Category: Iron & Metalwork
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Tiny Pod Knife
Here’s a tiny version of the Fish Pod Knife that is on my Knives webpage. The design is taken from a beautifully forged 19th century antique Chinese fisherman’s knife that I bought a few years ago. This one is only 2 1/4 inches long and is forged from a 4″ cut nail that was divided into…
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Morning Trumpet
While walking on the beach at Cape Hatteras Point – our pilgrimage to the “utter East” or the “end of the world” – I found two large whelk shells. Three species of whelks are commonly found as broken beach shells on the Outer Banks. The Point is one of the best places to find whole shells. Shown on the left is…
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Picture Jasper Pendant
Here’s my new picture jasper pendant, strung on hemp cord with copper tubes and African cast-glass beads. The bag is made of two different pomegranate-dyed hemp/cotton fabrics, hemp drawstrings, silk tassels, padded with cotton batting. The stone is a volcanic pebble from Lake Superior. Picture jasper comes in many varieties, and each locality has its own characteristic…
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Shaman’s Belt
Here’s part of my shaman’s belt – well, it’s more for maze dancing than anything else. It’s finished enough to wear, though I’ll probably add more things to it. There are twelve triangular bells with cone clappers, two small chains of flared cones, and (not shown) a set of five curly cones and some iron fringe. …
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New Moon: Circle of Bells
This Moon I have continued to work on several large projects – the Xerophytic Ferns Guide now has photos of 21 species, so the webpage is more than half finished. I wasted a couple of weeks on a sewing project that didn’t work out, so I put it away for awhile. Unfinished drawings of pomegranates, cats,…
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Still Copper after 15 Years
ABOVE – Copper wire jewelry. Triskele earrings with African iron beads (2007), wirewrap pendant with tumbled hematite (1992). This summer I can celebrate 15 years of metalworking. Not continuous work, but slowly evolving anyway. In 1992 I began making jewelry from recycled copper. No jigs or specialized tools, just ordinary jeweler’s pliers, coils of 14 and 16…
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Eye Bowl
A simple eye-shaped bowl forged from scrap steel: a 3″ disc and a large washer. Both halves ring like bells. Uncovered, it pours water. Covered, it is for burning desert incense – brittlebush gum, mariola leaves, osha root. A bowl for purification by sound, fire, fragrant smoke, and rainwater, bringing new visions and clarity of sight.
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Two Bells
In the past couple of days I finished these bells and put them on my website. Both have a nice sound from a tiny, sweet-ringing bell and a large, darker one. These are very time-consuming to make, but I love them and each one is different. They are balanced for hanging or for carrying in a ritual…
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The High Summer Furnace
This year I’ve seen two gila monsters, the ashes-and-embers dragons who shake the ground when they walk. I found the one shown above while hiking in a gravel wash. They are most active in the early morning and at dusk. Their colors are the essence of high summer, the living fire in the earth. In the…
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