Kindred Connections

When we last left our story, I was working on a new mirror design, inspired by a quilt I'd seen on Flickr.  The sneak peek of it, in its very early stages was this:
Here, many days and much angst later, is the finished piece: 'Kindred Connections I', which refers to my own heritage:  African American and Native American. Did I start out to create a piece which combined these two? No.  I realized what was happening about 4 days into the 5 day process (definitely the longest I've had since the infamous Guild challenge piece from last fall), and once I did, it became a bit easier to finish.  I often forget that when I'm confused about the direction I'm trying to take with a piece, I have to let it go where it will.  Forcing things to work never works.  But, when I let go of the process a bit, and become more open to the possibilities, things come together--often in ways I never "intended".    Below is a close up of one of the two polymer clay pieces.  It is textured, painted, and rubbed with PearlEx powders.  Attached to it is a multicolored feather with a metal swirl jewelry finding set on top.  I'm now inspired to create another in the series (this time without the blaring yellow which caused me much consternation!).  So stay tuned.      

Comments

Jeanne Rhea said…
Looks great! You should have never mentioned the yellow as I had not noticed the impact of it. ;-) Would you have used gold instead? I often find the same thing---just let the piece take you where it wants to go. Some pieces are not meant to be forced. Now why am I having a difficult time with my M4-T challenge piece? I've been waiting to be told what to do next---and it just is not happening! Everything I do, I change it as something does not fit the look I want. Time will be the most important part of how it turns out. It must be done by Thursday!

I think you are on a roll and I can see your African American and American Indian influence. So will be looking forward to the next piece.
Jillian said…
Gorgeous colors; not clear about the mirror? Is this a mirror?
Michelle said…
Yes, this is a mirror. For the purposes of taking the photo, I put a piece of black paper over the mirror. Confusing, I know. But, the reflection of my studio would've been even more so!
Ruth said…
These are stunning.
Michelle said…
Thanks Ruth, and thanks for stopping by.