Can I ... ?

I often look at some of the more intricate lampwork beads, and wish I could have a go at making them.  There's no guarantee that I wouldn't just produce poo on a stick - and, in fact, I expect that's what would happen, as what's in your head doesn't necessarily translate successfully into what you're capable of making.  My beloved wire does have its limitations - I absolutely adore 'underwater' beads as I'm a great lover of water in all its aspects, but wire does not necessarily lend itself well to representing liquid, although I have tried more than once!  And yet ... I found myself making yet another doodle of an underwater pendant, and thinking ... can I?

I ignored the urge to attempt my underwater pendant, and spent last Friday evening trying to make something simpler, and saleable.  What an utter waste of time.  I achieved precisely nothing, unless you count sore thumbs and the usual squint you could park a bike in.  So I decided to cut my losses and just go for it, even though I knew I would spend a lot of time twisting and weaving wire for a project that may still come to nothing.  But I've come to the conclusion that it's good for me to challenge myself with something I find inspiring.  No, it doesn't always work - but the research I put into things like finding different seaweeds and corals and working out ways to represent them using wire, is probably good for me.

So after several hours work, this is what I produced.  And yes, it's a bit busy and it's certainly multi-coloured, but it actually turned out just how I hoped it would.  Obviously, the water is represented by the spaces that aren't filled with wire, but hopefully that works.  Once I'd sorted out what I was going to include, the hardest parts were making sure all the components were securely anchored (it's amazing how a piece of seemingly secure wrapped wire can work itself loose all by itself) and that all of the many wire ends were neatly tucked in.  After all, it's meant to be a wearable piece, so it needs to be fit for purpose.  And the conclusion to all this rambling is that, after all, it appears I can.  :)