When things are looking bleak, make jewelry.
2007 was a year of the loss of loved ones for local artist Vivian Martin that made her think she needed an outlet that had a positive outlook to it.
Martin uses semi-precious and natural stone, with copper and silver wire as accents attached to leather necklaces. She makes earrings and bracelets as well and now she's moving her creative energies to small fabric sculpties.
Martin was visiting a family member who had taken a class in how to create the fabric sculpties.
"I looked at the sculpties and I loved them and knew I needed to do that," said Martin. "I taught myself how to make them."
Martin, a resident of Prince George for more than 25 years, said she builds forms and then she basically recycles as she uses old T-shirts to clothe the figures.
"Cotton is the best," said Martin, who is an administrative assistant turned equipment operator.
She takes fabric hardener and as it's drying she shapes the material as it's drying, which takes hours. Two or three days later another coat is applied and after it's hardened, Martin then
uses a marine varnish to coat the small sculpture.
"They are meant to be indoor or outdoor sculptures," said Martin, adding they need to come inside during the winter.
She's made sculpties of a lady in repose with her arm up, a butterfly on her finger tip; a rock star bent over his whaling guitar and a figure in all her cowgirl glory. Using the same sculpty technique, Martin also creates wine bottle wraps or collars that look like little capes or skirts.
Martin's first love was photography. She got her first point and shoot when she was in Grade 5 or 6, she said, and she used to go out on her ATV and find wildlife to shoot with her camera.
Martin has her jewelry at the Tourism Prince George gift shop and on Tuesday, July 30 visitors and residents alike can find her latest sculpties and photos on display.
Martin will be in attendance from 3 to 6 p.m.
For more information about her jewelry visit marvwiresculpturejewelry.vpweb.ca. For more on Martin's sculpties, visit her on Facebook page.
