Beauty From Ashes

by Tamara Summers.
(Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)

My Muse: Monk at Angkor Wat

When I looked at the second picture in this set, it caused a bit of an emotional response in me. It was the strength, focus, and beautiful colour of the monk in his robe, walking through a space devoid of colour except grey, and with only concrete as an element.

Even though this was the picture I was most drawn to on an emotional level, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a piece to depict this. And I didn’t feel the colours inspiring me. But as I thought about it, I realized that I have created a piece within the past few weeks that did portray a similar thing. I just hadn’t thought about it in that way before. This is the piece I want to share here.

There has also been a phrase that has been in my mind a lot recently, “beauty from ashes”. As I looked at this picture, and my necklace, I felt it apply as well. The concrete is an ashy-looking grey, and the man walking through the midst of it is certainly beautiful.

My necklace is constructed from large lava beads, not far removed from ashes. I’ve had them for a couple of years, but hadn’t settled on what to combine them with, until I recently purchased this lace (it originally was a headband that I took apart).

I made the necklace with the beads, including a couple of gold lava beads I recently acquired, and the lace. I liked it, but felt it needed some colour. I added a purple polymer clay flower with a crystal centre, and used bead caps to make more little flowers with brightly coloured centres.

As I looked at my necklace, after seeing this picture, I saw the bits of gold coming up from the midst of the dark lava and lace, and popping open to reveal colourful little flowers. Beauty, colour and life coming from the midst of ashes!

Tamara Summers
Pink Pearls by Tamara