Phoenix Rising....

Exactly one month has past since the day I pulled out of town on an evacuation route to avoid the path of Hurricane Irene. Completely for the amusement of a "hurrication" as I had dubbed the trip to Asheboro , NC. I have grown up in the path of many a storm and have never untill now been touched by one truly.
     The phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. Near the end of it's life it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.... Which is precisely what we plan to do.
This month has been a surreal path. From an adventure to escape a storm I never thought would hurt, to the reality of our studio and gallery's momentary destruction a day later.
I was reminded of the days we bagan in this little old farmhouse as I walked into our flooded gallery. Fourteen years of renovating and building our world and one day of water had washed so much away in the physical since.
As we disassembled our soggy world, I was faced with an inner struggle. In the blink of an eye everything had changed. Tragedy finds each of us eventually in life. I think I knew this all to well as I faced the most tragic of events as a child upon losing my sister to drowning. In recent years, I have felt this fear growing within me... when will it be my turn. When will the universe take control and rip that carpet from underneath my comfortable feet.
     So here I am ... in the wake of this storm literally.
Comforted in the safety of my loved ones and the embrace of my home. My great loss ... the momentary interruption of the business we have poured our hearts into for the past 14 years or at least the building which housed it.
The first thought as I wiped the tears, how will we ever get through this... how will we survive?
The second thought... like a phoenix we will rise and be reborn.This moment is life's oppurtunity to evolve into a greater and stronger form of ourselves.I began with my first jewelry creation since the storm which brings me strength now as I wear it ...Phoenix rising from the water engraved in silver and set with 18k and a diamond accent. Only the beginning of more great things to come including my latest series of jewelry inspired by this piece.
I look forward to showing each of you the rebuilding of our creative world....Kathryn Holton Stewart :-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Art Nouveau Inspired Necklace

Image
18K Palladium White Gold , 14K Yellow Gold, Chalcedony , Diamond, And Akoya pearls. Designed by Kathryn Stewart , Crafted by Ben and Kathryn Stewart Our to do list of jewelry making projects has kept us logged into the jewelers bench and I have been unable to write a new article. To fill the gap I will be posting the steps of some of our favorite creations . This Georges Fouquet inspired Necklace is crafted 18K palladium White Gold, 14K Yellow Gold. Set with Chalcedony, Diamonds and accented by akoya pearls. Hand carved and sculpted detail accents the 20+ carat chalcedony centerpiece. Pave' diamonds create a hallow of sparkle aroung the stone.
Read more

Artful Scrolls & Engraver Jason Marchiafava

Image
Scrolls of imaginative and ornamental patterns can be found throughout the hand engraving world. As the process of cutting a scroll unfolds, it is as if you are watching leaves uncurl and vines intertwine. When I began engraving, I was introduced to the concepts behind designing a layout by a very talented engraver, Jason Marchiafava . Therefore it made perfect sense to introduce you all to him now. Thanks again, Jason for supplying this evenings imagery. Inspired by nature, the curling of an Oak leaf, and the blooming of a flower.... the key to a well en graved scroll begins with layout. As we draw and paint the scroll,we train our minds to the patterns of line and the cuts in the metal become second nature. Technique breaks the lusciousness of the scroll into a well defined series of repetitious cuts. I had the fortune of first observing these techniques through Jason's skillful hands. This is evident through the Scrolls pictured here inlaid with 24K Gold & featuring exhibi...
Read more

Bridging the gap : Concept & Technique

As I was exploring my facebook friends status reports this morning, I came across one that really got my brain ticking on a subject that has been in the background of our world since the start of my career. Why is there a Grand Divide between the Conceptual and the Fine jewelry worlds? Fortunately, there are leaders within our industry working steadily to build a bridge. This conversation was inspired by Cindy Edelstein , Jewelers Resource Bureau , and her upcoming talk on Fine Jewelry in an Arts & Crafts Gallery. Interestingly, the first comment on her status in which Cindy mentioned her talk was a woman claiming it’s just not possible or at least not worth it to show Fine jewelry in such an environment. The question this raised in my head is…just when did Fine Jewelry stop being “Art”. Historically, if we look to the early 1900s , we can see jewelry of such extreme artistry how could it be referred to as anything but and yet the creations of that time had every quality that def...
Read more