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 4

Snow days last week forced a more relaxed schedule. I did not make it into the studio as much as I would have liked as my street, specifically, the span of my street right in front of my house, was a sheet of ice for many days. I did get this lovely ring made though. It's also a sample for my class coming up this Saturday the 27th, at the Memphis Botanic Gardens.

This lovely has an agatized fossil coral teardrop, three white CZs, and a fancy pattern wire band.

And here's a lovely photo of the snow and ice that kept me housebound for 5 days in a row! *stir crazy*

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

My tree - A photographic journey

So, I have to drive down to Olive Branch a few times a year to service some printers down there and at some point in 2015, I noticed this tree in a field off Riverdale. I stopped and took pictures of it. It spoke to me- in the middle of this suburban mess, there was a small field on a corner that had been saved from another failed convenience store and on it was this majestic oak tree.

This tree was a bright spot in what was more often than not, a bad day. So, I started making it a point to stop by the tree each time I had to go to OB for a service call. I missed a few- sometimes it was raining too hard for me to get a good shot. Once it was supposed to snow, so I was hurrying to get home before the storm hit. But, I've been pretty consistent- I have 8 images that show how the changes of the seasons dress my lovely. What's interesting is how I'm taking the shot from almost the exact same spot each time... I am not sure how I manage that.

I am so enamored by this tree, I actually looked to see if I could buy the land. It's just north of the state line- so in Shelby County. I would buy it just to protect the tree from being torn down and to make it ok for me to go and lay a blanket under her branches without being charged with trespassing.

Here's the journey from the first shot on December 29th, 2015 to the latest on October 24th, 2017.

Woot!! I can post again!

I have finally found the work around that will let me post photos on my blog. I've been very quiet this year and it's not entirely because I haven't had anything to say or share. I have been to some really cool places this year and I've done and seen some neat stuff.
But I've been in a funk mentally. Energy levels are still low- blood work is fine, but I still feel like I did when I had Mono. I haven't been as busy as I was last year, and while I know that's for the best, I feel like I'm slacking. It makes it hard to make new and meaningful work.
I have mostly filled up my moleskine, so I picked up a few new ones (a watercolor one!! A soft cover turquoise one And my normal black hardcover) I'm trying to get back into writing, sketching and making daily. It's harder than it should be, but I'm working on my self talk and my self care and hoping things will return to something close to normal.

I was lamenting the lack of toad visitors this year and was greeted by this handsome treefrog the same night, my large, garden toad momma this morning before work and tonight, when I came home, momma and a small, bright male were hanging out at the door. The universe answers sometimes. :)

How is it almost June?!?!

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

~ Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

It's been a very fast paced year. It's been going by so quickly, I'm not sure how I got to be where I am at times. And while I think I might at least be close to where I need to be, I can see a vast stretch between me and where I *want* to be. 

My birthday is quickly approaching and that's always a trying time for me. It's my New Year. I try to incorporate all the things I learned, about myself and others, during the time of turmoil (also known as Spring) and make some plans for the next 12 months of my life. It's a pseudo-tradition I began when I was 19 and I've more or less kept up with it. The plans have gotten more open-ended and much less 'strict' as I've gotten older, and hopefully, wiser. And my priorities have certainly shifted since I was a naive teen feeling like anything in the world was possible with little effort. 

I've been focusing more on my art- learning new skills, and trying to work out my visual vocabulary. It's hard creating a 'signature look'- I think it's something I'm just going to have to keep working at. Keep creating all the work I can create and see what repeats. I know what I want to say... it's just hard to figure out how to say that sometimes without being too overt. Maybe I need to be overt for a while.. see how that goes. lol. 

I'm going to have a change of scenery for the next week or so and I'll have an opportunity to dip my toes in the ocean. I'm hoping it will be the recharge I need to face the coming year. 

And here are pictures of some of the stuff I've been working on :)

the finished pieces from my workshop with Joanna Gollberg! i *love* the techniques i learned!

Always making leaves- these are all from the Memphis Botanic Gardens except the tiny oak at the bottom- that one came from Flagstaff AZ. :)

Creative file- Album from San Antonio

For those that don't follow me on Google+ or Facebook, I've published a selection of images from my trip to The Makery in Bulverde and my adventures in San Antonio and Austin.

The album is public here. :)

Creative Life 2016- week 43

October has been a wonderful month in many ways. I've had several weekends now where I've been able to demonstrate metalsmithing and share my knowledge with the public. This weekend, I'll be teaching a class on chain maille at the garden (which I had the experience of promoting on Live at 9 this past Monday! - Click here for the video)

I've become kind of resolved to the fact that I am a living creature with biology that doesn't always match up to what I (think I) want- for a long time, I truly believed that 'humans' were evolved past things like circadian rhythms and seasonal cycles- oh how wrong I was! I am such a slave to my body's sleep and active cycles, and mine are off from what the world expects. Attempts to adhere to this arbitrary and incompatible schedule reflect in my health and mental status on the regular.
I tried the whole waking up with the sun thing, and it was glorious... I was so much more alert, even on less sleep, than when I wake with an alarm. My true lament comes from the realization that no matter what I try, my most creative hours are between 8pm and 2am. I was trying to figure out where my mojo went in the evenings after work when i would go to the studio and try to make. I stayed late one night, and discovered I was leaving the party before the mojo kicked in! I tested it a few more times and confirmed, I can create new pieces with wild abandon, crank out my pseudo-production work and get my Units per Hour to an actual range where I can make a profit selling my art when I work between 8pm and 2 am! However, the schedule for the rest of my life is very incongruent to this block of creative time.

See how productive i can be during the right time of the night?!? And i really need a few more nights like this to be ready for Crafts & Drafts on the 12th of November. (It's a great show- lots of great work and a wonderful, festive environment. I highly recommend attending it)

Creative life 2016 - busy season

So, this time of year is my busy season, both as an artist and just as a person. Most of the shows i do all year are in October and November, and this year I also took on demonstrating for Tn Craft week, which was actually a lot of fun, but it was also rough on my shoulder.. I enjoyed meeting people and hearing stories about their journeys- both the specific trip they were on and their larger, life journey. Individuals are usually pretty awesome, and it's fascinating to me how people's experiences vary so wildly.

As a person, fall is *my* time. My personal magic is strongest now and it will continue to grow until I wear myself out some where between Thanksgiving and the Winter Solstice. I'll hermit a little until the new year, where I force myself to get out, otherwise I spiral downward into taking stock of what I didn't get to over the past year, even though my 'new year' isn't until later, I still find myself harshly judging by societal standards. My resolutions for this year are to be kinder, to myself and others, and to put more effort into eliminating overly processed things from my life, be that food, goods or experiences.

2016 has been a rough year. I'm discovering that it hasn't just affected me and my little circle. It's been wide reaching, especially amongst the empaths. It makes me wonder if all the negativity in the world is just overloading our circuits and we aren't able to keep the walls up to keep the bad stuff out while keeping the plates spinning to keep the good stuff happening.

I've watched my circle of friends shrink as people change and I moved one of my best friends to the other side of the country less than 2 months ago. It's been hard to fight the feeling of isolation and to stay engaged. I would say I've failed more than I've succeeded. The desire to buy some land somewhere secluded and build an earthship and a tree house is strong most days.

Hermiting is not good for me long-term, although i think I do need a few days alone in the woods or on the beach to recenter, recharge and clear some of the debris from my heart and soul of the last year or so. I have a lot of stuff in there trying to get out- visual arts, music, dance, words... But there's so much in the way that it just trickles out in frustrating spurts.

Creative Life - Tennessee Craft Week

I had the pleasure of doing some metalsmithing demonstrations this past weekend at two of the TN welcome centers to raise awareness for TN Craft week and Tennessee Craft.

I was at the I-40 downtown Memphis center on Saturday and the I-155 Dyersburg center on Sunday. I met some really awesome people and heard some great stories about people following their dreams and seeing the world. It was quite inspiring.

Creative life 2016- week 40

Not much studio time since I got done traveling- my nights have been filled with getting things back on track from my month away from home. I did take some photos last week that I thought were worth sharing. :) I have demos at TN Welcome centers this weekend, Pink Palace Arts & Crafts fair in less than 2 weeks, River Arts in less than 3 weeks and then a great chain maille class at the Gardens on the 29th. I'll be on TV the 24th to talk about my work and my classes. October will be pretty busy, but in a good way- for the reasons I like to be busy. Hopefully, I'll be creating like mad over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for new work!

The tree I always stop and visit when I go to Olive Branch for onsite service. 

The view from Cabin 6 at Natchez. It was supposed to be a nice weekend with woods wandering but instead turned into an unplugged weekend of cabining. 

Reflections early in the day on Pin Oak Lake

Reflections late in the morning on Browns Creek Lake

Creative life - 2016 writing off September

I've traveled most of this month.  And by most of this month, I mean that I was home less than 24 hours between trips one and two, I was home less than 48 hours between trips 2 and 3, and I have been sick as all get out and useless between trips 3 and 4. Thankfully, the down time on this trip, and not flying, has enabled me to mostly recover, so once I get back home, I can buckle down and work on bringing the pages and pages of sketches I've done over the last few weeks to life.

October is going to be a busy month with demos and shows, plus a chainmail class at the Gardens that's great for guys and gals, but I am so looking forward to it. Time in the studio, time with kitties, and oh yeah, it my favorite season as of today- I have a lot to look forward to this fall.

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 - week 33

It's been busy, busy in my world lately. I have some great adventures coming up, and the start of the fall show season kicks off next Friday at the Crosstown 'Clectic show presented by Tennessee Craft SW at Crosstown arts. It's a Friday preview party, with a Saturday show, so it promises to be lots of fun (click on the links to be taken to the Facebook events for more details). I've become the coordinator of the show somehow and it's been really eye-opening all the work that goes into making these things happen.

I did a class last Saturday for metal clay and dichroic glass- this is one of my class samples. I'll get it finished this week along with some of my small dichro and fine silver pendants on leather in time for the show next week.

Come out and see me, and 12 other artists. We'll have wine on Friday and just a good time with great people and great art on Saturday. :)

Creative Life- Week 31

So.. yeah. I may have missed so studio time in the past few weeks. I was traveling for work again and I actually had to close the shop on two Wednesdays because of it. I got back on track last week and I made some new pieces. :)
I'm also getting ready for some great classes coming up at both the MBG and BMB designs and my calendar is so full starting this weekend through December, I'm not sure what to do with myself!

We went to Frankstown, MS and hunted for sharks teeth last weekend and that was SO MUCH FUN! it was great to wade through the water, hunt for teeth and fossil shells and watch the minnows in the slow moving creek. I have the hunting bug now and am looking forward to opportunities to look for more rocks and fossils in unusual places.

Since I have shows coming up- starting with the Crosstown Clectic show August 26th and 27th, I have been busy making. Here are some of the new pieces I've been adding to my stock.

Creative Life - Week 27

It's going to be one of those 'longest short weeks ever' weeks- I can already tell. I spent some time yesterday at the studio. I did a little cleaning up and got frustrated at how much there was still to do so I decided just to sit down and make some stacking rings- nice mindless activity that needs to be done since stacking rings are still crazy popular and aside from my circle necklaces and fold formed leaf earrings, still the fastest selling thing I make (especially the ones with the pretty rose cut stones or cute owls).

The rain yesterday was a mixed bag-  I was thrilled at watching the storm roll in and seeing the lightning and hearing the rain pelt the roof. (my yard and trees very much needed the good soaking) I was not thrilled at missing the fireworks due to it being very soggy. When I went out to see if I could see the Bartlett fireworks, I got to see the glow of them, with an occasional high one in view over the treetops, followed by nice intercloud lightning as a sort of response from Mother Nature. it was pretty cool, although I would have rather seen the fireworks in their glory AND the lightning. :)

I've got some exciting stuff coming up this year. I'm teaching a silversmithing class the 16th of July at MBG, 2 classes in August (one at BMB and one at MBG), the Crosstown Clectic show in late August, leading to some demonstrations at 2 TN Welcome centers early October, the Pink Palace arts and Crafts show, mid-October and returning as a Demonstrating artist at River Arts at the end of October. I've got my fingers crossed I'll be invited back to Crafts & Drafts in November as well. In December, I'm off to Austin, TX to play with hammers and stakes at the Makery for a workshop with Andrea Harvink-Kennington.

Creative Life - Week 26

The blogger app has been eating my posts, so i haven't been able to consistently post like i mean to. June flew past me so quickly i didn't even have time to enjoy the passing of birthday month and it was nearly 11 today before i realized it was July... i've been trying to get in the studio regularly, but i'm still working through getting new product in the system and on the shelves, so my creative time has been rather lacking.

With silver prices skyrocketing in the wake of Brexit, i'm hesitant to move forward with my silver line. I think copper and bronze with silver accents are going to still be the thing this fall, at least for my customer base, but i'm dying to make little jewel encrusted spiculum and air chased neck pieces decorated with some of the gorgeous turquoise i bought out west. Maybe i'll make them anyway, prices be damned.

I have been doing more sculpture/decoration stuff lately (at least i'm making something) including this cool family tree i did for a friend's mom. It's not tacked down yet, so that's why it's a weird angle.

Creative Life - Week 23 - My trip out west

Last week was birthday week- and it was spent exploring out west. We left on June 4th around 10am and drove to Flagstaff Arizona. I got home Saturday night, June 11th, around 9pm.

While I did not make any jewelry, I did take my cameras and I took quite a few rolls of film. Unfortunately, I still have some rolls to be developed from one of my last trips- I believe 3 years ago- to New Orleans, so I'll be making a few trips to MPI in the near future to get these all developed.

here is a taste of what I did digitally. :) I played with the panorama feature on my phone a bit and even made a photo sphere at Meteor Crater.

Storm we ran into going across New Mexico

Meteor Crater 360 pan

Meteor Crater Photosphere

Bell Rock on my Birthday

Grand Canyon Revisited. :)

Sandstone Mesas near the Lava Flows

Standing on top of one of the sandstone Mesas at El Malpais with my purple hair. :)