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Monday, September 9, 2013

"Pink Cadillac"

 
The Etsy Beadweavers September 2013 theme is "My Favorite Song" and I had some gorgeous pieces of Rhodocrosite that reminded me of  an awesome two-tone pink Chevrolet my parents drove when I was a little girl.  It was Champagne and Dusty Rose and I thought it was SO COOL!   I wanted to use those cabs, and somehow the song "Pink Cadillac" popped into my mind. 
  

I had a chat with my BFF Google Images, and found several juicy places to start. I went first to a caddy of my own vintage, 1953, but that was not recognizable.  I must have been too young.  :) But when when I got to the later 50's, I found things I remembered!  I felt that using vintage cars could help me avoid the Mary Kay association, which I wanted to avoid.  I find I am at my best when I am working with ideas that have meaning in my own life.  The vintage cars just felt right to me. 

I tried to think, what about a car is worthy of jewelry.  The whole front end seemed to be full of great ideas.  I loved the grille, so started with that.


I absolutely ADORED the bumpers.  They were shaped like bullets, or maybe bombs, and I made a couple tries at them.  They looked like breasts to me, or my own first circle-stitched bras, and this made me laugh, but they were not quite the right image!

 
According to wikipedia, the song (as written) is not really about a car.  And the lyrics bear testiment to that.  Bruce Springstein meant it as a metaphor for sexual activity.  I didn't really want to go there!  I loved the Natalie Cole version, which was a chart topping cha cha at the time I worked as a professional ballroom dancer.  She WAS talking about a car...  So out with "the boss's" breast images, and in with the ones that looked more like lipsitck to me.  Those are cherry quartz. 
 
 
 Then I thought the license place had a pendant quality.  SO time for the Rhodocrosite cabochon.  And I remembered fuzzy dice, and I think that figured into the fringe I created!
 
 
 And there there were those funky hooded headlights, which I thought were pretty amazing too!
 
 
 But these, I just could not use.  When I put them in place, the whole thing took on a disturbing doofy face identity, and that was NOT what I wanted.  It is one of my personal pet peeves in jewelry, in fact.  So instead, I created a hood ornament/logo component, with the underlining V shape and the cadillac crown image, loosely defined.
 
 
This was such a fun journey!  I hope you enjoyed it too, and I also hope you will visit our Etsy Beadweavers team blog between the 9th and 15th of September and choose your Favorite Song entry!  My team rocks, and there are many heartfelt and clever beadwoven beauties to look at.
  

18 comments:

  1. I always love reading stories behind your pieces!
    I love the texture of the pearl-grid. This necklace has somehow a Bollywood feeling to me!

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    1. I think pink and Bollywood are inseparable, especially if there is fringe involoved. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  2. You inspire me. I like the stages your work takes before the final outcome. Beautiful, beautiful piece.

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    1. Thanks so much Naan! Nice to see you in the Battle of the Beadsmith with lovely work. :)

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  3. I love how you always share the creative process with your readers. This is a wonderful piece and I learned a lot about the song, it's origins,and the I think your interpretations of a pink cadillac into a wearable art is spot on!

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    1. Thanks Kinga! YOu know, I am questioning the need for a blog. It seems we all share on fB now. When I began beading, this was the besst way for me to see what others were doing and to share my work, but with the mushrooming of the bead world on fB really changed things a bit. I do share in more detail here. I will have to put some thought into this matter!

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    2. I do not have FB- I am a hold out. I will miss you if you leave the blog behind.

      I appreciate the detail you provide here.

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    3. I appreciate your feedback Kathy Jo. Thank you!

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  4. I love those colors but most especially I love all the details.

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  5. I love this piece, Marsha. It is a really effective interpretation of not only a song but the imagery of the car. I think part of the reason it works so well is because it is not too literal of an interpretation but still evokes the aesthetic and mood of that imagery.

    On the issue of FB versus blog, I hope you keep the blog. I find that FB just doesn't work for the step by step process types of posts like you have here, and these are what I most enjoy reading.

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    1. Thank you! Holy cow I meant to go to the UMBS meeting last night, and when my power went off I forgot entirely my plans for the day and switched to being productive in the best way possible in the dark. I imagine I missed you again! We really will meet one day!!! Sorry about that!

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  6. brilliant idea, brilliant design, by brilliant you. You nailed that flawlessly!

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  7. Cath, thank you so much. I appreciate your comment, friendship and support!

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  8. Very neat design, and such a unique source of inspiration! I can definitely see the automotive elements in this piece.

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    1. Thank you so much for reading and for your warm comment Cindy!

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  9. FAVOLOSA! Una grande idea e creazione!

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