Well, it's anything that the Designer wants it to be.
In the past, I've always displayed my work so that Showcase visitors could get a feel for my style and what it is that I do. But this year, I decided to take a different approach. You see, CHA provided us with a gallery-style pedestal instead of a table, so I created a very minimalist display. And unlike past years where I've had lots of my designs on display, this year I had just ONE finished piece. But, that piece is the hero of my display. I hope it will all make sense by the time you reach the end of the post.
In the meantime, follow the pics to see how my Showcase took shape.
Let's start with the props for the display. I wanted three round, white boxes which nested inside each other. But having left it until just two days before jetting out to the US to put this together, I had to take whatever boxes I could find, no matter what the colour. With a can of gloss white paint in my shopping basket, I was on my way.
Six coats of paint later, and I had my round, white boxes.
Whilst these were drying, it was on to making the jewellery that would be on display: a Faux Barbed Wire Wrap Bracelet.
You can see how to make the Faux Barbed Wire here. I made about 2.5 metres all up. Some was for the bracelet and the rest was to be used to tell the story.
At this point, it was time to pack my suitcase and head to the airport. The rest would have to be completed in my hotel room once I got to LA.
Once I was settled in my room it was time to start putting it all together.
That faux barbed wire I had made was to become writing around the outside of my three white boxes and it needed to be painstakingly applied so the adhesive didn't show. I ran into a spot of bother here because the quick drying adhesive I had chosen for its strength was solvent based.... and so was the paint on the boxes and it immediately began to dissolve the paint. Yikes! No need to panic though because I came prepared with three adhesives and one of them worked nicely.
Progress was slow, but the words were starting to take shape.... and to my relief, it was readable!
I found these wooden pedestals at the same store as the round boxes and they were already painted white. They just needed a touch of colour to brighten them up.
With all the components completed I was ready to set up my Showcase. And here it is!
The theme of my Showcase was Concept to Completion and I wanted it to illustrate the design process in a visual way, showing how a spool of simple beading cord could be transformed into a Faux Barbed Wire Bracelet. The cord runs in one continuous length from the spool on top of the first box right to the end of the word "completion" on the third box - it starts out as just plain cord and is progressively transformed into barbed wire as it moves from box to box.
The bracelet sits on top of the last box propped up on a rose.... such a contradiction - but it's a pretty cool bracelet! Most people actually think it's wire and not cord at all and they're surprised when they pick it up and discover that it's soft to the touch and completely wearable.
I love how my Showcase turned out.... and I love that it told a story. It turned out to be a real talking point!
'Til next time.....
If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs
