Stories They Tell

Bead Soup - It's What's For Winter

2012-02-10T08:46:00.001-05:00

As I was mixing up a batch of homemade chicken soup this morning, I looked into the pot of roiling, fragrant broth and envisioned a decadent kaleidescope of beads, all tossed and tumbled in a waterfall of colors and textures. Maybe the fact that I had just been watching SyFy's “Face-Off”-- a competition between make-up artists tasked with creating fanciful monsters and creatures-- had something to do with it. Watching artists turned loose to bring their most fantastical imaginings into reality stimulates my creative urges in a powerful way.

Being deep in the doldrums of a mildly cold yet almost snow-less winter in Vermont begs for some artistic flame-fanning to get the old imagination going and what better to do that than a pot of soup-- Bead Soup Blog Party 5, that is!

For those of you new to the Bead Soup Blog Party, our inventive originator of the idea and perennial hostess, Lori Anderson , invites participants to collect one beautiful focal, one beautiful clasp and an assortment of beads that they would choose for themselves to design a necklace or bracelet and send that to a partner that is handpicked by Lori. This works because she tries to pair people who haven't worked together before so that each person is pushed to create something outside their design comfort zone.

I was partnered with Deb Brooks of From the Heart Creations this time. Neither one of us had met before so I filled her in about my found object passion and polymer clay habit and she responded enthusiastically by sending me an amazing focal consisting of several vintage mother-of-pearl beads cleverly stacked and artistically wired into one, including a vintage jet shoe button.

Vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, jet high-button shoe button

In addition, she worked a small MOP button into a sinuous handmade bronze clasp.

Nice symmetry between the two!

Supporting cast members included tiny faceted jet beads, several lengths of vintage chain (one of my overwhelming addictions!) some large faceted jasper barrels, bone spacers, ivory jasper and a big bag of assorted vintage buttons, including one stunning naturally patinated one. What a stash!

All the Soup ingredients

As an extra goodie, she included one of her signature pieces, a silverplate fork with ingeniously twisted tines, with its handle curved so it can function as a pendant. I have some interesting plans for this, but not in this piece. You'll just have to visit again in the future to see the final version.

What can we make out of this?

So I'm definitely out of my comfort zone here. I don't use neutrals all that often so I'm contemplating how to use the subtle cream tones of the MOP to advantage. And we can't make this too pretty-- so some steampunk influence will probably show itself, especially since Deb has included some gears and watch faces in the mix. Did I mention that I just purchased some fossilized mammoth bone beads from Happy Mango Beads? I'll let you, gentle reader, ponder that for a bit. And some Baltic amber and a silver repousse Chinese horse bead. Guess you'll just have to be here for the Big Reveal on March 3.

Resinate

2012-01-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

I'm all for the newest and coolest in mixed media and craft supplies. But I'm a great advocate of thinking outside the box and expanding the realm of what's possible in the techniques and processes that already exist.

So I resisted the lure of resin for quite some time. Why coat a perfectly good surface in polymer clay-- one that you have sanded and buffed so carefully to achieve a subtle, glowing sheen-- in plastic? I have never loved the use of the shiny coatings that some polymer people adore to the point of making the Holy Grail of Polymer the ability to achieve a lampwork glass-like mimicry. Yes, I'm going to get flak about this but really, why not embrace the characteristic of the medium itself in its 'natural' state? OK, polymer is plastic but it has a unique ability to cure to the texture of kraft paper or really, to any other texture you want to apply. Its truly unique ability is to take texture -- why cover it over? For instance, I give my clay pieces that will receive colored pencilling a subtle texture, some 'tooth' so the pigment will adhere better. “Exploit those Nooks and Crannies” should be a needlepoint wall motto in my studio!

So why turn to the Dark Side at all? Well, first I had to discover what resin could do for my designs that I couldn't do with polymer. After all, polymer clay has its own liquid form that cures to near-translucency. But it's very sticky and messy, so pouring it into a small space would be difficult. You can paint it on as a coating-- I've done this as a patina on metal with the addition of alcohol inks for color -- but it's a real bear to sand. And it drips.

Since I had an ICE Resin kit sitting here in my studio for ages, when my sister came to visit this past fall I figured, let's see what this baby can do! I dug out ALL my bezels, lots of tiny metal beads, my vintage books, many clay pieces with attractive holes that could be filled and then made several pairs of earrings that had holes straight through their forms. Of course, I have dozens of handmade silicone molds that I've made of anything that would hold still and I knew that resin could be used to fill molds and make objects.

I had very little specific information to work with-- I have just recently bought Sherri Haab's book "The Art of Resin Jewelry" but I didn't have it at the time. But I really like to work this way-- just puttering and playing and seeing what I can do with something I've never used before. I had no preconceptions and no expectations-- anything was fair game. I didn't edit myself at all. Playing off the things my sis was doing was very helpful as well. She is a very creative person and also had no prior experience with resin either so we both had no “can't be done” admonitions to overcome.

"Eye of the Dragon"

Polymer using the mokume gane technique, oil paint, pencil, gilders paste, coiled and patinated bronze wire, resin

"Ginko"

Previously-made polymer clay pendant, applied resin, Objects & Elements bezel

"Imaginarium" earrings

Polymer clay, gilders wax, resin

"Rockport Sunday" bracelet

Picture jasper, African bronze beads, clasp by Objects & Elements, copper chain, resin bezel filled with collected sumac leaves, Fall 2009 and African brass spacers

"Song of Amergin" ring

Bezel ring from Objects & Elements, filled with bronze polymer

clay, bronze headpins and resin

"Emerging"

Polymer clay with resin

"Theodora" pendant

Polymer clay with resin, metallic powders, gilders wax

"Tidepool"

Polymer clay with resin

"Geode"

Polymer clay with resin and acrylic paint

"Entropy"

Polymer clay, resin

Resin experiments

In the few months since my initial experiments, I have made finished jewelry with some of the pieces I made and have done a few more pours. I've learned a few tricks and made many sketches of what I want to do in the future. All in all-- a successful encounter with a new material. What more can you ask?

New Year, New Challenges

2012-01-17T15:31:00.000-05:00

I don't like the idea of making resolutions for the New Year. As much buzz as there has been about major cosmological and spiritual changes in 2012, I feel that the term 'resolutions' is too much like an old school-blackboard writing punishment “I will not....” --fill in the blanks. I like instead the idea of taking on a task, a challenge, a quest. Of perhaps learning a new skill, exploring a new avenue of creativity. Make it positive and reject the negative.

I've got some projects that I've finally decided to take on this year and you'll be hearing about them in subsequent blog posts here. But I'm telling you today about one that's going to be fun and possibly very productive-- the 52 Earrings Challenge.

52 Earrings is the brainchild of Anke Humpert (Anart Studio), a mixed media and polymer clay artist living in Karlsruhe, Germany. She loves collaborative work and hopes that this challenge will bring her inspiration from working with others and with the wide range of artists who've signed up for this-- from all over Europe and the US-- she will get her wish.

Just around the holidays this year, I challenged myself to do 12 pairs of earrings for the traditional 12 Days of Christmas. I really had fun doing those earrings so when I learned about the 52 Pairs project, I decided to join. Yes, it's adding a bit of pressure to my schedule that I vowed (to myself) to keep clear. But it's also a great way to use up orphan or one-offs that consistently get produced through experimentation in the studio and then just sit around taking up real estate.

I'm behind two weeks but I quickly completed two pairs that came from ideas sketched during a free-association doodling session. One of my little tricks is to doodle a whole page of ideas at once, not judging or editing my ideas but simply working to fill a page with images. My trusty copier enlarges or reduces the designs and I combine different shapes in a multitude of ways. I print out the refined elements on copier paper, then cut them out with tiny scissors. The paper adheres nicely to the polymer sheet then it's cut out with a sharp scalpel blade, the shape is refined and then textured. I find that texturing after I cut out the shape helps to round the edges so there's less smoothing to do.

I'm starting a new series in my work titled “Heaven and Earth” and the earrings below are my first stab at that theme. Week 1 – 52 Earrings.

Raincloud Earrings, Heaven & Earth Series - 52 Earrings, Week 1

Polymer clay, Whim-Z Wire, vintage Japanese handblown glass beads, vintage celluloid spacers

I liked the design and shape of this next pair-- Week 2-- but they needed something. I thought about resin, the newest tool in my design box, but I didn't want to mix up an entire batch without other pieces waiting to be 'resinated'. I just recycled some silver to Rio Grande (check out their quick turnaround on scrap metal) and removed some teensy diamonds from an old ring so I thought about using them. But then I remembered some vintage rhinestones I had and voila! that was just the perfect touch. Just funky enough to work with the polymer and keep the price range reasonable. I like the contrast between the textured and patinated clay and the old rhinestone. Just enough bling for me.

Tidepool Earrings - 52 Earrings, Week 2

Polymer clay, gilders paste, Whim-Z Wire, vintage rhinestones

So I'm on to Week 3 and the ones I'm working on already have a name--Little Crazy Earrings. I'm using some very strange elements for these but hey, I'm having fun and that's really the name of the game. Check out 52 Earrings on Flickr, there's still time to play along.

The Twelve Pairs of Earrings

2011-12-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

I love to play in my studio. So much so that I have boxes and trays of 'one-offs' that were either little experiments or tryout pieces for something that either never got finished or ended up not needed. Orphans. They're valuable little orphans for they opened my eyes to a new technique or proved I could do something with the clay that I had only envisioned in my sketchbook. But they seem a bit sad this time of year-- they want to evolve, to become a part of something larger.

So to end up 2011 I decided to give them all homes in earring sets. Or at least 12 sets-- it resonates somehow with 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'-- “12 pairs of earrings, 11 lords a'leaping, 10 ladies dancing”, etc. These are going immediately into my Etsy shop or they'll end up being worn by me!

For all of you who are doing some late shopping or just because we all need to gift ourselves sometimes-- for whatever reason-- here are my offerings and please enjoy the eye candy. They're the only sweets this holiday season that won't go right to your hips!

I'm rushing to get these listed in my Etsy shop but if you fancy a particular pair, please convo me at Etsy and I can put a Reserve listing up for you.

And from our house to yours--have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas!

Imaginarium earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Textured and stacked polymer clay dangles, patinated with acrylic

paint and gilders wax, embellished with frosted resin windows

Poinciana earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay patterned with handmade molds, colored with oil paints and gilders wax - brass earwires

Winter Moon earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay patterned with a mold made from an antique picture frame, colored with alcohol inks, embellished with handforged copper washers patinated with gilders wax - copper earwires

Ulan Bator earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

African glass, coral disks, Ethiopian clay spacers, copper spacers and findings, handmade and patinated links, crystals, tagua nut tubes

Ostia earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Handmade polymer clay stacked elements with resin centers, patinated with gilders wax, antique Roman glass disks, Greek ceramic spacers, brass spacers and findings

Horn of Africa earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Handmade and textured polymer clay dangles, antiqued brass beads,

handmade enamel bead caps by Mairedodd, brass earwires

Telluride earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay formed with a mold made from an antique picture frame and colored with alcohol inks and colored pencil - copper earwires

Edgy Sugarplum earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay textured with a mold from an antique picture frame,

colored with alcohol inks and patinated with gilders wax - silver earwires

Silken Tent earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay disks, rayon fibers, African bronze spacers, bone beads, Ghana daisy spacers, handforged bronze earwires

Heart of Winter earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay hearts from a repousse original, handforged and patinated antique bronze disks, antique star findings, bone spacers, bronze earwires

Carpathia earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay mokume gane technique dangles, repourposed patinated brass embellishments, bronze earwires

Valley of the Kings earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Polymer clay elements done in the mokume gane technique, handforged and patinated brass washers and dangles, bronze spacers and earwires

By the Numbers

2011-12-11T09:41:00.001-05:00

Numbers have great significance in many cultures. In Western culture, the number “3” philosophically describes the Deity in both Christian and Celtic societies. In Navajo culture, “4” represents Nature's essential elements-- wind, water, air and fire. The discovery of the zero allowed civilization to advance in science and mathematics. Numbers represent our birthdays, wedding days, holidays and significant dates in our world's history.

But as designers, we just love numerals because of their unique graphic appeal. They are like ancient runes, significant because of what they represent but pictorial in their aspect. They are modern hieroglyphics, language and design all together.

I love browsing typeface sites like Dafont.com-- so many cool fonts that drive my imagination wild. I used to work in a graphics department and I've never lost my love for letters. But recently I was invited by the folks at Create Mixed Media, publisher Northlight Books' blog, to create a set of numerals for this week, December 11-17, for the blog which they call "The Week as Art". Seven days' worth of numerals are depicted by a different mixed media artist every week. I decided to make mine in polymer clay and embellish them with lots of texture and color. Here they are in full size.

December 11

Black polymer clay, hand-applied impressed designs, heat-set oil paint

December 12

Bronze polymer clay, hand-applied textures from silicone molds, German Silver gilders wax

December 13

Ivory polymer clay, heat-set oil paint to antique and color

December 14

Polymer clay, hand-applied texture, heat-set oil paints, African Bronze gilders wax

December 15

Polymer clay, faux bark handmade texture sheet, heat-set oil paint

December 16

White polymer clay, commercial texture sheet, heat-set oil paint, Silver gilders wax

December 17

Mokume gane veneer polymer clay - metallic and opaque clays

If you haven't discovered the Create Mixed Media blog, head over there to check it out. There are lots of informative and interesting posts by both editors and guest editors on wide-ranging topics of interest to anyone interested in jewelry-making and every kind of mixed media, covering everything from art retreats to setting up a home studio or marketing your work. This week on Thursday, December 15, there is a webinar by my friend, Barbara Lewis, author of Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry. Registration is free but be sure to reserve yourself a place.

Gilded

2011-11-20T18:16:00.001-05:00

I love the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelite school. They were actually considered 'avante-gard' for 1848 in that they rejected the prevailing style and aesthetic and embraced color, romanticism, the morality of the Middle Ages, spirituality and the natural world with enthusiasm and originality. I find their depictions of women are incredibly sensitive and sensual for (mostly) male painters in the mid-19th century.

Their color palette is rich, highly saturated and vivid, even when depicting dark woodland scenes and costumes, as represented in this month's Art Bead Scene's inspiration, the Renaissance-influenced work of Marie Spartali Stillman, called “Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni”.

Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni

I was immediately drawn to this painting, but not because of the theme-- as I usually am-- but to the colors-- bronze, sage, russet-- especially the bronze. In mixing this color in polymer clay, gold and black are mixed in equal amounts to create a metallic with great depth and opulence. So I started to create some textured elements that I planned to use to frame molded cabochons in polymer tinted with my other favorite colors from the 'Madonna'. I started with texture sheets and molds that had more naturalistic themes but added some of my favorite abstract ones to change it up.

I found myself getting rather carried away with these textured frames and once they were cured and antiqued with burnt umber heat-set paint, I was conflicted-- had I strayed too far from the painting in my interpretation? Well, isn't that the point-- to use the work of art as a springboard to some completely new ideas?

My method is to re-do and keep working until I have exactly what I want, even if I have to do it over and over. I did just that in this piece-- the third time was the charm. My first attempt was to cut cabochons to fill the textured frames from very abstract pieces of scrap clay in a colorway from the painting but the result was wrong for the ornate quality of the frame. After I carefully chipped out the cured, glued clay with an X-Acto knife, I tried a mokume gane veneer but it was too busy and distracting. I finally went back to one of my favorite molds, made from a piece of Victorian picture frame that was the basis for my Jane Eyre cuff and recently was reinvented for the current issue of Handcrafted Jewelry magazine as the Shangri-la Cuff tutorial. I centered the cutouts for the cabochons on the leaf motifs, placed the clay slices to cure on an upturned metal palette so they curved and used my heat-set oils and gilders paste to color and gild the cabochons. I liked that they had a porcelain-like look to them. To delineate them from the frames I used some notched scarlet clay as an edging and lightly gilded it. I used some reproduction Victorian bookchain to hang the elements, completed a set of earrings and I was finally satisfied with the results.

Now I've got a very opulent necklace to wear for the holidays and a new technique to play with. Not a bad investment of my creative time!

"Gilded" - detail

"Gilded"

"Gilded" - earrings

Wicked

2011-11-11T07:56:00.000-05:00

For the past two years I have done a special piece for Hallowe'en, which is also Samhain (saw-wun) in the Celtic/Wiccan calendar. It is believed that on this night the boundary between living and dead souls is very permeable and that we are able to communicate with those who have departed to realms beyond. My research says that since not all spirits were benevolent the Gaelic custom of wearing costumes and masks was an attempt to copy the evil spirits and ward them off, also achieved by hollowing out and carving large turnips with faces and placing them in windows with candles within. I imagined a piece to evoke these “haints” based on Ray Bradbury's classic short story “Something Wicked This Way Comes”.

I had already envisioned a pendant, a sort of tribal design with mini-wings and wire-wrapping but decided to add a face. I've never done faces but I have altered commercial face molds so I started with that. The result was interesting but my little man wasn't at all scary! I had added some pieces of other texture molds to his face and he looked kind of Mayan--not the look I was going for.

My sister was here visiting from Berkeley last week. She had taken a class with the legendary performance artist, Sha Sha Higby, where they made several jewelry-sized masks in some sort of plastic/resin. So we copied them using the RTV mold stuff I love, Alley Goop. Then we made some faces in polymer clay and some in resin. I liked the results but since they weren't my own original designs, I kept going.

Sha Sha Higby molds, done by me in polymer and antiqued

Even before I worked in polymer clay, I had notebooks for my fiber ideas and drawings of outfits and textile techniques. The most potent design trick I know is to revisit my old sketchbooks and mine them for idea gold. And so I found myself searching in them for some pictures I drew of the avenging Morrigu--a triad of goddesses of war and death, from the Celtic epic poem, the Táin Bó Cúailnge. (It's a fascinating story and there's a very good fictionalization of it by Greg Frost if you're not into heroic poetry).

The Morrigu, from the Táin - from my notebooks, circa 1996

My original idea was to hook a large tapestry rug illuminating scenes from the epic and I had made some sketches in preparation. They were scary and primal and came right out of some dark place in my imagination where humankind holds a terror of avenging spirits. I decided that a face based on these spirits would be perfect for my Something Wicked. After free-sculpting the face in polymer, I painted it with Genesis heat-set oil paints.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - detail

I pulled the face and the base together with some coiled Whim-Z Wire, patinated it and chemically bonded the whole assembly to a long piece of mammoth fossil bone. Now I can stand it up in a corner of the window facing my bench.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Hope your Hallowe'en wasn't haunted by something this scary-- in terms of evil spirits or calories from too much trick-and-treating!

The Flaming Forest

2011-10-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Every autumn in Vermont, Nature bestows one last spectacular riot of color on those of us priviledged enough to live here-- warm blazes of reds, yellows and oranges to keep in memory and warm us through the long, frigid winter to come--the color of flames, the color of passion, the color of carnelian and amber gemstones. Some of us call it "The Flaming Forest".

Taking my cue from what's around me is one of my tried-and-true methods for putting my senses ahead of my technique. I find if I lose myself in color and texture first, the design will blossom from this pure inspiration and the piece will express my unconscious intentions more fully.

I actually started this necklace back in the summer, after finding some polymer beads in my stash that I had forgotten about, my "Little Bumblebeads". These were based on the “watercolor” technique invented by Maggie Maggio, an artist that has pioneered an amazing color system and method for use with polymer but that can be applied to any medium. Her blog is very enlightening and expands on the color theory outlined in the recent book co-authored with Lindly Haunani, Color Inspirations.

Little Bumblebeads

The watercolor technique beads were a perfect complement to my husband Douglas' repousse leaf pendant, which he made a few years ago. It was languishing forgotten in one of my many boxes of work-to-be-completed until I decided to punch up the copper color with some heat patination. That brought out some beautiful metallic lustres and then I added a twisty wire bail.

I've been experimenting for a while with layering my necklaces, wearing two similar ones together for a more sumptuous look but I make them as separate strands in case I'm wearing something more casual. I recently purchased one of my dear friend Erin Prais-Hintz's beautifully-crafted owl charms, from her recent Simple Truths collection. It's nicely abstract and not too cute--looking more totemic-- more like the true essence of this noble creature. I really didn't have a use for it in mind when I bought it but soon realized that it was a perfect focal for the inner strand of my composition.

Owl from Erin's "Simple Truths" collection

"Wisdom" necklace - inner strand

The outer strand necklace was completed by the addition of Czech glass beads and leaves, larger Bumblebeads, and a magnetic clasp. Color of autumn, color of maples, the Flaming Forest.

The Flaming Forest

Heartwood earrings

Storing Up the Bliss

2011-10-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

It's been over a week since I taught my first class at this year's ArtBliss outside of Washington, D.C.

I'm still full of happiness at meeting all my great students and all the wonderful friends I only knew from online conversations and from all the super-positive feedback I've received from everyone at the event.

I work in a home studio in a rural area and the majority of the feedback on my work comes from comments on photos posted on this blog or on Flickr. Hardly anyone sees the pieces up close and personal so it was a real treat to see how people reacted to my display of work at the Meet & Greet. I had brought most of the pieces that I made for my recent article in Belle Armoire Jewelry and I was very gratified by the reactions of the attendees.

As I commented to Cindy Wimmer, a good friend and co-organizer along with Jeanette Blix, it's like storing up sunshine from a fine summer's day. When I think about it--with the cold autumn rain coming down outside my window for a week now-- it's warming and energizing and I can't wait to start planning another class for next year! I'm so curious about how what they've learned will influence what my students do next in their own individual art-- I do so hope that their experience in my class will have some positive effect, some lasting inspiration.

Because that's why you teach-- not to become a millionaire. Organizing and schlepping close to the entire contents of one's studio to a venue is exhausting and teaching an all-day class at peak energy is like running a marathon but I would not ever turn down the opportunity to do it all again.

I only have a few photos of the event to add to this post, as I was so engrossed in what I was doing and making sure I covered all the material that I forgot to have someone take photos! Luckily, one of the ArtBliss staff took a few. I'm planning on contacting all my students soon and asking for some shots of finished or work-in-progress pieces.

When we got to our suite at the hotel, a fabulous bag of goodies was waiting for me-- including an antique stand used by offices to hold those old-fashioned stamp pads with handles. Cindy knows what an inveterate antiques hound I am. Doesn't it have the perfect patina and woodsy style as a holder for my Passion Flower brooch? I think I'll keep this one right on my desk staged just like this!

I adore antique jars too and this zinc-top one is full of shells that Cindy's boys picked up on one of their last days at the beach this year. I'm thinking that each and every one of these was specially chosen by one of them and imbued with their happiness and wonder. What a very special memento, with its tag “Near the Sea we forget to Count the Days”!

And to accompany it was a big, fabulously-illustrated book on shells. I can't wait to delve into this one and create some new patterns in my clay work.

One of the reasons that I teach is that I come home filled with new ideas and enthusiasm for my medium, polymer clay. I am so blessed to be able to pass that on to others but an equally special reward is that they re-inspire me. One of my students gave me some wallpaper squares that she brought to class. Thanks, Judy, and here are some little samplers I made with the textures. I used Genesis heat-set oil paint for the black base and highlighted the designs with silver gilders paste. Some of these may end up as bases for owl or dragon eyes for my porch pumpkins this year. Students also let me make copies of some of the mold-making originals that they brought to class.

Finally, a few class pictures. If you go to the ArtBliss site and the instructors list, you can see other shots on their blogs. It's not as good as being there but maybe it will get you thinking about attending next year and joining the fun that we all had-- being together, talking about mixed media for three days and hanging out with good friends. It doesn't get any better than that!

Gigantic thanks to Cindy and Jeanette for a well-run, energizing, and totally enjoyable event! I felt very taken-care-of by both of you-- you thought of everything! And special thanks to my students for being courageous, inquisitive, energetic, affirming and completely wonderful!

Life is Just a Bowl of Soup-- Bead Soup, That Is!

2011-09-17T09:54:00.002-04:00

The Bead Soup Blog Party is a large collaboration project, brainchild of Lori Anderson, for lovers of beads in which each beader is paired up with another and tasked with sending the following: a focal, a special clasp (not just a lobster claw) and some coordinating spacers or beads.

Using the focal and the clasp is mandatory, but anything from your own stash can be used to round out the rest and you can choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

In my opinion, the real challenge is to make something in your own style using someone else's interpretation, expressed by the style of the components of the Bead Soup that they send you. My partner was Cynthia Deis, jewelry designer and owner of Ornamentea. The focal she sent was a beautifully-crafted lampwork bead with a tree theme by Lisa Daly, the clasp was a handmade by Cynthia, and the accompanying beads were small Elaine Ray ceramic forms and beads and some Czech glass leaves and faceted rounds.

Now my style is more tribal and usually incorporates large elements. My beads have a soft sheen and are not shiny. Gone are the days of Flecto Varathane for me! But lampwork is shiny and glimmery, so how to incorporate it into my own style? I had to solve the same issue in my previous BSBP piece, Mistress Boleyn's Necklace, so after some musing, I came up with gilt! In the tease post I did for this year's BSBP, I showed a piece of polymer done in multiple gilded colors to mimic a wooden Indonesian screen. I decided to use the same technique to frame the lampwork focal so its jewel-like glow was set off and enhanced by metallic paint.

Since the theme of the focal was a tree, I decided to use woodgrain and branches as a background for the polymer “bezel”. Lately I've been influenced yet again by an HBO production-- The Game of Thrones-- in which gardens dedicated to the old gods are planted with trees called “weirwoods”, so I used handcarved branches on a woodgrain textured background to hold the focal and provide a surface for texture, color and gilt. The same technique used for the layered bezel also created the three-strand connectors that hold the beaded wires.

Now, how to incorporate all the small beads into the design? I've been using wire-wrapping a lot lately so the solution was to wrap and string them around forged strands of heat-patinated copper. I drew the patterns onto paper, enlarged them on a copier and used them as templates as I worked. They were then attached to the focal piece with polymer, textured and cured in place. The amazing thing about polymer clay is that it can be cured again and again without harm so layers can be built up and wires can be held in place.

After adding layer upon layer of color with heat-set oil paint, acrylics and gilders paste--a technique I'll be teaching in a workshop at ArtBliss in D.C. next weekend--I decided that simple bookchain links in copper and steel would be appropriate to match Cynthia's clasp and finish off my gorget. (def: a metal collar designed to protect the throat, later used as an ornamental accessory on military uniforms).

As I've said before, I believe that perseverance is the key to compelling design – to keep working into it, adding layers of color, shape and texture. I design with the intent that when people see my pieces, they are inspired to invent a story about them. With “Norweigan Wood”-- my title for this piece-- I hope I've achieved my goal.

"Norweigan Wood"

Focal lampwork bead

Clasp detail

Here's the link for the entire list of 362 participants/partners of the Bead Soup Blog Party. Grab a cup of coffee and have fun-- there's lots of great design to enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

2011-09-10T16:44:00.000-04:00

If you were on high ground in Vermont two weeks ago watching as Tropical Storm Irene sent sheets of rain down for twelve hours, except for a fairly warm drenching there wasn't much happening. All the battening down of lawn furniture and picnic table umbrellas proved unnecessary since the predicted Category 2 winds never developed. Of course the power went out about four hours into the storm for four days but we were prepared for that. We had water, oil lamps, crank-up radios, food and plenty to read as we hunkered down in our one-story workshop situated in our field and out of the way of tall trees.

The stream next to our house

Overruning the opposite bank

As the rainfall rate started to crank up, my husband and I went outside to get a better view of the teensy stream that runs at the back of our acreage, which was cresting its banks with leaping waves and had begun to flood the lower parts of the property. Happily, it had avoided our newly-planted apple grove and blueberry bushes. A wide, shallow river of muddy water was rushing toward a confluence with the larger stream whose course runs a few feet from our driveway, flowing from the hills across the road, under a small bridge and down to the Third Branch of the White River. When I bought this house in 1994, I made sure it wasn't in a flood plain but I also guessed that once the water flowed under the little bridge it had a wider place to go and therefore wouldn't rise to the top of our bank, 12 feet or so above the streambed. My gamble was correct and although Douglas snapped photos of the water's crest coming to within a foot or so of the roadbed of the bridge, severe damage was avoided except for a total rearrangement of the stream's course as well as some physical features of the landscape downstream. I also knew that our home, which is post-and-beam construction and built in 1830, had withstood the historic Vermont Flood of 1927. It had, in fact, sheltered men from the community who stayed here overnight so they could keep one bridge open off Braintree Hill by fending off large trees that were washing down the streambeds and threatening to demolish the bridge.

Floodwaters flowing under our bridge

We had experienced major flooding from a summer storm in 1998 and lots of roads in our nearest town, Randolph, were severely damaged that year. Earlier this spring, major work was done to replace aging culverts and this work was well-justified, as those previously-damaged areas came through with flying colors. The Amtrak trestles didn't do so well. In two sites the track was seen suspended in mid-air with nothing underneath for 20 feet.

Amtrak "suspension" bridge a mile from our home

Monday after the storm we ventured into town to get a cell-phone signal so we could call relatives and let them know we were ok. We began to see saturated furniture and household goods piled in front of homes and farms. Boulders and large trees were left in the middle of flattened hayfields, like strange sculptural installations. Stands of ripe corn were covered with gray mud. Parking lots had collapsed into streambeds, giant bites taken out of the asphalt. Stores had their doors open but without lights. We checked our local Aubuchon's Hardware and they told us generators were on the way. Shaw's Supermarket was running on generators but the shelves were still reasonably stocked. Randolph Village, which had been so hard hit in the Flood of '27, had survived the worst. At least our floodwaters had receded.

View from the bottom of our field-- normal streambed is to far right of photo

Battles Brook heading toward its meeting with Flint Brook

But many of our tiny villages and communities are still isolated and without power or a way to get out except by foot almost two weeks later. My husband's company had watermarks 5 feet up and mud all over their offices and manufacturing facilities. They will rebuild but it will take months and lots of physical labor and help from a backhoe. It's hard to believe that in 2011 our civilized world could be dealt such a blow from the forces of wind and water. You read about the tornados and the earthquakes and the tsunami but until the water's at your door, it doesn't seem real. We are lucky in Vermont that we still have some time to fix roads and find shelter for those whose homes were demolished before winter and the inevitable cold arrives. But the courage and fortitude (a word hardly used anymore) of my neighbors in dealing with this crisis makes me proud to be part of this community-- we're not whining, we're not looting, we are being generous with our resources and our homes, we are rebuilding by using our own hard work and hands, we are helping each other. In earlier times we did the same. It seems adversity serves to renew our trust in each other and our interdependence as a community.

Is it Soup Yet?

2011-09-07T11:22:00.001-04:00

Yes, it's that time again-- 362 jewelry designers from all over the planet swapping hand-picked jewelry elements that will become fabulous swag--. Lori Anderson's largest-ever Bead Soup Blog Party!

This time I am paired with Cynthia Deis, owner of the eclectic and gloriously-stocked shop Ornamentea, where I've spent many hours perusing and marveling at the wares she's gathered. Of all the online shops I visit, I love Ornamentea the best for their inspiring and unique tutorials demonstrating ways to use the components that they sell.

The purpose of the Bead Soup Blog Party-- BSBP-- is to have fun designing with materials somebody else has chosen and to meet new jewelry enthusiasts but also to stretch our design abilities and use colors and materials we normally might not choose, to get outside our artistic comfort zone.

The stash I received from Cynthia will definitely do that. I love to work in a fairly large scale-- big, chunky beads, bold colors, multiple layers of vintage chain and substantial focals. My package from Ornamentea is all scaled-down and precious-- a glimmering handmade lampwork focal by Lisa Daly with a tree motif, miniature leaves, faceted Czech stones, tiny ceramic beads by Elaine Ray-- all woodsy-toned and neutral. An eclectic group of fibers is included-- deerskin, leather lace and golden maple silk ribbon. Cynthia's handmade steel clasp finishes the group.

I puzzled a bit over what I would do with this. I went over to my pile of “works in progress”-- bits and pieces of experiments, earring parts and elements that are waiting for completion and/or inspiration. I found a little piece that I made a few months ago that reminds me of the wooden Indonesian screen that my sister has hanging in her living room. It's handcarved with very weathered paint.

So my challenge is to incorporate Cynthia's supplies into my own style, using the “wooden” polymer shard as my jumping-off point. This is one of those instances where the total design just sprang into my head and my fingers had to move very fast to capture it on paper. The fibers will add in nicely and I might whip up some cord on my Diva cordmaker to pull it all together. I already have a name for my piece, which is unusual since I almost always name them after they're done. I'm calling this “Norwegian Wood”. Stop back for the big Reveal on September 17 for the blog hop.

Sharing Your Stories with the World

2011-08-10T11:32:00.000-04:00

“Stories are attempts to share our values and beliefs. Storytelling is worthwhile when it tells what you stand for, not what you do”.

Simon Sinek, Start with Why.com

A photographer I once knew shared an amazing piece of advice. He said that all artists “run dry” occasionally and discover their well of inspiration is empty. So in good times, when ideas are coming fast and furious, write them down and stick 'em in a file, so that when you need a boost to your creative Muse, you'll have a stock of gems that you forgot about.

The name of my business, Stories They Tell, came straight out of my unconscious, a number of years ago. I hadn't even considered working in polymer and had no intention of starting a business so I stuck the title in a file and forgot about it. When I opened my Etsy store, I found that little slip of paper in the file-- it was completely serendipitous and completely perfect for what I do.

I always hope, when I create a piece of jewelry, that it expresses my values and beliefs. Nothing political but more spiritual and aesthetic, more about who I am and what my life's experiences have been, how they've shaped me and what they've taught me. My life has hardly been as full of trials as some but I have had my share of adversity and disappointment and now I feel my work can show the confidence I have in my ideas and processes. If you like my work, fine. If you don't, that's ok too. I don't need to please everybody; in fact, I don't feel I need to please anybody but myself and that doesn't come from a place of ego but a place of acceptance of my own style and imagination. I greatly admire the work of other artists but these days I don't long to create in a style like anyone's but my own.

So it's perhaps an appropriate time that a magazine I greatly admire has seen fit to acknowledge that style and feature my work in its Designer Collection article for the autumn issue this year. I'm speaking of Belle Armoire Jewelry, which will do a stunning eight-page spread to be published on September 1, 2011. I'm in great company, as some previously featured artists have been Stephanie Lee, Richard Salley and Robert Dancik. Ricë Freeman-Zachary has done an excellent job with her interview of me and captured my personality along with the facts of my artistic life and work process. And my honest and heartfelt thanks go out to Deryn Mentock, a good friend whose strong endorsement made my name known to the BAJ editor, which started my relationship with the magazine.

I worked for six weeks on the eight new pieces that I submitted, as I wanted to send them the latest and most thoughtfully considered pieces I had ever produced. It's pretty amazing what you can accomplish when you have a deadline like that-- and spending maximum time in the studio can produce results you never thought possible. When an opportunity this big comes calling, you'd better bring your “A” game! When the work was completed and I was packing it to send off, I was actually stunned to see the results of giving my imagination free rein and letting it lead me wherever! I think it's the most creative work I've ever done. A big “thank you” to my wonderful husband, Douglas, for supporting me throughout the process and for creating my fabulous new work room.

I've seen a preview of the article and my work looks awesome. It's very gratifying to see your pieces in print, to know that your story is out there in the world. I'm also encouraged that what is presented there are my values and beliefs, not merely my process. A technique is just a technique-- it's what you do with it that really makes a difference-- in your artistic life and to the people that see it.

Since the pieces below didn't make the cut for the article, I can post them. They are a couple of my favorites and in the near future I plan to expand upon the techniques they represent.

"Poisonous"

"Poisonous" - detail

"Tuareg"

"Tuareg" - detail

Hot Summer Color

2011-08-02T16:24:00.000-04:00

The recent heat wave was unexpected here in the cool Northeast. For most of us, "air conditioning" means opening the windows. How to deal with these awful temps? Someone I once worked with put it this way: "Do as the Europeans do-- walk slowly and smile a lot!" With a garden that is finally deciding to put out some edible produce and 30+ chickens to keep hydrated and pecking on clean grass, that's a tall order.

So we garden and do animal chores in the cool(er) early mornings and hide behind shades with our fans going in the scorching late afternoons. A perfect time to clay (if you're not doing canes and processes requiring lots of clay-handling) and think about hot colors.

I decided to make a couple of pairs of earrings that I could wear with my recent Solstice necklace. I re-visited my stringing method after wearing it, adding another strand of beads to counteract the tendency of the beads to flip around to the opposite side. I had originally put two holes in the clay pad on the back of the bead to accommodate two strands but the trick was to string the top strand first and THEN the bottom one. I use a necklace bust when I'm doing this, so I get the drape correct. I've found you just can't get it right by laying the necklace flat.

Here are the shots of the earrings before I added the earwires. You may be able to see the texture in the wire, which is the new, fabulous Whim-Z Wire from Garlan Chain Company, which comes in bronze or copper and several textures. You can see the product and buy it in bulk spools at Rio Grande. The product's distributor says it will be available in smaller quantities at retail prices soon. Check here for updates. Here I've used "Nick" in brass -- my go-to wire lately for everything from my twisty-wire embellishments to earwires. It patinates very nicely with proprietary patinas or with heat. It's very pliable but has enough oomph to hold a single loop for components or charms. And it takes gilders paste beautifully. What's not to like??

After watching a great Good Eats episode on curry, I decided to name the red ones "Masala", which means "mixture" in the Tamil language. The Kashmiri earrings have dangles ending in my new favorite stone, pyrite chips. I love that the color's a cross between gold and silver and has a nice glint to it without overwhelming the polymer.

Masala earrings

Kashmiri earrings

Jeanette Blix from ArtBliss just told me I have a new registration for my class there in September. We'll be making earrings like these and exploring many other interesting coloring techniques as well. And be sure to check out the entire lineup of fabulous instructors. For mixed media fans, ArtBliss definitely has something for everyone!

I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

2011-07-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

Doing a collaborative project with other polymer artists is always an exercise close to my heart. Blending styles and ideas produces some amazing surprises-- the sum of the parts is always better than the individual elements.

You may recall that Rebecca Watkins, Claire Maunsell and I worked on a necklace together last October.

KatManDo necklace

We enjoyed it so much we vowed to do another, passing the stringing/designing work to Rebecca for the next round. Well, as we all know, life intervenes and the best laid plans, etc. etc. I must confess that I was definitely the sloth on this one but lest you judge me too harshly, I will soon have some interesting news to reveal about why I was M.I.A. for so long!

That said, I want to acknowledge my two incredibly patient co-artists and thank them for their forebearance with the delay of my contribution to the piece!

A planetary theme had been decided upon, which would give us a broad scope for color and offer an infinite number of interpretations for bead design. Here's what I'm sending to Rebecca today.

Little Planetary beads

The second photo shows what they might look like in a starry firmament. I took these shots with my new Nikon Coolpix, a point-and-shoot digital camera (not really as easy as they make it sound but without the advanced degree necessary to use a digital SLR). If you haven't checked these out, this new generation of cameras have all the memory necessary to shoot high resolution images that magazine submissions require. I'm doing an article for Handcrafted Jewelry this week and they told me the images I submitted were well within the standards for publication. Hooray for that! My Nikon has a large screen for use in framing the shot-- I hated the my Pentax's teensy viewfinder-- and all kinds of adjustments for low light/poor light/color correction so post-shot enhancement in a Photoshop program is minimized. In fact, it even has a “skin softening” feature for portraits, a real boon for those pesky headshots that publications always seem to want.

Watch my blog for the results-- and thanks again to Rebecca and Claire. Their Etsy shops are chock-full of delicious beads-- check out some of my favs below!

Available in Rebecca's Etsy shop

Available in Claire's Etsy shop

Color = Energy

2011-07-05T09:50:00.000-04:00

Color is energy, the colors of sunlight, of emanations from the great Star itself, flooding our world with blues and greens and reds and yellows. Don't get me wrong-- I love my black tees but black is the color of sleep, of night, of the absence of light and energy. It's a great background for a starry display. Although it is the combination of all colors together, black subtracts light, and therefore color, from our world. A “black hole” is called exactly that for a very good reason-- it swallows light.

The colors of Vermont's landscape are vibrant now with summer but in a very subtle way. Just as the native American peoples of the far North have a hundred words for snow, there are a hundred colors of green in my backyard. Our flowers are not the riotous palette of the tropics but rather the occasional splash of bright but diminutive blossoms amid the green of grasses and meadow hay. I recall picking tiny native strawberries nestled among orange and bronze Indian Paintbrush in my uncle's field when I first visited Vermont the summer I was seven. They are still my favorite Vermont wildflower.

I usually experiment with earrings or beads when I'm trying out new color ideas. Small shapes, easily completed are just the thing to play with on a lazy summer's day. If there's more potential there, they become elements in a necklace or bracelet. Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks' work, using colored pencil and some “garbage” cane-- bits and pieces and leftover ends-- made into a mokume gane veneer.

Sands of Mars bead - idea from the work of Rebecca Watkins

Leaves of Grass earrings

We Are the People earrings

We Are the People earrings - detail

Latitude earrings

Latitude earrings - detail

ArtBliss Update: Like Putty in My Hands

2011-06-28T07:58:00.000-04:00

In case you were sitting on the fence about signing up for a class at ArtBliss in September, I'm going to be writing a series of blog posts relating to the class I'm teaching there. These aren't tutorials but little snippets about what we'll be doing in my class “Whimsical Blooms” and the journey that my concepts have taken to finally coalesce into a teachable format.

I work a lot with found objects-- I have never called these “junk” as they are in the category of relics for me, the fascinating detritus of our civilization—past and present-- either iconic in their meaning or splendidly weathered and patinated with time and the elements and worthy of inclusion into my artwork. But they don't come in duplicates. So I make molds of them and then I have them forever, at least in shape. The part of me that enters into the mix then is in how I color these copies and antique them and arrange them into wearable art. They are transformed by what I add to their history and their story becomes part of my story.

I don't have to find each and every “found” object. People give them to me sometimes, my husband finds them on our property, a friend actually loaned me an interesting piece that he wants back eventually.

So here's the important tip: you don't have to use the whole image. You can use a mold you've made of an antique button but use a piece of polymer clay that's larger than the impression so you have a “relic”-- an irregular shape that looks like it has disintegrated somewhat in the aging process. You can flatten edges or texture them with a tool or a texture sheet. I like to thin the edges out to create the illusion of disintegration even more. Polymer is very strong so even very thin pieces are quite strong. This allows you to stack a number of layers without creating a lot of weight or depth, just a showcase for color, texture and pattern.

Little layered experiments

Solstice necklace detail

Solstice necklace

Finding Your Bliss-- ArtBliss, that is!

2011-05-18T08:32:00.000-04:00

As summer approaches-- and yes, we actually do have what passes for summer in Vermont although it's been raining and in the 40s for a week now-- many of us are thinking about vacation. Since we have animals-- like a pony and chickens-- it's not so easy to get away. We have to find someone to feed them who is willing to come over in early evening and wait for the “girls”-- our layers-- to sashay their feathery butts up into their roost so they can be locked safely away from the numerous and hungry predators that prowl our backyard. Everything, it seems, loves chicken!

So we mainly take day trips around our own state and neighboring New Hampshire or short weekend jaunts to 18th c. re-enacting events. I'm one of those “active vacation” people-- the idea of swinging in a hammock while sipping an umbrella-topped drink and gazing out at the ocean seems boring beyond words.

With a more interesting goal in mind, in September my husband and I are trekking down to Washington, DC so I can participate as an instructor in the second year of classes at ArtBliss, an art retreat founded by my friends Cindy Wimmer and Jeanette Blix. I am really excited to be teaching again and so honored to be invited to participate with such esteemed artists as Deryn Mentock, Kerry Bogert, Richard Salley, Diane Cook, Jane Salley and Robert Dancik. Wow, what a lineup!

The class is called “Whimsical Blooms” and will teach my technique of making pendants by layering polymer clay shapes that have been textured and antiqued with various tools, paints, inks and patinas. The resulting element can be used for jewelry-making, scrapbooking or journals or even for home decoration. The possibilities are endless! We will play and create and generally have a blast while repeating my favorite art mantra: “There are no mistakes”. Any and all found objects are fodder for mold-making and texturing the clay or as pieces of the pendants themselves. Frequent readers of this blog have seen this series unfold over the past few months and as I was mulling over topics I might teach, this one just seemed perfect for students of differing levels and abilities. I know personally that I get the most out of a class when interacting with students from diverse artistic backgrounds and interests. This class will have structure and will teach technique but will leave plenty of room for creativity and experimentation and wild flights of imagination. Well, let's hope at least a few flights!

Sunburst pendant - sample for ArtBliss

Dark of a Spring Night - sample for ArtBliss

My class is offered on Sunday, September 25 from 9 am to 4 pm but check out the other class descriptions and instructor bios here at www.artbliss.com. Registration has been open about a week so far but I'm guessing that with this group of instructors the classes will fill quickly. I'm encouraging my husband to take Richard Salley's class called “Lasting Impressions Earrings and Pendants”, stamping silver-bearing solder to make jewelry elements. I love Richard's work and I think he and Douglas would get along very well. Dougie is a blacksmith and does repousse work too so the metalwork focus of the class is appropriate to his interests.

The festivities begin on Friday, September 23 with day classes taught by Deryn Mentock and Robert Dancik, followed by the evening Meet and Greet Reception and continuing on to Sunday night, September 25. The venue is the snazzy Embassy Suites Dulles-North Loudon with special room pricing for attendees. I read glowing reviews of last year's event and this one promises to be even more fun, instructive and filled with creative activity and inspiring instructors. I would love to meet you all there!

What's Your Inspiration? The Movies!

2011-04-19T14:30:00.000-04:00

I love to watch movies—and any HBO series-- set in the medieval era anywhere in the world. As a history buff, I keep an eagle eye on the historical accuracy of everything from knightly armour to peasant dwellings but as a fabric fanatic my true obsession is the clothing. Although I've been going through withdrawal from “The Tudors”, Sunday night I got a new fix-- “The Game of Thrones”. I had to run for my sketchbook right at the opening credits, which swirled together steampunk elements with fantastical maps like those from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some of my special favorites are Chinese historical epics, with their costumes layered with color and texture, the tapestries, the artifacts, even the fanciful and ornate armour.

Last week my husband and I found a little gem, “The Curse of the Golden Flower”, set in 982 during the Northern Song Dynasty. The story was destined to end in tragedy but the visuals were full of eye-popping color and the costumes rivaled the Tudor era in sheer opulence and complexity. We watch the character of the queen pick through a selection of yellow gold filigree hair ornaments that enhance her gold-embroidered damask gown then the camera follows her down a hallway draped in 40 foot tall silk hangings in rainbow-hued silks as her entourage proceeds to the throne room. I felt drunk with visual sensation!

With this as my background inspiration, this month's Art Bead Scene challenge-- Finches and Bamboo (from the same era as my Chinese epic)-- begged a lavish interpretation. Lately I've been working on a series of necklaces featuring large central focals of layered, textured and antiqued polymer clay. I incorporate wire, vintage metal findings and antique buttons in these. And I've been playing with some unconventional ways to color the clay-- oil pastels, oil paints, colored pencils and gilders paste.

My original idea was to create a ruffle of lightweight silk around the edge of the base polymer disk but my efforts reminded me of a horse show ribbon. On to Plan B. As I dug through a stack of articles from various magazines, I found one by Hadar Jacobson about using the inside of a sand dollar shell as a texture plate. I've been liking the effect of combining organic and formal textures into one element, so that became the base, colored with Prismacolor pencils and a touch of acrylic paint. Next I created a two-layer base-- again with one organic and one ornate texture-- for the molded bird button in a metal bezel from JemsGems. I've been incorporating twisted wire into my pieces lately so I added a layer of antiqued bronze wire as abstract branches, another nod to the finches of the painting.

I had planned to use some vintage metal findings separated by bronze twisted chain for the stringing on the right side so I drew a base plate design based on the findings' scroll motif. I impressed the clay with a texture plate I made from a piece of dimensional scrapbooking paper I found at Michael's, used my scalpel to handcut the scrolls, cured the clay and then patinated it with gilders paste. Using a bronze-brown clay as the base color made the patination stand out and accentuated the texture.

I made up some accent beads using mokume gane for the polymer veneer, this being a technique borrowed from Japanese metalworking. The pearls were a happy find in my stash-- they were the exact color of the bamboo leaves from the Challenge's silk painting. I finished up with vintage chain from One Piece at a Time and a vintage clasp from Jems Gems and I was done.

The Emperor's Nightengale

Detail of focal

I was pleased and honored to find that editor Heather Powers picked my necklace for the Designer of the Week this past Monday. Thanks, Heather and the rest of the ABS editors!

I will be teaching a class at ArtBliss in September 2011 in this technique of layering textured and antiqued polymer elements with found objects and metals. Cindy Wimmer and Jeanette Blix, the co-founders, tell me that there will be class descriptions and more information about the instructors up on the site in the very near future. Guess I'd better get mine written and submitted! This September's ArtBliss promises to be as exciting, informative and inspired as last year's inaugural event, so it's an occasion not to be missed.

Ingredients

2011-04-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

Like most jewelry artists/designers I know, I am addicted to beads and tools. The tool obsession we will address in a subsequent post-- beads, however, are ingredients, just as butter, sugar and chocolate are ingredients for a baker. You need ingredients to make a bracelet just as you would to make a batch of cookies and when inspiration strikes is not the time to go to the store. You need these things in your jewelry “pantry”, just as much as Martha Steward stocks bars of semi-sweet Valhrona.

So shopping—either on the Internet or at a yard sale or an antiques mall-- is a necessary and valid pursuit of your time as an artist, as I frequently tell my spouse. Browsing is mandatory. You may not be planning to buy but you have to see what's out there, add links to your Favorites file or maybe print out some photos for your sketchbook.

I just spent a productive couple of hours perusing the fabrics on Quilthome.com. If you aren't inspired by the colorways of Kaffe Fassett's fabric line, I would suggest holding a small mirror over your lips to see if you are still breathing! And the colors aren't even the best part--I printed out no less than five or six pages on my black-and-white Canon printer as pattern prompts for future design projects.

The ingredients sitting in my studio this week are a real mixed bag-- some beads, some organizing aids, some that would fit into the category of bizarre. Here's a look:

Vintage button card from 110 Main Street, Montpelier, VT

Tentaculum rayon threads with a metal core

Polymer clay beads in various stages of antiquing-- stars? chicken feet?

Vintage thread spools from an estate in NY

Experiments with colored pencil and polymer

Japanese-style vintage button from 110 Main Street, Montpelier, VT

Wishbones collected in the wild by Bonesinger

As I constantly play around with new ideas in my polymer work, I'm always doing little experiments and making things which then lay around my studio in various boxes waiting for inspiration to strike. They, too, are ingredients. As my refurbished studio comes together, I just wish I could find a better way to organize them. The 1” high plastic presentation boxes below, from Bellandaria Designs I fit with white nubbly shelf liner so they keep designs in progress from becoming disarranged while the boxes stack neatly on my shelf. They can also be strapped into a trolley that Bellandaria sells if I need to cart them to a gallery or an appointment with a buyer.

Presentation boxes from Notable Notions on Etsy

Spring Comes Softly

2011-03-18T07:39:00.000-04:00

Actually, in northern Vermont, spring comes so softly it's almost invisible! Often more a feeling than anything you can see or touch, like the smell in the air—damper, less frigid-- and the brightening and lengthening days. It's also sap trucks going up and down our hill full of amber syrup and, of course, mud. Unless you've personally experienced the fabled New England “mud season” on our dirt roads, you have not got a clue how challenging they can be! When I first moved here in 1992, one April--on an achingly beautiful early spring day--I set out in my little Nissan Sentra to explore some back roads in a neighboring area, hoping to shake free of a long winter's cabin fever. I soon realized with horror that the undulating sea of dark muddy ruts ahead of me was not going to end soon-- in fact, there were miles yet to travel before I reached terra firma! The fine gentleman who had sold me that Sentra laughed later when I related my tale to him. He ran a garage with a tow service and he said that in mud season he just parked down at Maple Corners in Calais and towed car after car to dry land and collected his fee. Mud season was good business for him! We Vermonters are so practical.

But a lot has been happening in my workshop so today I thought I'd kick off my March blog posts by showing you some things I've been working on.

Rite of Spring necklace

Rite of Spring - focal

I was very pleased to receive an Etsy order for three (!) sets of beads and matching focals from a customer in California who saw my friend Cindy Wimmer's Fallen to Earth necklace in the new Wire Style 2 book and wanted to make one of her own with my beads. Thank you, Cindy! The customer said she thought designers should use polymer beads more in jewelry. I think so too! When I ended up with extra clay from making her focal, I decided to do my own version, substituting bronze wire for the copper Cindy used, since I thought it was more compatible with the green and yellow colors in the beads.

Here are some of the focals and bead sets I did for my Etsy order.

Rite of Spring focal

Kyoto focal

Little Bumblebeads bead set and focal

This past Sunday happened to be my birthday-- thank you Facebook friends who sent me kind greetings!-- and my sweet husband bought me these fabulous baubles from talented lampwork beadmaker, Aja Vaz, from Wandering Spirit Designs. You may remember that my sister gifted me one of her beads this past Christmas. Now I have three more! I was compelled to create something with them as soon as I opened my present and here's the result-- the Casbah necklace. I strung them onto a piece of copper chain and hung all three in a row, like a pendant-- they're very large—33 X 25mm-- and finished them off with a copper chain tassle with copper spacers to finish the ends. The metal matched the beautifully patinated copper metal clay end caps that Aja uses to finish off her beads so brilliantly!

Casbah necklace - beads by Aja Vaz

The fabulous baubles themselves - check out the cool beadcaps!

Decisions, Decisions

2011-03-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've just completed my first Bead Soup Blog Party, hosted by the generous and super-organized Lori Anderson and for those of you who are interested in peeking behind the stage curtain to the dressing room and rehearsal hall, here is a summary of the thinking and process behind my piece.

Mistress Boleyn's Necklace

My art process is almost always about decisions-- what to include, what to leave out, what colors to choose-- but most importantly, what am I trying to say? The final decisions are always based on communication, what is it that I want to communicate? What story do I want to tell?

My Bead Soup Blog Party stash from Lyn Foley

After I received the box of goodies from my Bead Soup Blog Party partner, Lyn Foley, and fondled everything a few times, I soon set aside the fabulous, glittery ruffle flower beads as something that just had to be in the design as well as the little dabs of complex lampwork glass on the headpins she had included. The rules for the Bead Soup Party were that we had to use the focal and the clasp but anything else was up to us. My first decision was to use the headpins as centers for the flowers and group all three together on one side of the necklace. I made a sketch, the ideas flowing quickly around this initial decision and then I set it aside for the next three weeks.

Woe to the designer who waits until the bitter end to finish the project! But I was overconfident that I could complete it in a few days since I had the whole thing sketched out in advance. HA! I was about to go through Plans A, B, C and D before I was done.

Because most of my work is in polymer clay, I wanted to showcase that medium while coordinating with the saturated colors of Lyn's beads. But no matter how I mixed and mixed again, polymer cannot reflect the light the way that glass does. I got the colors right but not the essence. Lately my design focus has been layers, texture upon color, metal upon clay, and I wanted to do the same thing with the focal for this piece.

Focal disk - Walled City necklace-- in Belle Armoire Jewelry, Spring 2011

Because of the 2” size of the donut-shaped focal that Lyn sent--a piece of unknown composition (maybe bakelite?)--I couldn't make the polymer disk backing it too large. Perhaps I could circumvent the color reflection/compatibility problem if I used a very fractured pattern in the clay? I was planning to do it in a version of mokume gane, a technique borrowed from Japanese metalworking, where layers of colors are stamped with a texture sheet and then shaved with a clay blade to reveal the pattern.

Example of mokume gane clay veneer sheet

Another decision came into play here--a little design trick to fool the eye into accepting the flatter color of the clay was to cut the background into a shape similar to the twisted ruffles on the lampwork beads. I doodled some shapes and arranged them around a circle I had drawn to the size of the donut focal. I laid it on the patterned clay mokume gane veneer and with my super-sharp scalpel, I cut around the outline. I laid the finished disk on a domed form, cured, sanded and polished it with a custom-made Dremel buffer and it was ready to combine with the focal.

With the leftover mokume gane veneer, I made a set of six beads, thinking to march them up the left side of the necklace, separated with small lampwork spacers I had in my stash.

These were completed and cured and sanded and polished and I temporarily strung them with some stamped metal beads from Lyn. Whew! At least one element was going off without a hitch. I had already planned to use some very unusual kinked vintage brass chain from Cool Tools as my stringing medium and add the provided chocolate/burgundy pearls as a second strand alongside it.

Then it happened. You know how when you're designing, something just expands in your brain and suddenly you know where you're going? An “ah-ha” moment, when you realize that the thing you're creating has just taken the reins away from you and you're happy about it? I call this “listening to the Muse” because I know that I am now thinking from some very deep part of my unconscious and that is what is now making the design decisions.

I feel very lucky when this happens because I know then that the piece will be a communication of who I am to those who look at it. It will reflect my style, my ideas, my personality, what my influences are, what I've been reading/watching/thinking. So since I've been obsessed with wirework and the HBO series “The Tudors” lately, the weird chain and the significant focal made me think of the ceremonial chains of office that the nobility wore in Tudor England. Suddenly I imagined some open wirework “petals” surrounding the polymer disk that would link the ruffled petals of the lampwork beads to the pattern in the polymer. It would enlarge the focal but keep it airy and visually light so the size wouldn't be a problem. At least not in my design world (or that of Henry VIII).

I sketched out the wirework petals and then used my neglected Wig Jig to build them. I embedded them in clay and placed another pad of clay on top and cured the whole sandwich. Lyn had included two antique lion drawer pulls in my package and either one could have been used for my clasp or focal. One I had initially thought to screw to the focal donut and just add the polymer disk as a color backing. Then I started stacking the focal --lion pendant screwed to donut focal, polymer disk, wirework petals. Since I now had attachment points for my chains, pearls and beads to the wirework, I didn't need to build any into the clay. Ah, the end is in sight!

The clasp came together quickly once I realized that the lion head had to be balanced with something of equal visual weight. First I made a hook of wire strung through an antique metal bead but it was too thin and left a hole in visual look of the necklace.

So I went rummaging through my found object stash and there was an old hook from a pair of denim coveralls I found at a local yard sale. I hung the side holes with jumprings strung with old watch parts and tiny metal spacers and draped a chain across the front. The lion drawer pull stamping was very easy to finish off -- filled with polymer clay, it held two wrapped wire loops that acted as connectors and then the piece was cured. If I had had more time, I would have completed it by antiquing the texture and maybe applying some guilders paste.

Completed clasp - rear view

Lion clasp - front view

The greatest downfall in design is assuming that what you sketched will come together exactly as you envisioned. NOT! Once everything was strung, I started attaching the lampwork ruffle beads to the right side chain. They were absolute buggers to work with and I was tired and my hands hurt, etc, etc. I kept dropping things and cussing and I finally got them wired on and hung the whole assemblage on my jewelry bust. I looked at it and said, “What the (deleted) was I thinking?”

I hated it! I thought about what Tory Hughes says, “don't judge a piece until you've finished it, polished it and it's completely done”. Well, it was completely done and a nightmare. Too much of everything, a joke. I was ready to throw in the towel. I'd been working on it steadily since 6:30 a.m. and my brain and coordination were fried.

But I still had to shoot a photo and blog about it and the Big Reveal was the next morning. So I tried to think of what I did like about it, what absolutely had to be there and what I could take away and still keep the essence of my vision, of what I wanted to communicate. The flowers, that's what, those wonderful, glimmering glass flowers! The color elements around which I was building the whole piece-- they had to go! I took them off and the visual balance in the piece was re-established-- it was that simple.

But I wanted to showcase those flower beads! I had already chucked the idea of the other drawer pull for the center element in favor of one of Lyn's lampwork rounds, which was just the right size and color for the center of the focal. Well, if that could work, then I knew I could just swap in a ruffled bead with a headpin at the center and it would be perfect! I applied some guilders paste in a patina color to the donut to make it blend better with the colors. I won't bore you with the details of my struggle to re-stack the whole thing back together but I did have to do it a few times before it was right.

Completed focal with Lyn's ruffle bead

So what did I learn? I've said this before and it bears saying again-- good design takes time. It takes patience, vision, and the courage to make decisions. The rewards are great and mostly very private-- some will love what you've made, some-- not so much. But your reward is that it's all yours-- an expression of your head, hands and heart.

Go play! Thanks for reading.

Decisions, Decisions - Work in Progress

2011-02-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry not to have anything to post today but the background on my Bead Soup necklace is taking longer than I thought! But I promise if you stop back tomorrow, there will be something interesting to read!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal - Cue Fireworks!!!

2011-02-26T06:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party!

A Bead Soup Blog Party is a large collaboration project, brainchild of Lori Anderson, for lovers of beads in which each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following: a focal, a special clasp (not just a lobster claw) and some coordinating spacers or beads.

Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest and choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

Here's what I made!

Mistress Boleyn's Necklace

Found object focal, center made with lampwork ruffle bead and headpin by Lyn Foley, stacked on a polymer clay disk and wirework by Stories They Tell

Antique lion drawer pull clasp with hook from old coveralls

My partner was the talented and generous Lyn Foley, who sent me a fabulous selection of items. It was a real challenge to make the flirty, sparkling lampwork ruffle beads work with the steampunk-flavored focal and clasp!

In my blog on Monday, I'll share my inspiration for this piece and break down the construction, and show other photos of the details, as well as the photo of the components I started with. Thanks for visiting!

Come see what the rest of us made!

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine | Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

The next party's sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don't miss it!

Risk and Reward

2011-02-21T07:34:00.000-05:00

Living as I do in a remote area, I am frequently grateful for the Internet and the ability it gives me to keep in touch with other artists around the country and the wider world. I can tailor-make my list of blogs, choosing only those that are specific to my interests. I can surf museum sites and online galleries, browsing the best modern and ancient art and craft and I don't have to go further than my home office.

When I was in an artists' support group some years ago, our only means of communication was by phone and the only artists I had met locally all worked in a two-dimensional medium. We do have lots of fine craft artists in Vermont but you could only get to their studios by trekking through snow or over muddy roads or just wait until they had gallery shows and hope that they were staged in the warm months.

So with the advent of the Internet I now have many friends online who work in various media. We have Facebook, Flickr and the blogosphere where we meet and converse and share ideas and critique each others' work.

But I think there are true dangers to the creative life in the trend to present your work in the social media. It's great to get your work out there to a wider audience but are we becoming approval junkies? Do you ever find the need to be liked shaping your art? Causing you to re-think a design? The risk is that staying in the same groove may win approval and nice comments on Flickr or Facebook but may cause us to play it safe when it comes to swinging out there to make innovations or try new techniques.

Although what I do is not driven by the market--that is, I don't sell my work to earn a living, I have heard from other designers that their customers do appreciate innovation and new designs. So the many online opportunities that exist to challenge your creativity are excellent motivators as long as you're not just turning in work to meet a deadline at the expense of quality.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I am participating in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party Three and our reveal date is this Saturday. I have a beautiful stash of beads and objects from my partner this time, Lyn Foley and although I have a design already sketched out, I'll be disappointed if I'm not challenged in making it all come together. For me, that's the reward for taking the risk of putting myself and my work out there. To find out something new as I'm working. To discover a new technique or a new material. To make a new connection with another artist. I'm taking a pledge to quit obsessing about recognition and get on with tuning in to the creative Muse, to let her inspire new breakthroughs and insights in 2011.

Here are a couple of photos of work that I did for a recent online challenge that has inspired several notebook pages' worth of ideas. It doesn't get any better than that!

Lantern beads - polymer clay and oil pastels

Evening of a Summer's Day

Polymer clay, agate, pearls, African glass spacers, Czech glass beads

Friends and Lovers

2011-02-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

It's Valentine's Day and the popular media would like us to think that it's all about romance, candy, flowers, and jewelry. But I say it's about the gifts of inspiration that flow throughout the year from our relationships with creative friends.

It's a very new thing for me to have friends that support and praise my work. In art school, there was a lot of competition and negative criticism. We were told by our teachers that maybe 1 in 10,000 of us would actually succeed as professional artists. Of course, that meant painters. If you mentioned textiles or pottery, you would get a sneer and jokes about basketweaving courses.

After I attended the School for American Craftsmen at R.I.T., I began to see fine craft coming into its own in curatorial circles as a valid artistic medium. These days I would venture to say that people are collecting handmade furniture, ceramics, jewelry, baskets, and textiles as much, if not more, than they are buying art to hang on the wall.

This past weekend, I literally devoured the photos of the incredible work my friend, Cindy Wimmer, has done for the new Wire Style 2 book. I was so inspired by her bold, imaginative designs and meticulous wire work that I decided to transform a heart shape I was working on with wire, to strive for more than the simple polymer shape I originally planned.

Entwined Heart pendant

I've been working with tangling and kinking wire in combination with polymer clay for about a year and now have a much better idea of the properties and idiosyncrasies of this material. I've embedded clay into wire-wrapped bezels (see Belle Armoire Jewelry – Summer 2010 for a tutorial) but I'm also liking the airier feel of the floating tangled wire embracing the polymer shape--like the vibrations of a heart beating in synchronicity with her love's heart. Yes, I am a romantic! I'm sure there will be more work to come with this technique.

Around this time of year, and it's been a pretty snowy one for most of this country, I like to work in the color red, even more so than in other seasons. It's intense and warm, it reminds me of the heart's fire and passion and .... well, I just love it! I did up some mokume gane in reds in anticipation of getting some things into my Etsy shop for Valentine's Day but got sidetracked by a custom order. But I will be listing them anyway. You can never have enough red, in my opinion!

Watercolors cuff

Watercolors earrings

When we woke up this morning at our customary 5 a.m. my husband, Douglas, handed me a card. It read “When my mind wanders, it always finds its way to you” -- opened, it played Sam Cook singing “You Send Me”. He had written some amazingly sweet sentiments inside-- no, I'm not sharing those! But heartfelt gifts like this mean more to me than diamond earrings and fancy dinners. Since his job supports me in my jewelry-making, I made these earrings for myself yesterday and counted them as a Valentine's present from Dougie. He approved.

Greensleeves earrings

Once Again into the Creative Soup

2011-02-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

Soup has got to be my favorite food. Stew, goulash, cassoulet, stufato-- whatever the culture calls it, the melange of flavors, the cornucopia of ingredients, the surprising little bits of this and that-- it all comes together in the pot in a surprising triumph of cooperation of many disparate elements. As you're simply chopping all the pieces up, you cannot predict what the final result will be. That's the crap shoot, the risk, taking the leap of faith that you will get something great in the end from things that don't even look like they belong together.

It's 20 degrees this morning in central Vermont and lightly snowing. I can see my snow-covered meadow from the window above my workbench, where there are a number of projects in various stages of completion-- Valentine's presents for the women in my family, a funky little heart framed in wirework with its patina curing, lots of pairs of earrings that need finishing.

It may seem chaotic but I find working like this to be the best way for me to let the lessons learned from one project spill over and influence others I'm working on. Since I've become a serious, every-day-at-the-bench artist, I need to put myself in the way of design problems to solve-- they don't just show up in my workspace. As I've mentioned before, the Art Bead Scene challenges are very stimulating and I've followed Michelle Ward's challenges as well. Now I've got a new “design addiction”-- Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Party!I know several beaders/designers who have done a couple of these with Lori and loved them so I decided to jump in.

Lori asked each one of us to define our style so she could try to pair us with someone who was the opposite of that style. The method in her madness: “to get you to challenge yourself, help break you out of your design rut, so to speak”. And it works.

I was so fortunate to be paired with a very talented lampwork craftswoman and designer, Lyn Foley, from Texas. We immediately e-mailed back and forth and checked out each others photos and in a few days I received this bountiful box of loot from Lyn.

The only rule is you have to use the focal and the clasp your partner supplies in your creation. You are free to use any of your own stash for supplemental beads or the ones that your partner sends. I had immediately admired Lyn's ruffly flower beads and was so happy to see some arrive for me wrapped in palest turquoise tissuepaper! But then I noticed the nifty Steampunk-style found object focal in bronze that she had included. How to make a harmonious piece out of two dissimilar styles? Well, that's the whole point, isn't it? To give your creative problem-solving muscles a challenge, to jog you out of familiar paths and ways of working.

I'll be teasing you with some little glimpses of work in progress in the next few weeks-- the big Reveal Party will be on February 26 and all 210 (yes-- you read that correctly!) of us intrepid designers will be blogging our results at the same time. Fireworks in midwinter!

For more information on the Bead Soup Party, go to Lori Anderson (Flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/1290276@N25/)

Wirework – What's Ancient Becomes New Again

2011-02-03T09:03:00.000-05:00

When I first started doing polymer clay, I knew I wanted to incorporate metal into my work. There was something for me about metal as a supporting cast member that was important. Something about it that gave weight and stability to clay-- more than adding mere actual grams and ounces--grounded it, if you will.

Metal plays such a large part in our world of jewelry-making. Clasps, chain, bezels, jumprings-- all have their own special design capabilities and can be so much more than adjuncts to gemstones and beads.

As I was writing this blog this morning, I dug out some pieces I've made in the last year and found that more and more I depend on wire to provide an important design element.

From Kandinsky necklace

Copper wire experiment

Focal from Dark and Stormy Night necklace - Available in my Etsy shop

Wire element from unfinished necklace

Detail from Silk Road necklace

Clasp from Dzi bead necklace

Last year I sent a selection of my beads to a good friend, Cindy Wimmer who had been invited to submit projects for a new wire book by Denise Peck, editor of Step by Step Wire Magazine and author of 101 Wire Earrings and Wire Style.

I'm happy and proud to tell you that my little "Fallen to Earth" polymer focal pendant and beads are now gracing the pages of Wire Style 2, strikingly showcased in Cindy Wimmer's necklace of the same name. I haven't seen the book yet so I don't know if there are polymer beads used in other artists' work but I thank Cindy for championing the use of polymer beads in wire work in an important popular venue such as this. In the past I've provided beads for other artists such as Sharon Borsavage and Deryn Mentock and seen what amazing things a talented designer can do with them.

Rambler by Live Wire Jewelry - Pale blue faux jade beads by Stories They Tell

Vedauvoo Blooms by Deryn Mentock - Large beads by Stories They Tell

Among other contributors to the book are Kerry Bogert and Lisa Niven Kelly, whose informative and comprehensive website Beaducation has taught me so much about using metal and wire. Wire Style 2 is available now from the Interweave site and after March 1 from other booksellers.

Fallen to Earth beads

Fallen to Earth pendant

Color is My World - Part I

2011-01-30T11:32:00.001-05:00

You know how it feels when you've been doing something you like so much and then suddenly a storm of commitments come up and you have to let the fun thing go for a while? You remember how good it feels to be able to do the fun thing again?

Well, that's what it was like to work on this month's Art Bead Scene challenge! I completed most of the Challenges in 2009 and then 2010 just shot by and I only got one finished and posted. I vowed that this year I would get back in the groove and do as many as I possibly could. By the end of 2009 I had a nice body of work that showcased my skills for any art jury that needed examples of my best efforts for shows and competitions. Although the challenges were time-consuming, I loved doing them. They stimulated my brain and developed my skills, both in creating art beads and in stringing them. Since I've become a serious, every-day-at-the-bench artist, I need to put myself in the way of design problems to solve-- they don't just show up in rural Vermont life.

So the gauntlet was absolutely thrown down when the painting to interpret was revealed to be one of the “Brown River” series by Wayne Thiebaud, a lively work depicting the Sacramento Delta in California, done in a primary-based palette of clear, saturated color blocks. I never work in these colors. I don't do modern. Besides, doesn't Wayne Thiebaud do pop art pies and cupcakes? But I did ask to be challenged, didn't I?

I had gotten what I asked for-- in spades. The colors were challenging, the shapes were challenging. I wanted to use a new technique with oil paints and pencil but the beads I made weren't right for the application. I filled page after page of my sketchbook with ideas but it just wasn't coming together.

When I was in art classes in college, we would be assigned a design problem by our instructor and I would do what I called “throwing it into the 'creative soup'. I wouldn't think specifically about the problem for awhile; rather I would just go about my daily activities and wait for inspiration to strike. And it did, eventually. The lightbulb would suddenly go on as I shopped the art supply stores in Soho or listened to jazz or browsed some local galleries or even read a book. I found that activities unrelated to art frequently stimulated the brainstorm I was looking for.

In the course of an e-mail conversation with Barbara Lewis she recommended a new book from North Light Books by June Roman, "A String of Expression: Techniques for Transforming Art and Life into Jewelry". I ordered it and reading through the projects sparked inspiration for some quickly-made textured shapes that were slightly disintegrating. I envisioned these as pendants but couldn't make it work so I decided to string them in sequence. Next came textured clay coins that were colored with alcohol inks and liquid clay. I took some clay scraps in the painting's colors, chopped them together, and ran them through an extruder to make some mokume gane beads and headpins (it's a technique borrowed from Japanese metalworking). Twisted copper wire became the “brown river” and some larimar cubes completed the stringing. My husband suggested that the long length of wire work needed a color break and he was right so I wrapped half of the clasp in red silk.

When Thiebaud spoke at Harvard University School of Design in 1990, he responded to a student question: "What do you think defines an artist?" with "An artist creates his own world!” Amen.

Commitment to Creativity 2011

2011-01-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

The past week has brought some serious meditations for me on the nature of inspiration-- what are the best ways to be inspired, the surest sources of inspiration, the very nature of the beast.

2009 was a banner year for me as far as inspiration. I followed the Art Bead Scene challenges closely and submitted 10 pieces-- almost one per month-- and created a body of work by the end of the year that got the attention of an editor at a prestigious jewelry magazine. Finally being published by Belle Armoire Jewelry in 2010 was a goal I could never previously have imagined attaining.

Commitment to Creativity #1: I'm going to keep the momentum going by doing as many of ABS's new monthly challenges in 2011 as I can.

"Blossom" inspired by Van Gogh's "Almond Blossoms"

But more importantly, I was inspired to develop some new techniques and processses that I probably wouldn't have stumbled across left to my own devices. I really love doing my clay work so I don't need any push to sit down every day and spend most of my waking hours playing with the stuff or sketching new ideas. What I need is a focus for all this rampant energy-- therefore, a creative goal on a regular basis.

In 2010 I engaged-- and was engaged by--other artists in collaborations, something that gave me goals to achieve and new directions in which to travel. I very much enjoyed working with Claire Maunsell and Rebecca Watkins - Artybecca for a collaborative Hallowe'en necklace and we are currently engaged in another with an “outer space” theme.

Bead by Claire Maunsell

Bead by Artybecca

I was truly honored to be included in making beads this past summer for Erin Prais-Hintz's ambitious gallery show and used that opportunity to push the envelope quite a bit, inventing a new process for metal-effect beads that I have yet to fully explore. But sometimes I like to let new ideas simmer a bit, like a good stew that's better the second day.

Beads by Stories They Tell for Erin Prais-Hintz's "Inspired By....." show

It seems to me that if you fully engage in your work, opportunities will crop up to play with others and goals will appear that will challenge you. So with a cornucopia of opportunities out there, why not choose the ones closest to your heart and passion?

Polymer Clay Daily recently posted about the RAD—Ring a Day-- challenge that ran for 2010, which had a fair number of polymer artists participating and while checking that Flickr site I found one that resonated for me—TADA, True Addicts of Daily Art. Their purpose is to “Commit to making progress every day of 2011 on your art jewelry creations. Show your daily steps forward with photos. Blog if you like. Goal is at the end of the year you will have at least one collection or series that is Show Ready”. I also like the tongue-in-cheek play on “tada!” I know that I personally love to see how people progress through their work, so I thought that maybe some of my readers might be interested in seeing how I do what I do. I can't commit to the everyday blogging part but getting feedback from you, my readers, will be immensely helpful to me since at some point I'm planning to write a book and need to know if there's clarity and inspiration in my explanations/instructions.

Commitment to Creativity #2: more blogging about process and sources of inspiration.

As you have come to expect, I will continue to pass on interesting insights into the nature of my creative process and provide enough eye-candy to keep you reading until the last line.

As some of my first creative forays of 2011, here are some new cuffs using a nifty mokume gane technique from an Etsy-available tutorial by Tonja Lenderman. Another mokume gane technique-- I'm in heaven!

Confetti Mokume Gane cuffs

Montezuma pendant - confetti mokume gane

And here are my first efforts into the twisty-tangly world of cordmaking, courtesy of the Diva Cordmaker available from Fiber Goddess.

I'd love to hear what you have planned to jazz your creative juices for 2011. As far as I'm concerned, there can never be too much inspiration available in the world around us. And that's definitely something to celebrate in the New Year.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-12-26T15:06:00.001-05:00

As adults we aren't supposed to anticipate Christmas like we did when we were young-- after all, we are now the ones rushing around buying the presents, figuring out where to put all the holiday guests, planning all the festivities and paying all the bills. For many people, what's really special about this time of year just gets lost in the shuffle.

Although my husband and I will soon be celebrating our 10th anniversary, we still count having each other as our “bestest” gift at Christmas. And we're both still healthy and fairly active and that is quite a lot to be thankful for at our ages.

But I would be remiss if I failed to thank each and every one of you who reads this blog for making my days so enjoyable as I write down my thoughts and observations, knowing that someone is actually out there who shares my passions and takes the valuable time to visit and comment. I am so thankful that I have many good friends online that I feel closer to than any I have ever made in my lifetime, although I have never met you in person. Can creativity operate in a vacuum? Probably, but it's not much fun. I treasure the ability to share my discoveries, experiments and musings with all of you and am humbled by your enthusiasm for them.

I'm just bubbling with new ideas I want to share with you -- some of them are already scheduled to be out there in a public way around March. My wish list this New Year of 2011 includes making it to a major bead show, where I can meet in person some of the creative friends I talk to almost daily online.Also in the works in the next few weeks is a major update to my studio space, so I can get my kiln going and play with metal clay, as well as set up my bench with my flexshaft drill and soldering station. It's time to add in metals to my polymer creations in a big way, something I've been planning for over a year. I've used some found metal pieces and some repoussé that Douglas makes for me but I've always had a better marriage of metal and polymer in mind for my designs. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait to get started!

Yesterday I played around with some old glass storage containers I found at a local yard sale. I plopped in some bits and bobs and built some seasonal tableaux with some of my latest polymer experiments.

Silver Leaves tableaux

Pinecone tableaux

Globes and Stones tableaux

Here are some toys that Santa left under our tree.

"Red Fox" felted wool pin, from Under the Moon, Amanda Wiesenfeld, VT Handcrafters

Antique store find tool box, lovingly restored by Douglas

Present for both of us-- yipee! new techniques!

Polymer lentil bead from Mindy Jackson, Stray Cat Jewelry, VT Handcrafters

Lampwork bead from Wandering Spirit Designs -- present from my sis

And for a happy ending to the busted stove story, today I'm happily baking cupcakes and a pumpkin pie for Douglas. A wonderful repair technician named Gary from the Dead River Company in Woodstock, Vermont persevered through a snowstorm to repair my oven on Thursday night. Now, THAT'S customer service, Sears! I'm glad I went with a local company and supported my community.

Happy holidays to all and I'll see you again after the New Year!

Giving and Receiving or What's Really Important at Christmas

2010-12-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Winter on a farm is a time to rest from the endless routine of summer's planting and growing and autumn's hubub of harvesting and storing and finally take some time to breathe and contemplate. Have I accomplished all that I set out to do this year? More importantly, what do I have to be thankful for? And now looking back over this past year, that's quite a lot.

Blogs are great vehicles for communication but they are also primarily journals and so useful to document our works and progress. I try not to view difficulties in my work as problematic but rather as challenges to be overcome. Is this annoyingly optomistic? Well, what's the alternative?

This past weekend my oven quit working. Given the holiday season, it's not easy to find a repairman on short notice and since we live in a rural area, it's doubly difficult. So all my plans for cupcakes and cookies are kaput. Not to mention Christmas dinner. Luckily, it's just the two of us but now I have to rethink all my plans for a special breakfast and my husband's potluck contribution at work.

I called Sears yesterday and they said “Sure, we can have someone there today-- how about between 1 and 5 pm?” So I cancelled a previous repair appointment for a later date and waited. And cleaned the stove within an inch of its life. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, at 4:30 pm, someone called from Sears and said “So sorry, the repairman got hung up on a job-- how about next Tuesday?” I actually kept my temper in check but was firm about wanting to talk to the tech supervisor who had so cavalierly decided the tech could just go home early. So the “customer service” person -- that's a joke, of course-- hung up on me! THEN I was furious! I ranted to my husband a bit and then we had to pick up our truck, which was at the garage being inspected.

Now I know you've been waiting for the “It's a Wonderful Life” ending of this little parable. Our great auto repair guy, who I've known since I moved here in 1992, told us he had had a rough week. His wife went in for a routine checkup and they found a large tumor on her ovary. They immediately did surgery to remove it and found no cancer. She's now home and well on her way to complete recovery.

So are my problems with my oven still a big deal? No. Not compared to what my garage guy went through. And this morning my backup repair called and said they could be out today and could maybe even fix it before Christmas. But it doesn't matter anymore. I'll eat hot dogs and beans with my sweetie and be glad that we are healthy and our families are too and that he just got a job and that I made some really good sales in December. And I probably don't really need to eat cupcakes.

If you made it all the way to the bottom, here's some eye candy as a reward. It's what I sent out for Christmas presents this year. And on time, too!

Jurassic cuff - for my niece Gilly

Jurassic Earrings

Pendant in faux basse taille for my cousin, Missy

Talisman necklace for my brother-in-law, John

Gravure Earrings for my sister, Bonnie

Art for the Sake of It

2010-12-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

It's fine and well to make art strictly for the joy of it. Nothing compares to the satisfaction of seeing a concept through to the end-- to make reality of a thought, a feeling, an interpretation.

Although I've spent many years making art, I previously had little to show for it. A rug here, a garment there. I gave everything away. Until I started making jewelry, I didn't even have a portfolio of work to show for the hours and years of creative endeavor.

Now I've got a blog, a Flickr page, magazines that have published my work and lots of pieces of jewelry, all testament to the fact that I'm a "creative person". Trouble is, I'm a bit swamped with all of it. Lately some other artists have blogged about their urge to clean out, free up and open a space for creativity. My cousin chastised me a little last week, urging me to sell more-- “you can't wear everything” she said. That's true. But those of you who also create know that selling your work is like auctioning your babies. Will any amount that you are compensated really be adequate reward for the love, thought and care that you put into them?

But maybe having the freedom to express yourself and let your ideas fly and hopefully touch another person is compensation enough in itself? Maybe when that person wears it they will feel a little of what you put into it, what you felt yourself, how proud you were of your creation. My best customer really gets me. She truly understands what I'm trying to say, even when I don't fully know myself. When I let something go to her, I know it will be loved, cared for, understood, appreciated. What more could I ask for?

So I'll be putting some old favorites and special pieces of mine in my Etsy shop in the coming days and also some new work I've just created. If you've purchased from me before, please convo me if you want to purchase something-- I have some thank-you discounts for you. If you're not familiar with my jewelry, I welcome you to visit my Etsy shop and browse. Until December 25, all domestic shipping is free. Maybe you'll find something you will enjoy wearing as much as I enjoyed making.

Serengeti earrings - now in my Etsy shop

Kandinsky necklace - SOLD - Thank you!

Depth Earrings - now in my Etsy shop

Marrakesh earrings - now in my Etsy shop

Dark and Stormy Night Necklace - now in my Etsy shop

Disintegration Earrings - now in my Etsy shop

Thrones Necklace - now in my Etsy shop

Shards

2010-11-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

Artists are varied in their approach to clutter on their workbench. Do you stop to tidy up so your tools are ready to hand or does the disorder somehow allow you to pull some creative inspiration out of the chaos?

One of the things that is most troublesome to me is my tendency to collect detritus and keep it in little containers all over my bench. Pieces of previous work that didn't quite make it, creative accidents, orphan beads, pieces of small repoussé work that my husband, Douglas, has made for me, interesting found objects, rocks with nifty textures, rusty bits, twigs-- all of these find a home in various receptacles. Sometimes I feel more like a 19th century naturalist, surrounded by specimens.

As I'm about to transform this space into a real working studio, I find myself firmly resolving to corral the clutter and keep my space zen-like and receptive to the slightest nudge from my Muse. But just this week, while digging through one of my boxes, I discovered a shard of polymer, a sample for the Jane Eyre cuff in faux ivory that I did some months ago.

Faux ivory cuff sample

Jane Eyre cuff

It was too large to make into a pendant so there it sat. I just enjoyed looking at it. I like making pieces that look as though they are shards discovered in an archaeological dig and then combine them with more modern elements into one whole. The juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary creates a tension that appeals to me. I just happened to have one of Objects and Elements' open bezels in the same box-- sometimes when I buy new findings I don't want to store them away since I tend to forget about them. If I leave them out on my bench, I see them every day and eventually find a use for them. I've used these bezels with several pieces, like the Dance of the Ancients.

Dance of the Ancients

Intrepid explorer of the artistic landscape that I am, this rectangular bezel was cut, shortened and re-shaped to fit a scrap piece of polymer that I carved a bit and antiqued. So the bezel was fit to the shard, instead of the opposite!

Relic pendant

The shard was long and rectangular so would allow me to keep some of best motifs. I carefully scored the polymer with an X-acto knife and kept making shallow slices until I could break it off without damage. Some additional cutting and sanding was necessary to make it fit the bezel and then I re-stained the edges with shoe polish. My plan was to make a simple pendant necklace I could wear with jeans and a tee. Yeah, well.

The bezel had two attachment loops so I decided to look through my stash for a suitable dangle. Sitting in one of my containers was a copper leaf that Douglas had done in repoussé and I had heat-patinated to a beautiful purple/copper sheen. I drilled a hole and attached that to the bottom loop. The leaf was a more modern style than the shard but I encouraged that by stringing some garnet-colored square Czech glass beads together with mesh-covered crystal beads interspersed with lampwork rounds. I tried several ideas for the bail, like a piece of brass from a mantle clock that I had taken apart but ended up making one out of 18 gauge bronze wire. For the clasp, I used an antique etched brass bead on a chain with a handmade shepherd's crook as the loop side. It worked perfectly and was very secure.

Sonata necklace

After completing the piece, I was a bit sad that the repoussé leaf might be leaving my workbench forever-- the fate of all one-of-a-kind pieces. So I thought “why not make a mold from that great little leaf” and got out my Alley Goop RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) putty, and made a mold. I had some scrap clay in a mix of burgundy, green and purple so I used that for the leaf, which turned out to be the perfect base color and added some Jacquard metallic powders and metallic acrylic paint for the copper accents. Maybe earrings to match?

Repoussé leaf

Polymer copies of repoussé leaf

So, at the end of the day, I say – keep it but organize it. You never know what treasures you'll find to inspire you at the bottom of your personal benchtop midden.

Hoot

2010-11-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

Sometimes here in New England the summer seems to last forever-- it gets a little cooler but the grass stays green and the leaves on our Norway maples won't drop until the weather's about ready to spread that white stuff all over the ground. Just last week most of the leaves dropped and created what I call “golden snow”.

Hoopty Hoop by http://www.lyanavoteyphotography.com/

My photographer neighbor, Lyana, wanted to do a shot of me doing a “leaf angel” in the leaves but I would have had to rake them into a pile for that and they were just too pretty laying in an amber carpet so we settled on the above shot of my front yard. We Vermonters need to soak in all the color we can, for as long as we can, since Spring can be a long way off once the leaves are gone. I dug the flea market find-- below-- out of storage and hung it on my studio door. I think it's oil crayon on canvas.

You don't have to be a Harry Potter afficianado to love owls. They have been depicted in petroglyphs since the dawn of humankind's ability to interpret our surroundings in drawings and carvings. Lately they've been showing up everywhere in my personal sphere. From the barred owl that calls from our back woods in the early evening dark to the huge Great Horned seen sitting on the wrist of Dowager Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine in the new movie version of Robin Hood, they represent the mysterious and untamed forces of nature. In some cultures they represent wisdom, in others a harbinger of death or illness.

I always associate owls with the deep woods, flying through a backdrop of towering dark hemlocks. They may be raptors like hawks and falcons and have been used by humans for hunting prey as well but they have a different vibe for me-- nothing cutesy or precious but more mystical and spiritual. Their gaze is not as intensely fierce as a hawk's. It has almost a zen quality, of just being there, waiting and listening.

So, bitten by the “owl bug”, I went in search of images that I could use to carve myself one, with the intention of making a mold so I could create several polymer clay copies for one of my cuff bracelets. While searching Etsy for inspiration, I came across several Victorian brass stampings with carving just spare and detailed enough to satisfy me so I figured why reinvent the wheel, I could use these as a jumping-off point for the cuff decorations.

I decided to lay down a textured background on my brass cuff blank so I wouldn't have to cover every inch and would get more decorative mileage out of it. I had one motif that combined the head and wings and when the clay copy ended up projecting a bit more from the flat surface, the effect was of the owl about to fly out of the background. I put two smaller owl faces at the wrists, a highly underrepresented area on most cuffs, in my opinion. I let the composition sit for a day, during which I decided it needed some woodland elements so I added some oversized acorn-y blossoms and some branches. It gave the cuff design a steampunk quality I like. Thanks to Jan for noticing that! After curing, layers of raw umber, a mix of greens and burgundy acrylics went on and were mostly wiped off. It was still missing another tone so I rubbed on tan shoe polish, which added just a bit of yellow tint and mellowed the red and green together.

Wingéd cuff

Wingéd - detail

I had some ivory base clay left over and an adjustable ring blank from Objects and Elements so I experimented with filling that with a little owl face. This is the first ring I've done and I opted for a lighter antiquing on it than on the cuff.

It's quite comfortable to wear so I'm encouraged to try another-- maybe resin? I've got some bottles of ICE resin calling to me. Next blog-- leaves. Is there a woodland theme here?

Scarcity is the Mother of Invention

2010-11-13T08:02:00.001-05:00

As I was waking up one morning this past week with my cuppa java I read an older blog post by my friend Barbara Lewis where she muses “Maybe scarcity challenges creativity?”.

I've always thought that the fact that I usually can't afford to indulge in a buying frenzy to acquire the latest and coolest finding/gemstone/chain/doo-dah out in the marketplace has definitely made me the “Mother of Invention”. It's made me dig a lot deeper into whatever I was working on, to find solutions that don't require a large cash expenditure.

On this blog and others, discussion has been raging lately about what entails copying vs. interpretation. When does a piece become your own and when is it merely a rearrangement of a few minor elements, not really a true embodiment of your own creativity? I don't have all the answers, by any means, but here's something that I do in my own pieces that might be useful as a jumping-off point.

Combine the techniques of different artists. I just completed a necklace using my beads and the beads of two other polymer artists (see my previous blog post, Copycats). I really loved the look of the piece and resolved to explore for myself in some new work the techniques used by my collaborators.

Rebecca Watkins, Artybecca, has a very unique carving technique which she generously shared on her Flickr site. I had bought some Dockyard micro-carvers last year which I had yet to use, which work better on small pieces than standard linoleum block carving blades. I mixed up some of my special formula ivory polymer (special only because it has the proportions of translucent, ecru and white Premo clay that I like), played with shapes, formed and cured the batch of five beads.

Getting the hang of carving can be tricky. I now have a few little nicks in my fingers, which will definitely happen if you hold your pieces in your hands while you carve. My husband got tired of hearing me yelp and made me a little jig that locks onto the edge of my desktop to keep the pieces from sliding around. But I just went slowly and not too deeply, following lines I marked on the pieces in soft pencil first. I kept it kind of primitive but kept working into them. Since the beads were not flat in any sense of the word, this took some time in order to not gouge my fingers any further. I found it very meditative.

Now the carving was done but they needed some definition and color. Claire Maunsell is a superb colorist and has inspired me ever since I first saw her work on Polymer Clay Daily. She cleverly lays down layers of pigment until she reaches her final color destination. I started with the traditional raw umber paint to define the carving, dabbing the acrylic into the cuts liberally with a paintbrush and lettting the beads sit for a few minutes before wiping most of the paint off with a paper towel. Sometimes I just cure the beads to set the paint and then sand, but these beads were curvy and uneven and wiping was my preferred method.

Now to add some real color! I wanted to coordinate the bead color with the patination I was going to apply on the wire-wrapped elements which would pull the whole design together. I also was using coral chips I had just purchased that were a rinsed red color. This was going to be a lighter color palette than my usual one-- more of an aurora sunrise with patina green touches. I decided to use a dry-brush technique to lay on the acrylic paint that I learned from furniture painter and master craftswoman, Ruth Pope. You use a small fan brush, one that's made from synthetic fibers and fairly stiff. Dip the tips of the brush in your your first color, then brush the excess off on a piece of paper towel. You have just a little color left and it's fairly dry. Now you can brush very gently in a back and forth wrist motion over the area you want to color. It lays down very little pigment on each pass so you can go back and add more if you want. It's almost like you're buffing the surface with the brush. Layers of color enhance one another and create a totally different effect from blending them all together into opacity, which could result in the color of mud! With this dry brush technique, what you have are layers of transparent color, one over another and the base clay color comes through in some places as well.

Patinated green chain and element from Missficklemedia.etsy.com

I'm not finished with the necklace yet but I'm very happy with what I've done so far. I also discovered that you can patinate the wirework after you've already threaded it through the polymer bead. Avoid getting too much of any patina solution on the clay or you'll have to use a commercial alcohol ink remover to take it off. For the green patina, I simply applied the patina solution I purchased from Missficklemedia with a brush in multiple applications until it was the color and coverage I wanted. Shannon LeVart has an excellent tutorial on patination, as well as supplies, for sale on the MissFickle Etsy site that I used for these pieces.

Stay tuned for more texture and antiquing experiments-- I've discovered an interesting new direction for me, courtesy of my friends Claire and Rebecca.

Copycats

2010-10-04T18:57:00.001-04:00

I've been mulling over my thoughts for this post for a while now-- so much has been written in the past couple of months in the jewelry world about copying, infringement of ideas, theft of intellectual property, etc. As an artist who works primarily in polymer, I was feeling a bit smug as our little piece of the artistic pie has been relatively free from these sorts of public spats. The polymer world is well-known for its art retreats, dating almost from the introduction of the medium, where polymer people get together to work and freely share ideas and techniques.

But lately there's been trouble in Paradise. An officer of the International Polymer Clay Association wrote an article for the October issue of the IPCA newsletter that pretty baldly wondered what the big deal was about copying another artist's work and selling that product once the artist had shared their technique for it in a publication. Nan Roche, a pioneer in polymer and author of one of the first important books on polymer technique, made some very clear distinctions about what constitutes copying in her article published back in 1999. She talks about what is and isn't public domain: techniques are, subject matter is and combinations of colors and/or particular shapes are. But she cautions that “The problem arises when one uses a particular technique+subject matter+color/shape in the same configuration as a particular artist. It stands to reason that if you combine all the same components in the same way, it's going to look very closely like the original artists' work.” I think it's pretty much common sense that it's a no-no to sell this product, publish it or teach it. But here's another reason why it's really a bad idea to do this.

Luann Udell, in her excellent and informative blog, responds directly to the IPCA article in the organization's newsletter and references her insightful blog post, titled “What is the Story only you can tell?
She wonders about people who copy and why they would want to substitute someone else's story for their own powerful and wonderful one. As she says “...in YOU, is a story that only YOU can tell.
Because it is YOUR story. It happened to YOU. And it changed you--how you look at life, how you look at yourself, where you fit into the world.”

I interpret this to mean, when you copy, you basically rip yourself off, even worse than you've ripped off the artist that you've stolen from. Your piece has no "authentic voice", it's just a manipulation of objects or colors, it has nothing of you in it.

Personally, I find it impossible to copy anyone's work exactly. I always have to do my own thing. I love to look at other people's work, I find it a very rich source of ideas but I never want to copy it. The first thing I think is “oh, that's a good idea” and my very next thought is of what I can do with it to make it my own. Usually the idea inspires something completely new, not derivative in any sense. It just jogs my own imagination and creativity. Just as the natural world does this for me, inspiring me to try colors and textures in my work. I've seen some blog posts lately in which people claim that they keep their art “pure” by not looking at others' published work in popular magazines. That's just limiting and you're deluding yourself if you think that you're not noticing what's out there around you.

So I've been wondering to myself, what is the antidote to all this angst in art? What positive statement can I make to address this worry about what's mine vs what's yours? So I decided to recruit my old friend, Collaboration! In my Flickr surfing lately I've discovered two polymer artists whose work I really admire and adore and so I asked the two of them if they would like to collaborate on some pieces together and they cheerfully agreed. This first piece was designed around the folk-arty and sculptural cat focal of Rebecca Watkins (ArtyBecca) for my annual Hallowe'en necklace, joined by the quirky and stylish beads of Claire Maunsell (StillPointWorks). Both these ladies have techniques that I thought would complement my own aesthetic, while at the same time, would inspire some beads by me that would meld their styles into something entirely new.

KatManDo necklace collaboration

It's titled after Rebecca's name for her cat/man focal bead. The long textured beads in black, white and gray are by Claire, and I also used some of Rebecca's gold textured beads with integral metal loops and a long ivory one in the design. After adding three chunky, textured and highly antiqued beads I newly made to coordinate with my collaborators' pieces, I ransacked my older beads for some with red accents and made some wire-wrapped and beaded sticks to add color and texture. After watching a tutorial by Maggie Maggio on making polymer links for a necklace that I found on Cynthia Tinapple's blog, Polymer Clay Daily, I experimented with making my own interpretation and created textured black antiqued links for the focal's bail.

"Ritual" - earrings

With the clay left over from my beads I made these, adding Dalmation jasper to the copper dangles and finished them with handmade copper earwires and coils. My collaboration buddies have spurred both my interest in and experimentation with texture and antiquing and I've been just knocking the work out so expect to see more in the next few blogs.

So I think we can all play together nicely if we just respect each other's stories and celebrate our own. Simple, isn't it?

Patina

2010-09-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

I sometimes refer to myself as the “Queen of Rust”. Maybe because I am a redhead and I am myself speckled with those little rusty dots called freckles, I love the reddish-brown color of oxidized metal, patinated and given character by seasons outdoors and the vagaries of weather.

My husband has brought me many treasures he has unearthed (well, run over with our large field mower!) in the fields of our old New England farm-- large metal hoops that hold spoked wheels together from old farm wagons, bits and pieces of old buggies, rust-pocked, holey old buckets, gears, etc. A friend of mine displays her finds in an artful collage on the white-washed interior wall of her old 3-storey barn. Mine adorn my woodland garden, brimful of ferns we transplanted from our woods, as well as astilbe, jack-in-the-pulpit, and trout lilies that hitchhiked along with the ferns. I stand the hoops upright, propped with river stones, where they make excellent garden sculptures.

I've lately been cleaning off and fixing up--in an Adirondack theme--the little screened porch attached to the end of our workshop, displaying stored treasures I've collected for years. I went on a barkcloth binge a few years ago and in a way, I'm glad I did as the stuff is hard to find in the older, silk-screened beautiful rough textures that I collected. On one of his mowing forays, Douglas crunched into a tangle of old wire and brought it back to show me-- it laid for years in a rusty pile next to the driveway. As I was cleaning up one weekend, I happened upon it and it struck me as how sculptural it was, just all randomly tangle-y and patinated by years of weathering. Now it will have a new home adorning the pasture outside my porch, suspended in a custom hanger made by my artisan blacksmith husband. Repurposing at its very organic best!

I have now met my opposite number in the love of all things rusty-- Ted. My friend, neighbor and super-photographer, Lyana and I were out-and-about looking for antiques one weekend not long ago and here was a sign “Barn Sale” that tweaked my interest-- my best finds have been made, not at pricey flea markets or antique malls, but in the downhome environs of old barns and sheds, the messier and less-organized the better. A quick u-turn later and we were met by Ted, a prop-master, uber-collector and hoarder extraordinaire, whose orangey stash was unmatched in my experience in both scope and quality. I will wax rhapsodic at length on his other good stuff in some later post (and boy is there a lot of stuff!)

As I was already in rust-mode I thought I would play a bit with patinas. I dug out some vintage findings I got from Jems Gems on Etsy and applied some green patina solution I've had hanging around for years. This stuff goes on in light layers and some time has to pass before you really see the results. Leaving everything overnight worked the best. I also tried another little technique over the patina, which I promise to reveal once I've worked it into something that produces consistent results. Adding to all this fabulous color in these photos are some chain and findings I got from the talented Shannon LeVart who is also an editor on the Art Bead Scene blog. She's just produced an e-book called Color Drenched Metals, and I've purchased a copy from her Etsy shop as well as several bottles of her excellent patina solutions. I've got gobs of vintage chain and I can't wait to see what I can do armed with her well-explained technique and my penchant for experimentation.

ArtBliss

2010-07-09T07:47:00.000-04:00

I really can't say enough about Cindy Wimmer and Jeanette Blix. They are talented, ambitious, courageous, artistically gifted and all-round great friends and wonderful women. Their designs have appeared in just about every jewelry publication that you can find on the newsstands.

Cindy has just had four pieces of work published in the latest Easy Wire 2010 and the piece she shows on her blog post of June 30 for the Art Bead Scene Design Team Challenge is creatively lovely and so well-photographed that you would think it was professionally done.

Jeanette is also a talented jewelry designer who has published several Glass Art calendars, teaches wireworking and is the owner of Fundametals, an online shop that carries anything you could possibly want for wireworking and jewelrymaking, including some very interesting beads and enamel. She's always looking for the newest and best and her prices and customer service are fantastic.

Together this Dynamic Duo have come up with an amazing event here on the East Coast in Northern Virginia, debuting this September 24-26, called ArtBliss with some very well-known artists teaching day and evening classes in jewelry and mixed media. See the sidebar and click on the announcement for all the information you need. I'm going down to DC from Vermont on Amtrak for the event and I can't wait to meet in person some of the people who have supported me with their ideas, collaborations and mentoring since I began blogging and putting my work out in the world.

The tagline of the event is “All dreams come true if you have the courage to pursue them” something that I have definitely found applies to my life and creative work. Consider taking a class or two-- I'd love to meet more of you in person, my dear online friends!

Milestones

2010-07-08T07:15:00.001-04:00

Milestones are markers, like the stones that the Romans set up to guide travelers along their system of paved roads. That's the operative word here-- “guiding”- to show a pathway rather than mark a destination or goal, a meaning used more frequently in these 21st century times.

I believe that a milestone guides you in a direction as well as to a specific place. It's not a time to sit down and relax, to dwell on your achievements but rather to mark a passage and chart a direction for the future.

My goals when I first started this blog, this electronic journal (or journey) were to inspire, encourage and inform my readers in their creative endeavors. Obviously a pathway to doing that was to have my work, techniques and ideas published in print and online so as to reach more people. My first online contacts were with other art beadmakers and jewelry artists and I naturally hoped some day to get my work in the publications that inspired me the most. My Apocalypto Beads showed up in The Best of Stringing Magazine in a collaboration with Lorelei Eurto and this past spring I got my very own page in Stringing for my necklace tutorial “Reading the Stones”.

This past January I was contacted by the editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry, Christen Oliverez, on a referral from my good friend and fellow artist Deryn Mentock. I couldn't have been more thrilled or surprised, since BAJ was one of several magazines that I absolutely adored and admired for the quality of their articles and presentation.

So now I can announce that my very first tutorial has been published in BAJ in the Summer 2010 issue, called “Pas de Deux”. I am pleased as punch to be included with some friends (Barbara Lewis and Deryn Mentock) as well as other artists that I greatly respect for their work. But I won't be resting on my laurels, since I am full of creative energy and new ideas – for me the recognition is like a super wonderful tonic! I'm planning a book and hoping to teach my first classes this fall and possibly I'll have a booth at a major bead show next year-- who knows?

As I journey forward, I'm also looking back at pieces I've already completed. Some of these are going in my Etsy store to find new homes, some are being re-worked as my skills increase and my design sense matures in this wonderful medium of polymer clay.

Tundra beads - new in my Etsy shop

Tomb Relic pendant - new in my Etsy shop

Dance of the Ancestors - new in my Etsy shop

Dance of the Ancestors - detail

Dance of the Ancestors - detail of reverse side

Machu Picchu beads - new in my Etsy shop

Machu Picchu cuff - new in my Etsy shop

Delphi necklace - new in my Etsy shop

Delphi necklace - detail

Inspired by.......Collaborations

2010-06-12T13:07:00.000-04:00

If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you know that I love to create pieces with other artists. Last summer I collaborated with four artists in a bracelet round-robin and I really became hooked on the concept of increasing the level of creativity by combining efforts with other creative people.

In the past year, the other passion I've embraced is interpreting two-dimensional artworks in jewelry. The Art Bead Scene has presented their blog readers a diverse selection of works of art in a monthly challenge -- from prehistoric cave paintings to contemporary folkart-- as inspiration for jewelry using art beads and I've amassed a respectable body of work over the past year, something I've never managed to do before in all my years as an artist.

So when one of my online artist friends, Erin of Tesori Trovati invited me to participate in a project of hers using new and unique artwork as inspiration, I jumped at the chance to combine both my passions and create a completely new group of art beads for her to use in her designs for a one-woman show.

Here are the watercolors by Ann Singsaas that were my inspiration.

Siljan Glade by Ann Singsass

This one was a bit of a challenge because the colors were definitely out of my color "comfort zone". But I tested out a new technique with alcohol inks that I'd been wanting to try and achieved the watercolor-y effect I was going for. I decided not to go too literal and to leave the black and white elements to Erin, since she was on her way to the Bead & Button show and was sure to find lots of accompanying elements that would work well against the texture and color of the polymer beads.

Red Ponies by Ann Singsass

I'm a big fan of the red and orange family of colors so this one wasn't hard to interpret. I again used alcohol inks but this time I decided to provide two sets of beads, both using the same colorway in very different styles. So the jewelry artist can use one set or mix them both together in one piece.

The show is called “Inspired by...” and runs at Gallery Q in downtown Stevens Point, Wisconsin from Friday, August 13, 2010 with a reception from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm to sometime in September so if you're in the area, please stop by. Erin's invited Heather Powers and Kerry Bogert to play with her too, so there's a lot to see and enjoy.

A Bracelet for Villa - Flying

2010-06-09T09:21:00.000-04:00

Villa's bracelet is complete and flying out to Washington state. Not literally flying but it could be, buoyed with all the energy and love and caring craftwork that it carries. And you-- Gentle Readers and wonderful online friends-- helped me do it. Together, we did it.

Just working with the charms and arranging them all and then looking at the finished piece and all of the beautiful little pieces of art, each one a personal gift from one of you, brought a lump to my throat.

Maybe it wasn't endowing an orphanage, or riding a Zodiac out to stop a whaling ship, or rescuing someone from a burning building but I think small gestures are the most significant because almost nobody knows but you and the recipient. You don't get a Nobel Prize but to one person, it's really a big deal. And if we all remembered that our small, individual gestures are cumulatively the ones that change the world-- well, we would be flying every day. Because every day we all do at least one small thing-- kiss a scraped knee, make a phonecall to a friend, remember a birthday, hug that unruly teenager, compliment a friend's work-- that makes a difference. And millions of people around the world, all doing one small kindness once a day-- that would create the momentum to create a world that works.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Villa's Bracelet - June 2010

Puttin' It Out There

2010-06-03T06:58:00.000-04:00

I realize that I've been MIA for several months so I'm blogging to let all you readers know that I plan to be back in the action starting today and hope to have new posts at least two times a week from now on.

That said, most of my time was spent either applying to various competitions or “calls” for artwork from polymer clay artists or on submissions to magazines. Stressful activity, in that deadlines wait for no one but exciting too because having your work recognized nationally is very gratifying.

I was actually working on some pieces but mostly I was applying. There are these online sites where you park your uploaded images and then when you decide to apply to a “call” -- as in, call for entries-- you just download them into the application, pay your fee online and off you go! The problem is, the images have to be higher resolution than I need for this blog or my Flickr site or for most of my everyday needs and so I just can't financially justify purchasing a full verison of Photoshop. So a week was mainly spent in frustration at having to dedicate large chunks of prime working time futzing with my Canon camera, reading the owner's manual, playing with settings, re-doing shots and searching for someone in my little rural town who could set up the images the way they were needed.

Grrrr!. But happy to say, mission accomplished, my little works were on their way to the Big Time-- that's the International Polymer Clay Association's “Progress & Possibilities” competition, which only comes around every two years-- and I'm anxiously waiting for the winners to be announced. I wasn't even doing polymer clay last time this occurred! One of my submissions for P&P was my “Lady of Shalott” necklace, which readers of this blog may recall was done for an Art Bead Scene challenge and the second one was “Blossom”, which was also for ABS.

Lady of Shalott

Blossom

In addition to stressing about various applications, I was also bummed that the piece I submitted to another magazine didn't make the cut.

Remembering Kathmandu

I was reminded of a wonderful quote on my friend Barbara Lewis' website:

“There is a force, an energy, a quickness, that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it. You do not have to believe in yourself or your work. It is not your business to compare yourself with others. It is your business to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you, to keep the channel open.” Martha Graham

With all the social networking sites and things like Twitter urging us to put it out there, the volume of work being presented is overwhelming. It almost goes without saying that we will begin to feel competitive and work to a commercial standard, even if working as the quote suggests is the best avenue to a body of work that truly reflects our best creative effort and highest artistic standard.

I had a special new piece that I was trying to finish for Progress & Possibilities but it had a mind of its own and evolved into several pieces so I just let it happen. I think this might just be the best way to work.

Steampunk Tidepool

Artifact

Just Rewards

2010-05-18T17:27:00.001-04:00

For all of you who contributed to the Villa Bracelet project, my thanks and my apologies. I posted that I would get the “rewards” sorted out last month and then life intervened-- as it does when you're not paying attention-- and now it's May! More about my distractions in my next post but now I'm moving along again in a more or less straight direction and it's time to announce who the Random Number Generator picked to receive the goodies. I added 2 more to the mix so five people will receive some of my work as a thank-you for their contribution. Here are the two additions:

Tribal Pattern earrings

Domino pendant

First picked was Jana Osborne and she will receive my Metro earrings.

Next was Mary Jane Dodd and a set of my Bumblebeads will be flying her way.

Third the Generator picked Lori Anderson-- Hi Lori!-- and I'll be sending her one of my faux ivory cuffs.

The fourth person chosen was Susan Colosimo, hope you like your Domino pendant!

And last but not least, Barbara Lewis-- for the Tribal Pattern earrings.

If you will all please send me your addresses, I'll get these out to you in the mail this week.

Please know that strong and peaceful energy and good vibes went into each and every piece I'm sending out to you fabulous ladies! But all of you are in my heart as well and will be with me as I begin to put Villa's bracelet together tomorrow.

A Bracelet for Villa - Progress Report

2010-04-21T16:19:00.001-04:00

In a world where it sometimes seems that the rude, the greedy and the heartless triumph, I have seen that there is hope for this Third Rock from the Sun, even if it shows up in the form of a tiny charm.

I invited, and you responded-- 28 folks that wanted to do something for a person they don't even know and for no other motivation than it felt right to do. It was like a little miracle taking place in rural Vermont, watching those bundles of creativity and hope arrive in my mailbox, knowing each one was made just especially for Vila and sent with love and good wishes. All were handmade with care and all were different. Some were metal, some were resin, some were glass, some were polymer clay. All of them are precious to me and I look on them as on a great treasure because they came from the heart, the source of the greatest resource we have as human beings-- the ability to care about and empathize for a person other than ourselves.

As I sit here, my mind swirls with possibilities-- I'm thinking of a way to expand this out into the wider world, to keep sending hope in the form of a charm, to touch someone who we don't know at all but in whom we recognize our own humanity. A way of paying it forward. We know that our crafting community is worldwide, we could celebrate our global connection in the way we love best-- making art and sharing it!

Next Monday I'll announce the names that were picked by the random number generator to receive the thank-you gifts from me. I've added another two to the group-- but I'll keep the surprise until next week!

Thanks to all of you for your kind and thoughtful generosity and for being my partners in this. Bless you all!

A Bracelet for Villa

2010-03-02T13:52:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law, Villa, was diagnosed a year ago with leukemia. She lives with her husband in Washington state, a continent away from us. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy again to regain remission status but the ultimate prognosis is uncertain. So I cast about for a way to let her know that Douglas and I are thinking of her every day, that we send our positive energy and our love her way. I thought about making her a bracelet, something she could wear and think of us when we couldn't be there in person, something that might bring a smile to her face when things get tough.

As I was thinking of how I would do this, I remembered that this past summer I was invited to participate in a bracelet round-robin exchange with several talented designers, ultimately ending with a piece that I cherish more because of the wonderful energy in it and the generosity of the participants in giving of their time and talent than the monetary value of the finished item. So I thought of a way to kick that idea up a notch-- invite mostly total strangers to contribute a charm to make a bracelet for Villa.

Here's what I would like: Contribute a charm that is handmade by you-- that's the only stipulation. The charms can be anything, any theme, any color, any material, any technique but about 1” X 1/2” would be ideal. Send your creation to me and then I'll attach it to a nice chain that will become a charm bracelet with everybody's charm on it. The energy created in making the charm is what I'm after-- it doesn't have to be perfect, or expensive or elaborate. It could be resin, or metal or polymer clay or fiber or layered paper. My friends Cindy Wimmer and Barbara Lewis have already sent me their charms-- see the photos below for examples.

Charm by Barbara Lewis of Painting with Fire

Charm by Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio

Now I really love the concept of the “random act of kindness” and I have a pretty good idea of the kind of people I'm writing to out there so I know that a carrot isn't necessary to encourage you to participate.

But I want to offer some items for a giveaway in gratitude for those of you who would like to contribute to the piece. I'll use a random number generator to pick the three winners.

Here's what I'm giving away to say “thank you” for helping me to make this piece really special for Villa.

Jane Eyre cuff

Metro earrings

Set of Bumblebeads, 15mm

The deadline for contributions is Monday, March 22, 2010. E-mail me at cdamm1@myfairpoint.net if you plan to send a charm and I'll e-mail you my address back as I'd rather not broadcast that over the Internet! If I receive more than 50 or so charms, I'll collect them and pass them on to someone who wants to do a similar “kindness” bracelet for a friend who needs one. If you have your own blog, it would be wonderful if you would tell your readers about this-- just a short note-- to direct them over here where they can find the information.

I will keep you all updated on the progress of the bracelet and post pictures of the completed piece when I get ready to send it off to Villa. I'll do the drawing for the gifts from me the first week of April and announce the winners in a blog post. Thanks, everyone!

Winter Work

2010-02-11T10:51:00.016-05:00

If you choose to live in central Vermont, you've got to embrace winter. As we like to say up here, Vermont's weather is nine months of winter and three months of bad sledding. Actually, this winter other parts of the East coast are experiencing better sledding than we--and Vancouver!-- are and I know that's the understatement of the century. And when you're digging your car out of a snowbank, you tend not to think about winter sports.

You've got to get into the cozy-- fuzzy things to wear that feel like your kitty's fur, flannel blankets, rough handknit wool sweaters. There are many positive sensory advantages to winter. Nothing on earth feels like the wave of woodsy heat that comes off a blazing pile of crackling oak logs. This weekend we sat in front of such a fire, chatting with old friends and munching Asiago and crackers. Ahh, the best part of winter!

And the long months from November until April are ideal for the incubation of ideas. It's quiet, you aren't distracted by needing to work in the garden or going swimming and your daily walk is inevitably shortened by concern for frostbite and frozen digits. You have time to think.

And think I have been. I've been experiencing a veritable flood of new ideas. And now I may have the makings of a book. I'm as surprised as anyone by this turn of events, as my next goal this year was to decide where I might want to offer my beads and jewelry for sale-- be it craft shows, bead show venues or other online opportunities besides Etsy. Now my Muse seems to be pushing for a larger commitment to sharing my work than simply by way of this blog. So I'm listening to Her and making notes and thinking up a title. Stories They Tell is going to be showing up in a worldly context in several new ways in the coming months so somebody may actually think a book written by me might be a worthy venture to sponsor.

For now, I'm letting the subtle colors of winter inspire me, either to craft subdued shades in complex designs or to revolt against the subtle palette of the season with a riot of color as I put together submissions to magazines for their Fall issues. The colors of Fall are my favorite but winter is the best season for contemplation and imagination, locked away from the cold in a warm home with a sketchpad and your imagination for company.

Colorado Earrings - in my Etsy shop

Strata Earrings - in my Etsy shop

Marrakesh necklace - my submission for the Art Bead Scene challenge for November 2009

Marrakesh -- detail

New Ideas, New Techniques

2010-02-02T11:40:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite blogs is French-- Parole de Pate. I love that they post these little tutorials-- “tutes”-- with new techniques that their readers come up with and then share with everyone. You can try them out and really take them places with a little imagination!

It helps to read French but Parole will cheerfully translate for you if you ask. And the pictures are great so you can usually figure out what's going on just by looking.

On Sunday I happened by Parole's site and saw a post about using alcohol inks on raw clay and just had to try it. I'd been experimenting with TLS (liquid polymer clay) combined with inks to create a glazed stoneware effect on polymer clay and so my attention was really focussed on those sadly-ignored little Ranger ink bottles that had been sitting there just full of potential. I recently re-discovered them while experimenting with some faux raku techniques and so I just breezed along with the latest messy fun.

A while later, my wastebasket full of ink-dabbed paper towel and I had a few sets of earrings that I'll share with you now. Oh, and that paper towel is so pretty with all those inky prints, I might just iron one out and resin it up in a bezel! Potential is everywhere-- even in your garbage can.

Metro earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Nile earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Twilight earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Glaze experiments - faux stoneware

Completing the Old-- Beginning the New

2010-01-18T09:11:00.019-05:00

Right now I have three pieces sitting on my bench awaiting final touches before I declare them complete and ready to face the world. This doesn't particularly bother me-- I have no deadline but my own for them and I've noticed that if I let these pieces sit for a bit, I usually discover some little touch that they need, design-wise. Rushing to finish them would not have given me that “moment of grace” needed to find that final note of completion that is like fitting the last perfect stem into a vase of spring flowers that transforms the whole into something sublime.

But lest you surmise that I've been simply sitting around eating the last of the holiday cookies (actually, I never got them made and a good thing too, since I've gone back to my healthy eating plan with a vengeance), I have become enamoured of blank cast brass cuffs. They are the perfect little empty canvas for all sorts of luscious experimentations and if I could only find a source for cast pewter ones, my artistic life (at least for now) would be complete! You may recall that I discontinued my line of cuffs built around aluminum blanks but I still love the cuff-- it's so easy to wear and feels good on the wrist too.

My love of faux can find perfect expression here but so many of the polymer clay veneers that I use work equally well. Faux ivory has been very successful on them and today I'm trying faux jade and the Ancient Metals technique of Laurie Prophater. I already made a nice trade of one cuff to Barbara Lewis for a marvelous bracelet/necklace she called “Hialeah”. When I wear it I can feel myself wearing a floppy straw hat, sipping an exotic drink and watching racehorses spin around a track in some tropical clime. She really has that “Margaritaville” vibe down in this piece!

But after a rich diet of large, complicated necklaces I've made in the last few months, it's nice to take a break and narrow my focus for a bit--to take one idea and push it as far in one direction as possible. Besides, as 2010 begins, I'm eager to head in some new artistic directions. These cuffs are rehearsals for some collaborative work that I've got in mind to do in the future with a very talented metalworker. He would be the dream partner-- as far as I can see, he can do anything I dream up and he likes a challenge! Also, this week my focus is writing a tutorial I've been invited to do for the Summer issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry--wire bezels for polymer clay. You may have seen some of these used in previous pieces and the idea is just too much fun to keep all to myself. I'm very excited about the opportunity to be in this publication-- it's been one of my goals since beginning my polymer clay odyssey.

Cernunnos cuff

Handmade antler, granite and decayed wood molds, polymer clay - available in my Etsy shop

Aboriginal cuff

Polymer clay faux ivory, hand-applied textures from various shop tools - available in my Etsy shop

Ancient Peoples cuff

Polymer clay faux jade, texture plate purchased from Cool Tools, cuff form handcrafted by Douglas Damm, DD Arts, from repurposed copper flashing

Relic bangle

Ancient Metals technique on polymer clay, texture plate from Victoria James - available in my Etsy shop

Antiquity cuff

Ancient Metals technique on polymer clay, texture plate from Victoria James - available in my Etsy shop

Sorcery bangle

Polymer clay faux ivory, hand-sculpted embellishment, texture from my hand-drawn Zentangle, tearaway technique

A Tale of Two Victorians

2009-12-15T12:26:00.027-05:00

One of my favorite singer-songwriters is Loreena McKennitt. She sets well-known poems to music and her beautiful, haunting voice and inspired orchestrations bring these sometimes timeworn words to vibrant life. Her adaptation of Tennyson's poem “Lady of Shalott” was playing on Live Ireland a few weeks' ago as I was working on the Art Bead Scene's November challenge. The poem is very bittersweet and sad and the image in my mind was of the painting by J.W. Waterhouse, a Victorian artist.

"The Lady of Shalott" - J.W. Waterhouse

The painting chosen this month for the Challenge is also by a Victorian artist, though it's a world apart in execution, theme and emotional outlook. “Fairy Feller's Master Stroke” was painted by Richard Dadd, a patient at Bethleham Hospital--known popularly as Bedlam-for murdering and then dismembering his father. The director of the hospital made painting supplies available to Mr. Dadd, who had attended the prestigious London Academy of Art and had a respectable, if not stellar, reputation as a painter before he went off the rails.

I found the painting very disturbing, to say the least, for a number of reasons. Nothing is alive or growing in the woods surrounding the figures-- it is the dead, brown landscape of autumn. The Victorian loved their colors deep and rich and painters of the era were master colorists, layering tints in transparent washes over base tones to achieve startling effects of intensity and depth, even in a muted palette like that in Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott painting. The only noticeable colors used in Dadd's painting, at least in the larger reproductions I searched out on the Tate Museum's site were the primary colors of red, blue and green. The level of detail, which is what most people notice, is truly astounding; in fact, it is somewhat 3-dimensional. Apparently the Tate lights the painting from the side, so visitors can appreciate the dimensionality of its diminutive 15 X 20” size.

While researching the painting, which I always do before I start interpreting them in jewelry, I found many analyses of the work, among them that Dadd claimed it was based on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream and portrayed a fairy kingdom. I found the characters scary and grotesque and decided to work in a different direction, recreating elements in polymer clay of the natural world that Dadd had painted so thoroughly and used so abundantly. The Victorians loved complexity in every aspect of their surroundings-- jewelry, interior décor, clothing, architecture. I made an impression in molding putty of a section of an ornate Victorian picture frame and used it to make a practice piece which was antiqued and slightly gilded.

My goal was to create a piece of wearable jewelry--not mimic the painting-- so I made several large lentil beads in the same way as the sample, adding subtle gold highlights to elevate the somber tones of Dadd's very neutal palette with gilding.

I brought in the muted primary colors using two tube beads covered in clay done in a mokume gane technique with midnight blue, ocher yellow and burgundy. The pods and seeds allowed me to play with my raku technique and after I used metallic powders on them, they were glazed with a wash of Byzantia brand metallic paint and highlighted with colored pencils to bring out the primary colors.

I looked through my stash for similar-sized beads to complement the raku elements and added some yellow faux jade beads, picture jasper rounds from my local Ben Franklin variety store, and gold-painted polymer clay melon beads that I detailed with gunmetal acrylic paint—all separated by African rough bronze spacers from Objects & Elements.

A second layer of smaller elements was added to jazz up the neutrals and intensify that sense of over-the-top Victorian embellishment. I made a clasp using brass washers and some bronze wire for an s-clasp so I was able to layer the smaller strand over the larger one.

This was overall a very intense and time-consuming process but I enjoyed doing it more than any piece I've done for the challenges so far. I call the style tribal Victorian and named it "Lady of Shalott".

"Lady of Shalott"

Out in the World

2009-12-10T07:43:00.020-05:00

I have mentioned before that if I had my wish, I'd just give my beads away-- that the real joy is in the envisioning, crafting and sharing, not in the selling. But there are electric bills to pay, supplies to buy, and a very tiny bit to Etsy, that wonderful site for all things handmade that allows me to share my work with folks all over the planet.

Writing my blog is my way of sharing the pleasure I get from creating and how it is that I do create. That's the gift I have to give and so far, I'm gratified to say that it's been well received. But in order to share the information, people have to read my blog--so publicity has its place in the grand scheme of things.

Many of my fellow artists have been more than generous in talking about my blog and my work and in this season of thanksgiving and celebration, my thanks goes out to all of you who have made this possible! And thanks to my family as well, who have supported my artistic endeavors since I first held a crayon or burned my first polymer clay bead in the toaster oven.

So now my little offerings are out in the world, in a big way--and their success is part of a collaboration with all of you in many ways.

First, I got news last week from Interweave Press that my first solo piece, a necklace, had been accepted for Stringing Magazine. With beads from Barbara Lewis and clasps by Cindy Wimmer, “Reading the Stones” will debut in the Spring 2010 issue. I can't show you a photo but I think you'll like it-- I'm proud that I stayed true to my style and found a way to use some friends' work in it as well.

Claude's Lily Garden - 3rd Place, Plastics - by Lorelei Eurto

After keeping the good news secret for months, Bead Star 2009 should be on the newsstands this week and Lorelei Eurto's necklace “Claude's Lily Garden” won 3rd place in the Plastics category with my Apocalypto beads featured as her focals. Lorelei has been a big supporter of my work since the beginning-- she used my Little Bumblebeads in her The Convertible necklace that was published in The Best of Stringing a few months ago. See more of her excellent design work on the cover and in the pages of Jane Dickerson's newly published book Chain Style.

Another person I owe a great “thank-you” to-- as much for moral support and advice as for showcasing much of my work is the generous and talented Deryn Mentock. She encouraged me early on to write a blog-- I was waiting until my retirement next year-- and through writing the blog I discovered my true purpose-- to share with others what I've learned about artistic process and manifesting your creative vision.

Vedauvoo Blooms - Deryn Mentock - beads by Stories They Tell

Serengeti Sunset - Deryn Mentock's Jewelry Challenge - 2009

So Stories They Tell is out in the world. I encourage you to celebrate with me the enormous blessing of self-expression by whatever technique you love best. This is truly the thing that we should give thanks for. And for good artist friends everywhere.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas..... FIVE Pairs of Earrings!

2009-11-23T11:50:00.019-05:00

I think earrings are sometimes treated as an afterthought by the jewelry world. They don't get their own tutorials in beading magazines, they are sidelined as addenda to larger projects like necklaces, they are portrayed as beginner's fodder—simple, quick and easy.

They can be and should be considered perfect little artworks on their own. Tiny, yet powerful, they hang close to our faces, enhancing our smiles, flirting with our hair or staking claim to the attention of everyone we speak to. More than merely ear adornment, they are powerful indicators of our mood, our style, our color preferences or our point of view. Whether we feel whimsical or centered, extravagant or tailored-- earrings deserve our design consideration and attention to detail just as much as any other piece of jewelry.

Often my earrings begin as leftover pieces of clay that I can't bear just to chuck into the scrap pile, since most of my mokume gane is very labor-intensive. I usually piece the scraps into mosaic-- another example of a technique born of accident and opportunity-- and the size usually dictates the use so-- voila! we have earrings! Mine tend to be larger and longish, providing more space for the mokume patterns to be seen. But then how to embellish without adding more length?

Found objects frequently come to my rescue, those precious little bits of flotsam and jetsam that I repurpose for ornamentation. One of my best finds was a length of ornate stamped brass molding that probably trimmed the metal ceiling in a turn-of-the-century bar in New York City. Flattened, cut into pieces, cleaned up and sanded, I've dangled and glued many a piece to a pair of earrings. All these bits and bobs tell a story and—after all-- that's what I'm about! Many pieces of my old earrings have been reborn into a new life as a completely redesigned pair. I like to think that whatever I spent on them was well worth it-- first, to be worn as a favorite for so many years and now to grace the lobes of a stranger who picked those particular ones out of hundreds of choices available to buyers. Kismet, as they say.

As the season of Yule is upon us, celebrate the power of small artwork by making a pair of earrings for someone special! Really take some time to make them unique, hunt down some unusual findings or some tiny bit of bling, dig through your old issues of beading magazines for inspiration and your boxes of old jewelry for supplies. You might find yourself, as I did, spending an enjoyable afternoon making--just earrings.

Serengeti Earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

November Skies Earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Hapshepsut's Earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Pagoda Earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Mykonos Earrings - Available in my Etsy shop

Kyoto Earrings - also beads, all available in my Etsy shop

Writer's Block

2009-11-06T14:43:00.026-05:00

I finally posted a blog earlier this week after about a month's inactivity. I was active but the activity was more mental than physical and blogging about it wasn't all that interesting. Besides, blogging is such a visual medium, at least for artists, and I wanted to wait until I had something to show.

I was in a thinking and reflecting mode-- taking a new class, visiting with my sister, discussing new directions, doing some new collaborations and trying some new techniques. Actually, my writer's block is more of a “maker's block”-- I have too many ideas and nothing seems to get created! Some of my readers may be rolling their eyes and thinking, “That's a problem?” Well, it is when you can't seem to settle down on one thing and complete it. Too many balls in the air!

One thing I've been working on are beads for a few new collaborations with Cindy Wimmer of Sweetbead Studio. Cindy is so easy and fun to work with and I really respect her design ability and artistic flair. She makes my beads look good! We can't show you the results right now but hint-hint--they will show up in publications in the future. Here are the beads.

Washed Ashore focal bead

Fallen to Earth beads - for sale in my Etsy shop

Some conversations she and I had while working together resulted in my experimenting with a fun product called micaceous iron oxide, a type of paint known among polymer clay artists as “raku sauce”. It gives a finish to a smooth surface that you would expect from traditional raku, a Japanese technique using a rough clay body that is fired quickly and develops some very interesting metallic glaze effects. So I set out to mimic some of those colors using quirky tube bead shapes, metallic paints and powders. I liked the result so much that I included the tube beads in my Hallowe'en Tribal necklace (see post on Nov. 2) and one I put together this morning, drawing on one of Lorelei Eurto's pieces in Jane Dickerson's book Chain Style for inspiration. There are quite a few fresh and unusual takes on stringing and chain in this new book so I consider my purchase to be money well spent.

Japanese beetle beads - available in my Etsy shop

Metallica Necklace

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-02T15:40:00.010-05:00

I've always loved the Hallowe'en color palette-- pumpkin orange, sleek kittykat black, tumbling autumn leaves in rust, gold, and crimson, big ochre Harvest moon, scudding gunmetal gray clouds over pale stars-- it's rich and mysterious all at the same time.

Since I've lately fallen deeply in love with beach stones and enameled beads, it seemed natural to me to use these two unique elements in a piece about the season. Barbara Lewis whipped out a custom order of her new Persian Lantern enameled beads for me and I found the perfect wave-tossed and tumbled beach stone Hallowe'en focal in the Etsy shop of Stone Me. Happiness is the perfect combination of orange, black and texture!

I paired the hammered copper washers from the auto parts store with the chunky wrapped links my friend Cindy Wimmer used in her bracelet featured on the cover of the latest special issue of Easy Wire. After making several tube beads out of black polymer clay, they were textured differently, cured and then were embellished with metallic powders and acrylic paints. I was going for a raku look and decided the banded one had the right weight and look. I just happened to have the copper seedbeads on hand and used them for little wirewrapped segments up one side of the necklace. The little swirly copper charm hanging from the focal is made with BronzClay, one of the pieces I did in Celie Fago's metal clay workshop last month. You'll be hearing about that more in upcoming posts and seeing more of the things I made there.

So here's your finished Treat, Gentle Readers! I hope you didn't think I'd abandoned you-- just a short hiatus to reflect, renew and refresh my ideas. I hope to share some insights into new directions I'm exploring. I think they're exciting and I believe you will too! Stay tuned!