The Process of Creating

by Ariane Zurcher | May 30, 2013 | Art, creative process, Jewelry | 4 comments

Ariane Zurcher Jewelry ~ Juno Collection: 18 Kt Brushed Gold Earrings With Removable 18 Kt Brushed Gold Ball and Chain 

Ariane Zurcher Jewelry ~ Juno Collection: 18 Kt Brushed Gold Bracelet With AZ Logo Box Clasp

On my other blog ~ Emma’s Hope Book ~ where I write about the ever evolving process of being a parent and human being and how my daughter’s autistic neurology has made me rethink everything I once thought I knew (in the best possible way), I wrote today about her perfecting a “catch” at the trapeze school she has gone to for several years.  You can read the entire post ‘here‘, but that process, hours and hours of practice that led up to the video clip I attached, showing her flying through the air on a trapeze and then letting go and catching another person’s arms, looks so much easier than it actually is.  So much in life is like that.

Most works of art, whether the written word, paintings, sculpture, or things we wear, took time to create.  Like a terrific actor who makes the role they’re playing look believable and natural, luring us into the story so we forget this is someone acting a role from a script they’ve memorized, the most beautiful works of art make us forget there is any process at all.  We have an emotional connection to the art, the hours, days, weeks and even years it may have taken to produce it, is not something we think about.  But usually the process of creating is messy…  in my case the creative process means metal dust gets under my fingernails. My hands, face and clothing become covered in a fine dust.  So much so that once, on my way home, a friendly stranger asked, “Oh!  Are you a mechanic?”  There was a trade school for mechanics across the street and no doubt she assumed I must work or teach there.

So I want you to see where I go everyday.  Welcome to my studio!  This work bench is one of two, where I make the models of designs I’ve created, sometimes from a sketch, sometimes from wax I’ve carved or hot wax I’ve shot from a gun, sometimes I just start playing around and things happen, things I hadn’t intended.  Often what I visualize in my mind isn’t at all what I end up creating. Other times it is exactly what I visualized.  But the actual process is always similar.  I have to sit at that bench and work to create anything.  Michael Crichton once said that to become a best-selling author, he had to sit down and actually write.  He used a commercial airline pilot as an example.  He said, “If I am due to pilot a plane filled with people, I can’t say, “You know, I’m not really in the mood to fly today.  Let’s reschedule.”  I love that!  So yeah… I have to show up and do the work…

This is one of a half-dozen sketch books I have.  I always carry a sketch book, a pencil and an eraser with me.  As you can see, I made lots of notes and drew pretty detailed sketches for what I wanted to create.

Ariane Zurcher Jewelry ~ Juno Collection: 18 Kt Brushed Gold Orbs Strung on 22 Kt Gold Chain With 18 Kt Brushed Gold AZ Logo Box Clasp

Ariane Zurcher Jewelry ~ The Back of AZ Logo Box Clasp on Juno Bracelet

The finished product ~ an 18 Kt Brushed Gold Necklace with Hand Fabricated Box Clasp took a number of tries before it looked like this!  And in the process I went a little box clasp crazy.  I made a square box clasp, an oval box clasp, a rectangular box clasp, a small circle box clasp, a medium-sized circle and a large circle box clasp, I even made a box clasp with a false bottom that no one would see except the wearer.

I’ll have to devote a post to box clasps one day, they are a beautiful thing!

Ariane Zurcher Jewelry ~ Samadhi Collection: 18 Kt Brushed Gold, Labradorite, Pink Tourmaline, Moss Aquamarine, Ruby, Green Aquamarine

This Labradorite necklace with gold “bead” began as a sketch on the page opposite the sketches of the clasp.  It went from pencil sketch to this…

And eventually ended up worn like this in Italian Vogue!