wabi sabi brooch

Here's the process of putting together my wabi-sabi brooch... 

These files are amazing!

Metal master on brass sprue.

The clasp I decided to use as a metal master, so I made a little mould and vulcanised it.  A surprisingly quick process.

here's the wax version ready for putting on the sprue tree!

My favourite part of it is probably the slice of green-coloured resin.  It's green because I was experimenting with natural colouring and tried a tiny bit of spirulina in it... appropriate, I thought!  A happy accident.

Background image is not mine, but an amazing jeweller I saw at Sieraad.

all the bits coming together... at the top is the bit of square wire with a groove filed into it for the tube to sit on.  The tube is to house the brooch pin.

Brooch bits getting acquainted.

 

More wabi, more sabi

 The more you see, the more you see.

This week has been all about the details.  It's pretty hard getting home these days without stopping to take photos... I'm getting funny looks, but it's worth it!

Interchangeable brooch

I'm getting excited about enamelling again... here I've made a simple shape with prongs out of silver rectangular wire.  I chose a triangle... and made each side a different length. 

First step - cutting strips of wire and straightening them out:

This was the point when I realised an equilateral triangle would have been much simpler.  Or better still, a circle?  I carried on - and after much filing got a reasonably good meet.

After soldering - not bad!
Just needed a bit of a straighten and clean up.  Now to work out where to put the prongs:

Only broke one drill bit... :-).  Now for a few sample shapes:

First set of sample shapes fired in with a coat of flux - ready for enamelling next week.  Can't wait to try a few new techniques on them!

Wabi Sabi in Glasgow City

I didn't know what Wabi Sabi was until today... and yet, here is an idea I've been thinking about for a very long time!  Almost all my life?  Maybe.

It seems to be an expression that is very difficult to pin down - if not nearly untranslatable from Japanese to English.  But here is a very basic interpretation:

Wabi relates to tranquility and simplicity, and can include man-made or natural objects

Sabi contains the idea that an object has gained beauty through age - it has been repaired, or gained a patina through use.

These two words are often accompanied by a third - Suki - which refers to a subtle elegance.  

The three together are taken to sum up the essence of Japanese aesthetics.  

Today's project was to start documenting our 60s built college building, thinking of Wabi Sabi.   This is a start...