Inspiration :: Portia

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It's inexplicable, but the name "Portia" springs to mind when I had to name these earrings... Perhaps it's the strength of her character as the heroine in The Merchant of Venice that attracted me.  Wisdom, wit and grace residing all in a single soul - she wins her suitor and saves the life of his friend.  In the play, Portia delivers one of the most famous speeches of all time:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Ellen Terry (1847 1928) As Portia In The Merchant Of Venice C. 1885 by Albert Joseph Moore

Source unknown

Curiously, I'm also reminded of Audrey Tatou's character in Amelie who carries out elaborate ideas to help improve the lives of people around her.  Perhaps that is a name for another creation on another day...

Cythera :: Isle of Love

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I first stumbled upon the story of the fabled island in Jean-Antoine Watteau's paintings, drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet and manifested in fêtes galantes style.  Cythera, also thought to be the birthplace of Venus, goddess of love, became the place where one could hope to find his or her ideal partner.  These paintings are unusual in that you can never exactly tell if the people on the island are coming or going.

I was spurred to interpret these enchanting landscapes and mood in these paintings but wanted to add a modern twist to it....so when this yellow bantam pendant from Rosalera came along, things fell in perfectly!  The pendant becomes a keepsake and reminder of happy memories and was wonderful to go with a palette of sapphires, amethysts and lemon quartz and a solitary Akoya baroque pearl (all the gems that a girl would love!)...today was a very happy day indeed!    

Gray Exquisites

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Whoever said gray had to be dull and dreary?

 

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And I even found this lovely blog in gray - check it out!

 

Happy anniversary...

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...to me!  Amazing how time flies...it has been two fabulous years since Il Mare Atelier was born.

I still remember and am eternally grateful to Emily of Exquisite Studios who became my first customer and continued to be encouraging and supportive always; Kim of Vabeachquilter whose self-discipline spurred me to be persistent in my marketing and promotion efforts...although other challenges have come up along the way and I haven't been able to keep pace.

And not forgetting the many lovely customers I have had, some of whom have become friends...and many other friends I met in the online space :)

In celebration of Il Mare Atelier's second anniversary, I'm having price reductions on all items in both my Artfire and Etsy studios.  Use the coupon code - BDAY20 at check out to enjoy a 20% reduction.  Anniversary sale ends April 15th, enjoy!