Black & White, Autumn & Winter Light

Sterling silver, silk thread, pearls, silver-lined crystal beads

This time of year visual contrasts seem more obvious than when there’s more daylight.

I’m always caught by surprise when we turn the clocks back and the daylight dramatically shortens. The shift is abrupt and takes me awhile to adjust. (Currently, I still haven’t gotten used to sundown before 5pm.) 

It takes effort to take a break from work in the late afternoon before the sun goes down.
It takes effort to go back to work afterwards, when it feels so much later than it is and I feel like getting cozy on the couch with a book and some tea.

In the studio, it’s a season where I find myself returning to an exploration of black and white, light and dark. 

Both bold and subtle contrasts are ways that I explore this in the studio.
I pull out sequins, beads, metal, mica, pearls and other materials that are on the white or black spectrum.
Some pieces end up with subtle material shifts that combine whites with whites or blacks with blacks, others collage together a fuller range.

Enjoy some examples of autumn & winter time creations! (And leave any comments below.)

Blacks and grays, with a bit of gold remind me of architecture, trees, shadows and silhouettes at dusk.

Oxidized sterling silver, mirror, 24k-plated glass beads

Whites and grays are reminiscent of the layers of sand, ocean, fog, sky that I experience here along the California coastline.

Sterling silver, silver-lined crystal beads

The textures of different materials capture and reflect light in different ways and to me, are at the root of what I find alluring and sustaining for my creative practice.

Sterling & fine silver, vintage beads and sequins