Love, Loss and the Creation of New Planets

Art is a weird thing. The word "art" encompasses an infinity of creation, a world filled with countless stars. Some we aren't even aware of, others burn us with their brightness, while still others flicker quietly in the periphery of our vision. 

We've lost some of those bright, shining stars this past month. So many, too many. David Bowie. Not a star--a SUN, a PLANET all to himself. Even if you aren't a rabid Bowie fan (and to be honest, I was not) we all felt something when he left us. It hit me like a punch to the gut. He was so MUCH an Artist (that's right, with a capital "A"). Even though I did not follow him in depth, I was so AWARE of him. I respected him, I respected his vision of art and style and his wholly unique expression of all of it. He embodies my definition of an Icon. I guess it never occurred to me that someone like him, someone so completely "other", so completely a part of American and International art/music culture and history could just....die. Three days after releasing an album on his BIRTHDAY, no less. An album that is now being played around the world on repeat, as we pour over every syllable and note, searching for hidden meaning--searching for what we will interpret as his last will and testament for the world. That alone is fascinating and wonderful. I've listened to Blackstar--to say that it is "dark" is just a fumbling attempt to put an understandable word to work that is beyond simple words. David Bowie wrote and performed according to David Bowie and spoke in his own language. Respect, my friend, and take your place in the universe. He has left behind a hole that will never be filled because no one else can--or ever should--attempt to fill it.

Alan Rickman. DAMN. Again, an artist that I loved without being really conscious that I loved him. Love Actually is my go-to curl up on the couch with a box of wine fall asleep crying movie. His character in that movie was so beautifully, deliciously flawed and sexy and I loved him and Emma Thompson soooo much. Prince of Theives--absurdity at its absolute best. THAT VOICE. He could read the phone book to me and I would sigh in blissful contentment. I loved him before the whole Harry Potter thing and I'm so glad that a billion tweens, an entire GENERATION, now know who he is and are mourning the death of Snape.  An artist who specialized in the subtle twists and turns of characters that sucked you in completely. I haven't watched Love Actually this season (I usually watch it around the holidays but just didn't have the time this go round). Now I know that I will have to do a bit of mental prep--there will be more tears this time. That's a good thing--how amazing that art and artists can grab you by the heart...THAT is true magic.

Enough. More have left us, left us breathless with the loss. Play the music, watch the movie, take a few minutes, hours, and spend them marveling at the body of work these glowing stars left for us. When I say that art is a gift--that's literal for me. These artists have given us so many gifts we get to cherish forever. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

For me, these losses bring to the front of my brain a theme I often visit and revisit in my own work--Time. The passage of time, what we do with time, how we must cherish and not fight our place in time. I'm starting a new series of pendants I'm calling Time Travelers. Stones and fossils accented with vintage and antique watch hands. Stones tumbled by time, ancient fossils traveling through time to somehow find their way to me. Two examples here--a river stone and a gorgeous hunk of petrified wood. More to come.

I hope you all will take the time to support artists you love. Tell them that you appreciate the gifts they give through art. Remember how fleeting time is and make the very most of every minute. Revel in ART whenever you can. Wear it, play it, watch it, share it, CREATE IT. A gift meant to be shared!

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

Ceramic Beads for Free!

by MaryAnn Carroll

As promised, I am giving away some beads from my last two firings before I start hoarding them for my own jewelry.

You can read about batch one by going here. And here is a paper towel pic of batch two! I realize the tackiness of the next few pics, but once again, I am crunched for time. I didn't plan well for this post and took a soap making class at Cinch Art Space last night, so please bear with me. I'm not even through the first cup of coffee yet!

I've been using some of these to increase my inventory for a couple of galleries and upcoming shows. Spring will be here before you know it!

These are still waiting for a patina and I still have many more to make, but this is what is sitting on my counter.

And keeping with the theme of this mornings picture taking (a little tacky and a lot rushed), right from my computer laptop, here are the beads that I am offering to you!

I am going to contact the winner by next Friday and I will post it on the side of this blog. Oh and how do you win?

Here's how....

Share on social media. Come back and let me know where you shared this to be entered. I apologize to those that do not have social media.

One entry per person and please make sure I can contact you or I will have to move onto the next person if I cannot.

Thanks! Off to get ready for my teaching job! TGIF and then grandma duties tonight!

Follow Up: Steel Clay

by Staci Louise Smith

I did a post on my playtime with steel clay not long ago.  You can read that here

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2015/12/steel-clay-peek-into-my-playtime-with.html

I had purchased some back in August, but then realized my kiln wasn't hot enough to fire it.  I finally got around to playing with it near the end of the year, and realized, wow, it really rusts quite easily.  To be expected of course, it's steel.

This is the follow up post to see how the sealer holds us- and see how the steel rusts, or doesn't.  I am pretty nutty when it comes to making sure things stay the way I make them, either with or without a patina.  So, sealing things is a really important step to me, and hopefully should be for anyone who works with things that rust, or have a patina on them, ect...

So, this first picture is actually two pieces, that I clean up with the a sanding pad.  They were NOT sealed at all.  I sprayed some water on them each day for a week and just let them sit for a few weeks.  This is all the rust they got.  Not too bad really.

The other pieces got sealed with Clear Guard (you can find that at Sculpt Nouveau).  I did 2 coats of that on each side, AND just to be sure, I waxed them with Renaissance Wax as well.  

After that, I took a few pieces and also sprayed them with water on and off for a week.  The only thing that happened was this, a tiny speck here and there rusted.  All I can think is those spots got missed with sealer or something.

You can see the piece on the right, on the lower right corner has a bit of rust.

It was cold when I went outside to seal them, and there is a good possibility that they overlapped a bit and I was bringing them in and out to spray and then to dry.  

Anyhow, I am really liking the steel a lot and plan to sell some tomorrow during my little Facebook bead update.  They are light, and have a great antique pewter look to them.  

I can't wait to make more!  

Have any of you played with the steel clays?  What have you found that you like / dislike about them?

Reticulation Silver Experimentation

Carol Dekle-Foss

Rain has finally come to California. Hallelujah! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL. The rain has been coming down is soft sheets, and it's comforting knowing it's filling the empty lakes and reservoirs. I made a visual for you guys, so you can see just how bad the drought was. Look for the arrows showing a rock as a landmark. This is a park near my house that has a walking path along the South Fork American River. This river is one of the major rivers in California and flows from Lake Tahoe.

We are on the right path to putting a big dent in this drought. Thank god! It was heartbreaking watching its effects on the landscape and animals.

Okay, on to jewelry making! I wanted to give reticulation silver a try because I just LOVE the look. 

The texture reminds me of ridges and valleys of the earth's landscape. So beautiful! 

 I bought this 3" x 1.5" piece from Rio. It cost me about $3.80 per square inch. Not too bad considering sterling silver sheet in the same gauge is about $3.50 per square inch right now. They have another type called Crinkle silver. The texture is smaller, and it looks amazing, but it's so expensive! I guess it all depends on what you are making and how much you are willing to charge.

It's simple and fun to do. Here are some instructions from Rio on how it's done and what you will need. 

I only used half of the piece I purchased. It didn't shrink all that much like I thought it would, so you still get almost the same size metal to work with after its reticulated.

Here's a close up video of me doing the reticulation. I sped it up so it's less than a minute and plays one of my all time favorite songs by Katie Melua. Pretty cool watching the silver follow the torch flame! 

So yesterday, while I was getting ready to try reticulation for the first time, a video came through on my Youtube feed from Nancy T Hamilton. The title was "Fusing Silver and Reticulation on Copper". I thought, what perfect timing! I tried the reticulation on copper part so I could show you guys the results and do a mini comparison! 

I cut a piece of 20 gauge copper about 1.5" square and added little scraps of sterling silver. I also had to use a larger tip on my torch to get the silver to melt. Below is a short, less than a minute video of the melting process!

Here's how it turned out.

VERY cool texture. Its more wavy , sorta looks like tree branches to me. Here's a side by side comparison.

You can really see the difference in color. Also the one with the copper backplate has a bunch of teeny pitted holes. I think next time I will flux the backplate to see if that will help. Still, not a bad texture for metal that's already lying around the studio!

I've yet to create jewelry with these beauties because I've been busy opening a brand new Etsy shop for our ceramic pieces! 

I'm offering a 25% off discount through the end of January. Just use coupon code winter25. Etsy has a 'bug' right now, so my shop isn't offering Paypal as a payment option as of yet. If you would like to pay that way, all products are on my website, and the same discount code will apply.

Thank you for reading!

The Art of Healing

by Staci Louise Smith

It has been a sad couple weeks for us in the Smith home.  On the 5th we had to put down our furry companion of 15 years....our black lab Jake.

It was time, his body was failing him, yet it was still the hardest decision I have had to make.

We miss him terribly.  I had two weeks of just terrible sadness.  Weeping at the drop of a hat.  

Jake was my first baby, with my oldest son coming about a year later.  They grew up together, and he too, took this very hard.

So we had him cremated, and decided to make an oak box together for his ashes.  My husband made the box, and the kids helped to sand and stain it. 

It is so healing to do work with your hands.  Whether it is art, or cooking to serve another person, or digging in the soil to plant your own food, its just good for the soul.

Making this box, allowed us to cry and smile at the same time.  It allowed us to do one last thing for Jake as a family.

I finally got around to my part, which was to make the name plate for the box.

I used my jewelry skills and sawed out a heart and a lab silhouette. 

Stamping in a straight line is not really my thing, but I did my best.  

 It is getting backed in felt to soften it up, and will get tack nailed to the box.  

Art therapy really does help.  

Have you ever turned to creating to help you through a tough emotional time?  Share in the comments.....we'd love to hear your story.

Baby Steps

by Patti Vanderbloemen

In my last post (here), I shared with you my current progress on a sterling silver cuff that featured many new-to-me techniques. I did finish the cuff, including setting the faceted Cubic Zirconia stone in a cone setting, dead center of the cuff.   

While I am extremely pleased with how the cuff turned out --- it literally sucked the mojo right out of me! This class truly took weeks for completion.  The hype in prepping and completing each step of the soldering was draining...to me (will I burn all that silver? Will the filigree solder to the cuff? What if I cannot set that center stone?)  You get the drift.

I have not ventured into making another one  --- I still haven't figured out when/where I will wear this baby!  Suffice it to say that I am a homebody and rarely even go out to dinner these days! :)

So, I decided to concentrate on the individual techniques involved. The hardest part of the cuff -- for me -- was soldering those tiny little granulation balls on such a huge piece of silver. So, took a tiny piece of silver scrap that I rough cut into a heart shape and made a little necklace.  The smaller the piece of silver - the easier it is to maintain an equal temperature on the entire piece of silver.  

Creating bangles and cuffs are one by far one of my favorite techniques to date.  So, I grabbed some 16 gauge copper, and instead of etching, I added some stamping.

I cut and dapped a little disc from silver, which I was going to rivet to the center of the cuff. I changed my mind mid-design (does anyone else do this? I really should sketch.....). Instead, I soldered on a little decorative shot to the center of the disc. 

I wanted to provide more surface area for that disc on the cuff prior to soldering - the last thing I wanted was for that disc to fall off. So, I made a very small divot dead center in the cuff and flattened the bottom of the disc just a bit by rubbing it over my files/sandpaper. You can see the divot on the inside of the cuff.

I am happy to say that disc is on for good!

I am working on creating a ring with another cone setting.  The cone is complete, but I have not taken any pictures yet.  Baby Steps.  Practice. Practice. Practice!

Hoping my mojo returns today....

Thanks for stopping by!

4 Tips for Neater Macrame

by Sherri Stokey

One question I get pretty often is how I get my micro macrame jewelry pieces to looks so perfect.  First let me point out that they aren't perfect.  They're tied by hand one knot at a time and there are imperfections in every piece.  That's sort of the thing about handcrafted jewelry - it isn't mass produced or made by a machine.  I think it's one of the things that gives handmade its charm.  

That all being said, I do try to make my pieces as perfect as I can.  I'm just wired that way.   Here are my top four tips for neater macrame:

1.  Straighten the cords before you begin knotting your macrame project.  I usually measure and cut my cord from the spools, then use my handy dandy hair straightener (flat iron) to get rid of the curls.  A large barrel curling iron will work, too.  I've heard of using a plain old iron, but  I cannot attest to the effectiveness of an iron since I steadfastly refuse to use one in any context.   The hair styling tools work swimmingly.  Getting the cords all straight like this will help you keep track of them much easier when it comes to knotting, especially if you're working with many cords.

2.  Use pins while you work.  I'm a pinnin' fool.  I use regular old sewing pins (straight pins) as well as t-pins to hold my work to the pinning surface while I knot.  This helps me keep the lines all straight and uniform.  It also gives me something to pull against when changing direction of a cord.

 

3.  Maintain consistent tension on the knots.  This is easier said than done and does require some practice for most of us mere mortals, but will make all the difference in your piece looking neater overall.   

4.  Be tidy when you finish off your piece.  The ends of your piece should look as good as the focal part, so don't slack off when you get close to the finish line.  The little details are what sets your work apart.  I like to use a split ring finish for many of my pieces (there's a free tutorial here on how to do that, if you're interested).  I like the more "finished" look this gives my pieces, but no matter what ending you use, make it neat and secure.  

And there you have it, my top four tips for neater macrame.  Do you have other tricks that you use?  I'd love to hear them!

Glazing ceramic beads.... A Dry Beginning, A Beautiful Ending

by MaryAnn Carroll

So.... my goal for this year is to stay focused and create more. I started the year off right! I'm hoping I can keep it up. With that said, let me share with you my first set of ceramic beads for 2016!

When I glaze beads, I like to make them unique. By that I mean that I don't measure out anything when I create them and I like to get a little creative when I glaze them. It's not my favorite part of making beads, so I find myself often getting creative with the glaze to keep it interesting.

Another important aspect of glazing is to make sure the holes are cleaned out and are as round and smooth as possible. I am a little obsessive about that. I use my dremel for this final step. This is a bead that is completely glazed and ready for the bead tree/

My bead trees are custom made. You can read more about that in this post from the past. The beads are carefully placed on custom cut nichrome wire (can take heat up to extreme temperatures) ...

... and then placed into my kiln.

This is what a typical load looks like before it is turned on. It takes me quite a while to prepare enough beads for a full load. This one is even a little short as the last tree was not fully used.

This kiln can take up to 12 hours to reach 2200 degrees, which is what I need for these glazes to fully mature.

FINISHED BEADS

And here are some before and after shots for this last kiln load. As you will see, the glazes often look very different than the matured bead. Also, when creating texture beads like the ones you see here, I don't use multiple glazes. The reason being is that is would look WAY too busy and choosing a glaze that "breaks" gives the beads all that they need. Breaking is when the glazes responds to the bead by literally breaking where there are edges.

Multiple glazes

The two lower sets have one kind of glaze applied. The glaze I used on the discs creates a different looked based on thickness. The areas where the glaze is thinner, the result is brownish. The breaking effect is shown on those in the lower right.

There were two different glazes used on the top group. The bottom two groups have just one glaze applied. The one on the left does not have the breaking qualities that the one on the right has.

If you like ceramic beads, stop back for a giveaway in the next couple of weeks!!