About art and other stuff...

Mother Nature's Sidewalk Art

2011-12-20T12:27:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like a twig-eating puppy to help you be observant. While on the lookout for those twigs (and other consumables), I've had the opportunity to appreciate the world beneath my feet. The lighting can be very dramatic on our early morning walks and the sidewalks in our area (made from natural stone) are approaching the century mark - some have weathered just beautifully. One day the puddles froze into beautiful crystal patterns. Here are some images I was compelled to capture with my phone. A few were manipulated with some photoshop effects for fun. Hope you enjoy... click on the pictures to see them larger.

ArtCraft Holiday Sale

2011-11-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again–time for my favorite show. Of course I'm still madly creating new work... and I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends, fellow artists, and the wonderful customers who return every year. Join me on December 3 & 4 for great shopping in a festive atmosphere–hope to see you there!

PMC Sterling!

2011-11-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

So it's finally happened - you may have heard that Mitsubishi will release PMC Sterling in December. I was hoping that a little more info might start to appear so I could pass it along, but guess we'll have to wait.

If it has the greenware strength and flexibility of PMC Pro, I'll live with the carbon firing just to be able to use a little less material for the same effect and greater strength. The price is estimated to be less than PMC 3 so it will be great to save a little on the price of the clay. It will be well suited to making stronger clasps and bails and we will able to say a piece is sterling silver and not have to explain the fine silver difference... here's the info on the package insert.

If you just can't wait to try sterling metal clay, you can read Metal Clay Artist Magazine's' article by Lisa Cain (in Vol. 2, Issue 2) on making your own sterling metal clay, or watch Lisa's video. I have a bit of Pro on hand, so I think I'm going to mix up a little sterling clay just to see what happens...

Fibula Workshop at La Ruche Davis

2011-09-28T15:32:00.000-04:00

Seems like the weeks are flying by this fall. This August I had a great time teaching a class on PMC Pro - we made lots of rings! My classes at the Valley Art Center are in the 3rd week already and I'm preparing for a fun workshop next month in DC.

Ever want to try your hand at water etching and enameling? This could be your chance...

I'm excited to be teaching a water etched and enameled fibula workshop at La Ruche Davis - an extension of Ann Davis Studio (just outside of Washington DC) on October 15-16. But don't wait too long - there are only a few spots left - contact Ann for more information.

And if this isn't your cup of tea, Ann is offering several other classes so you can see what else she has scheduled!

If you haven't seen any of my water etched and enameled fibula pins, here are a few examples...

Yes, but what have you done lately?

2011-07-30T23:02:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted... life has been very busy. Some of you may have seen Tonya Davidson's blog where I had the honor of being featured as a "Muse Personality" a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed Tonya's great interview questions - I love reading the Muse interviews. Ask yourself the questions. It's fun to think about the answers.

So what have I done lately? When I've had a chance to do anything jewelry related, I've been playing with PMC Pro again. This is a ring made with Pro. I've worked on pieces designed to test the strength of the fired material and the handling in the greenware state. If you haven't tried Pro, you'd be amazed at the strength and flexibility of this metal clay as greenware.

Now, the hinge for this ring is made entirely of Pro... and while I worked on the ring I opened and closed the hinge at least a few dozen times. I shared the process of construction with my students and they couldn't believe how much handling the ring could withstand without breaking. The sections are pretty thin (about 3+ cards) and stayed firmly attached to the hinge knuckles throughout construction and clean up.

There are 3 white topaz faceted stones fired in place. One is on the top of the hinge, the other two are on either side of the center section.

And speaking of firing, I recently tried a Square HeadTM pot for firing the Pro and loved it. I'd been using soup cans but had been too busy to spray them with high heat paint so they quickly disintegrated. This ceramic pot was great - fired perfectly the first time with NO MESS!!!

And finally, what I've really been doing lately is this: surviving puppyhood. I've been absent from blog posting, Facebook, crafthaus, etc for a while.... and this little guy is the reason why. He's a four-legged-fur-covered creature that we adopted (at 7 weeks old) from a local rescue organization. He's FULL of puppy-ness and recently found his "big dog" bark (he's gonna be a big guy... and is already a great watch dog!). I'm exhausted (and sleep deprived), but he's worth it!

What's a "Mentorial?"

2011-06-23T11:37:00.001-04:00

It's a clever idea developed by Lora Hart. She took "mentor" and "tutorial" and put them together into one concept. The purpose is to help creative entrepreneurs "discover, re-imagine and refine their artistic voices; develop a conscious intention for their business; and fine tune their working practice."

Lora is the Artistic Advisor of the PMC Connection and a national PMCC Senior Instructor. Her "historically inspired" work has been featured in many books and magazines and she was one of the Whole Lotta Whimsy Master Muses. We are lucky enough to have her scheduled to come teach a class this summer for our local chapter of the PMC Guild!

Many people are turning to coaching for life and business. It seems that the chance to work with a talented, accomplished, supportive person could be really useful for developing a plan for success. People like Lora and Tonya Davidson are generous and supportive by nature. They love to teach and seem perfectly suited to guide others along the artistic adventure.

P.S. I'm sharing the info on Lora's and Tonya's mentoring programs (previous post) so people can learn more. These posts are not intended as an endorsement or advertisement - I just happen to think they're creative solutions for supporting artists and hope some of you might benefit from their experience.

Helping Artists Soar...

2011-06-02T23:14:00.000-04:00

Tonya Davidson is busy helping artists soar. As long as I have known her, she has been very supportive of her fellow artists - as a teacher, nurturer of the creative spirit, and the energetic force behind Whole Lotta Whimsy. I'm always amazed at all the things Tonya does. She's always generous with her energy and ideas and has now developed a program for Artful Success, yet another way of "helping artists soar." My head just spins thinking about what her day must be like, yet she's always so calm and collected. She even started a Facebook page for the Artful Success program!

And speaking of Facebook pages, if you haven't seen this yet - Tonya created the Whole Lotta Whimsy Sunday Social Circle - a group for artists to meet, share ideas, experiences, and help one another. If you want to be a member, you can stop by the Whole Lotta Whimsy Facebook page on a Sunday and join. The group is very active - I can't keep up with all the posts - but I'm pretty sure Tonya is reading them!

Check out these resources... Tonya will gladly help you soar too!

Happy Birthday Metal Clay Artist Magazine!

2011-05-16T10:46:00.002-04:00

The metal clay community celebrates the second birthday of our very own magazine. Publisher, editor, and artist, Jeannette Froese Leblanc, had an idea for a magazine to support artists working in metal clay... lucky for us, she pursued that idea and Metal Clay Artist Magazine was born.

Since metal clay appeared on the jewelry scene (more than 15 years ago), it's gradually been gaining ground as a respected material/technique for jewelry making (fellow metalsmiths - listen up... metal clay is here to stay). Over the years, more articles about metal clay began to appear in the jewelry magazines. But was it enough to feed the growing interest in this new material?

Launching a print magazine devoted solely to metal clay at a time when print has been seeing a decline was an act of faith in the metal clay community. Jeannette was not disappointed - this international publication has a large circulation (growing every day), with the magazine available in major bookstores, craft stores, as well as bead/jewelry suppliers. With the help many supporters and contributors, including fellow editor Margaret Schindel (author of many informative Squidoo lenses), the magazine has blossomed into something really special.

And in addition filling the need for a print publication, Jeannette launched an online version for those wishing to read the magazine that way. This set MCAM apart in addressing those of us who like to hold a physical magazine and others who like their reading material delivered via computer. It's both tech and tactile...

For those of you who don't know, I started working with MCAM earlier this year selling advertising. This was a new challenge; I'd worked for a magazine, but on the graphics side - creating some of the ad artwork and working in production for a large local magazine and later art directing a smaller publication. But since I love working with the jewelry world and support the efforts of MCAM to bring information to artists, when Jeannette asked if I'd be interested I jumped at the chance. I've seen my mission as making connections for our readers with advertisers who have products they can use.

I like the idea of helping readers learn more, and many of the advertisers are small companies looking to find more customers - I really like helping them too. It's a win-win. I'm not a high pressure sales person, but one who likes to work with the advertisers to find what's best to fill their needs and budget. And it's a good fit because sometimes I wear my graphic designer hat so I can help with ad creation if someone needs it. If you are interested in advertising for your company, products, or classes, you can contact me at cathy (at) metalclayartistmag.com (ok, you had to see that coming... what kind of salesperson would I be if I didn't say something?).

Happy Birthday MCAM, here's to many more!

Penland Glass Book

2011-04-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

Since the winner announced for the Penland Book of Glass never contacted me, I've drawn a new winner at random from those who originally commented and expressed interest in either book or the glass book.

It's Pam!

Nothing like a second chance :)

To the original winner (Laura) wherever you are - I waited a month for you to appear and even posted my search for you on the Lark Crafts Facebook page...

New Directions: Powder Metallurgy in a Sheet Metal World Part 1

2011-04-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

crafthaus: PARTICIPATORY SPORT FOR CRAFT ARTISTS

I'm excited to be a part of the current online exhibition on crafthaus - New Directions: Powder Metallurgy (Metal Clay) in a Sheet Metal World Part 1 is the first of a multi-segmented exhibition celebrating the unique personality that metal clay brings in the form of jewelry, vessels, functional and decorative objects. New Directions: Powder Metallurgy (Metal Clay) in a Sheet Metal World Part 2 will debut July 17, 2011 on crafthaus. A print exhibition of the entire Powder Metallurgy exhibition will be on view at the Metal Clay World Conference to be held in Chicago July 14 -17, 2011.

The show was organized by Susan Breen Silvy and Christine Norton; Juried by Ann Davis, Jeannette Froese LeBlanc, and Gwen Rukenbrod.

An expanded collection of images will be released in an exhibition catalog titled, New Directions: Powder Metallurgy (Metal Clay) in a Sheet Metal World to be released at the Metal Clay World Conference in July, 2011.

crafthaus is a "lively online social network/community of contemporary art and fine craft practitioners and enthusiasts." It's a place where craft artists can connect with other artists. Artists can have a web presence (if they don't already), share work, participate in discussions, learn about calls for entry and much more. There have been several excellent online exhibitions and if you'd like to see some of the excellent past online exhibitions on crafthaus, follow this link.

Penland book winner? Hellooo?

2011-04-06T23:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I heard from Kim, but not Laura. Hello Laura? Where are you? I'd like to send you the book. I'm afraid if I don't hear from you by April 19, I'll have to draw a new winner. I mean, that's a month, seems reasonable? So if you entered a comment on the book review, I'll draw from those who commented by the original deadline. The instructions to contact me are on the winner post.

Ring A Week #4,5, and 6

2011-03-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

Goodness... the weeks do fly by. I had posted some more rings to the flickr Ring A Week group a while back but never got a chance to post them here. Oh, I'm still behind... working on weeks 7 and 8, when the group is on 13. But nothing can be done about that - I'll have to press on in my own time, which is often behind schedule... and for anyone who wants to complain, you try fitting 25 (or more) hours into a 24 hour day. It's a real challenge!

But I digress... this is about posting rings, not about lacking time. I've written plenty about that already!

So here is the ring for week #4. It's Faux Bone again (yes, it's a series...) still just working out design ideas. This one uses a glass bead. These aren't finished rings. But Faux Bone is great to work with. I love making the shapes in this lightweight and easy to manipulate material. I'm going to use it again when I get around to a resin series for this challenge.

And week #5... (this and weeks 2 and 3 are my favorites so far) it's a coral bead.

And here's the ring for week #6. It's copper tube rivets holding Faux Bone and copper discs together.

We have winners!

2011-03-19T19:57:00.000-04:00

As promised... winners for the Penland books were chosen today using a random number generator. Congrats to the winners - wish everyone could win a copy... thanks for participating - I hope to be able to do this again so keep your eyes peeled!

And so... without further ado, the winners are:

Kim for The Penland Book of Jewelry

Laura for The Penland Book of Glass

Congratulations!

Please send your name and address to cdp(at)cdpdesigns.com so I can arrange to send the books to you!

Penland Books

2011-03-06T22:29:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen any of the Penland Books from Lark Crafts? These are beautiful books that function as master classes in technique. The Penland School of Crafts is an influential and highly respected center for craft instruction in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Each of the books showcase the work of 10 instructors who have taught at Penland and offer hands on technique sections by each of these artists. In addition, the books are filled with relevant technical information and plenty of inspirational examples created by other talented artists. These are just two of the books in the series - they are wonderful - see the end of this post for special surprise!

I love the Penland Book of Jewelry. It has been a favorite of mine since it was first published in 2005. Lark recently released it in a sturdy paperbound version. In this book, you'll experience the teaching of Marilyn da Silva, John Cogswell, and Tom McCarthy to name a few, along with seven other wonderfully talented instructors. The book is filled with page after page of inspiration - if you're a jewelry lover, you won't be disappointed.

Marilyn da Silva

John Cogswell

Tom McCarthy

Until recently, I'd never seen any of the other books in the Penland series. The Penland Book of Glass is amazing too. I really like glass, though my experience is limited to enamel (both kiln and torch work) and some very basic lampworking - I was totally in awe of these flamework techniques. Like the jewelry book, it's filled with beautiful examples and wonderful instruction by talented masters (and was just released in paperback too). Some of my favorite pieces from the book are shown below.

Elizabeth Ryland Mears

Kristina Logan

Shane Fero

Here's the best part about sharing these two books with you: Through the generosity of Lark Books, I can really share them - Lark provided a copy of each to give away! Post a comment on the blog by March 18th (indicate which book you'd like to win if you have a preference). I'll announce the winners (drawn at random) on March 19th. Good luck!

Ring A Week #3

2011-01-23T01:08:00.000-05:00

Here's the ring for week #3. I'm having a blast. These aren't about making finished rings - at least at this point. They're about experimenting with different materials - trying new forms, exploring ideas. You can see lots of cool rings in the Ring A Week Flickr group.

Today our PMC Guild local chapter had a "field trip" to a wonderful bead shop. We went to Bead Paradise II in Oberlin, Ohio. And Gail Lannum took lots of pictures! I found a bunch of great beads to use for some rings. Just need to make some sketches so I don't forget what I want to do with them. After shopping we had lunch at Weia Teia - inspired cuisine and fabulous presentation...

On another note, I've been fooling around with fold forming again. Maybe I'll find a way to work something like this little beauty into a new ring.

Ring A Week #2

2011-01-19T20:41:00.002-05:00

Here's ring # 2... another Faux Bone creation. The stone is Leopard Jasper.

This Ring A Week challenge is shaping up to be even more fun than I expected. And the challenge I gave to myself was to try NOT to use my usual materials for everything. But if I do use them, I'll need to incorporate them with other materials in a new way - just to shake things up a little and stir the creative pot. I find I'm already sketching well into the next few weeks - excited about what is to come. The ring for week #3 is in the works and I'm hoping to finish and post it soon - so I'm all caught up by the end of the week.

The stone on this ring is secured in place with a copper rivet and insured in place with epoxy. The stone fit well without the epoxy, but I didn't want it to move. With the combination of the copper and the plastic, I didn't trust the rivet enough it to hold it tight... so it's chemically bonded. I tried a couple of different finishes on the FB but really wasn't thrilled with them. I didn't like the aged look as much as the more dramatic juxtaposition of the natural stone against the plastic.

Getting creative in the New Year

2011-01-15T23:17:00.000-05:00

New earrings in the shop!

First of all - Happy New Year!

Ok, I know I'm a couple of weeks late - but I've been too busy getting my ducks in a row to post anything. There were photos to shoot for the Etsy shop (re-stocking), show applications to get started (thinking I'll get back to doing more this year), then there are taxes to file, you know the drill...

The first weeks have been about trying to knock off those nuts-and-bolts kind of goals so I can sink my teeth into more creative stuff. It was important to get those under way before the new session of classes begins next week.

You may remember I'm not so much into "New Year's resolutions." My philosophy is: if you want to change or achieve something, just dig in and do it now (usually this works). Last year I talked about my goals in terms of taking steps on a creative journey. Some of those steps I achieved, others I didn't - but no matter. Sometimes just putting down on paper (or into your smart phone) those things that deserve your attention can work them into your life.

I don't know about you, but I like to make lists. I don't always follow them (or even remember where I've put them), but the act of making them seems important. There are both the short term lists (get it done today or this week) and the longer term ones (the idea stuff).

My creative (goal) list is the one I'm focused on now. To get my creative brain into gear I joined the Ring A Week flickr group. It's going to be a challenge-but a good one. I don't usually make a lot of rings, but why not? Sometimes making something different helps to stir your creativity. So far I have put this first ring up (another view). I wanted to play around with different materials. It's one I started in Faux Bone (with an enamel glass bead I made) and finally got the inspiration to finish it. I've got the ring for week two almost ready - and then I (just) need to photograph it.

Hope your New Year is off to a creative start. Let the Art-Making begin!

Way behind in the photography department...

2010-12-27T00:02:00.000-05:00

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

People keep asking to see my latest work... but you see, the thing is, I've been creating new pieces but not photographing them as often as I should. Seems like I've mostly been making new earring styles. If you've read this blog right along, you know I love making earrings.

Here's a recent earring design - the only one I've photographed lately.

I'm planning on making some improvements and adding more work to my Etsy shop in the next few weeks - before classes begin again. I've got dozens of earrings to put in the shop (which means taking lots of pictures!).

Guess I'll just have to find some more hours in the days ahead...

More books - and gifts...

2010-12-20T11:44:00.002-05:00

That wonderful box of books from Lark Books contained a couple of others that I didn't include on the last post. They're lovely books, but not so much suited to my style so I didn't review them as thoroughly. But I know that some of you who are reading this would enjoy them very much. And in the spirit of the Holiday Season, I'd like to give these books to someone who could put them to good use. If you'd like a chance to receive one of these books, please leave a comment with the title you like to have (if you'd like a chance at either one just say that) and I'll randomly draw a name for each book next Monday and announce the winners!

Ceramic Bead Jewelry by Jennifer Heynen is a colorful adventure into the art of ceramic bead making. If I didn't have a million other things on my to-do list, I might be tempted to try my hand at this... and though I didn't review the instructions in detail, it seems the first several chapters cover the basics quite well. The step by step instructions don't have images for each step, but the preparation is so thorough that it seems unnecessary. Great photography and cheerful ceramic beads make this book fun to look through. And with the price of silver these days...

Contemporary Bead & Wire Jewelry by Nathalie Mornu & Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott is full of ideas and projects for beaded and wire wrapped jewelry. With projects from earrings to pins to necklaces, you'll surely find something fun to try. I'm not very experienced with this kind of wire wrapping, and I felt like there could have been more instruction for someone just starting out, but anyone who was familiar with the techniques could probably jump right in!

A few books (for your Holiday wish list perhaps...?)

2010-12-13T18:50:00.002-05:00

Last week, Lark Books sent me some jewelry books for review (nice blogger fringe benefit). Lark does a wonderful job with craft books so I was thrilled to get them. The titles had been recently re-released in paperback but they were all new to me. Three of them stood out - and one of those was actually on my Amazon wish list...

I think that Joanna Gollberg's The Art & Craft of Making Jewelry is great reference book. This is a book on traditional jewelry making and includes a section on metal clay - which you know I'm always happy to see included in such a book. She covers a wide variety of essential jewelry techniques with great photographs and step by step instructions. And each section includes a beautiful gallery with inspirational images from many of the top jewelry artists working today.

As a metalsmith, I found this book very approachable and the photos clear and helpful. I think the basic instruction provides enough information for a beginner to understand the techniques, though it might be a stretch for a total beginner to complete some of the projects. The techniques have step by step photos, but the project pages only show an image of the finished piece and the steps are simply described. Since the book is not presented just for beginners, but rather a "complete guide to essential techniques," it is well suited to anyone wanting a technique overview and project ideas that will help them gain experience. Granulation is one example of a technique that is appropriate for someone with intermediate to advanced metalworking skills. I know that many who are reading this blog are metal clay artists, so if you're adding metalworking skills to your repertoire, I definitely recommend this book.

One thing that struck me about Making Metal Beads by Pauline Warg, was that some of the beads could easily have been completed in metal clay. This is another excellent book that offers thorough instruction and great step by step images of the techniques used for the beads. It also includes beautiful gallery images. As promised, it's full of "Techniques, Projects, (and) Inspiration."

Right away I noticed an image (page 10) that showed sheets of textured metal with areas cut out (presumably used for the beads), which is exactly what I often use to describe one of the advantages of metal clay. Here the author is left with textured "scrap," when that same texture could have been applied to metal clay without the waste. If metal clay were used, the excess would have been gathered up and reused... (hey, just getting in a plug for an appropriate use of metal clay!)

Of course, not all of the beads could be made as easily in metal clay. Many require the use of traditional metalworking techniques. And the basic techniques necessary to accomplish these beads are well illustrated and explained in detail - from sawing to soldering - making this book good for a beginning jewelry student. But it's not just a beginner's book, there are some rather complex beads, including intricate beads using cold connections, as well as pierced, pressed, fused beads and more. There are some beads which are cleverly designed and constructed using commercial tubing in both traditional and non-traditional ways. If you're interested in new ideas for making metal beads, this book will get you off to a great start.

This was the book on my Amazon wish list - The Complete book of Glass Beadmaking by Kimberley Adams. What a nice surprise to find it in the box! I like making enameled beads with a torch and playing with molten glass... and once I made a true lampworked bead with instruction from a friend - it was a little wobbly - but I've always wanted to try again. After looking online and comparing reviews for several glass bead making books, I put this on my wish list because it clearly came out on top.

Now that I've had a chance to look it over, I know I would have been happy if I had ordered it. The instruction and photography are so clear I feel like I could really be successful by following along. There are loads of inspiring photos in the galleries too - and I even found beads made by people I know which is always fun (but more likely in the metals books). This review may be of limited use because I'm not a glass bead maker, but from what I could see it had everything I might need to know. It covered not only materials and safety, but lots of variations on beads - enough to keep you interested for a while. Plenty of experienced people have given this book favorable reviews and confirmed that it's great for beginners. Sometimes a book that claims to be the "complete book of" really isn't... but as far as I can tell, this is the real McCoy.

The Heights Arts Holiday Store

2010-12-08T09:38:00.000-05:00

Cleveland has a real treasure... last night I worked a shift at the Heights Arts Holiday Store and had the opportunity to see all the wonderful work for sale (and yes, I was inspired to shop too). Heights Arts is a wonderful organization promoting the arts, artists, and arts education in our area. The non-profit organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary - and I remember just 10 years ago when it was merely a vision of the Executive Director, Peggy Spaeth - an artist and tireless champion of the arts.

The Holiday Store features works by dozens of regional artists. It's like having a fine craft show available when you are - it's open Mondays 6:30-9:30 pm
Tuesdays-Saturdays 1:30-9:30 pm and even Christmas Eve: noon-4 pm. And there are post-holiday hours as well - for that Christmas cash burning a hole in your pocket!

So spread a little cheer and support the arts and artists in Cleveland this Holiday Season!

Playing with PMC Pro...

2010-11-26T20:12:00.001-05:00

Well, I think I'm hooked... I actually didn't want PMC Pro to work so well because I've never been a fan of the whole carbon business... but it does. This stuff is soooo tough! This ring has a band as thick as a nickel and it won't bend - I tried to twist it and it didn't budge.

Not that I think Pro will replace my other silver clays, but for some applications it's going to be great. Again, not a fan of the carbon, but for making tough rings or delicate parts, I can get around that...

This ring is only 3 cards thick - and with the shrinkage rate being greater than PMC3, the resulting ring is even thinner than you'd expect. C'mon, who would make a PMC ring only 3 cards thick? Not me - till now. I tried to squeeze and crush it and... nothing.

Since that went so well, I made another one like it with some really skinny snakes around the edges (they worked beautifully) - also 3 cards thick and it won't crush either. I've asked students to try to squeeze the rings and they were impressed with the strength too. All the rings were fired in carbon for 1 hour. They were constucted @ 3.5-4 sizes larger. I didn't put any ring plugs in them. I figured if they got too small I'd just stretch them. I did end up stretching the wider band, but that worked just fine.

And I wondered about making hollow forms - how small and thin could I make them? These tiny lentils (yep, that's a dime) are for earrings. They are only 2 cards thick. They could have been domed more, but I got caught up in the excitement of making them and didn't look for a better dome...

And now the question you've been waiting for (OK, I was), how well does it WATER ETCH?

The answer is (after a couple of tries) great! The best result so far is with my favorite wax (Mayco wax resist - on the heart shown here).

I did try my new kistka on this clay because it has worked well on PMC+, but with Pro I had some blistering issues. I shelf fired the all the water etched pieces prior to carbon firing to burn off the wax.

after carbon firing

after shelf firing

In firing the first piece done with the kistka, I got distracted when I programmed the kiln for the shelf firing and accidently set it for 1400F (firing temp) instead of the recommended shelf firing temp of 1000F (not shown here). I thought the resulting blistering was from shelf firing too hot. So I tried it again with another piece (above right), this time at 1000F - but still got the blistering. Then I decided to try the Mayco wax. This time, after the shelf firing there was no blistering. It did shelf fire for an hour - I intended to stop the kiln after 30 mins but got busy and it ran the whole hour. But I don't think that was the difference. Just to be sure, I'm going to do another piece with the the Mayco wax shelf fired for 30 mins, and one with the kistka wax shelf fired for 1 hour to see if that affects the blistering. All the water etched pieces were then carbon fired (after shelf firing) for an hour. I just wanted to be sure they were fully sintered.

My tests were mostly designed for learning about the strength of this new version of PMC. The shrinkage rate is shown at left with the fired piece and the cutter used to make it. The clay is good and sticky with long working time, though snakes were still subject to cracking if you weren't careful. It made the smoothest slip - letting it rest after mixing is important.

The bails on the water etched pendants are only 2 cards thick and very strong! This two-card bail can't be crushed (with my hands), nor did it snap when I put some pressure on the joint - which was not reinforced from the back.

So I'm impressed. I can see using it for ring bands and more delicate bails and findings. I have many more tests in mind, but so far, so good. I'd love to hear what others think if they've tried it.

PMC Pro - Here we go...

2010-11-04T00:25:00.002-04:00

It's finally here! After hearing about this new metal clay product at the PMC Conference this summer, PMC Pro is now available - and my own order is probably somewhere in the middle of the US right now...

Tuesday night I had the opportunity to learn more about this delicious* (OK, not literally) new product. Alison Lee presented one of her fabulous craftcast classes featuring Tim McCreight, with guest comments by Celie Fago, Barbara Becker Simon, and Jeanette Landenwitch. They shared their experiences which provided a lot of insight into using the new material.

Taking a class, (online or otherwise) is a great way to cut your learning curve. I learned some great tips. For some reason, people thought this class was going to be some kind of "infomercial." It was anything but... nobody was selling anything - just sharing their experiences with the material. And we all got the info we needed to get rolling...

Celie Fago's carved ring

Barbara Simon's carved bangle

One of the things I was thrilled to learn about was how wonderful it is for carving. Both Celie and Barbara commented on how well it worked. I have carved original PMC and loved it. Plus and 3 just don't carve as well. COPPRclay and BRONZclay are good for carving, but when all is said and done, I'm really a silver girl...

Celie Fago tear-away ring

So now I'll get to carve this new stuff and I can't wait! (Hurry UPS!) It takes texture just as beautifully as other versions of PMC - and can accept Keum-boo, though it may be a little more challenging to apply than the fine silver. Celie mentioned that this ring required a little patching... still, it works well enough - and as Celie said "it sticks" which, after all, is the bottom line.

For an hour and thirty minutes we got to hear all about PRO - and ask questions too... there were a lot of questions with about 100 attendees in the class!

Some of the notes from the class are now available on the PMC Guild website.

Just a quick synopsis:

This stuff is STRONG! The various strength tests show it to be far superior to any previous PMC formula. You can work thinner without sacrificing strength.
Fired in carbon - 1400ºF for 1 hour (or more, depends on several variables - see the notes). Pieces should be about 1/2" apart (10 cm) and have that much carbon on top and below. Too much carbon will inhibit sintering.
Shrinkage is about 15-20%. A bit more than PMC 3 or PMC +
Hattie Sanderson added that she sizes rings 3.5 sizes larger to accommodate the shrinkage.
Can't be directly mixed with the other clays, but can be joined with the other clays and fired. Requires a shelf firing/carbon firing combo (30 mins shelf 1000ºF; 30 mins 1400ºF carbon).
The slip is easy to make - just add water (and lavender oil too - Tim has used this on the greenware as well as the fired clay).
As noted above, will accept Keum-boo, no prep necessary.
Can be enameled. Using the two-stage shelf firing/carbon firing method is best (per Jeanette Landenwitch). This is not unlike the experience I found with the COPPRclay. Enamel adhered best when it was shelf fired prior to carbon firing.
Wash tools between using for other silver clays, just as you would for base metal clays. Do not share sanding tools, as these can load up with material and contaminate your regular clay.
The melting point is lower (typical of an alloy) so you have to be sure not to fire with original clay (requiring 1650ºF firing) or use hard solder (flows above the melting point).

And there's more... when I actually get a chance to play with it, I'll be happy to share what I learn too. Cutting edge stuff - literally, Tim showed a knife he'd made that actually held an edge - pretty cool!

* Barbara Becker Simon's description

Capturing detail in water etching

2010-10-26T10:49:00.000-04:00

As we were planning a water etching demo for class this last session, Maria Hartland (a new student), mentioned that she had done Ukrainian egg painting (Pysanky). It's a beautiful traditional wax resist and dye method of decorating eggs (like batik for fabric). She asked about using the beeswax and stylus (kistka) for water etching. I told her I'd seen it discussed as a possibility a few times on the Yahoo Metal Clay group over the years, but didn't know if anyone ever really pursued it - and I'd never had the chance to try it myself. We were all excited when Maria generously offered to bring her stylus to class for us to try.

The following week, Maria not only brought in the stylus, but some of her beautiful eggs as well. These large ones are ostrich eggs, they're amazingly detailed.

The wax is melted until it flows and is applied with the kistka (stylus). Different size tips give different lines. The painting and dying process builds the colors and takes a great deal of time. She also brought several of her smaller eggs as well, also beautifully done.

Maria brought in two electric kistkas and showed us a traditional one too. The traditional ones are heated with a candle flame to melt the wax. We played a little bit with the electric ones in class, but didn't really have time to do much. She kindly offered to let me borrow one for the week.

Well, darn if the week didn't fly by (as usual)... but the night before I had to return the kistka, I grabbed a couple of dry pieces of clay and played. Let me first say that I've always really loved the brush painting and the flow of the liquid wax (and still do), but after using this handy-dandy little wax application device, all I can say is "wow."

Now, these examples were just tests... but what really impressed me was the control and level of detail I was able to get. The images above are two sides of the same piece. It's PMC+ which is the best for water etching and especially for fine lines. It's only one inch tall after firing and just look at the tiny lines - which dried immediately! These lines withstood the etching process much better than similar fine lines painted with the liquid wax would have. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to play - so I only tried the one size tip - but there are several sizes available.

This example was the first piece I tried when I was getting the hang of using the kistka and melted wax (hardly a work of art) it's even smaller - only 1/2" tall!

Yes, of course I ordered myself one of these amazing electric kistkas... (now if I could just order some time to play with it!). Will it change the way I water etch? Guess we'll just wait and see.

If you're interested in more info on water etching, Here are some resources. I wrote an article in Art Jewelry Magazine in September 2006. You can also find the instructions I contributed to Sherri Haab's revised and expanded edition of The Art of Metal Clay. And then there's my own little book... The Little Book of Water Etching and Enameling for Metal Clay. Water etching instruction by CeCe Wire can be found in PMC Technic.

If you're interested in getting in touch with Maria about her eggs, you can contact me via comments and I'll pass along your info to her (I won't publish any comment with an email address).

Old is new, and new is old

2010-10-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

Our local chapter of the PMC Guild brought Robert Dancik into town last weekend for a workshop using "Faux Bone," a PVC material he developed. The workshop was a blast. Robert is a wonderful teacher and our group had a great time working with him. Lots of creativity in the air. It was great to spend a weekend just playing...

I have always loved saw-piercing metal and wondered how it would work with the Faux Bone. I decided to give it a try by sawing a cuff bracelet that was inspired by one I'd made 30 years ago as a metals student.

Gail Lannum caught me in the act of sawing...

Alcohol inks were used to color the material. I like the way the white shows around the openings when the color was sanded to tone down the intensity. It's a little rough, but it was a test. I'll probably go back in and finish it a little more one of these days.

Here is my original bracelet. And after all these years, it's still one of my favorite projects from my school days. The section set in the center was my first piece of Mokume-gane.

Many of the pieces made in the workshop took advantage of the possibilities of making Faux Bone look like an ancient relic. Gail made this one in the workshop. It was cool to take this shiny white PVC - something very new - and make it look very old. There are so many things you can do with this material.

We had some serious fun!

The Art of Metal Clay (revised and expanded)

2010-09-09T20:49:00.000-04:00

When I saw Sherri Haab at the PMC Conference, she gave me a copy of her revised and expanded book, The Art of Metal Clay. It was fun to see the finished product - Sherri had asked me to contribute to the new section on etching and she included my instructions and photos showing the water etching process.

The new book looks great. I finally had a chance to look it over today - and even found time to check out the DVD that's included. The original edition of the book is one I've always recommended to students, and the new version will now take its place. Sherri does an excellent job of taking the reader through the basics and sample projects that cover a wide variety of techniques. Her instructions are clear, easy to follow, and well illustrated with photos. You'll find instruction in silver, gold, bronze, and copper clays, as well as info on stone setting, mold making, adding resin, polymer clay and much more.

Several of the sample projects in the book are the same as the first edition, though a number of those are repeated with a different example demonstrated (like the bezel for delicate stones). Other project ideas are expanded with more instruction or information. There are new sections about bronze and copper, etching, and enamel. Some things from the first edition were not included and there are several new gallery images too.

The DVD has four projects (not in the book) and provides an opportunity to watch Sherri at work. It's filmed very well so you can really see how she does each step. My original edition of the book didn't include a DVD (later versions did), so I'm not actually sure if these are new videos or not.

And I'm not biased just because I'm a contributor. The Art of Metal Clay (revised and expanded) is a thorough and clear instructional book for working with metal clay. Of course, you might guess that I happen to think the water etching part is one of the highlights...
:)

Details, details...

2010-08-31T23:31:00.000-04:00

Attending to details has been my focus lately. I've been firing lots of COPPR and BRONZclay inlay pieces from a workshop I taught recently. Fourteen students made dozens of pieces - it was lots of fun... and the detail work of carefully firing all those pieces kept me very busy!

Mentoring details - a bit of adventure this summer has been the chance to act as sort of a mentor for an emerging metal clay artist - a college student who was introduced to me by a metalsmith friend. It's been fun to watch his work evolve as he explores the material on his own - pretty much without instruction or preconceived notions - then he shares his creations and observations with me. It's been fun and different from my usual experience as a teacher. He first tried his hand at silver clay and recently made some really creative rings from the new FastFire BRONZclay. Gotta get those last rings fired before he returns to school. My kilns have been getting quite a workout lately!

Class details - new classes were listed on my website today. Lots of prep and details for those too. I'm really looking forward to the start of the new session.

And if you really want to talk about details, check out the amazing jewelry of John Paul Miller. I had a chance to see his work up close again this past weekend - it's on exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art. He is known for his incredible work with granulation and enamel. His beautiful presentation renderings and sketch books are on display too.

A few years ago I was honored to have the opportunity to chat with Mr. Miller about jewelry making and metal clay. You may be surprised to learn that he was among the first artists to try PMC at the Haystack Experimental Workshop in May of 1995. Though he didn't pursue metal clay work, he was very interested to talk about the material and how it had evolved from that first workshop. It would have been great to be in one of Mr. Miller's classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art - some of my friends who are CIA jewelry artists were lucky enough to have that experience.

Visit the links above, check out some of the images. If you live near the Cleveland Museum of Art, you really should visit and see the work in person - it's all about the details...

The 2010 PMC Conference, inspiration, "big news" and fun.

2010-08-07T23:01:00.003-04:00

That's where I was this time last week... the 5th International Precious Metal Clay Conference held at Purdue University. Back in 2002, I attended the very first conference at the College of Wooster and have attended all five. Metal clay has come a long way since then - and it's been pretty amazing to be a part of its evolution.

The speakers and presenters were excellent. Linda Darty's keynote address started us off with some wonderful inspiration - I really enjoyed seeing so much enamel work (as you may know, enamel is near and dear to me). She shared how various events in her life had been a significant influence on her work - the interpretations were wonderful. The second day, Bruce Baker spoke to the group the with lots of energy and insight into the business of craft. He knows the business inside and out and his observations were so interesting. Alison Lee of Craftcast spoke on the third day with a delightful presentation about her "Life in Code." She reminded us how our experiences shape our lives - that when we look back we can see where they have influenced us. And how those of us who have pursued art (for hobby or profession) may have shown some interest/aptitude as children. I could relate to many things she shared about her childhood, specifically the influence of creative parents/grandparents and being given opportunities to try things that sparked even more creativity.

The conference featured some great presentations and demonstrations by many accomplished metal clay artists. I was honored to be among the presenters. And I was sorry I couldn't attend everyone's presentation - we had to choose which ones to attend - and that was really a challenge. The whole time I kept wishing I could be in two places at once!

There was an excellent show titled "Cultural Messages." Well, I heard it was an excellent show... I didn't even get a chance to see it. I kept thinking I'd get to it when I had enough time to see the whole thing but then I never found the time (insert a big frowny face here...). I think the images of the pieces will be online at some point, but it won't be quite the same as seeing it in person.

A new FASTfire BRONZclay was released as of the conference. I haven't fired anything with this new version bronze clay from Metal Adventures, but I've handled it - it has a great texture and consistency. The real advantage is that it will fire in as little as 2 hours!

PMC Pro from Mitsubishi was announced at the conference. There was a lot of buzz about this new material. It's supposed to be stronger than sterling... I tried to bend Barbara Becker Simon's bracelet (she invited me to) and couldn't get it to move. It's 90% silver, which makes it a lower silver content than sterling (.925). This brought a lot of questions about what that remaining 10% might be. Suggestions ranged from copper to germanium to platinum and even aluminum! It may be some combination of the above. We won't know until closer to the release date (October)... the formula is a closely guarded secret - at least until all the patents are in place.

At the 2004 PMC Conference I was privileged to present two seminars. One was on Small Scale Mass Production and the other was on Enameling on PMC. Presenting and preparing two seminars wore me out, so the next two conferences I just attended with no responsibilities. This year, my love of water etching inspired me to offer a Tech Expo presentation on the process - specifically Water Etching on Hollow Forms (another favorite of mine). In addition, I was invited to be part of a demo team during one of the lecture sessions. Sherry Fotopoulos and I had fun demonstrating "Creating with Coils."

It was so wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones. That was so much fun. I love connecting with artists from all over the world. The people I've met through metal clay are pretty amazing. I'll be counting the days 'till we meet again.

Zentangles... so there's a name for that?

2010-07-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

Recently, I started hearing about a "new" drawing phenomenon called Zentangles. The term started popping up in various blogs I read, so I began to investigate. The word "new" appears in quotes because doodling in this way isn't really new - it surely wasn't new to me... I've been doing it for years - as have many others (like Zoe Nelson and Catherine Witherell). The part that's new, is the phenomenon of lots of people drawing and doodling who weren't in the habit of doodling or making art. It's pretty much gone viral, with workshops, websites, books and related materials - including kits - appearing practically everywhere. There's even Zentangle Flicker Group.

Isn't it great that so many people have discovered this? It's always been a meditative form of drawing for me. Many of my jewelry designs were inspired by these patterned doodles, some of which I've been repeating for over 30 years - which I always just called "doodles." But now, I guess there's another name for it...

Another form of Zentangle that appeared on the scene is the Zendala. Zentangle + Mandala = Zendala (you may have read how much I like Mandalas and creating them in many ways). The images to the left aren't quite the style of the Zentangles drawn in a circle, but they are Mandalas made from some of my favorite doodles with an iPod Touch kaleidoscope program. They were later used as designs under transparent enamel... the possibilities are infinite.

Maybe I'm only helping to fuel the Zentangle "craze" by blogging about it. But this definitely a craze I can support. I love this kind of drawing and have filled pages with similar looking doodles over the years. And I found that many of the patterns I've used are commonly used by other doodlers. No doubt many posted are offshoots of things seen on the internet or in Zentangle instructions, but still, it's kinda fun to see that somebody thought of the same pattern I did - I might see a pattern I started doing 20 or 30 years ago. I hadn't seen theirs - and they hadn't seen mine... I actually think that's pretty cool.

Learning about the Zentangle phenomenon has been useful because for the last several years my doodles have been drawn with only one weight of pen - a fine line marker - mostly because I carry only one such marker with me. And mine look more "sketched" because of it - filling in the larger areas with a fine marker. Vickie Hallmark was inspired to make Zentangles - and hers are far from sketched, they have a cut paper or woodcut print quality. Seeing the various markers people are using for these has reminded me to go back and use different size markers to get more varied line width. I used to use Koh-I-Noor Rapiograph pens for doodles in the days when I did a lot of technical illustration. They aren't so practical for doodles now, but back then I always had them handy.

So grab a pen and start to doodle. You'll get lost. Everything old is new again... I'd be curious to hear how many others have been making "Zentangles" and didn't even know it...

You too can be a winner...

2010-07-15T22:24:00.002-04:00

Lucky me! This past week, I won a drawing at Tonya Davidson's blog. Tonya is the driving force behind Whole Lotta Whimsy, one of my favorite places to shop for metal clay stuff... the prize was an Ice Resin Kit and some bezels! And all because I made a comment or two about some of the fantastic projects presented by the Master Muses.

Earlier this year, Tonya, a creative business woman and talented jewelry artist, started a program with 8 other talented artists to creatively meet various project challenges. The Master Muses have come up with some amazing projects which will eventually be available as tutorials so you can see in detail how each project was made. You'll be a winner if you just check out these cool projects - but if you comment on the blog, you'll be entered (just as I was) in the next drawing. Can't win if you don't play... (yes, the link goes where you think it does... how long can I keep mentioning this?).

Tonya's blog is also full of great information on everything from marketing to artistic growth, fashion trends, artist interviews, and more. She's provided the metal clay jewelry community with another great resource. Thanks Tonya, for the Ice Resin Kit, but especially for sharing the Master Muse program and all the other ways you support us as artists... your generosity is appreciated!

The PMC Guild Annual - has it really been a whole year?

2010-06-27T00:50:00.005-04:00

The selections have been made for this year's PMC Guild Annual (#4). The jurors have viewed the entries and chosen some great pieces. Some people are thrilled - others aren't so happy. By now, everyone knows the results and those selected have seen a proof of the book. One of the jurors, Lora Hart, reached out to the participants with a blog post to congratulate and console - and she offered some great suggestions to entrants for next time - and read the post following that one too...

Last year, I was a juror for the Annual - an experience I really enjoyed - and like Lora, I felt that I wanted to speak to those whose work was rejected. The blog post I wrote last year, which encouraged people not to let rejection shut them down, was reprinted in Metal Clay Artist Magazine earlier this year. If you have faced rejection, maybe it will be of some help.

As for this year's Annual, I was just a participant in the process... and by the skin of my teeth. I was pleased that the one image I submitted was chosen. Originally, I had great plans to submit a couple of new things I was working on... but when it came down to the deadline, one piece wasn't finished and I couldn't get a photo I liked of the other... so I ended up sending that one image (shot months ago) overnight - for $25.00! Yes, I could have sent it any time before that for about $1.50. Did I learn something? Like maybe to send the one you're sure of - then send the others if you finish them?... (I sure hope so!)

Congratulations to everyone whose work was chosen. And to everyone else, don't fret, get busy - because next year will be here before you know it...

Listening to the Universe...

2010-06-15T23:58:00.001-04:00

Today I walked into our local bead shop and was greeted by the owner's incredulous sounding voice saying "Cathy???" and wasn't quite sure how to react. Denise Newman, the owner of the Isle of Beads, (say that out loud and you'll hear "I love beads") went on to explain that the customer she was helping had inquired about metal clay classes. Denise told her that if she wanted to take a class from someone in the area she should look me up. She had just told this to the customer and mentioned that I hadn't been in the store for several months... when I walked in the door (cue the Outer Limits music). We were all a bit stunned. I talked with the customer for a few minutes and provided some information about classes. After she left, we remarked again at the odds of this occurrence. Then Denise made a comment to the effect that this wasn't just the "Universe" gently suggesting that this person take metal clay classes - it was practically a full-out smack on the forehead... I had to agree... even more so because my plan was to be there earlier in the day, but other events delayed me. The other cool thing is that I went to the bead shop looking for a certain bead which is no longer available (because the source disappeared) in hopes that Denise could find it for me... and oddly enough, a rep who might be able to get it is coming tomorrow - so I can bring back a sample bead to see what he can do.

I'm pretty open minded. I'm sure not going to argue with such so-called coincidences... as a matter of fact, my whole day really went like that. Maybe I was tuned in. Things just clicked - from an early morning meeting, to a visit to our podiatrist, to finding the only halfway decent gluten-free beer on sale at Whole Foods!

This afternoon, I visited a gallery that carries my work. When I walked in there I was greeted with "I owe you some money," and left with a check and a request for some pendant and earring sets.

After that, a good visit with a friend, followed by a trip to Trader Joe's where (after filling my cart with goodies), I found this red wine we'd liked, but couldn't remember where it we'd gotten it. Funny thing is, I looked last time I was at TJ's with no luck...

With a day like this, you can bet that when the cashier at Trader Joe's asked me to fill out the raffle ticket for bringing my own bags, I jumped at the chance... after all, you can't win if you don't play... and who knows?

Heikki Seppä

2010-06-03T14:34:00.000-04:00

Last week, I learned of the death of a talented metalsmith and innovator. Finnish-born artist Heikki Seppä, died May 18th at age 83. His work first came to my attention in 1978 when I was in college studying metal crafts. That was the year his book Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths was published, introducing new ideas and a new vocabulary to metalsmithing. In one of my classes, we were working with raised forms and practiced making various synclastic and anticlastic curved forms in metal. We were moving metal in ways we hadn't even considered before. Seppä developed these forms to create his shell structures–lightweight hollow forms that were curved, graceful, and just plain amazing. The sinusoidal stake is his invention, too. It's a wobbly looking tapered metal stake designed to facilitate the shaping of these unique forms.

Seppä is also credited with pioneering work in metal surface reticulation, something he brought to the United States after training with a former Fabergé artist. The technique was developed in the late 1800's in Czarist Russia and used by Fabergé and other court jewelers to create textured objects.

Reticulation, an unpredictable organic-looking torch-created texture, is usually done with a silver alloy (also possible with a gold alloy). The technique is based on the fact that a pure metal and an alloy have different melting points and rates of expansion/contraction. A layer of pure metal is raised to the surface of the sheet of metal by depletion gilding (a repetitive process of heating and pickling to remove the copper oxide from the surface layer). The resulting sheet is then heated with the torch to a point at which the interior alloy begins to melt but the surface "skin" is only softened. As the piece cools and the alloy contracts, the surface becomes covered with ridges. Reticulation silver sheet can be purchased from jewelry suppliers like Rio Grande. It is not sterling. Its higher copper content lowers the melting point of the alloy, creating less risk of melting the surface layer and a more dramatic effect.

Another contribution credited to Seppä is his work with roll-printing. This is transferring a texture onto a metal surface using a rolling mill (not unlike what metal clay artists do to transfer a texture to the metal clay without the rolling mill).

A great book for both the anitclastic raising and reticulation techniques is Metals Technic, from Brynmorgen Press. Heikki Seppä contributed the chapter on Reticulation, and artist Michael Good, who studied with Seppä in 1979, contributed the Anticlastic Raising chapter. Good has developed and expanded the techniques in this form of metalsmithing and his work is simply stunning.

It's been ages since I've tried either of these techniques, but in the past few years I have thought often about trying my hand at the raising techniques again. I can make some time to do that, right?

Time flies when you have a deadline...

2010-06-01T10:58:00.001-04:00

Where did the last three-plus weeks go? It's amazing how time flies when you're trying to be creative (and productive) under a deadline... although sometimes, it both flies and drags. The creative process never ceases to amaze me. This is especially true when I'm under one of those deadlines and feel like I'm not completely satisfied with the expression of an idea (or not happy with the progress of a project), and then something clicks–it just comes together. When the process drags, it's usually because I've forgotten that trying too hard to be creative can get in the way of letting the process follow its natural course. Deadlines can make this a real challenge. I definitely got caught up in that for a while this time and didn't do a good job of telling myself to "relax and let it happen." You'd think I'd know better.

But you might ask, "how can you relax when you have a deadline?" This surely seems a contradiction. I think it goes back to the old saying, "slow and steady wins the race." I can't really explain how or why it happens, but I know from experience that it does. If I keep heading toward my goal with an open mind, a project always seems to come together. Sometimes it's sort of an "ah-ha" moment, other times, it falls into place more gradually. And it isn't always exactly what I envisioned, as a matter of fact, it's usually better. But the trick is, I can't slack off and just wait for this to happen–I have to keep moving forward.

Now, this is not foolproof... there are plenty of times when I'm under a deadline that it still gets all "crunchy" toward the end. But in hindsight, those are the times that I tried to control the process too much. Sometimes that "ah-ha" moment comes when I've exhausted myself trying to make something work (the way I think it should) and I'm done in... so I back off, and voilà! When a project drags, I need to remind myself that I don't have to get to that point of exhaustion (or frustration) before the process will flow. Creativity happens, but you have to remember to give it the opportunity. Relax, work with confidence, and trust that it will come together.

It's so easy to get caught up in deadlines and forget to follow our instincts, (or listen to our own advice). I really need to find a good way to remind myself to trust the creative process when I'm in the midst of it all. Maybe I need a sign in my studio that reads "it'll happen–just get out of the way!"

To learn more about trusting the process, read my February post about an excellent book on this subject.

And the winner is...

2010-05-07T16:47:00.000-04:00

Or should I say "and the winners are..."

Thanks to the generosity of Lora Hart, not one but TWO names were drawn today for a copy of Bronze Metal Clay! Lora was also sent a copy for review and kindly offered to pass it along in the drawing.

Approaching this drawing was harder than I expected... especially with some of the compelling comments... The drawing was made using a random number generator and assigning a number to each of the comments (knowing that I would discard the numbers of the comments by me or others not included if they came up), this seemed the most fair - to use the actual comment number, not an altered one created by removing some comments.

Have I kept you in suspense long enough?

The winners are (drum roll please...) Susan Dilger and Vickie Hallmark!

Congratulations!!!

Please leave your email address as a comment (which won't be published) and I'll contact you for your mailing address.

Thanks to everyone for playing... (I wish each of you could have won a copy!!!)

You don't have to ask me twice... (but I'm glad you did!)

2010-04-30T14:44:00.007-04:00

About a week ago, when I checked my post office box, I found a package from Lark Books addressed to me as blogger/reviewer. Inside, I was surprised and pleased to find copy of Yvonne Padilla's new book Bronze Metal Clay for review. What fun to get an early peek at this new book! I started looking it over right away. The next day, a package arrived at my home. It was another copy of the book sent for review. It appears I'm on more than one list - and the very best part of the duplicate mailing is that someone gets to share the fun...

Lark Books has published many of my favorite books in the jewelry/craft field. Yvonne M. Padilla has written another great addition to the Lark collection. This new book is a comprehensive guide to working with bronze clay. The basics are covered thoroughly in a question and answer format with an illustrated troubleshooting section that addresses many common problems. A wonderful gallery of bronze clay work by a variety of artists provides inspiration and 35 projects from very simple to more complex are presented to get you started. The book is well designed, and the projects, photographs, and illustrations are nicely integrated, making it very pleasant read.

Here's the fun part: since I was sent two copies of the book, I'm giving one away! If you'd like to have a chance to have my extra copy of Bronze Metal Clay, please leave a comment after this post - it need not be more than something like "I'd like a chance to win." If you don't have a profile and leave an anonymous comment, be sure to leave me a clue (like your first name and last initial)! Next Friday, I'll announce a winner chosen at random. So check back to see if you've won! I'll provide information about how the winner can contact me and let me know where to send the book.

More old silly... the unfortunates.

2010-04-28T11:25:00.001-04:00

It's silly how busy I've been. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to post. Here are a couple of more silly old silly cards... both from what I affectionately call the "unfortunate" series @1985.

Silly old silly...

2010-04-19T13:03:00.001-04:00

Well, I've been trying to be more silly, which for me, includes trying to keep up with the Silliness workshop. It seems the first silly thing I did was to think I'd have time for this workshop... the second was to buy more sidewalk chalk... (now I'm prepared!).

I'm batting about 50% for some of the drawing activities (which isn't bad considering...). Just need (more) time to scan them into the computer and upload to Flicker. So while I don't have any more new silly to share yet, I thought (just for fun) I'd share some "old silly."

Once upon a time, I used to illustrate greeting cards - lots of them. I don't think I bought any cards for about a decade or so... I just drew them. In honor of my birthday (last week), here's a silly old birthday card I drew - circa 1986...

I feel a little silly...

2010-04-11T07:15:00.104-04:00

And I'm not alone. There a quite a few of us feeling silly right now thanks to Carla Sonheim. We're all thinking silly thoughts as we participate in her online workshop in The Art of Silliness. When I saw this opportunity, I jumped on it. No arm twisting needed - I was raised on silly (thanks Parents!). A favorite childhood book is The Silly Book by Stoo Hample. I've always thought being a cartoonist was a dream job - need I say more?

Of course this wonderful adventure came along in a month that's already silly with deadlines, but I will do my best to play along. And what I don't finish this month - especially all the "extra credit" opportunities - will surely keep me silly all summer. Yep, silly days are definitely ahead. I did say I wanted to draw more - I just hadn't gotten around to it until this opportunity came along. Maybe it was because I thought I had to draw serious things, but that's not really my style. Ah, the freedom of silly...

I'm really looking forward to getting my (silly) drawing chops back in shape - they're extremely rusty. I didn't know how much I missed them until I started this workshop. There's a Flicker group where I plan to post and will also share some silly things here.

"I am silly, You are silly, All of us are silly, Willy. All of us but cousin Millie. She's upside down." The Silly Book

Special thanks to Ruth Baillie for bringing this workshop to my attention!!!!

More silly workshop stuff...
If I had sidewalk chalk (yes, we're out - and at time like this) I'd be out there putting X's everywhere and watching what happened for sure. I have a history of finding random chalk on the sidewalk and leaving silly faces for the kids who left it there... note to self: BUY MORE CHALK!

This is noteworthy!

From serious to silly in the blink of an eye...

What is art?

2010-04-03T23:04:00.000-04:00

After my last post about Alexander Calder, I heard from some people who love Calder's work as I do, along with others who don't get the same reaction from it. Well, that's just fine. Life would be pretty boring if we all liked the same thing. Having spent time at the National Gallery and Smithsonian recently, I was treated to some amazing artwork. Not all of it was to my liking - but that's OK. Seeing it gives one an appreciation for the broad range of "accepted" forms of art.

And what about art that doesn't find its way into museums? What about the artistic expressions of ordinary (and extraordinary) individuals whose work isn't traditional or even something that could be put into a museum? No doubt you've seen work sent around the internet by the amazing chalk artist Julian Beever or the paper cut artist Peter Callesen. If you haven't seen them, do check out them out.

Artistic expression comes in many forms. What about 32,470 painted eggshells as artistic expression? Eggshelland represents 52 years of devoted creative spirits sharing their vision with children and adults. It has touched so many people that an award-winning documentary was filmed about the experience. Would scholars call some of these things art? I can't say - but they're pretty cool... and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder anyway.

Alexander Calder

2010-03-17T16:38:00.000-04:00

Last week we visited Washington, DC. I hadn't been there since I was a kid. We did the whirlwind tour of museums, memorials and more... and had fun visiting with family and friends along the way. Of all the wonderful things we saw at the museums, I probably enjoyed the Calder exhibit at the National Gallery of Art most of all.

Alexander Calder has been my favorite artist for more than 30 years. When I was in college I wrote a paper on a mobile that was displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum at that time. I love his bold use of solid colors and dynamic shapes, the way he used line/shape to suggest a figure or an animal, the magical balance he created with his mobiles (and stabiles)... his take on positive/negative space, light, shadow and line - especially with the incredible wire work of his circus sculptures, and of course, his jewelry. Oh yeah, I'm a fan.

Most everyone has probably seen at least one or two of Calder's works, but in case you're not familiar with all the wonderful things he did, you might like to visit the Calder Foundation web site where you can enjoy some of his work you may not have seen before.

These are a treat - but NOT to eat!

2010-02-28T16:58:00.000-05:00

These are enamel powders - washed and set out to dry. Using the coffee filters for this process makes them look like treats, but enamel is NOT safe to eat. It is however, a treat to work with, and truly "eye-candy" in finished form. This time last weekend, I was finishing the second of two enameling workshops. Students had the opportunity to spend a day becoming more comfortable enameling on silver. They washed, wet-packed, and fired many samples, then enameled a metal clay piece. It was loads of fun and everyone left feeling more confident in their ability to try enameling on their own. This picture shows some of the washed colors left over from the workshop - drying for later use (note: after taking the photo I covered them to prevent contamination while they dried).

Enameling seems daunting to many people - and understandably so. If not done properly, it has the potential for disappointing results. But by following some simple rules and taking the time to practice, your results should be beautiful.

Rule #1 - The rule of "clean." Your metal, your workspace, your hands, tools and enamels must be clean. This means no dust/dirt, metal filings, metal clay, oils, etc., should come in contact with enamel.

Rule #2 - Test colors before using them on a final piece. Pay attention to the firing and don't over-fire. If using Thompson Enamels, The Thompson Enamel Workbook contains a wealth of useful technical information about the enamels.

Rule #3 - Record your results - for example, if you test two layered colors - make a note. Don't leave anything to memory.

Rule #4 - When in doubt, counter enamel. If you're not sure whether your piece needs this support, err on the side of caution.

Of course, this isn't all you need to know about enameling and you can most certainly expect a learning curve. Nothing takes the place of experience. Be patient and your efforts will pay off. And be sure to familiarize yourself with safety considerations in both handling and firing enamels (never ingest enamel).

One of my favorite books on enameling is by Linda Darty. It's called The Art of Enameling: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration.

If you're interested in enameling on metal clay, I wrote a little book that provides an introduction to the process. It's called The Little Book of Water Etching and Enameling for Metal Clay. It contains instructions for water etching and enameling - two techniques that go well together. Here are images of metal clay pieces that are water etched and enameled:

The Eternal Optimist...

2010-02-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

Attitude is everything.

I've been watching the Olympics and can't imagine a better example to illustrate this statement. Do the athletes (medal-winning or not) ever doubt they can do it? Maybe at times - but I suspect that in their hearts, they all hold a strong belief that they can succeed.

Believe in yourself. Believe that whatever you do will be successful. You can do anything until proven otherwise (and that will happen - just accept it). But you'll never know unless you try.

I remember some classic, inspirational stories from my childhood. One was The Little Engine that Could. The concept of that can-do attitude really stuck with me. I am extremely grateful that my parents not only read these stories to me and my sisters, but they (and my grandparents) exemplified this attitude. I'm sure this helped encourage us to be positive-thinking people and I can only hope that we've done the same for our children. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... I knew I could, I knew I could, I knew I could."

Another story I loved as a child was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Mike and his steam shovel, "Mary Ann" had done a lot of digging in their day, but times were changing and technology was making their ways obsolete. Mike believed they could dig as much in a day as a hundred men could dig in a week. He believed in himself and in Mary Ann. There are lessons of confidence, hard work, support, encouragement and problem solving in this simple story. If you've never read it, check it out on your next visit to the library.

Speaking of stories... once upon a time (a long time ago - the 1970's), I was a competitive swimmer. There was no swim team for girls at my high school and many other schools in those days. To compete, we had to swim against boys. I can't tell you how empowering it was to hear the crowd shout "you're not going to let a GIRL beat you...?" Somewhere deep inside, I heard the chug, chug, chug of The Little Engine that Could.

Believe that whatever you set your mind and heart to is possible. And if you don't achieve it, it's OK, at least you'll know it's not for lack of trying. Not every Olympic athlete will win a medal, but they're all winners because they believed - they went out there and tried their best.

This is a wonderful reminder to remain optimistic - written by Christian D. Larson almost 100 years ago. It's not always easy think this way (and admit I don't always), but at least it's worth trying...

The Optimist Creed

I promise myself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

Eternal Optimist? Sure. And why not? Anything is possible. It's all in your attitude.

Trusting the process...

2010-02-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

Recently some of the artists I know have been talking about "hibernating" or have expressed feelings of frustration or the need for change, etc. To this I say: take heart - it's all part of the natural ebb and flow of the creative process - sometimes we just need to be reminded of this. I wanted to share a book that I have found to be a great resource. It's called Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go by Shaun McNiff.

It's not a how-to book or a step-by-step system. And while it addresses creative blocks, it's not only for those in the midst of one. It's more food for thought - ideas about how creativity works and how to tap into that which helps us nurture and explore our creative side. Maybe I like this book because I agree with a lot of what the author has to say. Most of what he says - but not all - fits with the way I think about the creative life.

One of the things that I've come to believe (and found confirmed in this book) is the concept what may appear as a "block" (or whatever label you might use) is really a period that is part of the process. I've learned to accept and even embrace those times when I feel less productive because in retrospect, I almost always see that they had a purpose.

McNiff talks about practice and preparation for art-making and likens it to an athlete training for an event. It seems that if you keep working, creating on even some small scale, that the process is helped - and this period functions as an "unconscious buildup for creation." He addresses the effects and importance of attitude - both positives and negatives - and risk taking, as part of the process.

He suggests that all creative people need not be "full-time artists," and that for some, having another "job" actually works to enhance their creative expression and cites examples. He reminds us that working in concert with other artists can enhance the experience - this is why some artists like to take classes. I have experienced this feeling and my students have had discussions about how working in a group acts as encouragement or helps them through a less inspired period.

McNiff talks about the concept of multiple forms of creative expression working together in the process. I know this to be true. I often move more toward music-making when my art-making feels less inspired. Sometimes I like to find other forms of creative expression for a while, whether it's photography, drawing or whatever - but understand that they are all part of the process and contribute in some way to the next inspiration in my favorite medium.

I highly recommend this book and hope that if you don't already, that you can learn to "trust the process." It's creatively freeing...

Studio tour

2010-01-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

January has been "organization month" in my little corner of the world. I've spent the beginning of the year on "housecleaning" (though my actual house has not been the beneficiary of this effort). The website has been redesigned, the Etsy shop has a new banner, paperwork is pretty much in order (including sales tax and prep for filing THE tax return), some new photos were shot, plus - I cleaned up the studio. There is more to do, but the month isn't over yet...

Of course we all tidy our workspaces with some regularity, but I recently spent several days creating order out of chaos. It was the chaos manifested by that craziness which begins every October and lasts through December (the rest of the year is a more like an ebb and flow of "controlled chaos").

This week, flat spaces were uncovered. Tools, trays of findings, beads and such, were returned to their proper places. And now, I'm really looking forward to working on the many projects I have planned for the next few months - in my oh-so-tidy space.

Since the studio was all picked up, I snapped a few pics. Here's a "photo tour" of the entire 180 square feet that is my studio.

the view from the doorway

close-up of the metalworking bench area

the metal clay side of the table

the enamel side of the table

the kilns and soldering corner (beyond the table)

A new website and the KISS principle

2010-01-15T12:03:00.000-05:00

"Keep it simple, stupid." KISS is a design principle that suggests unnecessary complexity should be avoided. I sure learned that lesson after trying to maintain the last website I designed. This time around that principle guided my design. Plus, it works well with another design principle - "less is more."

Last time I built my website (was it really 5 years ago?), I created all these cool, fancy rollovers, which resulted in a lot of cursing while I worked. And what do you think happened later when I needed to change or update one of those "rollover" words? More cursing. And do you really think anyone noticed that when they scrolled their mouse over the navigational words that the words changed colors? I'm betting not. Nobody but me probably gave it a thought or said "ooh cooooool."

There were layered galleries with complex rollovers for showing and hiding images and their names. A real bear to create with the program I was using-it was a fussy series of arranging and naming parts and if you got one little thing out of place, it failed-but it wasn't always readily clear what the problem was.

So what was the end result? Certainly not much updating of any of those gallery pages, that's for sure. As a matter of fact, I had a gallery named "new" (never do that) with images that were 5 years old. Now that's an up-to-date website.... yeah, right.

This time around? A logo, navigational words that don't do anything fancy, and pictures that just sit there and look pretty. One gallery. It will be easy enough to add pages to the gallery later - I know I want to put up another page of work since I have none of my earrings shown. But seriously, this took sooooo much less time - and in the end, does just as good a job (maybe better) of showcasing my work and linking to places like my etsy shop and blog. Why all the fuss? Here's my advice: keep it simple... ;-)

http://cdpdesigns.com

Making connections: resources for jewelry artists

2010-01-07T19:36:00.000-05:00

There is so much great information on the web. For those of you who are involved in the jewelry arts, I wanted to share a couple of resources that are both interesting and valuable.

Some of you may be familiar Harriete Estel Berman for her amazing recycled can artwork. Some may know of her from SNAG and her work with professional guidelines. The professional guidelines (which she has developed) includes things like contracts and inventory lists and loads of other information you can use to grow and support your professional life as an artist. She writes a blog called Ask Harriete which has excellent information on various topics and professional issues for artists. If you didn't know of Harriete, you do now - you can marvel at her work and appreciate her generosity with all the helpful information she has to offer.

You might like to listen to an excellent interview with Harriete Estel Berman on Metalsmith Bench Talk with Jay Whaley on Blogtalk Radio. This is another fabulous resource. You can listen online or download podcasts of the weekly programs. You'll find great interviews by jeweler Jay Whaley with a number of people in the metal arts and related fields. I've really enjoyed listening to other interviews as well - Andy Cooperman, Tim McCreight, Michael David Sturlin, James Binion, and more. Give it a listen.

Friendship and Outreach

2010-01-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

"Our lives are filled with simple joys and blessings without end, and one of the greatest joys in life is to have, or be, a friend." This quote has always been a favorite. I wish I could credit the author - I googled it and found something close to what I remember, but with no credit given.

Earlier this week I read the blog of my friend Gail Lannum, who talked about her friend Michele Goldstein. It seems that some of Michele's other friends, Gail Crossman Moore and Anne Mitchell started an effort to help their "friend in need... caring around the clock for the dying father of her children." She has had to cancel shows and is looking at an uncertain future for herself and sons.

By all accounts (Michele's friends), Michele is someone you'd want for a friend. According to her friends she is "the kindest of souls and is always generous." These friends have asked people to "read and pass on" their requests. Since I don't know Michele personally, I didn't feel I could just paste and forward, but I plan to help and thought that at least I could make the connection for anyone else who might feel likewise. So if you want to learn more, click on the links above. I hope this outreach does her some good.

Michele, my thoughts are with you. Gail, Gail and Anne, you too are kind souls reaching out for help for your friend. May she be blessed with all she needs.

"One of the greatest joys in life is to have, or be, a friend."

Happy (creative) New Year!

2010-01-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

The other day someone asked what I like most about the start of the new year. Jokingly, I answered "consignment checks." I'm relieved to say that it seems like the economy (in our little corner of the world) showed some signs of recovery this holiday season. But what I really look forward to in a new year is the prospect of some quiet time (after all the wonderful holiday noise) for creating new work.

And it's a not only a new year, but a new decade. So what are you going to do to cultivate your creative life? That's what I've been asking myself this week. I'm not much of a "New Year's Resolutions" person (if you want to do something-just do it). And big resolutions are often difficult to keep anyway. I prefer to think about what steps I might take to shape the year ahead. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu.

This year, I enjoyed making many new "art friends" (and got to know some others a little better). I'm looking forward to those associations with the hope that we can all encourage and inspire one another. "Encourage" seems to be the word I keep using lately. Maybe it's my "word" for 2010... seems appropriate for a teacher, doesn't it? Here are a few of the steps that I hope will shape my creative journey:

Make more time to experiment. While I already do this to some degree, I want to make it a regular practice. At least once a month, I will try something new or do something I haven't tried for a while, just to shake things up... it doesn't have to be a grand project.

Visit the art museum. It's a great source of inspiration. I am ashamed to say that I went to our amazing museum once this year - once. It's 10 minutes away (and free). This year will be different...

Draw more often. I used to be really good about this, but have been less so in recent years (especially last year). Gotta work on that.

Use my camera creatively and not just for documentation. This past year I found some time to do that a little bit. It's a chance to shift your focus - especially doing macro photography. And I like to manipulate the photos too... all this can inspire other ideas. Watch for some more of that.

Remember to keep it simple/don't over do it. For me, this includes not overcommitting and having reasonable expectations of what can be accomplished in a certain amount of time. Sometimes I thrive on creating under pressure, but other times it just creates more pressure. Mostly, it's just tiring. THIS is going to be a challenge. =)

Blog more regularly (at least once a week) and read more blogs. It's tough to keep up with all the wonderful blogs that I discovered this year, but I will to try to read a few more than I do now.

And of course, I want to continue working toward being the best teacher I can be.

Wishing you all a happy, heathy, joyful, prosperous, creative New Year!

How many months does it take to start an Etsy shop?

2009-12-17T22:38:00.001-05:00

For me, the answer would be 10. For most people, I'm sure it was less. Last January I joined Etsy and in February, set up a shop. Soon thereafter, I shot pictures and little by little (over several months), I worked on making a banner and setting shop policies (shipping, payment, etc.)... today, I finally got around to listing some items.

Over and over, I debated opening the shop, but finally decided it seemed like a good thing for those times I get requests or interest from people who aren't near a gallery, or for after a show. And if new people find my shop and buy, of course that's a good thing... I don't know how much time I'll have to promote it, but I do hope to be good about adding more items. I don't have unrealistic expectations for work to fly out of the shop, but hey, you can't win if you don't play... sound familiar?

It's a fact that I love making earrings. So no matter what, I see the shop as another possible way to spread some joy... if just one person buys earrings that make them happy, it will all be worth it.

For now, I'm just putting earrings in the shop. I may add some larger items like pendants or pins down the road. We'll see what happens. Anyone have an Etsy experience to share - as either a buyer or seller?

The joy of making earrings...

2009-11-30T21:07:00.001-05:00

Some of you know I've been making a lot of earrings for my upcoming show. These images represent just some of what's in production. I get lost in the process of earring-making and especially love making bunches of earrings. It's another kind of meditation for me. The parts for the earrings are made a dozen or more at a time, over several hours (with breaks). This might sound like mass production - it is, but it's much more than that. As I make each metal or metal clay part - form or shape it, file or sand it - however I might handle the piece, I think about that earring finding an owner or being a gift, and wish it to bring joy to someone.

Not everyone might agree, but I believe that the energy and thought we put into our artwork comes through in the finished product. And I like to be mindful of the quality of my work and in touch with the process of making. Some people have suggested I hire help so I can make more jewelry. At least for now, I can't imagine not making each of the pieces I sell, though on occasion, I have had help with adding the ear wires and such. This total involvement may not be for everyone and sometimes there are reasons to have others make your work. Even putting your energy and positive thoughts into the design of a (mass) produced item will probably have this effect also. Personally though, I really like to have the hands-on contact.

From time to time, I encounter a person (a stranger) wearing a pair of earrings I've made and I engage them in a conversation about them. I don't tell them that I've made the earrings. The response is usually how much they like/love them, and I might hear the story of how they were a gift or that they got them at a gallery or show (maybe years ago). They often say they were made by an artist, but most of the time they don't remember the artist's name. I don't really care - if they're happy, I'm happy. Depending on the circumstances, I might identify myself as the maker at the end of the conversation, but not always. I'm not in it for the notoriety (if they happen to remember the artist's name, that's a bonus). I just like to hear the stories and see them smile.

Maybe all this energy-putting and joyful thinking is for naught, but who's to say? It seems the responses to my work support the theory... and in any event, doing it makes me happy. When people lose an earring, they contact me (or the gallery) for a replacement and are always glad hear I'll make one. So I'll continue to put my positive energy and joyful thoughts into my work (with all pieces, not just earrings). The bottom line: I really want those earrings to make someone happy - to make them feel good. The payoff is when I know I've done that. If I hear someone say "these are my favorite earrings," then I know they feel good when they wear them.

I'm sure many of you treat your work (or gift-giving) similarly. If not, try consciously sending some positive energy with your gifts or artwork. In this upcoming holiday season, think about each gift you're giving and the person you're giving it to. Give the gift with joy. Send your holiday cards with good thoughts towards each recipient. If you're a jewelry maker (or other craft maker), think about what you're making and your reason for making it. Be aware of the making, rather than just going through the motions. Think about the person who will be wearing/receiving that item and wish them well. If nothing else, it will make you feel good to think that way.

Spread the joy! I'd love to hear from others who think this way about their craft.

ArtCraft Holiday Sale

2009-11-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

This is probably my favorite show of the year. I'm happy to be one of the guest artists again this year at the ArtCraft Building Open Studio Holiday Sale. This popular show features over 20 ArtCraft Building artists, along with more than 30 other regional artists–now in it's 22nd year (though I've only been a part of it for the past several years). It's a wonderful community of artists, a great atmosphere filled with positive energy–not to mention amazing artwork for sale. If you're in the Cleveland area, put this on your list of must-see Holiday shows.

December 5 & 6 2009. For more information and a list of participating artists, please visit the show's website: http://artcraftstudio.wordpress.com/

Fall Kaleidoscopes

2009-10-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

I just couldn't resist a little creative procrastination yesterday. When I looked out the window, the trees just seemed aglow with color. So, I grabbed my camera, went outside, and shot a few pictures. Then I wondered how the images would look in a kaleidoscope program I like to use. If you've been reading this blog, you know I love Mandalas. Watch out, it's rather addictive to create these amazing images. You can try it with your own images by following the instructions and links below.

Enjoy!

(Note that some of these were cropped into circles with Photoshop and background color fill was added - matching the image)

To make your own kaleidoscopes:

For the Mac, there's a "hidden" program in the development tools on Tiger's install disc called Core Image Fun House (and it does a lot more that kaleidoscopes). This link will tell you how to install it.

For the PC, you can download a filter that works in Paint or Photoshop. You do have to put it in the folder with your other plug-ins.

Smooshing it all into one post...

2009-10-21T10:23:00.001-04:00

So this could probably be about 4 blog posts, but since I'm so busy trying to keep up (is that still, or again?), I'm gonna smoosh 'em all into one... (for my students - yes, that's a reference to my favorite "smooshy" tool*).

I got a little grief from friends for not blogging about my recent article in November's Art Jewelry Magazine (I admit I'm not very good about self-promotion). The article is about inlaying BRONZclay and COPPRclay. It was fun to write and I hope people enjoy trying the technique. AJ did a great job laying it out - there was a lot of info and many pictures to fit into the layout. I couldn't believe it was 7 pages!

Zipping around the state... the weekend before last, I had the opportunity to teach two workshops for the Columbus, OH Chapter of the PMC Guild. One day was on water etching (my favorite technique and the subject of my previous Art Jewelry article), and the other was on the inlay process from the current article. What fun - and such a great group!

My blog post "Showing up and playing..." has touched several people who appreciated the encouragement and who have shared their stories about facing rejection. I was recently contacted about reprinting it, so I'm pleased to be able to share the post with a wider audience. I had the happy experience of seeing that advice in action this past week... someone whose piece had been rejected from a book just submitted the very same piece to a juried show and was accepted. Congratulations!

I recently listened to a couple of blogtalkradio.com interviews. One was with Michael David Sturlin and the other with Tim McCreight. Definitely worth a listen. Both are talented metalsmiths, excellent teachers, and thoughtful about process and art-making. Both had many interesting experiences to share. I liked Tim's suggestion for metalsmiths to consider using metal clay as a design tool. Many of them are hesitant about (or averse to) the possibilities of metal clay. It doesn't have to replace traditional techniques, but might prove to be the right material for a certain design. And Michael said something that resonated with my philosophy of jewelry making - about how we get to make things that bring happiness to people - be it the gift giver, recipient/wearer, or the viewer. He said "we're pretty much in the happiness business." I think that's true of the teaching part as well... and from what Michael said in the interview, I suspect he'd agree.

COPPRclay and enamel update... because I don't have enough other things to do, I'm teaming up on some research with COPPRclay and enamel that will be presented at a later date. For now, I decided to put the other enamel data I was working on aside, as this new study should produce new and up-to-date information. More on this as I am able to share it.

I'd better get back to "the happiness business" - making some jewelry for upcoming shows and gallery events... I don't know how some of you who blog regularly manage to do it along with everything else you do, but I'm very impressed!

*a "smooshy tool" is known to some as a Colour Shaper =) and despite the Urban Dictionary's definition of "smooshy" as crappy and messy (and worse), WE use a "smooshy tool" to make things neater and better...

It's Show Time...

2009-10-03T20:36:00.001-04:00

'Tis the season for Holiday Shows to begin. It means a lot of art-making and the fun of all the associated cataloging and organizing (can I say "ugh" about that part?). At least I know I have a lot of company in the "very busy" department.

And to kick things off, I'm thrilled to be a part of a show of Cleveland artists in Cincinnati called "north/south" that opened just yesterday at "indigenous, a handcrafted gallery." It was curated and organized by the energetic and talented Cleveland artist Mark Yasenchack. Mark is also the gallery manager at River Gallery.

Mark is really wonderful about encouraging and promoting local artists. He's a big part of the driving force behind the ArtCraft Building Open Studio Holiday Sale that will take place the first weekend in December, with over 50 studio and guest artists (more about that as is approaches). I know that he, and some of the artists in the "north/south" show, along with many others, join me in busily working towards the ArtCraft show. Then, there are the local galleries with their own events, in which many of us also take part. Heights Arts has a wonderful Holiday Sale at their gallery featuring the work of local artists from November 7th through December 30th.

There are many, many wonderful artists in the Cleveland, Ohio area... I thought you might enjoy seeing the work of just a few of them.

Pursing Happiness... by way of a slap on the forehead.

2009-09-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

This morning I was mentally running through my exceptionally long to-do list. It was scary. I was thinking about how I really need to get myself onto a schedule with more discipline into my routine so I can accomplish more every day. We already know I'm overcommitted... I've given up on magically being granted more hours in the day. Oh yeah, and I was looking at the dust bunnies in the corner and thinking (only thinking) "I need to sweep..."

All of a sudden two sayings came into my head. Sayings that reminded me that there's more to life than meeting deadlines and living in a constant state of craziness. Talk about your V-8 moment... I felt that slap on my forehead - that slap came from my wise grandparents, who have been gone for many years, but still influence my life.

Years ago I got an autograph book and began collecting autographs. I think it was the summer before 7th grade - about 1971... I gathered them joyfully, all sorts of notes written in various colors of ink from friends and family... I had one of those "cool" pens that had about 12 colors of ink with those little sliders all the way around the top to choose the color. Two of those pages contained advice along with the signature - words of wisdom that stuck with me - that I think of fondly from time to time. Today those words hit me like a ton of bricks. "Listen up" they said to me.

The first saying I was reminded of came from my grandfather - he didn't originate it, but he wrote it down in my book. "Take time to smell the roses." Yep. Stop spinning in circles. Stick your nose in a flower. Appreciate what's around you. SLOW DOWN. Got it Grandpa T.

The the second one was from my grandmother. It was a Chinese proverb. "If you have two loaves, sell one and buy a lily." Who needs two loaves? One is enough. If your belly is full, you should feed your soul. Enjoy something beautiful. It also implies (to me anyway) "slow down." You could also take "live for today" from that one. Actually, I see many ways to analyze it... (and I won't go down the "stimulating the economy" road). My grandmother was among those responsible for encouraging my artistic side. Thanks Nona M.

So, today I'm taking a deep breath. Now all I have to do is inform the people whose deadlines I'll be delaying that I'm busy smelling roses and looking at lilies. Piece of cake. Well, I'll do it with a smile - that'll help ;-)

Where did THAT come from? The more unusual sources of inspiration...

2009-09-01T20:37:00.000-04:00

Maybe this post should really be titled "Creative or Crazy?" or "Aliens Live in My Rug... " (I bet that got your attention). I've been busy with a million things - I still promise that Enamel PDF, but life is full of distractions (who, me?)... plus, it's taken more time than I expected to complete it.

I'm overcommitted for one thing. Many of them are artistic commitments, which is good. Inspiration for them (or something entirely new and different) can strike at any time and from anywhere. It struck this morning... and so I was inspired to share an example of that experience (which also illustrates how inspiration can function as a distraction).

One of those commitments is participating in a group that's doing creative exercises with jewelry making. We've had an assignment a week for the past 7 weeks (1 week to go). It's a cool concept... but I'm behind. This morning, I was taking a shower, thinking about assignment 6 (which should have been finished the day before yesterday), when suddenly....

[Ok, this is where the "Creative or Crazy" part comes in. Assignment 6 was to get inspiration from a children's book. So I'mthinking about this, and how I love Dr. Seuss, and how he inspired me as an illustrator and how I might interpret one of his books for this assignment. I love his drawings, his take on "beings" and buildings, and his overall attitude and philosophy. Over the years I've done many different types of illustration, even drawn cartoons–and I love to doodle...]

So I'm letting my mind wander about the assignment and looking out past the curtain at my bathroom rug. The rug is rather plush - but very worn, so there are lots of lines formed by the way the pile lies down... and I start seeing faces. Of course, I'm not wearing my glasses in the shower, which softens the details that say "rug" and only helps increase the plush-pile "line" effect. The

faces/figures ("aliens") I see are just simple lines connecting that create expressions, shapes, etc., we've all seen them in tree branches, clouds and such....

As soon as I was finished, I had to capture some of the many images on paper, then head to the computer to draw them into the very cool program Scribbler (thanks Gail Lannum* for sharing this), and voila! Crazy fun faces... but that's not the end...

This brings us back to the "one thing leads to another concept... or everything happens for a reason..." and reminds us to trust the process - it will lead us somewhere...

I got so lost on scribbler that I dusted off

my USB tablet device and was inspired to draw some other fun stuff that I'll be using in the future. And I don't want you to think I'm not serious about art or inspiration... I am totally serious. I'm just willing to go with the flow and not afraid to admit that sometimes the craziest things get you to that inspired place. The aliens in my rug probably won't lead me anywhere (wink), except onto the next inspiration... Now, about that assignment...

PS.... Gail, I know you did some cool cats in scribbler... but I swear this kitty was there in my rug :)

The start of the fall class session

2009-08-19T19:20:00.000-04:00

I'm really looking forward to the start of classes this fall. I teach three metal clay classes every week (ongoing, fall through spring). This summer, I took time off to recharge my creative batteries (and begged forgiveness from the students who objected)... even skipped the show circuit and just did gallery work. Summer's been great for creative time. The school year is very hectic, so it was nice to slow down and have more family time too.

I played with COPPR and BRONZ clays, did a lot of enamel testing on the COPPRclay, wrote an article, and created some new pieces. The best part is that I have some new tricks to share with my students...

It will be great to see returning students and meet eager new ones. I love to watch the progression of skill (and level of work) as people grow more competent and confident. And there's nothing like the enthusiasm of a new student just starting out in metal clay-it's such amazing material. I particularly enjoy addressing the challenges that the advanced students encounter. Problem-solving is great fun. Part of what attracted me to jewelry and metals more than 30 years ago, is that intersection of design and engineering.

Teaching metal clay came to me almost by chance. Many years ago, a friend who manages programs for an organization was looking for more art offerings. I'd been telling her about metal clay and she asked if I'd be willing to teach a class. I agreed, and I was hooked. It wasn't that I hadn't taught art before-in volunteer ways-with Girl Scouting and through the schools. But this time, it was teaching my medium in such a focused way-to eager adult learners, that opened a new door. It's funny, because art education was suggested to me when I was in college, but a bad experience with an opinionated (and probably burned out) high school art teacher scared me away from that.

So why do we teach? I'll make a guess that it's not for the money... in any area of teaching. For me it's the whole lighting a spark thing. I think learning is contagious... and when people get excited about what they're doing and learning, it's just awesome. There's great satisfaction in helping someone find a way to express themselves creatively. Someone did that for me once upon a time :) -which I appreciate. There's also tremendous satisfaction in seeing people succeed and be happy about what they're doing. And teachers like to share-we can't help it. Some days it seems like all I really want to do is tell you about making jewelry with metal clay and truly hope you'll to like it as much as I do. I had lunch today with a couple of metalsmith friends and caught myself enthusiastically touting the merits of metal clay (they've heard this before...).

People sometimes wonder if working artists who teach feel threatened by their students' success. I can't imagine if we were, that we'd be very effective teachers. The whole reason we share our knowledge and help people express themselves, is so they WILL be successful. If a student finds his or her voice and excels, then I've done my job. I wish them well.

I'll post some more enamel results soon, but I had take a break to get organized for classes. And in doing so, I realized how much I was looking forward to the start of the fall session. If you have a minute, it would be fun to hear what motivates other teachers and what students like about taking classes.

Enamel Tests on COPPRclay

2009-08-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

It's been a very busy week. You know the sort, where yesterday was Monday and today is Monday again.... and the rest is a blur. I met many deadlines... stayed up way too late, and didn't get to a few things I'd hoped to do.

On the agenda was more enamel testing on COPPRclay, as was putting together a PDF with some info on the results thus far. The PDF will still happen... but for now, here's an update with a few pictures for those of you patiently waiting...

In the early days of testing the Metal Adventures COPPRclay, a few of us tried using enamel on the fired copper. We encountered problems with pits and bubbles in the enamel. At that time, because we were trying a number of firing schedules and had inconsistent results with the enamel, the consensus was that incomplete sintering was definitely an issue. On pieces that appeared to be fully sintered (but apparently weren't) we might get two or three successful firings before the pitting and bubbles started to occur.

On some thicker pieces, the incomplete sintering allowed copper particles (like that powdery center you see when the copper isn't fully sintered), to migrate into the enamel-enough to make the enamel cloudy and transparent colors look almost opaque. In traditional copper enameling, some of the copper does go into solution which can affect the transparent colors, but higher firing will usually clear that. Not the case with an incompletely sintered COPPRclay piece. The piece above was water etched... fairly thick and not completely sintered. Note how the cloudiness/copper make the green transparent color appear almost black.

At one point, some of us started doing a shelf firing (a suggestion by Darnall Burks), where the COPPRclay is fired on an open shelf before being fired in the (coconut shell) activated carbon filled container. There's been a lot of talk about this more recently and a number of people are trying this now. Shelf firing was a step forward for enameling. At first, I was still having some (but fewer) bubbling issues, though I could get more layers of enamel fired before the bubbles appeared. When I was careful to place the pieces in the hottest part of the kiln, this seemed to help. Pam East, who was also testing COPPRclay with enamel, agrees that shelf firing yields much better results. She too, has been able to consistently achieve numerous enamel firings without bubbles.

All the pieces above were fired in carbon (full ramp to 1700F). The pieces on the left were only fired in the carbon, while the pieces on the right were shelf fired before carbon firing. You can see the difference in the color and shrinkage of the pieces. The discs were all cut using the same two sizes of cutters. This really illustrates the impact of shelf firing. I actually re-fired the ones that had been fired only in carbon to be certain they were fully sintered.

When I visited Th o mpson Enamel recently, Woodrow Carpenter suggested that the bubbles may be caused by carbon dioxide which is created and trapped in the carbon environment. He suggested trying to fire the piece with a layer of enamel from a cold kiln like glass, allowing the CO2 plenty of time to escape before the enamel fused. He created a sample that was fired that way and followed that with 4 more traditional hot firings-with no bubbles. From a cold kiln, he heated the first flux layer to 1450F in about 1.5 hours (which I later calculated to be a 1000F ramp for my SC2).

Using Mr. Carpenter's theory of the initial cold kiln firing, I was able to fire pieces that were NOT shelf fired with success. Both of the discs above were fired only in carbon. The one on the left was then fired with the flux layer from a cold kiln, followed by 7 more traditional firings. I'm sure I could have fired it more times, but stopped at 8. On the right side of the image, the piece was fired with the first layer traditionally in a hot kiln (1450F), then 7 more firings. Note the difference in clarity of the first layer. There were problems with several of the subsequent firings with the right one - chipped edges and pits in the back, but still it survived the 8 firings pretty well by using the hard flux layer beneath. I want to try this again and fire the first hot firing to a higher temperature to see if it makes a difference.

One thing was clear - both the shelf fired and carbon fired pieces worked out well with a base layer of hard fusing flux (Thompson 2040) fired from a cold kiln - especially with opaques and transparents layered on top. And shelf fired pieces were fine with traditional firing. Mr. Carpenter also suggested leaving the back open as long as possible, so there was no counter enamel applied until firing #5. I tried some other fluxes as base coats, and some worked better than others. I'll cover this more in the PDF document.

These are tear-away textures which were shelf fired, then carbon fired. They have two layers of transparent enamel fired directly onto the copper (no flux layer). They were NOT fired from a cold kiln... that creates too much fire scale for this technique. But this illustrates that the flux is not necessary for a good transparent look. They were fired at 1550F and the copper cleared nicely giving good crisp colors (a common practice with copper enameling). The tear-away texture creates a beautiful basse taille effect. I'll post some more pictures of this technique soon.

What does all this tell us? Well, more than I want to go into here... but basically, we have the advantage of knowing that the slow firing from a cold kiln will allow us to fire enamel on carbon only fired pieces. This is important, as we may not always be able/want to shelf fire. And we like knowing that the shelf fired pieces can take the transparent colors in a traditional hot firing with such clarity.

We know that COPPRclay firing results can vary from kiln to kiln, as can enamel timing. Using my Paragon SC2 kiln, the shelf firing was a 560F ramp to 560F, hold for 15 minutes. The carbon firing that followed was a full ramp to 1700F, hold for 3.5 hours. Shaped/formed pieces need to be supported during the shelf firing with a fiber blanket to avoid cracking. Shelf firing has its advantages, but not all pieces seem to tolerate the shelf firing equally well. Sometimes you risk more cracking in complicated pieces. Keeping them well supported is critical. The shelf firing appears to improve the sintering process by creating a copper oxide (pieces will be dark or black after shelf firing) which completely reverses in the carbon (pieces are shiny copper).

This is still new territory and as we learn more, opinions may change. Please feel free to ask questions (in the comments section) and I'll do my best to answer them... we all have a lot more testing to do - none of us have all the answers... as you probably know the whole COPPRclay experience is still a learning process.

A sequence of events

2009-07-31T00:39:00.000-04:00

I'm one of those "everything happens for a reason" types. Not that I believe that life is predetermined... more that new directions can be discovered by events that unfold. Maybe it's part of the positive mindset - that I can see where something came from and where it will lead and I'm always putting a positive spin on things (I acknowledge that some people find these traits to be annoying, but–it is what it is...). I'm happy to say that recently, events have unfolded which have taken me in some very productive directions.

This week I've been busy testing enamels on COPPRclay again. The results have been very good. I've tested the clay in various ways (including enamel) since the end of December. At first it was frustrating because the enamel wasn't behaving as it expected. A few of us have been trying to get consistent results and the more we test, the more we're figuring out. Pam East and I talked today - she's been having lots of success lately too. It's interesting because we're doing some things differently. This is good. We like options. We had lots to share and compare. It's exciting stuff. For those of you who may try enamel on COPPRclay at some point, we hope that our discoveries will save you time and materials–get you right to the fun part.

I might not have gotten so completely caught up in the enamel testing this week if I hadn't visited Thompson Enamel last weekend. And I wouldn't have visited Thompson, where I worked with copper/fired copper clay, and with Woodrow Carpenter, who shared his experienced point of view and the suggestion that became a starting point for my tests, if I hadn't had to drive teens to volunteer at a camp in southern Kentucky. That adventure came about due to a (somewhat last minute) change in transportation plans. I'll admit that initially I saw the 18 hour round trip as a drag, but I wanted to help the cause.

I decided that since I was driving (practically) right past Thompson, I should see if I could stop and play on my way back. It's the old lemonade out of lemons thing. Now, I look back after my testing and see the reason... having to drive those kids was the catalyst for the testing this week that yielded these positive results. If the driving plans hadn't changed, I doubt I would have spent the last 4 days intensively testing enamels and getting these results (they're just tests - not works of art:).

Sometimes it's interesting to think back about twists and turns that have lead us to new places or new discoveries. And when a situation presents as less than positive, try to look for the silver lining. It's usually there... not to minimize the few truly bad situations we may encounter... but remember that sometimes, even in those, we can experience growth.

I'm in the process of organizing and documenting my test results so I can share them. Stay tuned!

Showing up and playing...

2009-07-23T12:23:00.000-04:00

The other day I was at Trader Joe's, with my bags in hand as I was checking out. The cashier asked if I wanted to enter the drawing to win a gift card - a "reward" for bringing my own bags (as if saving our planet isn't reward enough, but that's another post). I almost said no, because I fill out a ticket every time–and haven't won yet. But then I thought about the saying "you can't win if you don't play," which I often use to encourage people who ask about entering a show or submitting work to a book or event. So I filled out the ticket–again.

This lead me to thinking about entering, submitting, and the whole jury process for artists. It seemed like a natural topic to follow validation. Woody Allen is quoted as saying "80% of success is showing up." I think that goes hand in hand with "you can't win if you don't play." Many people don't even try to submit work because they don't think their work will be accepted , or they fear rejection.But in order to have any chance of being accepted, you have to show up and play.

I've been on both sides of the jury process over the years and know that there are always going to be people whose work is accepted and rejected. Recently I acted as a juror again, and as expected, had to "reject" some of what was entered. There are always more entries that spaces. As a part of a team, I knew there was also a subjective factor. It's human nature to rank things a bit differently, despite certain criteria. With space constraints, the pieces that received the highest overall rankings were ultimately accepted. The others faced rejection.

I always think about those whose works are rejected-especially when they are new to the experience. It's tough to face it the first time. But never let that rejection shut you down. We know that there are many reasons for rejection and it doesn't necessarily mean that the work doesn't have merit. Depending on the show, event, or book there could be any number of reasons for the outcome. For a show, it may have to do with what the jurors envision. Or it may be that you "just missed" the cut, space-wise (too many jewelers applied, for example). Maybe it was the quality of the image submitted. Look at what was accepted and see how your entry might differ.

Once I had the same pieces rejected from a show that had been previously chosen to appear in a book. When I later viewed the show, I understood that what I submitted didn't fit with the jurors vision of the show–which probably became clear as they viewed the entries and how they might relate to one another to create a cohesive show.

If you face rejection, ask some questions. Was this my best work? Was it truly unique? Did I pay attention to detail, craftsmanship, design? Did I photograph the best possible view? Should I have opted for a professional photograph? And for more input, or if you experience repeated rejection, try to get some suggestions from a teacher or professional artist. Know that the more you enter, the easier it gets to separate yourself from that risk of rejection. Of course, acceptance gives us a great sense of validation, but we can learn from rejection. It's part of the balance. And when you're accepted, be thankful, and remember that someone else probably wasn't–it really keeps things in perspective.

Validation

2009-07-17T11:07:00.000-04:00

Wow. This blog thing has really taken off. I had no inkling of the response it would generate. Thank you! So many wonderful people have commented, emailed or contacted me in some way. It's real validation. Catherine Witherell (whose HappyDayArt! blog is a great read), was so kind... she asked her readers to welcome me and put a great review of my book on her blog... and several of her readers contacted me–all truly appreciated!

"You are awesome!"

We can all use a little validation. There's a wonderful short film on YouTube called "Validation" that really makes me smile (granted, those of you who know me realize it doesn't take much). But this film makes most everyone smile. In case you are not one of the more than two million people who have already seen it, click the link (film title) and watch. Know that you need to relax and enjoy. It's well worth the 16 minutes of your time to watch this entire short... after all, there isn't one person on Earth who couldn't use a smile, and this will make you smile.

Recently, I had an experience that reminded me of this film... We have a UPS store in our neighborhood where I had to drop some packages for pick-up. I hadn't been to this store in a while, but the man who took my packages was just brimming with happiness. He said kind things about me for no reason and with no prompting. It wasn't odd or uncomfortable–just nice... very genuine. He talked about his wife and daughter and was really proud of them. And I didn't mind listening either... I didn't feel like rushing out of there. I got the feeling he must do this all day long. I left with a smile on my face. Maybe he saw this film, maybe not. Truthfully, I suspect he's just like that. But when I need to drop off another package, guess where I'm gonna go... ;-)

Enjoy the film, then go spread some smiles-say something encouraging... "validate" someone... and imagine a world where everyone does this... it's not world peace, but it's a start...

Mandalas and meditation

2009-07-15T23:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been captivated by the symmetry of a flower? Appreciated a Celtic knot or cross design? Wowed by a kaleidoscope image? Looked at the spiral formed by a snail's shell? Seen or walked a labyrinth? If so, you have encountered a Mandala.

What is a Mandala?

Mandalas are many things. The loose translation from Sanskrit is "circle." They are as simple as a flower or as complex as the Milky Way Galaxy. They can be decorative, highly organized, symmetrical patterns formed within a circle and used for focus in meditation. The Mandala is found in both Eastern and Western religious traditions, Native American and secular cultures. The Labyrinth is a kind of Mandala which is used as a tool for prayer, meditation and centering. To find out more about Mandalas, visit the Mandala Project. There are many books about Mandalas available and images online for you to color. Just the process of coloring a Mandala can be mind clearing and meditative, not to mention fun =)

I love to walk the Labyrinth and do it whenever I can. I don't pretend to meditate regularly, but I do it with some frequency. It works for me like an adjustment, a centering. It brings new thoughts and new perspectives. Meditation is good for creative renewal. It relaxes you and allows the creative process to flow. It can have healing effects on the mind and body. Many forms of meditation work, from a silent walk in the woods, to listening to the ocean, to some quiet time focused on a Mandala.

My work has been filled with spirals for as long as I can remember because I am totally captivated by the design. Doodles in my high school notebooks had spiral and labyrinth-like qualities. I find it a strong, positive, life-affirming symbol that appears across many cultures since the dawn of time. Even when I consciously try not to include a spiral, they still seem to appear. And I really like to work inside circles. Do you find symbols or patterns or shapes repeating in your work?

Here we go...

2009-07-15T15:26:00.000-04:00

OK. I’m convinced. I set this up 6 months ago and I’m finally putting words on the page. I’m not sure where this will lead, but more and more I am discovering things I’d like to share. Read it often if you like, ignore what you want, comment if you feel inspired… I love to write, but have never thought of myself as a writer. After many years, I am able to call myself an artist, but truthfully, that’s not the whole picture. I think of myself more as a creative-problem-solver sort of person. I believe art-making is not just about the finished product; it's about the journey and the whole creative process. As a part of that, I'm into teaching and learning, the power of positive thinking, and LOTS of other stuff…

What to expect:

“About art” seems pretty straightforward. I hope to share some thoughts, techniques and inspirations about how I make my jewelry and introduce you to the work of others (known and unknown). I hope this can be a resource for students and anyone else who might be interested. The plan is to offer all sorts of interesting tidbits to get our collective creative juices flowing. Over time, we'll explore inspiration, design, resources, ideas, and much more.

As for the “other stuff…” I didn't want to have to stick with only talking about art (I don’t think I know enough to keep that going very long =). I want to have some fun, spread some joy, and go wherever the journey leads…. So I guess it could be anything– we’ll just have to see what materializes.