Inspiration, Metal and a little Fold Forming Picture Tutorial

by Staci Louise Smith

It is spring in the studio and lots of things are going on.  I am prepping for new shows this spring......which is always fun for me.  I also have work in the Spring show at Bethlehem House Gallery- a contemporary art gallery in the heart of Bethlehem, who has featured my work on and off for the last couple years.

While at the opening of the Spring show,   I fell in love with the work of Dominick Naccarato.  

You can view his work for sale on the galleries website

http://www.bethlehemhousegallery.com/artists/domenick-naccarato/

His work is industrial.  It looks worn and old....and of course, that spoke to me.  I mean, :swoon:....its dreamy to girl who loves to destroy metal!  I grew up in a home who a mom and brother who love to go antiquing.  so, old things, in art, its bringing together a couple loves of mine

http://www.domenicknaccarato.com/markings-feed-sprocket-access/

I do hope you will take a minute to follow the links and check out the gallery site and his personal website as well.  His work is amazing.

Anyhow, there was that, which of course, made me long to play with metal again right away.  I am always inspired fresh and new after a trip to the gallery.


I have always loved the process of disintegration.  It fascinates me, the way nature breaks down organic and inorganic matter over time.  Rust, fungus, all these sort of things always grab my attention and draw me in.  I love how the sea changes things as well, takes rough bright things and washes the color away and smooths them.  Worn, old things were once new things, full of life.  And as they decompose, they lose one life, yet take on another.  This process is just amazing, and watching the beauty of this process is endlessly inspiring to me.  

That is why, I love taking white polymer clay, and turning it into something that looks like you pulls it out of nature.  Or taking bright copper sheet, and making it look as if it had been out in the elements for decades.

Anyhow.............

Then I ended up at a Clover Market with my mom for the day.  I am doing that show in May and June, and wanted to check out the lay of the land, the crowd, and all that good stuff.  

The show is full of antique vendors, mixed in with artisans.  It is such a cool show!  I love that you can buy rusty old stuff next to handmade items!

I picked up some rusty old keys to use for something some day!  For now they are laying on my work table.

I did not take any pictures at Clover Market, but here is their facebook banner, and it is good picture of some of the unique items you can find there.

My mom loves old tin ceiling tiles, and there was a vendor there who had a booth full!

The vendor was Olde Good Things

And here is a picture of the tiles from his website

http://www.altered-antiques.com/tinstuff.html

The textures of the metal tiles had me newly inspired as I browsed through them.  Each so different.  I loved the washed out old paint added to them.............everything about them was amazing.

In checking out the vibe of the market, I thought, I need to have more metal.  I have gotten away from all that copper in my work because of time constraints the last couple years.  I have been so focused on polymer it hasn't left a lot of play time.

So I got to work.  I decided to have fun and cut out lots of copper shapes to make fun, fold formed, patina earrings for Clover Market and the gallery.  And man, let me tell you, I am so happy I did.  I really missed playing around with fire, metal and chemicals!

I loved texturing them, and definitely felt the influence of those wall tiles coming through as I hammered in little raised spots and such.

Here are the components before I started making them into jewelry.

And here are just some of the earrings I made.

I had so much fun!  I really missed working with the metal and patina.  Though I also forgot how labor intensive it is.  Thank goodness I love what I do!

Do you also find that what you see and places you go inspire you go in a different direction, or revisit an old one?  Tell me about it.............

And, as promised, a little picture tutorial on fold forming.  If you want more information, there are lots of great online classes you can take!  But, if you have already played a bit with metal and a torch, this may be all you need to try it out!

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Cut some shapes in copper sheet, I used 26g since they are going to be for earrings.  This keeps it light, but you can use any gauge.  File the edges smooth.

Line them up on a solder block, and use your torch to heat them until they glow red, and then quench right away

Once they are quenched, dry them off a little bit.  The process of heating and then quickly cooling them,  anneals them and now they are softer and easier to manipulate

Fold it over at a place where you want a fold line

Use a chasing hammer to flatten at the seam

Torch them again to soften them.  It is important to do this between each step to keep the metal malleable.  Otherwise it could break.

Quenched 

Now you can open it up.  If you need to, you can slip a razor blade in the fold to open it enough to grab.  Place it on your steel block and hammer again.  You can add other hammered designs, or use hole punches to make divets and such.  Use a hole punch or drill to make your holes as well.

Here is a close up of some finished pieces with patina and all on them!

I hope you will try it out, because let me tell you, fold forming is FUN!!!!!

David Bowie Blog Hop

by Staci Louise Smith

"The stars look very different today" - Space Oddity

I think this lyric really sums up how it feels with no David Bowie in our world anymore.

So we are excited to honor him, to keep his stardom shining through our art.  

If you have made a piece to honor David Bowie and blogged about it, please add the blog link to the inlinkz below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Stardust: A David Bowie Tribute Blog Hop

by Staci Louise Smith

In case you missed it, we are going to do a blog hop here, on March 10th.  

Details can be found here

http://www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2016/02/stardust-david-bowie-blog-hop.html

Has anyone started working on their pieces yet?  I already know at least one person who is DONE!  

Well, I haven't started yet, but I have ideas rolling around my brain.

I thought maybe for some inspiration I'd share some things I found!

First of all, when I made this bead, the photo of David popped right in my head!

You don't have to make a piece based on a song, or lyrics, it could just be an ode to him, or inspired by one of his many awesome photos!

I also found these cool Crystal Ball rings that made me think of Labyrinth.  

They are made by Project Om and can be found on etsy here

I found some cool copper lightning bolt charms that reminded me of this photo of Bowie

You can find them in Supply Your Soul here

Below is another photo I just adore of Bowie.  I didn't have to think hard of what could match it, I KNEW I had seen something in Karen's photos that would be perfect, and I found it!

Necklace by our own Karen McGovern Beadkeepers Art and Jewelry Design 

http://www.beadkeepers.com/

and last but not least, I paired this bright photo with one of Melanie Muirs wonderful polymer bracelets

You can find more of Melanie's work here

I hope the post has helped to get the gears turning about how you can make a tribute piece to David Bowie for the blog hop.

It's going to be REALLY fun!

We March ON! By Karen McGovern

Hello all! First things first. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE WHO LIVE UP NORTH DEAL WITH STATIC ELECTRICITY??? We got our first major cold snap last night--the temps dipped into the high 50s and I'M LOOSING MY MIND. In Florida terms this is an apocalyptic weather event and I am completely immobilized by this alien effect you call "static". What is this? Why is my hair standing straight up and sticking to everything? I feel like my head is covered by spiderwebs--It's driving me MAD I TELL YOU! As I type this in the darkened dining room (it's 6:00 am) I can see strands of my hair waving around my face in the light of the laptop screen LIKE IT'S ALIVE. Static is gross and I demand that it stop IMMEDIATELY. I WANT MY HUMIDITY BACK!!

There, I feel better (not). 

Second--thank you for all the comments on the bangle post!! I love the direction so many of us want to take into 2016. More inward development and less outward (I'm so fat, I need to look better) fears. I applaud you all, and hope that we move towards a peaceful and fulfilling year. I hope all your goals and dreams come to fruition and I know that if we all can take a few minutes a day for JUST US, we can become the best version of ourselves. Take that class, read a TON of good books, learn as much as you can, make a ton of art and GROW!!!

The lucky gal who will soon be wearing an AWESOME set of copper bangles is....

BROOKE BOCK!!! 

Congrats, Brooke, please get in touch with me so I can send you the set. I hope you wear them every day and enjoy!!!!!

Thanks again, you are all warriors capable of incredible things--NOW GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

Endings and Beginnings - By Karen McGovern

A blur. That's what time is these days. A blur of energy and emotion. Time has FLOWN and we find ourselves on the cusp of a brand-new year. 

Are your living rooms still hiding shreds of wrapping paper and ribbon? Are your refrigerators overflowing with Tupperware and Zip Locks packed full of holiday leftovers? Do you still have the odd relative snoozing in the guest room? If so, you are lucky. Sometimes it's in the aftermath of a big event that you finally find the time to take a deep breath and reflect on what just happened....savor that.

To all that celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a phenomenal one. To everyone in general I wish you peace and joy during this time and into the new year as well.

The new year. I love opening a brand-new calendar. Crisp pages unmarked, the year divided into 356 neat and tidy identical squares--all blank but for their numerical identifier. Days full of potential--good and bad, but days that mark the passage of time in which we flow like salmon in a stream. EXISTENTIAL, MUCH?

Are you exhausted yet? I am. 2015 kicked my butt. Great things, terrible things, overwhelming things and intensely BORING things happened in my life during 2015 and while I have done my best to learn from all the lessons 2015 felt obliged to SHOVE DOWN MY THROAT, I am looking forward to a gentler, kinder 2016.

NO RESOLUTIONS. Just...stop already, okay? DO NOT GUILT-BUY THAT GYM MEMBERSHIP. Do not set yourself up this year. Simply accept that yes, a new year is about to begin, but that does not mean you have to force yourself to swear by some list of promises you may or may not be able to keep. Resolutions piss me off. Why? Because being forced to make a list of self-improvement implies that from the get-go YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH AS IS. Crap to that, I say. Take the new year for what it is...12 more months to exist and do the best you can as a human being crammed on a planet with 8 billion other human beings. Keep it simple. 

My goals? To be kinder. To be quieter. To listen more and speak less. To make more art and give it away. To eat really good food. To smile more. To listen to more great music. To see more of my friends. To buy art from artists I love. If I have one "resolution-ish" thing to add to the list it would be to try---ugh---to not spend so much money on shoes. (Screw that, we know it's not going to happen. At this moment I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of FOUR NEW PAIRS OF SHOES I DO NOT NEED BUT ARE SO CUTE!!!! Seriously, Nordstrom Rack is having an UNBELIEVABLE year-end sale....) 

I took quite a bit of time off artistically at the end of this year. My real life job is exploding--so many new and exciting events going on within our organization (Rare Species Conservatory Foundation). My role has expanded and so has my husband's. It's exciting and terrifying. I built our new website from scratch using WIX (more on that in another post--I love WIX!). We have new staff, new programs and babies everywhere. Baby primates and bongo antelope--the best gifts and more than I could ever ask for. My focus has been here, on the farm, not in the studio, and that is really okay. If 2015 has given me anything it is a bit more clarity of purpose. Art will always be my refuge, but I find I don't need to bury myself in it in order to feel better about the world. As a conservation biologist, I am deeply aware of what a perilous time we live in for humans and nature alike. A terrible time, to be honest. But I can't hide from that and if what we do here at RSCF can help a fragment of our natural world survive and hopefully THRIVE, then I am doing good work. 

Yes, this is the world's cutest family of pygmy marmosets.

I haven't really been in the studio since October. Considering I finally got a brand-new stand-alone studio on our property that may seem odd. You'd think I'd be in there 24/7. In a way, the new studio has relieved the pressure I felt before to create frantically, whenever I had a moment to spare, standing over the overflowing bench in the garage, working in 20 minute chaotic spurts. No more. My studio is there, waiting. It's not going anywhere and neither am I. I've got time.

So, in this rambling post, I offer you all a few pieces of totally cliched, yet good advice. Slow down. Quit hating on yourself. Accept who you are at this moment and love that person. Make art when, where and IF you want to. Give some of it away, and buy somebody else's. Go outside and look up. Breathe.

To start 2016, I am giving away a bit of my art. A set of two hand-forged, 8 inch copper bangles. Comment below how you plan to make 2016 a better year for YOU, and next Tuesday I will put your names in a random name generator to pick the winner. My gift to you!!! 

I wish us all a fantastic 2016--NOW GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine GIVEAWAY!

Carol Dekle-Foss

WINNER UPDATE:

First, I wanted to say thank you so much to those of you who commented. I asked this question for selfish reasons really. I am struggling and it helped so much to hear what you all are grateful for. My son is 'over there' in harm's way, and not coming home for the holidays. This has left me in a grumpy grinch mood. I know, like the grinch, I will snap out of it at the very last minute and begin to enjoy the season. Probably when we light a huge bonfire for the tree. Ha! 

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!

Andd the winner is...

LINDA PRAIS. 

CONGRATULATION Linda! I will be contacting you on Facebook for shipping information.

~

I've always been amazed at how Stampington & Company can create magazines that are drool worthy and dripping with creative, inspiring articles. Every magazine has thick, matte paper, minimal advertising, and well thought out photography. It makes reading a delight, and being published even more special.

I love their technique based format, and have learned so much by exploring every detail of past magazines.

This latest issue that just hit the stands on December 1st, is chock full of unique techniques and many great tips. Along with the magazine giveaway, I get to share with you just a couple of my favorite artists and their creations. It was hard to choose! There are so many talented artists in this issue.

First up, Laura Guenther shares where she gets her inspiration for her gorgeous Time Passages components and how she makes them. I love the soft color palettes and elegant shapes and textures!

I was mesmerized by Carol Ognibene Kornievsky's creations using prismacolor pencils. How crafty is this? I can see many design possibilities using this technique. She also gives a great tip on using double-sided tape to tape together two pieces of metal when sawing out a pattern for earrings. I will be trying that out for sure!

I couldn't help but falling in love with this article by Barb Solem. Rock beads!? A water spigot used for a pendant?? You have to check out the rest of her article just to see how she uses more of these yummy beads.

Just look at these acorns made by Brooke Bock! I love how she was inspired to create them. I learned a lot from her article on different finishing techniques for various materials, including how she got the acorn caps to look so rusty!

Lastly, yours truly. I'm at it again with my sandblast cabinet. But instead of sandblasting stone, I experiment with bisque-fired porcelain, and these pendants are the result. I did a post on my blog explaining the process here. 

It's such a great feeling when you first see your work published and among such talented artists. If you have ever considered sending your work in, go for it! What's the worst that can happen? They say no? It happens, but you just keep trying! They are always looking for fresh designs to publish and embrace unique work. I was nudged by MaryAnn Carroll to submit and I so appreciated her support. Without her encouragement, I would have never submitted. Now I'm encouraging YOU. It's easy, you just send them your work, and if accepted you write up your article. Here is a link for the calls and challenges.

Okay, let's keep this giveaway simple. Just tell us what you are grateful for or what makes you the most happy in your life. That's it! If you are more comfortable leaving a facebook comment, feel free to leave that here on the Love My Art Jewelry page. I'll announce the winner on December 23rd on facebook and an update to this this post as well.

Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday.

Jewelry Photography-Tips and tricks

Carol Dekle-Foss

While taking photos to fill my website for this holiday season, I thought what a perfect time to do a post on jewelry photography. If you struggle with your photography, don't be too hard on yourself.  Jewelry photography, or macro photography, is one of the hardest things to learn. Even for professionals! 

 Here's one of my very first photos posted to Etsy back in 2011. And I thought this was good! Oh my. You can't see the details in the pendant, the background is distracting and there is no focal point to the image. It's hideous.
 
I tried EVERYTHING back then to get good shots. All sorts of backdrops and props, shooting inside and out, different cameras..etc etc. Finally, I've reached a point where I feel SOMEWHAT comfortable with my photography. It only took me FOUR years! 

As a visual type, I had a difficult time grasping photography basics and how each camera setting affected one another. With the below cheat sheet I had an aha moment. 

 

Thank you Miguel for this helpful guide! I printed it out and kept it wherever I took photos to remind me how each setting worked. Keep in mind, even if you only have a basic camera, it's bound to have one or two of these settings that you can play with. 

The two most important settings I look for when taking pictures are APERTURE and ISO. Let me SHOW you why. I only changed the aperture on all the below photos and let the camera decide for the rest of the settings. Also, no flash. Never...ever. It flattens your image, gives it harsh light and icky shadows. 

Looking at this photo, you can see shooting at f/2.8, which is a large aperture, you get a shallow depth of field. They call it a large aperture, because if you look at the cheat sheet, you can see the hole is wide open and allowing more light in. THAT took me awhile to understand. 

Okay, now the important part. If more light is coming through that little hole, then the ISO can be lower which gives you a CRISPER photo. So looking at the photo shot at aperture f/8, there was enough light in my lightbox for the camera to still choose an ISO of 100. At f/8 there is a deeper depth of field, so more of the background will be in focus. Not a bad setting for jewelry, as long as you can maintain a low ISO setting with enough light to maintain a crisp photo.

With the aperture set all the way to f/32 you get a real deep depth of field. Unfortunately, because not a lot of light is coming through that little hole, you lose the crisp ISO setting and start to see YUCKY noise.

I added a dark background here so you can see how lighting affects the ISO. The background made it darker in my lightbox, so when shooting at an aperture of f/32, the camera chose a higher ISO of 2000. If you compare the first photo to the last, you can see the noise or graininess. Bleck.

So there you have it. One little piece of the photography puzzle to help you with your jewelry photos. I hope that sheds some light, ha... on how aperture and ISO work together. I encourage you to play with your camera's settings, and see what changes you can make to your photos.

I have one more little trick to share. Do you like to hang your earrings for visual effect? I like the look, but what happens sometimes is you get shadows that hide the details, like in the below photo. Here is a way to prevent that.


 I picked this tip up from a post on how to make your silver jewelry shine. It works great to prevent shadows as well.

By using a reflective surface you can bounce light back up to highlight your jewelry and avoid shadows. 


Pretty clever! You can make your own reflective surface using aluminum foil as in the post, or purchase some from a craft store. Here is some from Joann.

I hope this information will be useful to someone!

If you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share, we would love to hear from you!