Thursday, September 05, 2013

"Twisted" - A pendant for Annie Ross

Continuing with my resolution to clear the workshop of unfinished projects, I finally completed my piece "Twisted: For Annie Ross" today:

Twisted: For Annie Ross - 5


Made from a piece of cast-iron which I found on a bit of derelict land in Glasgow, when I found it, the song "Twisted", written and famously sung by Glaswegian jazz legend, Annie Ross, was in my head.

Twisted: For Annie Ross - 6

The silver elements at the top of the pendant were designed in Inkscape and came from an almost freehand doodle around the shape of the iron. I transferred them to Rhino to scale and refine them then cut them by hand. Set with green quartz, amethyst, tsavorite garnets, aventurine, peridot and labradorite.

The catch on the chain is especially "Twisted"!

Twisted: For Annie Ross - 8

If any of my students are reading this, I demand you look away NOW. Close the browser and look at something else...

While looking through the drawers and cupboards in the workshop for unfinished projects, I am ashamed to confess that I found a commission which I started - nearly 2 years ago - and which is also unfinished: thank goodness for amenable clients!

Mace Repeat - WIP - 11

A copy of my original "Mace" pendant but with Shibuichi spikes instead of gold. Will try to finish this soon now, too.

To finish, here is the song which inspired the first piece.

 

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
He said I'd need treatment but I'm not that easily led
He said I was the type that was most inclined
When out of his sight to be out of my mind
And he thought I was nuts, no more ifs or ands or buts
Oh no!

They say as a child I appeared a little bit wild
With all my crazy ideas
But I knew what was happenin', I knew I was a genius
What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three?
I knew that this was meant to be

Well I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight
That's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night
My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do
But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to
Now do you think I was crazy?
I may have been only three but I was swingin'

They all laughed at Al Graham Bell
They all laughed at Edison and also at Einstein
So why should I feel sorry if they just couldn't understand
The litany and the logic that went on in my head?
I had a brain, it was insane
Don't you let them laugh at me
When I refused to ride on all those double decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
But I said "Dear doctor, I think that it's you instead
'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new
It proves that I'll have the last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head... I got two
And you know two heads are better than one"

Lyrics, Annie Ross; Music, Wardell Gray.