Master Metalsmith Linda Threadgill at the Metal Museum

The exhibit is amazing. It's up through December- get yourself there! My photos don't do it justice- the patterning is something that must be seen to truly appreciate. So much gorgeous, intricate texture. the natural forms are stunning. the flow is out of this world. i bought the catalog and i don't often do that. :) the leaf platters' textures are just WOW.. the hammered and the electroformed bits... so very cool. (words fail me i am so impressed by this exhibit- i loved the Eleanor Moty exhibit- this is on par with that one)

Weekly Challenge - Week 39

It's already Wednesday. I spent Saturday delightfully at Repair Days at the Metal Museum, making rings for folks, carving a scratch bowl and watching the iron pour in a light misting rain. . The Master Metalsmith exhibit is stellar and i highly recommend it. (photos here) Sunday, i made a Halloween wreath and i tried my hand at lunar eclipse photography and was doing quite well until the cloud cover thwarted my full eclipse shots. Monday and Tuesday, i was in Galveston for work and spent a little bit walking the beach and collecting shells after i'd finished my work.

My wreath. :)

The beach at Galveston

Weekly Challenge - Week 38

It's been a true challenge to make sure i'm creating weekly- and that's a sad thing in many ways. This is what i love, what i'm passionate about, what, figuratively, gets me out of bed every morning, and yet, i don't get to do it every day.

I'm trying to understand when it became ok, acceptable, lauded even, to go spend your time doing something you're not passionate about day after day for the majority of your life. I've been doing a lot of reading/studying lately and i honestly think religion has something to do with it. Suffer in this life for the bounty of the afterlife- be a cog in the giant machine of society, have your soul crushed day after day, and receive your heavenly reward when you die. People/cultures that don't have afterlife beliefs live much more in the moment- they are an experiential people. I'm trying to find a way to work that zest for the moment into my daily life, which in a society that is more focused on *next* than *now*, is difficult to say the least.

Making doesn't always mean a finished product- or even a 'product' at all. sometimes making is just a sketch, writing in my journal.. sometimes it's just working on an idea in my head and finding solutions.

that being said- i did finish my commission Friday while i was manning the T-Shirt desk at Repair Days and i will be making at the Family Fun tent tomorrow...

Weekly Challenge - Week 37

Here's a photo of my gorgeous Willow cat. she loves to snuggle the blanket. I've been sick this week, so there's been lots of kitty snuggle time. While the cuddle time and down time is needed, Cooper Young is tomorrow, so i've needed studio time this week, that i sadly have not gotten. I will not stress about it though- i'll have what i have for sale at the show and anything that's not ready or labeled or whatever will be available at Pink Palace next month and it will be fine. :) 

Here's an in-process photo of the air chased sterling silver and boro glass pendant i've been working on. it's almost finished now, but i haven't taken another photo yet. i love air chasing! It's so organic and interesting and i love learning how to make the metal do what i picture in my head.

Weekly Challenge - Week 36

Cooper young festival is quickly approaching and i've been building up stock of my less expensive 'fashion' earrings and making some cute colorful stretch bracelets for kids, teens and raver chicks. :)

To combat all that 'assembly line' making, i had to do some artsy fartsy making, so i made these pieces. The necklace is asymmetrical and can be worn in a few different ways. the long earrings have some lovely kyanite ovals at the bottom. I've also been working on my super secret commission project and having a lot of fun with the challenges presented by it. I feel i am really growing as a maker and learning/creating new techniques to get metal to do what i want it to do.

I've got a lot of things going on this fall - especially demonstrations. i have to figure out the best way to make my equipment mobile for these events... time to get the focus back on the MMWS! :)

Weekly challenge - week 35 part 2

Here's what i finished up Wednesday at Open Studio. i think the smaller air chased pieces will be pendants, the two fold formed pieces are sealed with jewelers lacquer to protect their lovely patinas and the cuff at the bottom has been formed into shape and will have a blue patina added to the recesses and a dark brown patina on the rest (fingers crossed it look like it does in my head)

I've got to buckle down and get making! Cooper young is in 2 weeks, then i have Pink Palace 3 weeks after that, and my inventory is low. I need to get all these UFOs off my bench!

I'm going to do a UFO lock-in at the Studio once the weather gets less than desirable (no point in being inside for 24 hours during the lovely fall weather that is soon coming) where you'll pay a fee to reserve your spot at the table for 12 or 24 hours, meals will be provided (you bring your own wine or beer) and we'll have contests for who completes the most UFOs, most unusual way to complete a UFO, etc (UFO for those that don't know are UnFinished Objects-- pieces of whatever medium that have not made it to the completed state for whatever reason) I think it will be a lot of fun, a great way for people to learn some new techniques, get some input from others and get some work completed!

Weekly Challenge - Week 35

Welcome September! Bring on the fall weather- the warm, bright days with the sun a little lower in the sky as i complete my morning commute, and the crisp evenings that require a light sweater or an artsy scarf (like the one i made this past Sunday at the Scarf-in-A-Day workshop i took from the Memphis Guild of Hand Weavers)

My lovely scarf hand woven on a table loom 

I've been working on a special order for several weeks and i finally created the perfect pieces. I thought i had finished them last week- i did final polish, took photos and everything.. but i sat down last night and completely re-did them and i have to say, i'm impressed with myself. :) i like to think that my (re)new(ed), positive (no complaining) POV has something to do with the creative breakthru.. as well as spending a day doing something creatively different.

There are times when i just want to make something completely useless but beautiful- i often find myself making things that are 'useful' or 'wearable'. and i put those in quotes because they're subjective terms- wearable to some people would be unbearable to others and then again some people really do delight in the art wearing them...

usefulness is one of those things i find myself struggling with constantly-- we have 2 sets of flatware- one is a lovely set of stainless steel that andy and i picked out together and it's our 'daily' use set. The second one is my grandmother's sterling silver set. it is beautiful and glowing and i try to use it on the regular, but i find myself pulling out the steel more than the silver because i don't want to 'mess up' the silver. However, as it sits in the drawer, unused, it becomes tarnished. regular use keeps it glowing and silver. How do i toe the line, as an artist, of creating unique and beautiful works that are useful- that are sturdy enough for daily use, should the owner wish to do that? I don't want to make things that just sit in a china cabinet and never know the touch of the family that owns them, never bears witness to special events, or even daily events... and this is the quandary of being a somewhat grounded person that learned making as a way to provide useful things, repair things and upgrade existing things rather than going the fine art route.

Weaving the scarf felt very familiar to my hands- self-sufficiency is something that i ponder often. If i lived in a tree house in the woods, would i be able to provide myself with all the things i need to survive? what would my life look like if i lived off the land as much as possible? How would being a metal smith fit into that life? (i can see it now- off the grid, growing my own food, living in a tree house and getting regular deliveries from Rio Grande! LOL!)

I still have a dream of a little artist commune where we create art and the things we need for day-to-day living... i joke that i'll do it when i win the lottery (gotta remember to buy a ticket), but i find myself turning more and more towards that as a goal for normal, real life..