2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 19

I missed weeks 17 and 18 due to a personal tragedy. My grandmother passed away midweek the week of April 23rd. I'm still grappling with the loss of an amazing, kind, and creative woman that was an immense driving force in who I am today. It was unexpected and I only hope she knows how much I love her and how important she is to me.

It's definitely made me reevaluate how I interact with people I care about- I've been such a hermit over the last couple of years and I realize I have to reach out and stop hiding, even if it is my studio I take to when I feel like I need to check out from the world at large.

It's also made me aware that I should tell people what's going on with me so they don't think I am just avoiding them. We have to remove the stigma from mental illness- that's the only way we can heal as a society and as individuals.
I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for most of my adult life- in the last two/three years, it's gone up a few notches. I used to love big groups, concerts, festivals- now they send me into a panic attack. Small groups and one-on-ones have their own issues, and sometimes I just have to say it's ok to hide. Nanny would NOT have wanted me to live my life like this. I don't want to live my life like this. So, if you feel like I've avoided you or acted oddly around you, please don't think it's your fault.

Making things has been my life-line to staying involved with people. Teaching allows me to be kind of someone else. I become Teacher Brandy, and somehow I can deal better with all the scummy-brain stuff that keeps me awake all night, and I have confidence that slips away from me normally. 

I've been fortunate enough to have a wonderful group of friends (and family) that come to my classes and ask me to make special custom pieces for them. You guys have helped me more than you know.

This week's ring is not quite finished, but it is a custom piece for a wonderful lady that has been an amazing supporter of my work and I absolutely *love* making pieces for her- I know she falls in love with the stones just like I do. :) Labradorite supplied by her- silver by me. :) The back will have a cut out of a star after we do the sizing.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 16

This week's ring is a fine silver creeping raspberry leaf atop a 4mm wide plain rectangle band. the band is super comfortable and complements the excellent texture of the leaf, which has a light patina with greens, golds, and bronze tones to it.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 15

This statement ring is made with a cabochon from a (former) local Memphis artist (he's still around- just moved to the other side of TN). paired with a lovely sterling gallery wire and a simple wide band that keeps it securely in place, it's a solid ring, great for special occasions or everyday wear.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 14

this Treasure Mountain turquoise is paired with sterling silver and gold fill. I like the mixed metals with the variety of colors in the stone.

(and yes, i did tap those prongs down a little more after this picture. I was just so excited with how it turned out!)

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 13

Featuring treasure mountain turquoise and a lovely little cast succulent, this is week 13 in my 52 week maker challenge. (shown on a lovely piece of wood that became an even more lovely pendant!)

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 12

I spent the evening of the spring equinox making- seemed fitting. This is the most recent ring in my 52 pieces challenge series. 

I call her The Oracle. A lovely cultured opal is set in a crown bezel. Fine silver planchettes flank the setting. The band is stamped with Yes, no, and goodbye, along with some fun stars. All Sterling and fine silver. Will be available in the etsy store soon!

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 10 &11

I was on vacation the first week of March, so I had to play catch up this week. Then I forgot to post, so here are weeks 10 and 11 in one post. :)

I'm teaching a class this saturday on alternative stone setting techniques, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some pieces and take photos for my hand outs- here are the two techniques I did- Faceted bezel set stones and 'Fenced' stones (i know there has to be a name for that kind of setting, but it reminds me of those old little wire fences people would have around their flowerbeds back in the day... )

Lab grown alexandrite set in sterling custom stepped bezel

Dichroic glass set in sterling with stamped band

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 9

This week's ring is also a simple one. I started out with 5 White Water turquoise mini nuggets stacking rings (as the plan) and wound up with only one after a variety of mishaps, including sticking a bur into my thumb.
But that's ok, i'll remake the tiny bezels and get the stack made this week.

i also finally made the scrying pendant i've had bounching around in my head for months and did my first stone-on-stone setting, so i would say it was a productive week. Even though some of it was frustrating, i learn from my mistakes.

I'm excited to be working on the instructions for my Bezel explorations class next month and for another step-by-step article for Metal Clay Today. :)

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - Week 8

Last week was filled with last minute work on my Halstead Maker's Challenge piece- it turned out pretty ok (although I crashed it on Saturday during class- i think the succulents survived)

This week's ring is nice and simple -it's a little infinity midi ring. not all pieces have to be 'works of art' and day to day rings are important to make too. so here it is :)

  

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - Week 7

This week's ring is kind of a dud only because there was some silver solder on my brick that I didn't see and it got on my pretty copper bezel wire and messed up the pattern. I guess that will teach me that I should always tap off my brick between silver and copper projects! The back of the stone is open though- it has a little shelf inside the bezel wire from square copper wire that the rounded back of the fossil sits on. I used my whetstone to flatten it out some so it wouldn't jab the finger, but the open back allows the ring to be lighter on the hand and I think it's a good technique to use when you have a stone that is irregular or interesting on the obverse. 

This is my new burl wood statement necklace- I cut the slice of wood from a chunk of burl, sanded it to make a nice smooth surface, shaped the edges and then oiled it to make the figuring pop. I created the frame in a minimalistic way to show off both sides of the wood- they're equally enchanting. The chain is handmade, but not by me. I have a front clasping toggle to make it very comfortable to wear. I'm not sure i'm going to be able to part with this one, but i am DEFINITELY going to be making more!

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - Week 6

Red River Turquoise in sterling silver

This week's ring was truly a challenge! for the life of me, I couldn't saw a straight line, they all slanted to the right- which I guess is ok since they were all slanting at the same angle, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

This lovely Red River turquoise has soft blue-greens (matches my studio) and a kind of hazy, dreamy pattern. I like the way the 24 gauge wall with slight texturing on the edge contrasts with the smoothness of the cab too. I think I'll leave this one bright silver, although it would look nice with a dark patina as well.

I'll be teaching a less frustrating version of this in my class in March- Bezel Explorations.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 5

I meant to post yesterday, but I had a bad day. Those happen and it's important for me to let myself have them and then deal with it than to try to put it off and turn one bad day into several.

I had a great class on Saturday though- people made some really awesome stuff. My class sample somehow turned into a pendant once I got back to the studio after class, but i think it's pretty swell anyways. :) The turquoise is Treasure Mountain, the CZ is a green garnet and i think the succulent is a cast Hen-and-Chick (?)

But since this is the 52 ring challenge (and I'm up to 9 in 5 weeks) let me present this week's ring. 

It features a petrified limb from the Mississippi Petrified Forest (i didn't know this was a thing until i bought this) that i purchased in New Orleans. The edge is raw and shows where the bark was. I've set it in a hybrid bezel/prong setting (which i will be teaching in my March class at BMB designs). the band has a subtle wood grain texture. I'm super thrilled with it. :) 

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 3

Ok- this has been a frustrating week. I was supposed to go out of town for the 3-day weekend and spend some time communing with nature. I need it. I need to get down and take up close photos of turkey tails growing on fallen logs, bark textures from bare trees, black reaching branches silhouetted against a crisp blue winter sky. Unfortunately, mother nature had something else in mind and instead of heading out Friday night after work (Saturday morning if I was too tired), I worked from home Friday as I was iced in. I was outside trying to scrape the ice off my car when I watched a much larger, heavier vehicle go sliding through the intersection down from my house. After over 30 minutes of working on my car, and I still couldn't see through the windshield, I gave up. In time to watch another car go sliding past my house and fishtail as they tried to pull into the driveway across from me. I decided NAH..

So.. I was stuck at home. I made it out on Monday and wandered the gardens to get a little bit of nature (and I did at least get a few photos of cool textures and the Big Bugs were still out) And thankfully I worked some studio time in.

Unfortunately, snow moved in again and we got some serious little drifts here at the house. The street was completely covered and I again, enjoyed/cringed-at the sound of cars sliding down my street as I worked from home again today.

Week 3's rings:
1st set were technically done at the end of week 2 as I forgot I was doing this from Monday to Sunday- two men's bands done in 16 gauge sterling silver. they're high polished and quite shiny.

And the other 2-

Ring 1- Bronze cast piece (leaf impression) on hand stamped sterling rectangle band

Ring 2- Unicorn creations Dichroic glass satin finished bead, torch pinned in a sterling silver stamped 16 gauge U band. The bead (and two sterling side beads) spin around in the setting and the bead is reversible with lovely flashes of purple on both sides. The wire that holds it in the U frame was balled up with the bead in place with my Little Smith torch- I think this is the first time I've successfully pinned something with wire this thick.

And because I'm not *just* making rings in 2018, here are some other pieces I've made this year:

Small sterling nebula pendant. It's reversible. I'm trying to decide if I like it shiny or if it needs some patina.

Sterling and Bronze pendant- currently unnamed (but leaning towards Shattered).

The back is as fun as the front. The bronze bits are held in place by oversize textured prongs.

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - week 2

(Note- also back dated due to issues blogging from my phone and forgetting to do it when i was at a computer. lol)

Here's my ring for week 2 of my challenge:

Sterling silver with rainbow dichroic cabochon from Galaxy Glass (on etsy). I made it so it could be easily worn with stackers (as seen on my finger)

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - week 1

(note- I backdated these as I had the rings made on time but forgot to post- going forward, they'll be accurately dated)

I've decided to do another annual challenge. Things have settled down on the travel front for work and I honestly shouldn't be traveling more than 3-4 times, at most, in 2018. I'm sad and happy about it. Sad, because I enjoyed those face paced, 24-hour turn around visits to random cities- exploring them in the middle of the night and sleeping on the plane coming home. It was like speed dating for cities. Pack as much interesting and local stuff into 17-36 hours as possible.

It's good that I'm not traveling like that because it allows me more time to plan my personal trips. I'm doing a class with Sarah Perkins in June and one with Victoria Lansford in July. I'm trying to decide what to do for my birthday this year, as the last few have pretty much been suxxors for various reasons- last year I was flying back from LA on my birthday and the year before, we were in Arizona with the kids and my aunt. And while my birthday itself was good, it felt really off too for some reason. the year before that was awkward for reasons I won't go into. And I get to go to a beach this year and actually do more than stare at it for 20 minutes and take some photos and scoop up a few shells. :)

So- since I think I'll be around, I'm going to try this 52 ring challenge- and if I make more than one ring in a week, I'm not going to save it for another week, unless it's because I'll be at a trade show or out of town.

Without further ado- here's what I made on New Year's Day.
1- larimar heart with fancy gallery wire and a wide, textured band
2- Mokume gane oval cab (made by me) set in plain silver bezel and on a thinner, pattern band
3- Mokume gane round cab (made by me) set in plain silver with a plain half round band
4- Tabasco geode from Mexico set in a plain silver bezel with a thin rectangle band

Creative life 2016 - some week... some time..

Blogger's inability to correct the issue with its app, on a Nexus device, has severely limited my ability to blog, so yes, I am very behind on my regular posts. No fear, though, I have been creating!

Tennessee Craft Southwest put on a show at Crosstown Arts last weekend that I had the pleasure of having a booth in and the experience of coordinating. 13 artists in a small space is something akin to herding cats, but it was a great show, all the participants were excellent and we had an amazing turn out for a 1st year show. I think everyone was quite pleased. My booth setup was a little different as we had 6x6 spaces and I was out in the middle so my space was fully visible from all directions. I think I pulled it together ok :) (Marilyn's gorgeous art quilt is in the upper right corner of the image below- her work is so detailed and deep, it's truly inspiring)

I'm going to be adventuring for the next two weeks, so not much creative time. I was working on getting some stuff done for an upcoming private enameling class and I was playing around with a piece that I had put a counter enamel coat on long ago and forgotten. This was supposed to be the back of the piece, but with some vintage lump enamels, some leaded powders, and some unleaded liquids, I accidentally created this last night. The clear when teal, so I had to add more blues- it actually matches the studio - almost exactly the wall color. it's a 6x6 piece, so I'll probably put some counter on the back and call this baby done. the depth doesn't really show much in the picture, but the way the copper oxides are dispersing through the clear coat and the white looks like leather in a few places, it's a neat piece and I'm looking forward to having time to play with the techniques more.

Something that keeps showing up on my radar is growing my business. Conversations, blogs I follow,  my horoscope, whatever, there's a theme of pursuing my passion, and how to get the funding necessary to do that. I did the Go Fund Me thing, and I need to revisit that as we have changed the plan as it unfolded- the Mobile Metal Working Studio is still a thing- it's still in the 3 year plan and it will happen.. just not in a VW bus and not on the time line I thought it would happen. We decided a small trailer is the better way to go last year, and if my recent google search is to be believed, mobile boutiques are BOOMING, so having a small studio/gallery that I can cart around the country, especially the west coast, is doable. And there are now resources out there to help me be successful instead of me having to figure it all out on my own. I've priced it out and since I need a new daily driver soon, it's a better investment. Also, to be fair, there are some logistical issues that have put the acquisition of the MMWS on hold- namely where to store the thing when I'm not on the road, which with my mainstream job, that will be a lot of the time.

I want to do this full time. the teaching, the art, the shop. I need funding to do that, but I feel bad about asking for money, (loan, Kickstarter, go fund me, whatever) when I can't give definitive dates of when I will do things because of the day job. and If the money isn't enough, like partially funded go fund me, then it all falls through and I'm left with a really guilty feeling. I want to be one of those people that dives off in and makes it happen, I just don't know how. :(

Creative Life 2016- week 15 part 2

Spring is in the air and i've had monkey brain most nights, leaving me groggy in the morning and grumpy in the early afternoon.

However, since the night time is my-time, i have been getting some work made and i have a slew of sketches that i can't wait to get started on. I'm trying to make work in cohesive 'collections' now, for a few reasons-- 1- it makes my work easier to display as things go together and make sense instead of being a visual testament for my artistic ADD and 2- it makes it easier for me to enter into competitions, scholarship opportunities, etc because my work makes sens to a juror, judge, etc.

I'm still focused on my fold formed pieces, but i've branched out into enameled fold formed pieces over the past year and now i'm adding enameled beads to my fold formed focals. this lets me pull my enamel only work seamlessly into my current offerings also.

I'm really wanting to get back to my enamel 'sketch' work- where i actually draw on the enamel with a graphite pencil and fire it all together to create a permanent 'doodle' on jewelry. i have a giant focal i did almost 2 years ago that i love, along with my smaller pendant pieces, and i think there's some great possibilities for me there- both in the finished work and in the artistic process.

The other 'line' i'm working on is a narrative set of pendants inspired by words from http://other-wordly.tumblr.com/. The first in the series is Werifesteria (to wander longingly through the forest in search of mystery) and has a dendrite stone as its focal.

Here's what i finished last night- it's the only one i have right now in silver. While i love copper and i love working in copper, i love silver too, and sometimes something a little fancier is needed. :) the chain is random lengths of this lovely twisted figure 8 link connected by hand wrapped links with tiny labradorite. The focal is dauphine and harvest blue enameled pieces with organic wrapped sterling bits and a big chalcedony tear drop (i've had these in my stash for *years*- they were one of my first big splurges- i paid more for the strand than i was normally spending on a whole order of other beads. I've slowly been adding them to special pieces and this was a match made in heaven!)

Don't forget to come by and see me at the East Buntyn art walk this Saturday from 1pm-6pm! The commemorative glass this year is a pretty red and once you buy the glass at headquarters, you can get pours from all the artists around the neighborhood as you browse and buy one-of-a-kind art!

Creative Life 2016 - Week 14 part 2

I went to the 1st Whet Thursday of 2016 yesterday down at the Metal Museum, and the weather was just amazing.  The sunset gave us a great show too, with the clouds turning this luscious shade of purple right before the sun slipped below the horizon. With the giant oaks and the deep history, combined with my obvious passion about metal, the Metal Museum grounds are one of my 'grounding places'. While there, i browsed the Inches from the Earth exhibit and got some encouragement to keep on with the direction i'm going, and i fell in love with a David Huang small vessel. 

In that vein, i have some new work for the Art Walk on the 16th!  :) If i sell enough, i'm going to go and get that vessel. I just have to decide where to put it. The bottom picture has a couple of designs i'm revisiting- the bar necklace is a chunkier version of one i've been making. The two fold formed pieces are variations on a theme and are a bit smaller than some of my previous (non circle) pieces. the bracelet is a vintage copper blank enameled in the torch and swirled with a rake while hot. i'm super pleased with the colors and the swirls and am looking forward to making more of these. I just have to suck it up and get over the idea that i *will* use up the focal pieces i have and that's ok. :) I also made several pairs of the torch enameled beaded earrings and did those up in silver and copper. 

 

Creative Life 2016 - Week 11

I'm starting off week 11 with positivity. I am reinforcing my affirmations, trying really hard to show myself kindness, and remembering that I cannot give from an empty bowl.

Part of what makes my art so important, at least to me, is the amount of myself that I put into each piece. It is my way of making my story immortal. However, if i'm all used up, i'll have nothing to give to my work, and it shows. People respond so much stronger to the work that was made with passion and imbued with love and light.

I dove off into the amazing and terrifying world 24 karat gold. I made granules for a granulation project that has been stewing since my class on the 5th. I'm excited about the potential.

Check out this lovely fungi. The whole stump was covered in this beautiful colorful shelf fungus. I took a little mold of those tiny bits and am looking forward to reproducing it in bronze or copper. When i grew White Oysters a couple of months ago, a few of them dried out while i was traveling for work and are these hardened, compacted versions of themselves. I think i should be able to get a good mold from them, so positive outcome from a negative thing (they were very tasty and had a lot more to give, but mushrooms must not be allowed to go dry... )

Creative Life 2016- Week 7 - Continued!!

Look at me.. making twice in one week! {sarcasm} if i had the energy, i'd be in the studio every night again, making a dozen pieces a week. The weather is absolutely beautiful today though- i rode the scooter back to work after lunch (and was tempted to not go back to work) and am looking forward to riding around this evening, before the chill sets in after dark.

Last night i got a few pieces made :) To be fair, they were mostly doing the final assembly, clean up or whatnot of pieces that have been sitting around for a while- the large copper piece has been tossed around my office for almost 2 years. BUT- i'm going to take the victories i can get and i will be content in knowing that these pieces are not 100% complete and ready for pricing and display.
Yes- i tweaked the image strangely, otherwise, you wouldn't be able to see the three earrings at all. one pair is a wire fabbed triske- Sterling, one is mold cast fine silver trilobites and finally, the bottom set is made from water cast pieces that have been soldered together to create a harmonious pair.

The leaf is a fine silver peperomia leaf with liver of sulfur patina (sealed) on a metallic bronze leather cord with sterling clasp. And of course, that big honking statement piece is solid copper- coated to protect the brightness.