Pendants: Inspired by Reading

For a lot of different reasons, it's been a long time since I have made any jewelry - evidenced by the gap between posts!  Instead, I have been reading - poetry, philosophy, and anti-racist books - and as I read, I started wondering how to express ideas through jewelry art.  

It all came together when I joined an anti-racist book group hosted by an arts center, in which we were asked to do art projects reflecting the readings.  This one evolved from a reading about the struggle against stereotypes. 

The art projects in my class inspired me to put some other thoughts together using my tools and beads.  

This one was inspired by a Joy Harjo poem called Emergence.

I have enjoyed showing these to friends, wondering what they see in them.  It's sort of like looking at clouds - everyone sees something different.  

This is a self-portrait, inspired by some reading of the Stoics.