Scrub layers and kooky boobs

I am in the process of building a website, but I think this is the best place to really delve into what I am doing within my practice.  Also, It's really old.  I love that it has this long history that encompasses the last half of my career as a jeweller, even though I stopped using it regularly about 8 years ago.

 I found this digital image I made about 4 years ago, and I am struck by the layers within it.   I had completely forgotten about it.  I love how through a little play, something shifts.  It's not about the outcome, it's about the understanding of a process.

 Lately if you have been following me on social media, you will have noticed that I've been drawn to selective layering, in that a specific intentional, recognisable image is visible among layers of pattern and tone.  The image of the tree is the one I'm completely drawn to.  Constant visits to the scrub to connect with nature and commune through honing my visual interpretation meant that this latent desire to layer with pattern, inevitably evolved.  

Today I included images of these 2D works from my scrub jaunts with some of the earrings I have been making.  Many of you have asked for a back story on these.

It's true that I primarily made my kooky boobs through the parameters of wishing to create less aluminium dust.  So I have die cut and domed these favourite colours.  I fiddle faddled and I played and being who I am, I drew comparisons to other things I am interested in.  They screamed BOOB at me! They also looked a bit like the eyes of kooky trees.  If you go through my archives on Instagram, you will find that I do have a little bit of a penchant to anthropomorphise some of the trees in the scrub.  

I have noticed kooky faces.  They may be human or animal, but to me they hold the potential to be kooky tricksters, enjoying their interaction with the unaware passersby. 

The latest collection is very simple.  Simple through a series of necessities.  Previously I have cut aluminium and used a dust extractor or a mask to minimise my exposure to this dust.  When my extractor stopped working about 2 years ago, I stopped working.

Since then I have found an alternative where I still get to enjoy the magic of the colours but no dust is produced.  Die cutting and doming. 

I have quite a few ideas to explore using not only the doming technique, but also utilising older components I have already cut out, in new works.