The January 2019 Challenge theme at Art Elements hosted by Lindsay Starr is Moon. I have participated in several moon inspired challenges in the past. The dark side of the moon earrings is the most notable among them. So I was feeling a bit uninspired. But it got me thinking, what is the new thing that I can show on this theme? I immediately thought of the Epoxy clay jewellery that I made in the end of December for a workshop and decided to show that. Before I move on to the pieces that I created, here is a little about epoxy clay for those who are new to this medium.
What is Epoxy Clay
Epoxy clay is the solid version of a Liquid two part epoxy resin. It is a self-hardening clay at room temperature. Like 1:1 liquid resin, two equal parts of the resin and the hardner are mixed together, beginning a chemical reaction. It takes a minimum of 90 minutes for the clay to harden and upto 24 hours for it to fully cure. Some common brands of Epoxy clay are Apoxie clay, Magic Sculpt, Crystal Clay, and Mouldit.
Epoxy clay jewellery
Epoxy clay is Soft and pliable, making moulding easy. It has a glossy finish and it is a strong glue. I have used epoxy clay as a kid to decorate vases and frames with flowers. I have even made jewellery in college. But I never really liked its finish. It was only recently after leafing through Nunn jewellery newsletters that I figured out other finishes that can be used to create stunning epoxy clay jewellery. Epoxy clays are usually used as a base be painted to the desired finish. However, Colour can be mixed in for a distressed look. The longer drying time makes it suitable for crystal clay work as well.
To the moon
Let’s talk about the moon now. Super moon, blood moon, blue moon, wolf moon, snow moon, worm moon, pink moon, flower moon, buck moon, hunter’s moon, harvest moon are all different types of Full moon. From the ancient times, people have used the cycles of the Earth’s moon to keep tab on crop cycles, female fertility, festivities and celebrations. Though the sun gives us heat and light, our lives literally revolve around the moon. So what better way to celebrate the moon than in its full phase – the Full moon.
Epoxy clay moon jewellery
In this reveal, I have four pieces of Epoxy clay moon jewellery. There are two pendants, one finger ring and one bangle. I have used looped pearl chain on both pendants to show the many moons of a year. The setting of stones on the bangle and the ring look the same. However the process is very different from each other. For the bangle I have used the technique typically used in Lac Jewellery while the ring follows that of crystal clay where the stones are set in pit and the colour is applied after the stones are set.
I have worn the ring and the bangle a couple of times now. I am still undecided on the pendants. For now they simply hang from organza cords and chains.
Starry Night
This pendant started of as a mini texture board. I wanted to try my hand at an art piece other than jewellery but the idea flopped. It then turned into a mini painting of a galaxy. Then it was a depiction of the night sky with a glass focal for the moon. At this point, I decided to stop, wire wrap the stone and hang it from a chain. I still think that my original idea has merit and so I will revisit it some other time.
These are my explorations for this month’s challenge. Straight forward and simple. As words fail me, I will let my work speak for me in whichever way they can and hope that my writer’s block ends soon.
This month’s Participants
This is a blog hop. Please visit the other participants to see how they interpreted the Moon
Guest Artists
Leave a Reply