ArtCraft time again!

My favorite show... lots of new work! Come and see!
ArtCraft Building Show and Sale

ArtCraft Building Holiday Sale

It's time again for the ArtCraft Holiday Sale! This is one of the few shows I participate in these days - but it's always my favorite. My teaching schedule keeps me very busy. Show prep, gallery work, and getting ready for a new website with online ordering are about all I have time for right now. I look forward to seeing you there this next weekend! I'll have a lot of new work for sale. Happy Holidays!

Have you tried Sterling PMC?

Check out my latest article Flora and Fauna Pendant and Earrings on pg. 52 of the May 2013 issue of Art Jewelry Magazine. The magazine's website says: "Grow your metal clay repertoire with an array of basic techniques that put sterling silver metal clay through its paces." 

Hello, (I'm Back) & ArtCraft 2012

Has it really been almost a year? I'd always wondered how bloggers could just "drop out" of writing a blog after months or years - and now I know... because I'm one of them.

Recently someone told me they'd seen a post about the ArtCraft Holiday Sale on my blog and I suddenly realized they were talking about the post I'd written for LAST year's sale!

So here's the postcard for this year's sale... the 25th year! This year it's December 1 & 2 - Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 11-5.  Of course it promises to be another great show. Tell your friends, bring your family - it's a lovely way to kick off the holiday season. I'll have lots of new work this year including etched copper, mixed copper and silver, and plenty of silver (of course!). 

These earrings (and many more) are part of new work created from Mandalas I drew this year. Drawing a Mandala is a wonderful form of meditation. 

If you can't make it to the ArtCraft show and want to see some of the newer pieces, I have work at The Heights Arts Holiday Store, and Flux Metal Arts.

Last December I started working with Sterling PMC - I like it very much and made several pieces exploring ways to test its strength-it's very strong. Here is a ring from a series that combined hand felted wool and sterling metal clay.

It's been a great year working with silver (metal clay and sheet), copper (fold forming and etching), felt, enamel, and much more... I taught a camp this summer where teens had fun experiencing the properties of metal - we called it "Fold, Stretch, Bend & Hammer." And in addition to teaching Metal Clay classes, I took over teaching the traditional Jewelry and Metals class at the Valley Art Center too.

Here we go again... 

Mother Nature's Sidewalk Art

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

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!

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...