Insects, Part 2

I mentioned in the last post that the sex design prompt was for two brooches. Before construction on the second brooch began, I was told that there was someone who had seen Culicidae at the Gala and wanted to commission another brooch for their wife. Making the next piece was like killing two birds with one stone, since it would be both a commission piece and one for a grade (awesome!).

Making a second insect forced me to clarify exactly which elements were important to carry on from the first. I've been told that I thrive off of negative feedback, and a classmate of mine - who was not a metals major - had often remarked that he disliked most jewelry because it was "just tiny sculpture with a pin back slapped on it". Much of the strength of the mosquito piece had been in its mechanism because the pin was so natural to the rest of the form, and I knew that any other insects would have to be treated the same way, with any mechanisms being inherent to the body itself. I also wanted the next bug to have more implied movement to make it more alive.

I feel incredibly attached to this piece, Apocrita. I was so sad to see it go. The school ended up buying this one as well and giving it as a gift to the man who wanted to commission it, Norm Cohn. Another happy home for my "baby".

~emi

photo: "apocrita" (brooch). carved boxwood, onyx, sterling silver, stainless steel, dyes. copyright emi savacool, 2008. photos credit: ken yanoviak.)