Many of my ideas and inspiration for the jewelry and art i create comes from my walks on the beach. My favorite beach to visit is Waikiki Beach on Winter Island in Salem MA. (I can walk there on a pretty day or hop in the car and be there in five minutes.)
Of course one of my inner child's favorite things to do is collect seashells, driftwood and rocks from the beach. I always make sure that i do not pick up any creatures that could still be alive. The main types of shell found on this beach are European Oysters, Slipper Shells, Clams and tiny Fairy Snail shells. Lots of broken up crab shells and claws. Sometimes i will find a decent piece of driftwood. Lots of cool rocks and pebbles.
Love the tidepools, lapping waves and laughing sea gulls of the island. Most of all the sea breeze aromatherapy. If only we could bottle that! After a visit to Winter Island my muse is happy, my mind and body calm and my bucket is filled with seashells! Time to go home and create.
Since moving back to Salem MA, my husband and i have been visiting several of the local beaches as much as possible when the weather permits. I believe this has been the catalyst for my new line of jewelry and art... Aphrodite's Grotto.
Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty. Know as Venus by the Romans. The Greek word aphros means foam. It is said she was born from white foam. You can almost see her while watching the waves on Winter Island!
I am in the process of photographing and adding these new pieces to the Whispers of the O'Fae shoppe now, which is a very long process. (Sometimes i feel it takes longer to photograph and do all the left brain work of writing about the piece, pricing it and dealing with all the intrigate details of making sure it is listed properly on the site than it does to create the art!) My muse would rather create all day!
Sneak peek! Wire wrapped European Oyster Shell with Sea Deva created with ecofriendly paper clay. I use paper clay instead of Fimo or Sculpey because it is biodegradable and non-toxic. I love combining freshwater pearls with semiprecious gemstones, glass beads and moss for an ethereal feel.
https://whispersoftheofae.com/sea-deva-of-winter-island
Stay tuned... more will be added to our shoppe this week. Meanwhile please follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/PracticalMagicSalem/
