Weekly Challenge- Week 52

Monday i was sitting at the studio feeling utterly lost creatively. i needed to do something to break me out of my downward spiral so i decided to melt my scrap silver down. well.. it was a bit more than i thought it was once i got it melting, so i did some water casting. 

the results were pretty inspiring. :) so i made some new jewelry. three pairs of post earrings, two rings and a pendant. A pretty solid foundation for a new collection, if i do say so myself. :) 

Being a maker - 2015 wrap up

"Be truthful, one would say, and the result is bound to be amazingly interesting."
-Virginia Woolf "A Room of One's Own"

I have struggled with what is has meant to me to be an artist/maker and have an artistic voice my entire adult life. I have never felt like the 'artist' label fit me. I didn't think i was making things to make a statement (i later discovered that even when i thought i wasn't saying anything, i was) and i didn't feel like i had the skill level to call myself anything more than a dabbler. It was much easier when i was a child and the 'artist' label didn't have all the societal baggage that it does, although, even when i was little i knew that growing up to be an artist wasn't something i should aspire towards. It was somehow lesser. And i am still working through the mine field of self-worth, cultural worth, and 'productive member of society' definition that comes with all that- this post is about part of that journey.

For many years, i was afraid to make the things in saw in my mind and doodled in my books. They were weird, different, technically difficult or nonsense to wear. Even after being obsessed with haute couture for quite some time, i never thought that *i* could get away with making something like that. I struggled in my art classes at college because i always scaled it back, made it useful/wearable/relatable/normal/safe. I didn't have these grand 'meanings' behind my work. I didn't explore like many of my class mates. I kept things small, rigid and for a while, lacking in any artistic life.

Looking at my photography portfolio, the further i progressed in my studies, the worse my photos got. And looking back, that is because i wasn't being honest in my work. I was taking the photos i thought i should take, or the teacher thought i should take- not the ones i wanted to take. I was learning metal smithing techniques at this time as well, but the supplies and tools were pricey, and i was mostly self taught, so i was also playing it small and safe and trying to make things i thought would sell, instead of things i thought were awesome. I look back on my first jewelry piece that i made 'just because' with a mix of embarrassment and pride. Pride that i finally did something just because and embarrassment because it took so long and it was so bad. lol.

This year, thanks to the years of support from a very patient and encouraging partner combined with the influence of a very wonderful and dear artist friend, i have started pretty much exclusively making what i *want* to make- marketability be damned. :) And i was surprised at the overwhelming positive response from people purchasing my jewelry. There was a truth to my work- no artsy fartsy philosophical stuff (that i could never get into when i was in school, which also made me feel like a fraudulent artist), just me, the metal and the tools making something that captures a moment- whether that's how i felt about the song on the iPod, the weather or just me enjoying a new hammer.

I've also started selling my 'experiment' pieces, and they've been flying off to new homes. Previously, they would have been tucked away in a drawer or in a box, forgotten as i refined a technique, looked for better tools to do said technique, or set it aside as a failure for not 'being perfect'. I think people respond well to the lack of perfection. I'm not a goldsmith making shiny, traditional rings with a mirror finish and diamonds. I'm an art jeweler- making fun, funky and statement pieces from copper, silver, gemstones, pebbles, driftwood, rusted bits and vintage stuff. my perfection is found in the imperfection and individuality.

Now- that doesn't give me license to be sloppy, but it also means that i should not be spending 2 hours hand polishing a $20 pair of copper earrings to absolute perfection. Because then, they're not perfect anymore- they look manufactured and overworked and that's a huge turn-off.

I am looking forward to 2016 as the year i really come into my own. I have a cohesive line of jewelry and art now- when it's all spread out at a show, it flows. My displays, my work, me.. we are all in harmony. I'm also looking forward to getting back into photography. I pulled out my old portfolio and actually sold two pieces this month to someone who really wanted them. I'm going to be setting up the dark room and adding traditional B&W photos to my offerings- i haven't decided if i'm going to create a separate Etsy shop or just add them in for now. I'd like to work on incorporating some of the photos into reliquary style jewelry and into my larger wall pieces- i'm working on some ideas- look for in-progress blog posts next year. :)

Weekly challenge - Weeks 49-51

I haven't made any new art that i could share over the last couple of weeks because it's all been stuff for gifts- either commissions or gifts i'm giving.

I did go to the MTGMS gem show back on the 13th and picked up some neat stuff i can share though! (the sting of peacock beads are from Flamey Amy- not the gem show, but they came in the day i was taking the photo so i thought i'd include them in the new loot)

I picked up a lot of rutilated quartz at this show- something about it kept calling me and i purchased pieces from three different vendors. I got some neat fossils too- sand dollars and horse teeth.

The smaller cabs (from the left to right over the peacock beads) will be ones i'll have available for my stonesetting class in January at the MBG. This will be a fun class- students will have a choice of making a ring or pendant and we'll set a cab and a faceted stone.

I keep feeling like i have so much to say about this year- about how i grew as an artist and as a business woman this year.. but i don't know how to start. With Week 52 being on the horizon, and me actually keeping up with this very well this year, all things considered, i feel like i need to sit down with my fancy pottery mug of tea and write some words of wisdom, hope and summation, but i just can't get that first sentence out. Maybe i'll be better next week and can give 2015 the artistic send off it needs... and deserves.

Weekly Challenge- Week 48

I had my last show of the season this past weekend. It was the Brooks Holiday Artist Market and it was great. :) I made friends with some artists, bought some beautiful work, and received a lot of positive feedback from customers. All in all, it was a very successful, albeit busy, fall show season. I'm thankful for the break, but already planning for the spring. The fine silver gingko leaves were popular this year- I'm looking forward to collecting some more and making another statement piece - I didn't get any good photos of the one I made, but it was three small leaves, cascading on fine chain from a hammered sterling circle. I really liked how it turned out. I was also experimenting with a new very black patina on silver that is highly polished. It looks almost like hematite when it's finished. I think it's pretty slick and it looked great on one of the gingko leaves and the little stacking rings. I have a long list of things to work on for the spring shows.

I made myself a ring as a reward. I used a freeform piece of 96 layer copper and fine silver mokume gane that I made and set it into a lovely statement ring.

Mokume Gane (wood grain) set in sterling and fine silver ring- Private collection

Weekly Challenge catch-up - Weeks 46 and 47

I promise I was working the last two weeks! (the dark circles under my eyes from the late nights at the Studio corroborate my story!)

My last show of the season is this weekend at the Brooks Museum and honestly, I'm thrilled. I have a pile of commissions to work on before Christmas and then I can take a break for a couple of weeks before I have to get back to it for classes and spring shows. If I sound like I'm complaining, trust me, I'm not, I just need to make myself a working time turner and maybe make a clone or two of myself! Lots of work is a good problem to have and it is one of the things that I made sure to be thankful for this past holiday.

I'm working out my schedule for classes next year with the Botanic Garden and the Metal Museum. I'm very excited to have opportunities at both locations and am thrilled about the added reach I'll have to get other people addicted to... I mean interested in, metal working!

I've been busy making fresh new things and a few classics. My artistic ADD doesn't allow me to do too many of the same thing without being uncomfortable and a bit whiney. :) But I think I have a good system down for pseudo-production line work that isn't all the same. It can be difficult to create a body of work that is cohesive yet varied enough to be engaging. I am finding that just changing the pattern or the accent stone isn't' enough to keep me feeling like I'm growing and moving, so I have to push myself a bit more. A dear and respected friend said I needed to go a bit further with my work- to not play it safe and to be a little less of a perfectionist. so I'm trying to get a little more dimensional. I'm adding some dapped and swaged shapes to my standard designs and I'm finding they bridge the gap nicely between my fold formed pieces and my air chased pieces. they're not quite ready for the spot light, but watch for them to be showcased in Week 48 as I'll be debuting them at the show this weekend :)

New earrings made for the upcoming show

A shot of my booth at the Crafts & Drafts show on 11/14