Friday's Inspiration

When you look at this photo, what do you notice first?  

 

 

There's a lot to like about this picture.  The composition, the contrasts, the depth...
 
I was captured by the contrast of the purple rhododendrons in the center of the picture.  Once I started looking more closely, I was fascinated by the small break in the clouds that let just a hint of the blue sky through.  And then I started to focus on the pattern I saw in the fence...You get the idea.
 
Designing jewelry is a lot like photography.  You have to have something in each piece that catches a person's attention.  It could be a special pendant, the shape of the wire connectors or even the color palette.  
 
No one sees all the details at once.  And that's part of the beauty and mystery of art.  All it takes is something to catch your eye and then you start to see everything else the artist did to create the whole piece. 
 

  

As much as I like this necklace, it just doesn't work.  I think that the main reason is that it is busy everywhere you look...your eyes just don't get a rest.  If the pendant had a solid center, it would create a focal point because it contrasts with the pattern in the rest of the necklace.   

 

So I'm going to rework the pendant with a piece of white sea glass I collected last summer and we'll see what happens. 

 

And it's back to the drawing board for that shell...finding a way to keep the design in the shell the focus is my project for April.  And maybe May as well...