, taking the necessary risks, and am one with my art mediums. If only I had more than a handful of finished pieces to stock my booth. I need a miracle!

You can also follow me on twitter at: damejoyas



Why Am I Behind?
Life: Writing, Publishing, Learning, Baseball, Guitar Lessons, Corn Hole, Cooking, Cleaning, Shopping, Teaching, Coaching, Puppies, Greek Letter Gifts . . . etc.

Progress

Mom and Dad came to the rescue yesterday. With earth friendliness standing at the thematic forefront of the festival, I'm going to include a bunch of paper bead jewelry in my booth collection (along with other media). However, the reality is that making quality, water resistant paper beads is a time-consuming and tedious process. Here's where Mom and Dad come in. While we celebrated the 4th of July with great food, flag waving, and whatnot, we incorporated an extensive bead making roundtable session as well. Dad did the measuring and cutting, mom did the rolling, and I prepped clay for the oven. It was a fantastic family affair, and I'm grateful for the support.


It's time for me to get back to my studio!

More About the Festival

FORECASTLE FESTIVAL is where the Midwest connects®. Founded in Louisville, KY, the annual gathering is equal parts Music, Art, and Activism. A symposium for musicians, artists, and environmentalists, Forecastle connects the progressive Midwest. The 2010 fest is expected to draw over 25,000 patrons to the Louisville Waterfront ~ part of a scenic, $60 million dollar riverfront investment which attracts 1.5 million visitors a year. With national headliners and expanded line-ups, the festival will provide an unforgettable experience for all Forecastle travelers, converging in Louisville from the Midwest and beyond.

http://www.forecastlefestival.com