Aside from jewelry making and pottery, I do enjoy drawing from time to time.  I created this piece last week from a photo I took of a beautiful scene not far from home.
As you can see, I live in the desert so this type of natural beauty abounds around me.  I just love the colors and textures of the desert with its expansive skies and beautiful sunsets. 
It had been a very long time since I had worked with solft pastels so it was a challenge, but I enjoyed the process!

To see more of my work, please vitis @nenasart

Dayof the Dead Jewelry

I have affection towards everything Day of the Dead.  I grew up on the border and spent time with my family in MX. so I've never been one to shy away from color and culture.

As Dia de los Muertos approaches, I decided to pay homage to my Aztec roots by creating these lovely jewelry pieces. 

So far, this is the only one I have posted in my etsy shop, I hope to have a few more soon.

The pendant is made using white clay which I bisque fired in my new kiln ( I had to throw that in).  After it was bisque fired I glazed it and re-fired.

On a side note, I have created many ceramic pendants and beads, I might begin to sell some of these as supplies, and not finished pieces.  I will still continue to make finished jewelry pieces, but I would also like to offer some of my pendant to jewelry artists.  Something to think about.

Ceramic Cross Necklace

I really enjoyed making this ceramic cross necklace.  I made several of these ceramic crosses, but haven't had the time to turn them into finished pieces.  I am working at a feverish pace, trying to prepare for my upcoming art festival.  

The plan is to get these completed by this week, but, as always, it is just a tentative plan.

As soon as they are done, I will be sure to make a shop announcement.

Good night.

Where does the time go?

 Where did the time go?  I can't believe I've been away for a year!  

So much has happened in a years time,  but creating has not stopped.   I became a grandma for the first time!  What can I say about being a grandma that grandparents all around the world don't already know.  Heavenly!!

I also finished graduate school!  It was tough going this past  year with a thesis to write and a portfolio to complete.  I'm glad that journey is over and I can refocus on creating my work.

I have begun to use more clay in my jewelry work and have also included my own art work in my jewelry.  The blue pendant with the black and white print is such a piece.  The image comes from a mono-print that I created in my printmaking class.  I then added resin to preserve the print in its ceramic bezel.  This is definitely something I want to continue to do. 

I have some maintenance to do on my blog, there are a few things I want to change and some things I need to edit out.  There is also a big mistake on my banner that needs some fixing.  

So much to do, but I am happy to say that with grad school out of the way, I should be able to refocus my energy.

Day of the Dead Festival

The annual Day of the Dead Festival that I participate in is just a few weeks away and I am working diligently trying to finish all of my projects. 
Pictured here are my Dead of the Day ornaments and luchadores, which I will be selling on line soon.
I have also been working on some Day of the Dead jewelry, but I decided just last night, that I would now concentrate on finishing the work that I have on my workbench and not start anything new.
I'm too close to crunch time!
It doesn't help that I am still working on my thesis and I have to dedicate my energy on planning out my works of art for my thesis.
Once the month of Oct. is over, it will be full steam ahead on my thesis. 
At least I hope so.

I've been playing with clay lately, there is something about working with clay that I find very appealing.   Clay lends itself to so many forms that the possibilities are endless.
I signed up for a throwing pottery class and I was able to practice throwing and learned new techniques.  I loved it so much that I am looking at buying my own potters wheel.  When I don't feel like throwing, but still want to work with clay, I create pendants, beads and buttons.  I am creating an inventory of these items and my goal is to list these before the summer on my etsy shop. 

For some time, I concentrated solely on the creation of jewelry and took breaks in order to work with other mediums whenever I felt a tug to do so.  These breaks from jewelry making were short lived because I did not want to spend too much time away from making jewelry because I had orders to fill and shows to prepare for.
Even though I still spend the majority of my time working on jewelry making, I now allow myself permission to spend time on other mediums without feeling guilty about my time away from jewelry making.  This has allowed artistic growth in other areas and this has affected my work in jewelry making in a positive manner.

The images I am featuring are of my most recent pieces.  All of them feature clay, the small bowl is a piece I threw recently.  I am glazing it at the moment, hopefully I will be able to fire this week and I will share the results.

Bye!

Wow, it has been a very long time since I've shared on my blog.  I've had good intentions, but it seems that good intentions will take me only so far.

Even though I have not continued to write, I have diligently continued to create.  I have been through many metamorphosis, depending on my mood :) 

As an art educator, I am constantly switching from 2-d to 3-d work.  I hope to chronical my work and share with you my experiences. 

Pictured above are few of my experiments form this past year.  At the moment, I am completely enamored by clay.  My husband and I have immersed ourselves in throwing clay and predict we will soon be knee deep in ceramic cups and saucers.  It doesn't matter, there is something hypnotic about the potter's wheel.

Along with throwing clay, I have begun to experiment with ceramic buttons, beads and pendants.  I had taken for granted how long it takes to actually create a large inventory of ceramic beads!  

Many of my pieces can be found in my etsy shop, although I am not as quick as I wish I was in updating my shop.

Feel free to inquire about my work. 

 

2015

 

I always begin the year with renewed efforts, a burst of energy.  At times this burst of energy makes it through the first month of the year and then slowly turns into a trickle.  I renew my efforts throughout the year, but, it seems that my efforts are not always enough.

Like many, I jumped ship and put all of my efforts on Facebook and Instagram.  I admire those artists that have remained steadfast on blogging, it does take great effort.

I've continued with my jewelry making and it has gone through many transformations.  At the moment I'm focusing on earrings!

I'm playing with color and texture and I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

Here's to 2015!

This is how it all started,  so many years ago.  Every once in a while I make them again.   I enjoy the hunt for the special word that is going to be encased, it depends on my mood and what it is I want to say at that moment.

I spent a glorious week in my art studio, creating, allowing my mind to get lost in the zen of creating.  I'm down to one day of rest and it is back to work and away from my studio.  I won't dwell on that, I will enjoy my last day of spring break!

Metal and Resin Necklaces

I've been enjoying working with metal and resin.  It had been since my college days that I last worked with these materials. 
Pictured on the bottom is one of my favorite artists, Friday Khalo.