Posts
 |
| Chateau Jewel: Mock Protea | 2014 | Eva Maria Keiser |
Bead Day. Beadwork by Eva Maria Keiser
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Sold one-of-a-kind jewellery
Friday, October 2, 2015
 |
| Runway jewellery from the Fashion Week collection |
Autumn fashion set with a sugilite necklace
Jewellery masterpieces. Jewelry by Santagostino
Thursday, October 1, 2015
 |
| Brooch by Santagostino Jewellery |
What is Ebru or water marbling?
This is a guest post by Katya Ryazanova, who is a professional artist working in a wide variety of techniques. Today she tells us about a Turkish art called ebru or water marbling. Let's find out what it is! (Katya wrote a few guest posts for the blog. You can find all her DIY posts here.)
She has also found a good video for us that tells us a story of ebru. The process is just magical... Enjoy!
She has also found a good video for us that tells us a story of ebru. The process is just magical... Enjoy!
-----
I will start with a story of how I got introduced to the ebru technique.
Two years ago my attention got drawn to some very unusual flower patterns on a marble background. I instantly got intrigued and decided to find out how they were made. I found a web-site that gave me a good idea. The more I read the more I liked it.
It turned out those drawings were not that easy to create! All the materials needed to be very special. I would need a water tray, a water thickener, water-based paints with the addition of bovine bile (or tragacanth) for a start. Brushes would need to be special too, made of the rose branches and the horsehair. I was thrilled!
The ancient Turkish art is called Ebru (that can be translated from Farsi as "cloud"). Now it is called "water marbling". An ebru image is valued by the skill of an artist. The process of creating an image starts with the preparation of the water solution and the dyes. The process of drawing knows no eraser. It is a mystical and an enchanting meditative process with a deep spiritual meaning. Maybe that was the reason why the art has been traditionally done by men...
The main advantage of the ebru technique is the uniqueness of each painting. You can not reproduce what has been created on water. This is why it is believed that each ebru image reflects the soul of an artist. Every image is a true one of a kind picture. This makes each picture truly unique.
We know that ebru-paper ("Turkish paper") was used for the documents and personal confidential correspondence in France at some point. They appreciated its elegance and refinement.
In my next guest post I will introduce you to the modern masters of the ebru technique and show you the process of creating an ebru image. My kids love ebru and happy to share this exciting experience with me :-)
Throwback Thursday
 |
| Take a closer look... These are the real gold nuggets! This gold mine in Ballarat, Australia produced world's biggest gold nuggets. They still mine gold there little by little, while letting the tourists in! |
Red moon hunt
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
5 p.m., Sept. 27th, 2015
We just went to play to the baby's toy room after dinner, when my husband suddenly made an appearance at the door and said: "Get ready, we are going out now".
You do not have to ask me twice! 20 minutes later we were sitting in our car, heading towards... I did not really know where we were heading to. We drove over the bridge... What could be that way? I knew it was the Red Moon hunt... but how far do you need to go to see the moon? It can be seen from anywhere!
"Do you know that some people believe that it is the end of the world?" - he asked.
"No, I've never heard that."
- Do you know where we are? - he asked while parking the car.
- We are in White Rock!
- I wonder how many other people had the same idea?
He was right... There were many people who had the same idea! Cars kept coming to the parking lot...
- Look, there is a nice flower here!
- It is probably a weed...
- Then it is the prettiest weed ever!
I asked him to stop about thirty feet further down the pass...
- Do you know what I took a picture of? - I was pretty proud of my "shadow" picture! :)
- The moon will show up there, - he pointed to the direction opposite to the sun, - Look, the cameras are already pointed that way too!
We went towards the water where I tried to take a picture of the sunlight on the surface of the ocean. Not bad!
- What else are you taking a picture of?
- The seagulls!
- Oh, no!
The sunset was pretty, but the photographers had their tripods and cameras on them pointed to the opposite direction.
- What is the English for people who would eat anything? - I asked my husband while unprofessionally taking pictures of the sunset.
The sun was gone and we realized that the moon was not there yet. I checked Internet for the Red Moon time. At least thirty minutes away still... It was cooling down and we decided to wait for it in the car.
We watched more cars still arriving.
- I am afraid it will be hard to get out of here, - my husband said.
We waited until 7.45 p.m. before we went back. Eclipse has already started. We watched it for about 10 or 15 minutes. It still was there... The kiddo was laughing his head off :)
- Should we go?
- Not yet... The world did not explode yet.
- I thought we would be first to leave, and we are the last!
We watched the eclipse all way home.
- We did not need to go so far to see the red moon...
- This was not the reason why we went, right? :) I liked the sunset more than the red moon anyway.
Beautiful nature
 |
| This is an autumn picture that I took in Melbourne, Australia. Do you know when it is a fall season in Australia? April, of course! |
Jewellery masterpieces
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
 |
| Diamond and Platinum Art Deco brooch or spray with separate circular diamond and sapphire circle pendant. The pendant hinges to the brooch or both can be worn separately. |
Wool pictures by Elena Koltunova
This is a guest post by an artist who works in a felting technique. Have you ever seen felt pictures? Me neither! :) Let's see how they are made!
-----
Hello all! My name is Elena and I lay all sorts of things out of wool, mostly toys. Sometimes I lay pictures. Today I'll show you how I do this.
Wolves are a very popular theme as people often order pictures with a pair of wolves for the wedding anniversaries. I love wolves too and I'm happy when I get these orders!
Here are two pictures and two different pairs of wolves.
First I need to choose a design. Let's work on this one:
Then I need to start with the laying of the basis of the picture, which is a piece of a thin felt of a desired size. I use a marker or a felt-pen to draw the picture first. I do not need any details at this point, just the outlines. If I could not draw, I would print a picture out, cut it out with the scissors and outlined it :)
Now it is time to cover all the lines with the wool by attaching it with a needle. I have to admit that it is easier to work in color than a monochrome palette.
Here is what I've gotten for now:
I pin the felt down to a foam so it won't move.
All the outlines are filled now, so I start working on adding more shades of gray. The more shades, the more vivid my picture.
The technique allows me to create a shaggy wolf fur. So, this is what I am going to work on now. The wolves will look more natural this way. To achieve it I attach thin and short strands of wool at the one end only, leaving the second end free. I keep working until I cover all the areas of the picture that need it ( and I need to remember about the shades here also!)
It is all done!
Now the picture just needs a frame with a glass cover (and a small moth plate!)
How many shades of gray do you see? :)
Here is another pair that I've just finished:
Elena Koltunova
Online shop (in Russian)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
