This is the necklace I made for my faculty Jane Hofverberg for her retirement present. Completing this was quite a struggle. The original design included three faces - one representing each of the core faculty of the OTA faculty. I intended for each of the faces to be white on white but significantly different from each other.
Each face ended up being completed and taken apart several times. They just didn't feel right so I would start over again. As frustrating as this is I do seem to design in the moment. I don't draw well and I find if I visualize in too much detail I am disappointed if I can't carry it off. When I see it and touch it I can decide if I think it is working or not.
I also could not successfully place all three faces on the choker. I ended up choosing the face that I Iiked the best to represent Jane's spirit and putting that on her necklace. The other two faces are going to be necklaces for myself and for Nan, the other faculty member of our team. Jane actually really liked that idea because it continues to link us together.
I worked on this project while I was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Fatigue was such an issue for me that it was a triumph each time I was able to be up long enough to work on it. I needed those moments that I could focus on something other than illness. Even though it looks just white there are six or seven different beads in the necklace, some shiny, some matt, some large and some smaller. The ndebele herringbone pattern of the necklace increases the interplay of light and texture. The layers on the pendant also add shadow and light to the piece.
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