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...

Fibula Workshop at La Ruche Davis

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?

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!