Why Assemblage and Collage Work?

It's not as though I don't have enough to do with my life. Trust me on that one. I have had three full time jobs at a time for the better part of the twenty-six years I have been out of college. I even had a summer where I worked five part time jobs six days a week and had them timed to 15 minutes in between each one of them. Am I wealthy. . .no. . .but did7 I ever have some great clothes.

I've had this creative side since I was young. I was the one whom the teachers indulged by reading aloud my often posted and seldom returned short stories. And, as I did my work, I was allowed creative license which in second grade meant reworking of classics into plays. When we wanted to rewrite Cinderella, our special effects consisted (in the transformation phase)of twirling during costume changes through the long cloak closet while spinning most of the time (sorry to put you through that Martha--our bad!) from rags to riches. The class loved it--the lead was nauseous--such the price for stardom--and a valuable lesson was learned-- if you got their work done, they would allow you to do anything you want as long as you were well behaved. Rehearsal time AND performance time. We were loud AND well behaved.

I was a member of one organized choir or another (sometimes more than one at a time) until my freshman year in college (sorry --church choir was family--and not too organized), I was allowed to paint and sell my work at school from the 7th to the 11th grade. I can macrame, crochet, embroider, sew (college scholarship--I even can cut my own patterns according to measurements without a guide-thanks mom!)fold paper, work with watercolor, pastel, ink and pen, am more than proficient in calligraphy, beading, photography and writing.

So, throughout the years of painting and drawing and working as a stylist for a local photographer and doing commissioned works of art early in my creativity--I burned out. (heck--I may be burning out now as I read through this. . ) I switched focus to the theater and did thirty-three productions in three years at four venues. The next year I co-owned and operated a local theater. But, even though I had expertise in costuming, set design, assisting, directing and producing, it wasn't very satisfying for me. What do I have to show for it all? A sash full of Girl Scout badges proving my worthiness and ability, grey hair coming in rapidly and a crap load of life experience.

About four years ago, I wanted to turn my creativity towards something I could do after I retired that would bring in income, but would, more than anything else, give me a sense of self and satisfaction. And would help structure my days and weeks and maybe even pay off some of those trips abroad I wanted to eventually take.

I came across Rubylane, which is the venue I decided on after watching and trending several items throughout the next six months. And , it is my second home. School, where I teach English and am in my 26th year, would be my first home as I am there more often than anywhere else.

I started with vintage antiques-both collectibles and jewelry-and the finally got the creativity bug last year again and decided to work my own label. For the sheer love of it all.

And I love it.

I love the people with whom it places me in contact.
I love the time I can spend working on my creations.
I love it when other people are touched or moved by something I make or by a description that I write.
And I love when people are excited by something that came out of my head and take it home with them and love it, too.

Why the collage and assemblage? I love to rescue objects and transform them into something greater than the sum of themselves. I like to see the potential when the envelope is pushed just a bit more than it was originally. I love to look for beauty where it does not exist to others and often find it in the common and the broken. I love things and people with road dirt all over them. Makes for a richer journey. I have met a wonderful colony of artists through work with B'Sue at her challenges (which I hope will continue--not for a prize--but just for the creative push!) and so here we all are.

Welcome to my Artisan Jewelry Blog from The Rose Sword exclusively at Rubylane.

Please be patient with me as I learn how to post and how to blog.

Please feel free to leave your comments to me.

Also, to give credit where it is due, the art work that begins this blog is by Sophie Anderson and has been credited under several names. The one at the end of the page is by Georges Barbier. He is one of my favorites and he will no doubt cover some of the posts because I love the color and design of almost all of his work.