Tiny Relics
I've been making a few tiny relics in the studio. Cast bronze forms, some like seed heads and others like leaves, each paired with a little piece of lampworked glass.
Last winter, I spent some time carving waxes for a small collection of bronze pendants. I was imagining them as a fun summer project, something to potter away at once the weather warmed up. I got them cast just before Christmas, all ready for a relaxing summer of cleaning up the bronze and making the glass pieces to go with them.
As it turned out, summer had other plans. My cancer recurred, and the next six months were taken up with chemotherapy. The little pile of bronze casts sat waiting patiently in the studio while I concentrated on getting through treatment.
I've finally made it back to them this month, cleaning up the casts and pairing each one with a lampworked glass cab. And I'm rather pleased with how they've turned out.
The bronze forms are quite organic, a little like poppy seed heads, with a raised rim that gives the impression of a bezel setting. I'd originally hoped to set the glass into the bronze, but the castings turned out to be too heavy for me to work the metal that way, so the glass is secured in place instead.
For the glass, I've used some of my favourite murrini, along with pieces made using 9ct gold encased in coloured glass. Each cab brings something different to its bronze setting, and I've enjoyed finding the right pairing for each one.
They're finished with hand-plaited black cord that adjusts to be worn long or short, depending on what you're wearing and how you feel like wearing it.
There are only a few of these pendants, and each is a one-off. It's nice to finally see a little project that began last winter come to life, even if it took a rather longer route than I'd imagined.
