Raku Cross pendant...The Dead Marshes

http:MiddleEarths.etsy.com

"Yes, yes," said Gollum. "All dead, all rotten. Elves and Men and Orcs. The Dead Marshes.."

 You know how at times you pick something up and  can't put it down..mesmerizing..as you look upon it you are drawn in..your imagination is in gear..must do something..This is how it was when I opened my package from wondrousstrange (http://wondrousstrange.etsy.com) (see earlier post below..) This raku cross pendant was truly a joy to create..one of those experiences that give you a certainty .. it is worthwhile to create, to be an artist ..to be financially struggling to be sure..but a strange happy, fulfilled.feeling.

 

Mirkwood Forest Clearing locket pendant

This was a special order for a special client...who then graciously sent me a photo of how 'precious' the inside of the locket became.. with the wonderful photos of her young daughter and son..

The Postman ..brings Shallow Waters..

Best part of the day..when the postman brings a package like this one ! Even the stamps were  a treat..

Well rewarded for anxiously waiting for this wonderful creation, 'Beneath the Shallow Waters Sins Are Washed Away...Raku Cross', from the so talented artist who is WonderousStrange..http://wondroustrange.etsy.com
..it just is literally pulling me in to make a pendant..I think lots of ribbons and chain..

Cicero..wisdom from 2060 years ago..human nature dosesn't change..

"The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
Cicero 55 BC (passage from a speech to the Roman Senate)

His Jewels..Santo Cristo

"The treasure of the Senhor Santo Cristo is mainly composed of the following jewels: the Aureole, the Crown, the Reliquary, the Sceptre and the Ropes.

Fruit of the mysteries of faith, signs of gratitude because of the miracles that help the mortals continue living, the Ex-Libris of the treasure, the AUREOLE, is the richest piece of the collection of relics. Photographed and documented upon by international art specialists at a meeting in Valladolid, Spain, it was recently considered the most valuable piece of its kind in all of the Iberian Peninsula.

"The AUREOLE, made of platinum gold, weighs 4,850 grams and is inlaid with 6,842 precious gems of all types: topazes, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, etc. In addition to its artistic value, this jewel is full of theology related symbolic elements. The first being the Holy Trinity, represented by a triangle in the center of the piece that bears three letters with the following meaning: "I am what I am" and also "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit". From this triangle the aureoles beam towards the extremities of the piece. The second element is Christ's Redemption, represented by a lamb upon a cross and by the Book of the Seven Seals of the Apocalypse. The third is the Eucharist, symbolized by a bird, the pelican, by the chalice and by the ciborium. The last symbolic element of the AUREOLE is Christ's Passion portrayed, in detail, by the Crown: going from the tunic to the rooster of the Passion and also the crown imbedded with thorns made up entirely of emeralds."
..taken from.. http://www.virtualazores.com/santocristo/cultoi.html

Tile image pendant..Santo Cristo

Much of the inspiration for my vintage 'jewels' comes from my home.. the Azores Islands. It can be the way the moss clings and overcomes the stones,  the old tiles and architecture or lush overgrown gardens and forests.

 
This pendant is a photo image detail  I took of the tiled wall mural in the Sanctuary of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, Ponta Delgada.







Portuguese tiles are known worldwide for their beauty and 'storytelling'..http://www.golisbon.com/culture/azulejos.html

Santo Cristo dos Milagres

Night View..Sanctuary of Santo Cristo

Our Street ..carpet of flowers

The streets of Ponta Delgada are decorated every year at this time in for the passing of Santo Cristo ..his feastday..the 5th sunday after Easter.

Carpet of flowers for Senhor Santo Cristo

My son Nic and husband Jorge...and the carpet of flowers, cedar pine needles with eucalyptus leaves for the procession of Santo Cristo...(smells wonderful with the treading of thousands of feet.!)

Santo Cristo dos Milagres ..His day in May.. São Miguel Azores

Over 300 years of tradition..the popular religious festival here in Ponta Delgada. The image of Senhor Santo Cristo is mysteriously captivating.
Many comment that regardless of your faith (or lack of it) it is impossible to be indifferent to His face, battered and bruised,...your gaze is caught by His and something stirs in your soul...
..at times battered and bruised internally..a feeling of calm..a soothing sadness.

Flea Market Finds.. pay off..

From my previous post ..to the finished product! Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres..last week was His festival here in São Miguel..

Flea Market Finds..Ponta Delgada

Flea markets here in the Azores are a very rare thing, indeed, but lately the first Sunday of the month at Relvão is gaining popularity..I was so pleased to find these old hardware bits and pieces..that I got home and in 10 minutes transformed one into a cool frame..and a junky earring into a 'rose'..
Ugly copper chain ..became much needed pendant frames and the chain turned out to be solid copper!

Etsy swap..

Talented Etsy artist Shannon of Gypsy Moon Art Studio,
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsymoonart,

asked me one day if I would like to do a trade. Lucky me! Her work is evokes mystery and magic, beautifully made..I made her up my Shire SoftRock pendant,
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=27706566
to trade for this awesome eye ring..wearing it makes one feel so magical....

Dark...

Finally something new..sometimes I feel light, clearings and ancient angels..other times darkly sad and foreboding..as we all do.
This day was definitely an  Edgar Allen Poe day.