Fall 2010 Art Crawl

Well, it's over. Three long days of sitting and interacting with the public. I had a really good time and some great conversations with people. Many compliments on my work - which is always awesome. It's always a good time to talk with the people who come out to see all of the art, I truly appreciate the conversations.

Thanks to the conversations: I am even more interested in visiting enamel work again, know about a bead show that is coming up (those are always a good time!), and am gaining more confidence in myself as an artist. Participating in this event is definitely about more than just selling art, it's about being out there and growing through interaction.

I think my kitties are quite happy to have me home after the long days stuck home alone, every evening they've had extra energy and headbutts for me. I'm looking forward to a quiet Monday to recharge.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Crawl!

Necklace....ASSEMBLED!

I'm pretty happy right now. I have the rutilated quartz necklace completely assembled - I may switch the clasp to a lobster claw but that doesn't count. Switching from oxy-propane to oxy-acetylene has been frustrating to say the least. I really just need to do more soldering at home, to keep the oxy-acetylene skills as strong as oxy-propane. It may also have something to do with the fact that at work I primarily work in gold, which solders like magic compared to sterling.

Next on my to-do list is the re-do of my marriage of metals disaster. Hoping this time around it turns out even better. Further down the list is rebuilding the citrine crown, though I may opt to get a gold mounting if I can find one. I think having a yellow crown would really set off the stone nicely. There's also the station necklace I'd like to work on, and get some designs going for rings and earrings.

I'll be happy if I can just have a few fresh pieces for the Art Crawl, which is rapidly approaching.

A Photo!

Here it is, an in progress shot of the latest attempt. I am ridiculously proud of that bezel. Ridiculously. I luckily have a large amount of fine silver hanging around from a failed school project, and was able to mill out my own bezel wire. I don't want to have to apply too much pressure to the rutilated quartz when doing the final setting, so fine silver is my new best friend. Another reason I am so proud of this bezel, the stone actually snaps in. It's pretty much the best bezel I have ever made, and it's a non-round stone which makes that fact even cooler.

I'm going to solder on the three bars tomorrow when I'm not so tired, and get this thing pre-polished before attaching the hanging elements and chain. I'll have to wait on the final polish until next week at work, but in theory I could have a finished product as soon as Tuesday! I am pretty excited about this.

I have a station-style necklace for my next project. That will likely be something I will make more than one of, or do variations on it so each one will be a little unique. I've started cutting out components, but then realized I was using the wrong metal - nickel instead of sterling. Oh well, it was good practice; also showed me that I need to roll down the metal a bit otherwise these things are going to be boat anchors!

So, I have this rutilated quartz I bought a year ago. I had a design worked up for it last year, but never got around to it. Now with everything still finding its place in the new studio space, I pulled out that stone and the drawing...I don't like it anymore. We're doing something completely different.

So far I have a few of the parts ready to go, and am really liking this new idea. Need to solder the bezel into a continuous loop, then pop that onto some silver sheet, add the structural/design elements, and clean it all up. In theory this won't take very long, but I know better. I made extra parts in case of melting mishaps or other troubles. Hopefully I'll have some in-progress pictures to share soon.

Of course I have "help" from the new furry friends. They are still nameless, but they don't seem to mind. So far they're crazy, friendly, and most importantly healthy. They're quite fun, and I think they really like it here.

Sometimes things don't go as planned

I feel like that could be my motto.

My kitties' stay has been drastically shortened. Today they go back to the shelter, and into a foster home for Feline Leukemia Virus kitties. The last two months have been full of good and bad, but emotionally I cannot keep this up without going off the deep end. They had a great couple of months, in a home full of love.

The studio is nearly set up, it will be good to start working on projects this summer. It will keep me from being down while at home. I'm looking forward to coming up with new designs and trying to find local stores to carry my work.

Six Months Later...

The two pendants I was working on last September both had catastrophes occur in the later stages, they will be reworked soon.

Lots has happened for me in the last six months though...which has also led to zero jewelry-making. Not proud of it, but I guess that will happen from time to time. The biggest thing being my move out and on my own. It's been a great transition and I was ready...parents were ready...and I love the new space. The studio is moving as well, which is not helping productivity but I hope to have it back up and functional by this Summer! I also just adopted two fantastic young cats (8 months old) who are becoming the *real* rulers of this home.

The job at the store has been steady, since the economy is slightly less scary for some people. I'm glad this turned around, because I tried a couple of side jobs that were not entirely ideal - although working at Lush was pretty close to best-second-job-ever. I hope to get productive and be able to sell my own designs in order to supplement income rather than work a second job that is less fulfilling.

So for now, until I have the studio back up and running, I will focus on having fun with my new furry companions and attempting to draw up new ideas. With their "help", I'm sure.

The marriage of metals pendant is going well. I cleaned up the gross solder and uneven tops tonight, so now they look presentable. There is still more sanding to do, but I will likely wait to do that until right before I attach the crown - which I still have to build.

The black stone is faceted onyx, but you wouldn't know that from these photos.

Here's the drawing I worked from to cut out the pieces of nickel and sterling silver. Graph paper makes everything easier, as do protractors, compasses and rulers. So glad I paid attention in geometry.

Both parts are backed with sterling, so that when worn the nickel pieces won't have contact with the skin. Though I'm thinking the wings won't be flat, instead I'll solder them at slight angles. Either way, it makes the back look better, and strengthens the whole piece.

Tomorrow: make the crown for the Rhodolite Garnet!