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I am UmberDove.

And by that, I mean an artist.  One who hears stories in the wind, who paints because it is what her soul tells her to do, who smiths because the muse moves through her fingertips, who loves nothing more than the promise of an unexplored trail, the sound of the ocean in her ears, and scent of a serious cup of coffee.

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The Practice of Balance

UmberDove

A friend recently asked me about my creative process, if there were bursts and lulls, ebbs and flows.  In thinking this over, I admitted to myself that the highs, the bursts of wild inspiration, are breathtaking and powerful and never do I feel so energized as when the tidal wave of the muse washes over me.  However, as a tidal wave is wont to do, it has the potential and power to knock me off my feet and spin me into a frothy, fizzy mess.  A beautiful and appreciated mess, but a mess all the same.  Sometimes the multitude of creative ideas, all calling out their desire to be realized can feel downright paralyzing.

And the lows are of course, low.  I tend to keep a tidier kitchen, the laundry gets caught up and I spend so much time paging back through sketchbooks, wondering what in the world I was thinking with such and such drawings.  These are the days when I know I need to just keep showing up, to constantly remind myself that what came from my head and heart still resides there, and that I will find it again.  And that maybe, just maybe, I need to rest.

But it is the middle ground that is my favorite.  That honest, sturdy place.  When the frenzy has slowed (I think my muse is a kinetic being - she is ALL or nothing and spazzy to the max), when I've had a chance to hold each idea and look at it from all sides, when I've been able to discern which ones truly must see creation and which need to germinate a while longer.  It's such a practice, such a constant search for balance.  It's like finding a runner's stride, like hearing a perfect harmony, like believing in the rhythm of your own unique heartbeat.  And it doesn't always come naturally.  Hense the practice.

So, as I tend to do, I thought about all this and let my hands work.
IMG_7065
The Practice of Balance
(sterling silver and pisco blue chrysocolla)

This ring was quite literally, a practice in balance.  The idea arrived in a flash, so I took a day to marinate over it.  That electric blue stone called out for tiny feathers so I happily obliged.  Each ball of sterling granulation was individually placed, some intuitively, others after careful consideration.  The physical balance of this ring is lovely; it cradles the finger with a rich weight, just enough to remind you of its presence.  There is a quiet breath in this ring and it wears like a token of peace.
(in the shop now)

Wherever you are today, just know I believe in your good heart.
~ Umber ~