Stained glass window bangles

I finished off some more stained glass window bangles today, in blue colors!

As I'm now looking to link back to a previous post regarding the predominantly red window bangles I've made, I realize that I didn't blog about those - only showed you the window photos! 

Anyhow, today's bangles contrast with the ones you haven't yet seen (!!!) in that they are predominantly blue!  They are based on the windows in Grace cathedral, San Francisco. Beautiful colors and more traditional in design that the others.  I'll show you the red ones another day...soon!

I had good news this week that the Gift Store at Grace Cathedral is going to stock some of my stained glass window necklaces, earrings and bangles...just as soon as I get them there.  It'll be nice to have my work sold where I sing.

Stained glass windows

While I haven't been making much jewelry recently, I have been busy learning new things - namely Adobe Photoshop.  I want to do more stained glass window bangles, but I've never grasped Photoshop and as I need to do some photo manipulation, I've been working through the AdobeTV tutorials. They are really are good. 

When I was at the cathedral in SF on Sunday, I took quite a few photos of the windows there and so have lots of material to jiggle around with on photoshop.  There are some contemporary windows and also more traditional ones at Grace, so it'll be interesting to see how they all work out.

I get a great deal of satisfaction learning new things and while I had tried photoshop before, it was more just me fiddling around and trying to figure things out, rather than actually going step by step and following tutorials etc. It now makes much more sense and I can see myself using it for lots of different things.

And soon, there will be new bangles - if my manipulations work out!

Do you use photoshop in your work? 

(Oh dear! Looking at this post now, you can see that I am really my father's daughter! Some of you may recall his "Sunday's spotlight" blog posts, with photos of stained glass windows in them!  Am I on the same slippery slope :-D ????????)

Stained glass window bangle

I have been trying a different style in my color anodized aluminum today - looking for a more painterly effect.  My subject was a stained glass window:

So this is just a work in progress, trying a new technique and seeing how it works, what I need to change, etc, etc.

I was hoping for more vibrancy in the colors but I guess painting them on leaves them paler. Maybe I need to use more concentrated colors for a painterly effect?  Or maybe I need to try this not on a matt finish aluminum, but on polished aluminum...

Hmmm. I like the idea.... it encourages me to keep going with it.... What do you think? Soooo many possibilities!!!

Cathedral Rose Window jewelry

I made some more cathedral rose windows last week - this time making larger earrings than my original pair. These earrings are 3.5 cm diameter (approx 1.5 inches).

The design is the rose window at the East end of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco where I sing every week. I'm really pleased with how the color from the anodized aluminum shines through them, giving the illusion of stained glass.

 

I also made a pendant.  I've strung it here on 5 cables but also am waiting on a chain for it, as I think, with it's size, it will be nice on a longer chain too. 

And here's the set: 

If you are interested in rose window design.....the geometry of the design of this window at Grace is the same as the rose window in the Gothic cathedral of Chartres, France - but the final design is actually different. Here are the two so that you can compare -  and for more geometry, here is a link to a detailed comparison of the two windows. 

Chartres Cathedral Rose Window

Grace Cathedral Rose Window

Maybe I should try the Chartres window next......

Gothic Arch - stained "glass" windows

One of the defining characteristics of Gothic architecture is the pointed or ogival arch which evolved from the Roman round topped arch.

As I sit in Grace cathedral each Sunday, where I sing in the choir, I just can't help but look at the stained glass windows.  Most of the windows have what is called an internal tracery made up of small ribbed arches with different pictures or patterns in each.

The colors and indeed the reflections of the colors on the floors and walls of the cathedral are just a delight to behold.

 

As I arrived a little early last week to sing, I wandered around and just looked at the windows...again...and thus was inspired to capture some of those arches as earrings in silver and using the color anodized aluminum to mimic the look of the stained glass.

I have more to show to you another day of the rose windows but hope you like todays arches.

Sunday's spotlight - A Lincolnshire Thank You

By guest blogger Pete.

Twice a year for the past few years it has been possible for Lincolnshire residents to visit their local heritage sites free of charge.  This is a "thank you" to local folk for all the support, direct and indirect, that they give to local sites of importance.  Some visitors think that it is wrong to make an entrance charge to such sites - Lincoln Cathedral, especially, is selected for this criticism - but what such folk, often conveniently, forget is that all these various heritage locations need upkeep and upkeep, especially on old buildings, is extremely expensive.  In the case of Lincoln cathedral, no one is ever refused admission but the cost to maintain this beautiful, extremely old and very large building is astronomical.  No help at all is received from the Government.

It's unfortunate that some coach companies operating outside the county have decided that the two annual weekends when free admission is offered to Lincolnshire folk is also a most opportune time to run outings to various sites in the area.  It's easy to see why such companies feel that the offer of free admission will be a fee incentive for them to do their profit margins no harm at all.

Last Saturday and Sunday was one of those weekends when admission charges were dropped.  It's sometime since I had taken any photos in Lincoln Cathedral - especially of the beautiful nave windows - so I decided to pay a visit.  Ruth and John, as a birthday present for Pam, had paid for the restoration of part of the "David Window"  in that area of the Cathedral.  Whilst photographing these windows I met a very interesting character, who was researching the life of Robert Swan.  There is a large window dedicated to this Lincoln Benefactor, who was the first man to try and introduce a sewerage system into the city.  Unfortunately he was not successful but his efforts in that direction and other achievements were and are recognised.  My new friend asked me if I would email him a copy of the "Robert Swan Window" for his publication, which I was only too pleased to do.

Off to London soon so the camera batteries will have to be recharged for a day in the big city.  Just hope it doesn't rain.  Oh dear!  What a pessimist!
Still it is said that a pessimist is a realistic optimist who has all the facts.

Keep hoping.

Cathedral rose window earrings

Finally I've made some earrings! It seems that all my inspiration tends towards bracelets, bangles and necklaces lately..... Not quite sure why......And I can't even say the earrings are a new design as I have previously made a similar necklace.

Anyhow - the design of the earrings is from the rose window at Grace cathedral in San Francisco where I sing every week. As I sing, this is what I see! Just a gorgeous geometric array for stained glass. Here is the window:

In the earrings, the "stained glass" is actually blue, red and yellow resin.


What I like about the earrings is that the light shines through them, like the window. With the necklace, as you wear it is against your skin so you don't get the transparency of the resin, but as earrings you do. The other great thing is that the earrings are really light weight and comfortable as the silver is all cut out and the resin is much lighter than metal.

Hope you like them....