Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Hello Fall


It doesn't look like this yet in my neighborhood but it won't be long.  "Fall on North Poplar Street" - one of my favorites.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Paper Jewelry In My Etsy Shop

I re-opened my Etsy shop this summer and have slowly but surely been adding inventory to it.

For those of you who have been buying my jewelry at T.F. Rice & Co - never fear, they will continue to carry my jewelry.  As a matter of fact, if you see something in my online shop that you would prefer to buy at T.F. Rice & Co., or vice versa, just let me know.

This week I have been uploading paper jewelry.  (This is really time consuming.) Over the next few days, I'll be uploading clay jewelry.   I have lots of ideas for new pieces - just have to find the time to make them.

About my paper jewelry ….

As an artist I have always worked with high quality paper - artists and watercolor papers, papers used for fine art prints and papers used for displays.  And I would always have pieces left over.  I hesitate to call these left over pieces “scraps” because  they are really quite beautiful forms of paper - archival, acid free, cotton rag and other fibers, some handmade papers - beautiful even in their natural, unpainted or uncolored state.

In the interest of being ecologically friendly I started  experimenting with paper.  Paper has been used in  jewelry for over 2000 years.  So it’s not a new idea, just a new look.

Paper is extremely versatile.  There’s no end to it’s shapes and colors and it’s very lightweight.  If you are afraid to wear big bold earrings because of the weight - think paper.  It’s light as a feather.  And all my paper pieces are sealed to make them water resistant (not water proof).  With a little care paper jewelry will last for many, many years.

I hand paint and draw my own designs onto these various forms of paper.  Then I combine this artwork with diverse materials including metal, wood,  glass and crystal beads.  When I have recyclable materials such as old or broken jewelry or buttons I like to include them whenever possible. I create each piece of jewelry myself with an eye for color, shape and texture.

By carefully mixing colors, shapes and textures, I try to create distinctive and unique jewelry.     Although some pieces may look similar, no two pieces are exactly alike.  My jewelry is not mass produced.  Each piece is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art.  However ... if you see a piece of my jewelry that you really like and it has already sold, please email me.  I might be able to make you something that is similar - maybe the same colors or some of the same features.

My Etsy Shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeeOwenby?ref=hdr_shop_menu#

And as always, I happy to read your comments or suggestions.