The Art of Creating Beaded Jewelry

                    Professor Norton here, teaching my " Beading Magic: A Creative Jewelry Workshop" at the Sedona Arts Center last Saturday. Here is my student, Sharon, who had fun getting out of her head while expanding her creative boundaries.

I have been a teacher of some form of art for the last forty some years. Usually it has been Calligraphy, but I find myself eager to share new artistic dimensions . I like it that the student can actually Finish a piece within a day's workshop. It is such a reward for them to actually leave with their own completed  creation .

Since I also work in ceramics, I am enjoying the immediacy that jewelry  can offer myself, and my students. I still make my own high fired porcelain beads, each one a unique treasure. This is how I actually got into the jewelry making business, to give the gallery what they demanded. But that can take  months to create; fill the kiln; fire the kiln: stain, and fire again. With the gorgeous array of beads we have available, it can be so nice to  just pick out one's design from the array of beads I have to offer my students.            Yes, I Do go to the Tucson gem show, and any other location where I can score unique, and quality stones. What an array awaits me: crystal beads from Europe; coral, pearls, and shells  from the sea; jasper from our own state of Arizona; rose quartz that has been worn for thousands of years. The list is endless.                                                 What is so liberating is to experiment with color, textures, layout and designs. I am a teacher that really leaves those decisions to the student. I can offer suggestions, but they are sometimes not taken, which is fine by me. I am always surprised; impressed, and even amused to see how everyone's process is so different. Each person follows their own vision and how fun is that!                                                                                     Comments?

 

 

Calligraphy for the Holidays

Here I am, demonstrating my calligraphy, with watercolor, at the Sedona Arts Center  yesterday. 

Nearing all the holidays, that was my theme for my demo in their front lobby yesterday. I sell my calligraphy cards and prints there, so it is relevant to what our visitors are seeing me creating . Thanks to Taylor also.                                                   Each card I make is decorated by hand, with watercolor or gouache, a non transparent color. This is what I usually write with,  although a new stash of colored inks are working well on envelopes Those inks  are almost permanent , lately leaving a nice red  stain on my fingers. I was told by staff member Debra Shinn, that  I should consider this my badge of honor.  Cate , the high school artist working there, made a lovely video of my hand actually painting, which is on Facebook  also. It was kind of exciting to see the actual sequence of brush strokes. Check it out.                                                           My technique here, is to write out  my original, then print on card stock, so it will not bleed when I add wet paint. I can do many alphabets, but people seem to like the Italic style . I like using  Uncial also, which is on my sign . Each card  is a one of a kind. Watercolor is tricky. Once you make your "mark" it stays. Corrections usually make it worse, so there is always an element of surprise, even for me!                                                                                           I don't know if people are aware, but I taught Calligraphy at SAC for fourteen years, and then went on to teach at NAU for five years as adjunct faculty. I see my demos as a way to educate the public  about the beautiful art I love . 

 

Here is another side of my creative brain, and hands, and thoughts...
It is my latest  ceramic sculpture entitled "What's on Your Mind". It was recently in a show held at the Sedona Arts Center, here in Sedona, Arizona.
Standing  almost a foot tall, you see a pleasant looking, glazed woman's head,  with a wee person sitting there.
This little celadon green figure, a female by anatomy, has her tiny feet dangling into a lovely, purple colored pool. Artistic license on my part. Who knows what colors are inside our head? 
What inspired me was that little voice that talks to me.  It can  give me  good advice, or not.
In Sanskrit it is called the Citta Vritti, which translates to mind chatter. I think this is a universal condition, so I decided to interpret this in my medium of clay. I chose to use low fire glazes for the mood they set.
  As I  create, the more I enjoy art that makes me, and others,  smile. Then perhaps it makes us interpret things in a new way. So I would say to you as you look at my art  "What is on Your mind ? "

Calligraphy with a Connection

This print,  entitled " Apache Wedding Blessing", is currently displayed in my  Jerome show, "Reflections", which I wrote about in my last blog. Also , I show this at the Sedona Arts Center.
I choose to write out poetry or sayings that mean something to me. Having a connection with what I  write encourages my creativity. It's not that I can't be creative when I get a commission with which I  am not familiar.That happens often. It just seems to  flow easier when I like the words that flow from my calligraphy pen. 
This saying was brought to me by a client. It expresses the connection when a couple are joined together.Is it still used in native ceremonies? I do not know. Do people love it? Yes. It speaks to something inside of them. It states the coming together of a couple in poetic flow of words, that reach out to the reader on many levels.
That's a real joy for me, when people love what they see. It is a connection of the eyes,the mind, and really, the heart. Calligraphy with a connection.

Creating a Ceramic Mask

 Here is one of my newest masks. Entitled " Spirit Messenger ", it is currently in a show at the Sedona Arts Center for this month of September, 2014. 
People always ask me where I get  inspiration for my creations. As I say in my biography, in every country and culture where I have traveled, there  are masks, in some form and material. 
I know all these images are somewhere i n my mind as I enter my studio.Then there is something called imagination, which start to play when I do!
I do have some thoughts of form and shape by the time I am starting to work with the clay.This round shape is an entirely new one for me. I have technical difficulties to overcome. Cracks are always a possibility. It takes a long time to dry. Will it survive two firings, I worry. Yes it did. Victory! 
There is also the choices of color and decoration.I found these wonderful coconut beads in my art stash. I knew this was the organic look I wanted. Adding one yellow feather connects the whole piece. Here is the final result of my creative process.

Creating With Mixed Media

Here is a mixed media piece  entitled Why Not. It is  currently  in the       Born to Be Wild show at the Sedona Arts Center. 
I love to work with letters.They can be painted on or cut out. I also like working with clay, and metal. This piece started with that  circle of found metal. I wanted a rustic, outdoor feeling to represent the theme. What better canvas than wood? This is old barn wood, cut down, and fastened carefully on the other side.Strong wire using four eye hooks  insures it will hang well.
People ask where I get my materials. I can't always remember. As an artist, collecting can be a valuable asset. Who wants to go to a store when the creative urge is working? Sometimes the materials themselves inspire a direction in art. All I know is that these beautiful pieces of copper I got at the junk yard, seemed to envision themselves as letters. Ah, the beauty of tin snips.
The clay letters had to be created, fired, and attached. I used a bronze, low fire glaze for the color,adding some copper acrylic paint to emphasize the metallic hue. There is also a small ceramic face in the upper right, resting on metal, surveying all below. 
I am often asked what is the significance of the wording.  Perhaps it is the universal who, what, when , and for me, why, we are told to include in any writing.
Usually, when the inspiration comes, I just follow.