Treasured Clay

We have all had those pieces of our own work, or those of others, where there is this one portion you find yourself completely in love with. Many times it is a texture or part of the treated clay, maybe in the background, sometimes the focal point, and usually surrounded by other components or distracting elements.  Doesn’t it seem like a shame that you can’t just point at it and say to the rest of the world, “See how beautiful this is?”

Well, in a way you can and this is another advantage of using simple or subdued designs. You can use simple backgrounds, framing or nothing else but a well-formed shape to present those textures or effects you are in love with, letting them shine on their own, in all their obvious glory.

This is how Jagna Birecka commonly designs her art jewelry, letting the shapes or simple, clean base elements be the platform to showcase her wonderful mokume veneers. This pendant here is a perfect example. The square this little slice of mokume sits on is finished smoothly and cleanly so as to not distract from the mokume pattern. Using  purple to create a strong color contrast makes the slice glow and just a little shaping to give the veneer dimension makes it feel more substantial. With this design, we don’t question that the mokume is being presented like a ‘gem’ rather than just some interesting visual texture.

If you have not seen and enjoyed Jagna’s work before, jump over to the gallery pages on her website and note the many other ways she shows off her technique, making the clay shine like the treasured material it is.

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Dig out a treasured veneer, cane, or already cured element you have tossed in the “I don’t know what to do with this but it’s too cool to throw away” pile, or create a sheet in your favorite technique then design a simple background or base to show it off on. It can also be adhered to a vase, box, or book cover as a simple focal element. Where or how would your bit of treasured clay really shine?

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