December 2021: Changing light, muted colours

December— Changing light, cold winds, crunchy snow, dripping icicles, muted colours, puffed up birds, quiet. One of the great things about living in Toronto is the chance to experience all 4 seasons of the year and with December upon us we come to the start of true winter weather here. In my studio I find my creative urges to be similarly cyclical. This month I’ve gone back to the challenge of the cabochon. In last December’s blog I talked about the joy of dots and lines; the precision in placement combined with the precision of heat control to create clean symmetrical patterns. This time around I’ve explored new colour possibilities which in turn create different effects depending on the angle you’re viewing the piece from. I particularly enjoy this process as it lets me know how my skills have changed (and hopefully grown!) in the past year… Patience also plays a large part in this process as your hands need to regain the muscle memory to create a new/old shape. After a few tries it’s like visiting an old friend, enjoyable and invigorating, something new, something old. Exploration at its best.