"But every once in a while, you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”
―
Sometimes, you've just got to throw everything you've got at a project. I'm not a sparkly kind of person by nature, but even my predilection for earth tones has to give way sometimes. Iridescence, whether on a jellyfish, a soap bubble, or a starling's wing, is something special when you find it.
This is a project that started several years ago; in fact, when I began the Moon Rabbit. I painted both backgrounds at the same time. When this silk came out so much brighter and bluer than the Moon Rabbit's, I knew it would be perfect for a marine piece. The Moon Rabbit is predominantly silver and very formal, so I wanted to push the same materials and techniques the other way into something lighter with more movement. And, of course, more sparkle! Between the iridescent beads, plate, braid, and crystals, this jellyfish glows, gleams, glitters, and glistens.
The first time I saw a jellyfish in the wild I was entranced. It had incredibly fine lines that marked the bell from top to bottom and shifted in a rainbow of colors. It didn't look much like this - it was a harmless little comb jelly, the approximate size and appearance of a peeled grape - but discovering it felt like this. Despite how finicky setting the crystals on the bell was, I knew I had to try and capture the sparkle of that jellyfish. When I saw the crystals for the first time by candlelight, I finally felt like I was close.
This jellyfish is loosely based on the Chrysaora genus of sea nettles. Chrysaora means 'he who has a golden armament', and it seemed a fitting choice to translate into goldwork embroidery. Their sting isn't typically deadly under normal circumstances, but it's not pleasant. Many of them have striped bells, and C. fulgida has a pinkish rim. I learned quite a bit about jellyfish while putting together this design, and settled on the sea nettles for their coloration and the fact that they had both long, elegant tentacles and ruffled oral arms.
From handpainting the silk of the background and ribbons to cutting and setting each tiny silver chip around the Swarovski crystals like a jigsaw puzzle, this piece was a labor of love. Some of the techniques involved were pioneered in the Moon Rabbit (like painting the background and the iridescent plate visible at the rim of the jellyfish bell) and some, like the painted, edged ribbon and delicate tentacles are brand new - but don't be surprised to see more like this in the future.
Out of the Deep is the first of a new series, 'Dangerous Creatures'. I have several creatures in mind, and another already in the works. Some will be deadly creatures, and some, like this jellyfish and the next one, only mildly dangerous, but too pretty to pass up. What dangerous creature would you like to see next?