The Elk + Juniper Smoke Bolo
A super special one of a kind bolo tie paying homage to The Desert. A super weighty double sided triangle pendant made of fine silver, wrapped in sterling roped wire. The front of the pendant made from the texture of the bregma, the meeting point of the cranial sutures on the top of an elk skull. I found the elk skull in Northern New Mexico many years ago, and its remained one of my most prized possessions, and I am honored to finally bring it a new life. The reverse side the texture of a full juniper branch. Both sides meticously indiviudally hand cast from fine silver from natural materials I have collected myself, in the desert. With a contrasted antiqued background to make all of the elements pop. This whole piece encapsulates the flora and the fauna of the desert, and truly is a perfect talisman of its magic.
It has a hand formed and stamped sterling bolo slider, and holds a 36” black leather roped bolo lanyard, with stamped sterling silver caps.
The pendant measures just over 1 3/4" wide and 1 1/8" tall.
The pendant weighs .9 oz (25.5g).
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“The fire. The odor of burning juniper is the sweetest fragrance on the face of the earth, in my honest judgment; I doubt if all the smoking censers of Dante's paradise could equal it. One breath of juniper smoke, like the perfume of sagebrush after rain, evokes in magical catalysis, like certain music, the space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness of the American West. Long may it burn.”
― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
>>> Elk. Elk are a symbol of strength and wisdom, community, and more than anything, of endurance. They carry with them the message that you are on the right path, and slow and steady wins the race. Carry these talismans of elk as reminders of your own strength, to trust in the process, and that you will get to where you want to be. <<<
Damaged Goods - A Collection Divided
I am beyond pleased to finally begin unveiling my new works, a full collection of one of a kinds, in four parts. Likened to, and symbolizing the four elements: earth, air, fire and water; there will be collection correlating to each: The Forest, The Swamp, The Desert, and The Ocean. Which brings me to the title of this release, “Damaged Goods”. I started attempting to learn a new skill set three summers ago, and drew up the base of this collection then, but when I returned home to New Orleans I found myself deep in the darkest chapter of my life. Lots of intense trauma, and just a need for survival overpowered any ability to creatively focus on new directions. I had spent a long while attempting to keep all of my plates spinning, but many dropped. I’ve spent the last year and half very seriously working to properly mend those broken plates, which I’ve related on more than one occasion to the Japanese pottery technique of Kintsugi, the art of repairing cracks and damage with gold - to add to its beauty, strength, and value. Which is something I genuinely believe in: when someone actively works at healing their wounds, their trauma becomes growth, understanding, and more value. I wanted to use returning to this collection as a form of healing, so I applied these metaphors and techniques into my original drawings, and I adore the shape its taken. They maintain the integrity of being a true talisman of nature, made directly from materials I’ve found myself, be it the textures I use in the metal pieces or in the stones and shells I set, but also, each piece will contain that metaphor of gold bonds woven throughout to bring the wearer’s life more strength, growth, and value. I hope you treasure wearing these pieces as much I have making them.