Open Door in Prague and Beyond

17 May Open Door in Prague and Beyond

Prague

Seeds of inspiration so often come from my clients.

As Linda and I sat around a blank piece of paper discussing the best way to honor her daughter’s journey upon her college graduation, we flipped through photos on her iPhone that had been taken by her daughter, Liz, during her extensive global travels.

Prague Building (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Tacy)

An image taken in Prague struck me. A building. A simple building with an interesting doorway with a larger window above and a stacked stone chimney had been captured by Liz in a perfectly subtle photographic composition.

“…Just the fact that she saw that and stopped to take this picture…,” her mom remarked to me.

Linda spoke about her daughter as many moms will, given the opportunity. She talked about her daughter’s journey – decisions she’d made and experiences she’d had along the way. I was an eager listener as my own daughters are just a few years younger. A child’s exploration of and journey throughout the world are the mom’s as well.

We chose to use that photo as the seed of inspiration for Liz’s graduation gift.  Linda liked the metaphor of the door, as graduating from college is at the very least a person’s moment on the threshold of life. We decided to create a vessel – a container – as it is important to carry certain things with you when you embark.

Prague Process 3

Metal Storytelling

My benchwork began. I reduced Liz’s image to the scale required of jewelry, and printed several copies to use as templates. I built the image  piece by piece onto a roller-textured sheet, beginning with the foreground. I proceeded with the various architectural elements, the columns surrounding the door being my favorite.

After I constructed the building facade, I worked to make the door hinge. I tried several different approaches, as I wanted the hinge mechanism to be hidden. Working at jewelry scale, a visible hinge would have greatly altered the composition from the original image. So, after three or four varieties, the hinge was done.

I soldered the sides of the structure, added the chain connectors, and then soldered on the back plate. I finished forging and constructing the chain. Next was clean up and patina, tumble, and time to call Linda.

The next morning Linda and the vessel neckpiece boarded a plane and flew halfway across the country to celebrate Liz’s graduation.

I love thinking about the neckpiece accompanying Liz on her next adventure.

Liz’s Prague (a collage)