Out of Africa | Side Street Studio Blog

Out of Africa Side Street Studio Blog

Out of Africa

Gitte Bruun writes;

“It’s all about the natural world for me. Without it, my soul would shrivel up and die, or at best, atrophy.
We need to respect and treat our great and wonderful planet with kindness.

It’s the only one we’ve got. Every little thing, big or small; creature; being; organism; is amazing and breathtaking in it’s design and an integral part of the whole.
I want to share and convey those feelings of excitement and humbleness for the beauty and complexity of the natural world, enlightening and educating if I can.

I tend to choose subject matter for my pen and inks that are not “popular”, focusing on bats, vultures, snakes, insects etc with the occasional foray into birds of prey and orcas.
My jewellery reflects treasures of the natural world and their history, combined with sterling silver and gemstones, or at other times borrows influences from the tribes of Africa and Asia, from people who still live connected to the land and its rhythms.
Art should provoke thought. I hope that my work will inspire some to take another look at aspects of species inhabiting our world, open their mind a little more to the importance of all creatures, not just the handsome ones, thereby, hopefully softening our impact.

I combine sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones with my “beads” made from handmade cedar bark paper or abandoned wasp nest paper”.

“For the paper-making process, strips of bark removed from fallen or windblown cedar (Thuja plicata) are torn into narrow lengths and then cut into postage-stamp sized pieces before being soaked in water overnight or longer. It’s then cooked in the water gently (on top of the woodstove) with a small amount of soda ash for half a day to break down the fiber, rinsed thoroughly, and zapped in a blender to become a rich dark brown paper pulp for casting or sheet making.
Sheets of dried cedar bark paper are cut into strips and rolled into beads, or cut to size to cover cardboard blanks, glued into place and left to dry, and then covered in a protective layer of matte varnish. Or the pulp is pressed into round discs, dried and trimmed, and covered in a light varnish.

Some of the ‘beads’ have pressed lichen, dried hydrangea petals, or parts of maple leaves and ferns decorating them. A sterling silver bail is attached and the ‘bead’ is ready for it’s marriage to stone and silver”.
“Yellow Jacket nests (vespiary) are found abandoned in the winter after the colony hasdied off and the surviving queen hidden herself away to overwinter underground or somewhere sheltered until spring. The nest is made from wood of various species of shrubs and trees chewed into a pulp by the Yellow Jackets, and then transformed into an elegant brindled paper structure that can take on a typically urn-shaped form as large as a football or bigger.
Some are in shades of grays, ivory, granite, and silvered cedar, or shot through with waves of russet, taupe and tan, a few with softened amber and sepia tones. They are a work of art in themselves. The nest is very brittle and fragile so pieces are cut to size for the cardboard blanks that they cover, wetted carefully with glue and folded over into place and left to dry.
A few layers are used to complete the process, drying between each layer otherwise the paper disintegrates with the slightest touch. Once all the layers are on and dried, the wasp paper blank is coated in a protective layer of matte varnish, the sterling Silver bail attached and it’s ready to be combined with silver and stone”.

Gitte Bruun lived for over 22 years on an island with no roads nor electricity (accessible only by boat) off the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Read more about Gitte and her beautiful work at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=80452

CAMELOT & CELTIC SYMBOLISM

CAMELOT & CELTIC SYMBOLISM

Sheila Smedley writes:
“Artists and authors have held a centuries-old fascination with the mystery surrounding Arthur and his Utopian kingdom believed to have been at Camelot.
Fifth Century Britain left us with little tangible clue as to what life was actually like for the peoples of that time. We do know, however, that the Celtic culture was thriving: it’s symbolism and rites a common thread that ran through a tapestry of nations as far away as the Middle East and India”.

“Today we continue to recognize and acknowledge the strong symbolism and wisdom of the Celtic peoples. The Camelot Collection of jewellery by Sarabande Treasures harks back to an ancient time. Antiqued bronze and gold pewter, combined with an array of gemstones, indicative of those used in decoration and adornment in the Dark Ages, create this unique and distinctive collection”.

“Necklaces of blue lapis lazuli accented with the honeyed tones of aragonite; Celtic knot earrings with drops of claret red garnet; bracelets wrapping the wrist in rich, red tiger’s eye and lustrous mother of pearl are some of the treasures inspired by the magic that is Camelot”.


“The Celts ruled a great portion of Britain and northern Europe before the arrival of Christianity. The symbols and signs of Celtic artwork held incredible power for the ancient Celts in every aspect of their lives, which is evidenced in the beautiful artefacts collected over past centuries”.


“Exquisite knot work is immediately recognizable as Celtic art. Each knotted design is composed of a single ribbon. Tracing the path of the knot may have been a form of devotional meditation for the Celts. The endless knot represents eternity, the timeless nature of our spirit and an uninterrupted life cycle.”

“The Celtic cross not only is a central symbol for Christianity, but in a number of cultures, the intersection of vertical and horizontal axes can represent the union of heaven and earth. Although the ancient Celts left no written records, their art and symbolism remain as captivating and poignant today as it did centuries ago”.
You can see more of Sheila’s magnificent Celtic work at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=celtic&sort=3a&page=1