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Thursday, July 24, 2008

AARP's Got Nothing On This...


Level One Certification Examples

So... did anyone notice in yesterday's post that I alluded to the fact that I student taught a Level One class with Mary Ann Devos at the Conference?  It's just one of the things one has to do when... one has been appointed a Senior Instructor!!!  Too many exclamation points, but I'm really honored to have been asked to become the new Senior for the Los Angeles and general Southern California area.  Huzzah!

My first cert. class at Mikuni in Northridge is scheduled for September 27 and 28.  The maximum number of students for my debut is just 8, so if you're interested (and I hope that you are) be sure to sign up with PMCConnection.com as soon as possible. I'll be adding some general certification information to both my full website and my Class Schedule blog soon, so be sure to check out the links to the right of this post in  a few days.

Depending on when you're reading this, the class was temporarily listed under Mary Ellin D'Agostino's name, but don't be fooled.  I'll be there with bells on, clutching a binky to calm my nerves.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

A Most Special Gift

Torch fired, but un-polished silver clay scrap

Lots of things to do today to get ready for a class, but I wanted to share one wonderful thing that I learned at the conference. 

When you teach a class, you hope to impart some of your knowledge and experience to your students.  The goal is that you leave them with information that they'll find useful in their own jewelry making processes.  Sometimes during that exchange a teacher is lucky enough to learn something new or innovative from the student.

While student teaching a Level One class with Mary Ann Devos in Indianapolis, one of her students shared a tip that was worth the price of admission right then and there.  Unfortunately I no longer remember her name.  My memory runs through the sands of time, and valuable information is sifted through my synapses like a play day at the beach.  If you read this dear student, I apologize and beg you to leave a comment so I can credit you in the future.

We're always looking for ways to save every tiny bit of the precious gold or silver clay we use to make our masterpieces. I've told the story about how CeCe Wire has every student wipe their hands on a baby wipe to retrieve the clay that clings to their hands, collects every stray piece of sandpaper and ancient emery boards to send to a refiner that takes dirty scrap. I've always said that I neither have the space for storage nor the energy to save all that gilded ephemera for the few cents it might garner. This brilliant student takes saving fine slip from fingers, tools and work surfaces one step further.

She wipes things down with a baby wipe or piece of toilet paper and then torch fires it to reclaim the silver content.  It can be saved to refine down the line, used to cast with or best of all - melted into little balls and other interesting shapes to be added as design elements to unfinished pieces. Brilliant.  I'm sure that other folks have thought outside the box to discover this wonderful way of in-house refining, but it just never occurred to me.  Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Home Again, Home Again...

Purdue Memorial Union Hotel

I'm back from the conference (finally) and all revved up to get back to work. Yes, BronzClay is terribly exciting, the seminars were inspiring and seeing old friends was just too fabulous. Making new ones doesn't exactly suck either. Too much fun. And I had even more when I got home. Maggie Bergman from Australia stopped in L.A. for two days on her way back to Oz and we had the bestest time. I just dropped her at LAX and want to cry, I miss her already.


I'm not a picture taker, so nothing but Google Images to illustrate the fun we had (note to self: get a purse sized camera). Paige, Michelle, Maggie and I went to a wonderful restaurant in hippie saturated Topanga Canyon called Inn of the Seventh Ray. It's a lovely old place on a creek (at least it's a creek after the rains) protected by a  canopy of green leafiness - complete with fluttering Monarch butterflies and scampering squirrels. And probably even more unseen but observant wildlife. It's rumored to have been built in the 30's by Amiee Semple McPherson as a private getaway to escape the intensities of her pentecostal ministry.

Swimming Upstream

Then we went up to the Malibu Country Mart to go to a favorite folk art gallery that I haven't visited in much too long.  So long in fact that Tops Malibu doesn't exist anymore. It was so unique. Such a shame. So back into the car to go to Altered Space Gallery which carries two of my favorite jewelry artists, Todd Reed and Eric Silva. Of course while there I fell in love with a fine artist I wasn't familiar with before. Michele Mikesell's whimsical anthropomorphic animals make me smile, her technique with paint is luscious and I want one more than life itself. Okay. That may be an overstatement.

Today we went to San Gabriel Bead Company so Maggie can envison where I work when I tell her stories and drove to Pasadena to walk around the outside of the Gamble House which is only open for tours on weekends. Dang. Then back to my studiolo for a quick nap followed by the sad trip to the airport. Can't wait for 2010 when I get to see Maggie, Angela, Sarah, Linda, and all my other new and old friends again. To say nothing of the glorious conference.  Which I will report on in depth tomorrow. Stay tuned for more fascinating observations ...

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Carnival's Back in Town

Image via DandyTree

Step right this way... Each month a group of jewelry artists use their blogs to get together online and answer the same question - each in their own way.  This month's query is:

What is your favorite manual tool?

The list is long, the choices many.   I don't think I've met a hand tool I didn't like.  I love to collect them and put them on the wall to admire.  There's an old tool sale in my neighborhood once a month where they sell all kinds of wonderful things.  Old adze's, the most wonderful hammers, altered files and bits of architectural details.  It takes all my inner strength not to empty my checking account each time I go.

That said, my favorite manual tool has remained the same for years.  At least for use with metal clay.  I loooove a good toothpick!  I sand with it, drill holes, place patina in difficult or delicate areas - even use one to burnish a bit.  I use a round, wooden toothpick almost as much as I use my synthetic hair #3 watercolor brush, which I simply could not stand to be without. Very low tech.

I'm really interested to see what the other carney's have to say though.  I bet they've discovered a wonderful tool that I'll have to run right out to acquire.  After I get back from the conference at Purdue of course.  I'll be taking the next week off from blogging and will return Monday the 21st.  Be well and leave lots of comments to let me know what you've all been up to.

If you'd like to see what the other carney's have to say, check them out:

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Extra, Extra!

Tonya Davidson, the genius behind Whole Lotta Whimsy has now created a blog! And it's great. Musings and Mullings will focus on marketing, branding, and other professional topics as well as metal clay techniques and the new BronzClay.



And wait until you see her stunning studio. I'm so jealous I could melt. It's bright, big, clean and best of all pink! The enamel wall alone is aesthetically gorgeous as well as being super functional. And I'm dying to know what's in all those green storage boxes on the wall to the left. Treasures!



Drop by and leave a comment. This new venture really deserves all the support we can give it. I can't wait to see how this blog develops.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Weekend Eye Candy


Take a look at my beautiful new key fob made by Kirsten Skiles of Knitsteel.  Kirsten recently taught a forging workshop at Haystack and this was one of the little lovelies she made while she was there.  I feel a bit like I was there too.  Her blog was filled with such wonderful imagery, I just had to have a bit of the magic myself.  And I needed a new fob.


Who knew?! Flickr has groups that gather images posted by other Flickr members.  One of these groups recently contacted me to include one of my hollow rings and that's how I discovered them. Take a look at the collection of great jewelry images they've compiled.

Have a safe, sane and rockin' 4th of July - or 14th of July in advance depending on where you live!

Monday, June 30, 2008

When At First You Don't Succeed...

Pretty.  Not metal clay!  The three images of mine that have appeared in other people's Treasuries have all been examples of my fabricated work

Have you ever had a task to complete? Of course you have. You do your best - you think.  You start the process, whatever it is - writing a memo, creating art, filing papers, making dinner - whatever.  You finish it, make sure it's right and call it done.  You feel a sense of accomplishment and give yourself a figurative pat on the back.  Then a while later you look at it again and wonder what in the world you were thinking!

I didn't use the close up as my first shot and I warmed the color up too much

This afternoon I decided to design an Etsy Treasury.  For those not familiar with this online marketplace the Treasury is a feature/program that allows a member to create a pseudo boutique using images of products that are sold by the shops that do business there.  It's fun. Like shopping; nesting; putting a look together - but not spending any money.  And other folks get to look at your selections and tell you if they like them.  And if it's a really great treasury the Grand Poobah's in Etsy management put it on the front page.

A nice shot, but I made this five years ago and it doesn't really represent my current work

I've made three or four treasuries now.  I'm getting addicted to putting them together. Today's collection features metal clay. You're not supposed to include your own work.  The polite thing to do is to draw attention to other artist's you admire, not sing your own praises.  But I thought I'd sneak something of mine in anyway.  Just one little picture. Hardy offensive. I'd use it as an alternate. But I couldn't find one I liked enough to include.

Nicely framed, but way over photoshopped and too warm

The computer takes the thumbnail from the shop's front page. When you click on the thumbnail, it gets bigger and my enlargements are pretty good.  But the thumbnails just don't rock my boat.  And a rockin' boat is important for Treasuries.

The color's pretty good, but the earring in the front isn't placed well.  It looks broken

The thumbnail is the thing that the viewer sees first.  It's what inspires them to click and find out more about the item.  If it's a bad thumbnail, chances are their eyes move on to the next image and their fingers click to get to the next shop and then you've lost them.

The focal bead is too small in the frame and again, too warm

I knew that my photos were only okay.  I knew that some of them were over photoshopped.  I knew that the thumbnail should have been a closer detail shot.  But it took all day to take them to begin with and I just didn't want to re-do all that work.

I must stop using that color correction tool.  I obviously don't know how to use it effectively

But if *I* don't want to use them in my own Treasury, it's no wonder that other folks don't want to feature them.  So I found one last wonderful piece by another artist to complete my little gallery.  I won't be able to try for this Treasury until my current one is over in two days (told you I'm addicted).

I actually quite like this one.  I just didn't want to use something with this Liver of Sulfur patina

Pictures on Etsy are verrrry important.  They should be in focus of course, well lit, not too busy with props and the photo you list first should be a show stopper.  Being seen in a Treasury and (other places on Etsy) is great free advertising.  And the more folks see images of your offerings, the more likely they are to lust after them and want to caress them in person.  In other words, a good pic gets you sales.

Nice shot.  So nice that these are the first thing I sold on Etsy

I'm too busy this week, and maybe next and then I'm out of town - but I see a photo session in my future. And I'll remember to lose the warm, sandy colored stone under the gray rock which is leading my re touching astray.