Process Shots of the Week

 Getting back into the bookmaking.

And finished a few jewelry pieces. Really loving the colors on the pearl and sea urchin charm!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Process Shot of the Week

 Work space

 Pendant waiting for a chain

Two new Shelter Me brooches and a pendant waiting for pearls.

Make-a-Day 2/12 - 2/18

After a slow start, it was a pretty productive week for making. The first few days were devoted to making collage examples for my Art Appreciation class, but I did manage to finally get my accordion book content sorted out. I'm pretty happy with my final results. By Thursday afternoon, I found myself with no pressing deadlines, so I took time to make some pins (not pictured) and start some pieces to ultimately sell at the Trunk Show at SNAG this spring. Saturday, which seems to have replaced Friday as my hard core studio day, was super productive. I made several charms and finished several pairs of Mica earrings. I fired up the kiln and spent some time enameling, which I hadn't done in months. After a few more found object brooches, I even got some time to just relax and watch a movie.


Gearing up for another jam packed week! I'll be subbing metals classes for my dear friend Autumn Brown, while she's rockin' it out at the Yuma Symposium!

Studio Serious

So I've finally decided to get serious about investing in my future studio, now that I do have a small, but steady source of income. I'm stealing an idea from Amy Tavern where I plan to buy one tool a month. Some months will be smaller, less expensive tools, but hopefully some months I'll be able to splurge a bit. It's my goal by this time next year to own a flex shaft, an enameling kiln, and some sort of electroforming set up.

I'm happy to say that I'm already well on my way with this goal! I spent my first paycheck from the Children's Museum on a flex shaft, which came in the mail yesterday! I had a difficult decision to make, when I was offered a partial scholarship to Pocosin's Cabin Fever Reliever. While I was grateful and wanted very much to go, I just didn't feel I could afford it, even with the scholarship. Especially with all the hours at work I would have had to miss, and there fore not get paid for. I was heartsick over this decision for days, and flipped flopped back and forth so many times. (Complicated by the fact that I wanted to do something nice for myself for my birthday.) Finally I decided to compromise, and give up the workshop, but allow myself to buy a flex shaft. I know flex shafts aren't exactly cheap, but it was less than the remaining cost of the workshop, and allowed me to work all my hours at the museum.

I'm realizing that my life for now is all about compromise, sacrificing one thing in favor of something else, and trying to choose the best solution, based on time or cost or priority, etc.

Happy weekend. Thanks for reading.

600!

So a lousy home internet connection and a busted camera have led to a serious lack of posting. But still, I've somehow managed to reach 600 blog posts in just over three years. Wow, that's a lot of crap from my brain.

I knew that my 600th post was rapidly approaching, and the pressure was on to make it spectacular. I couldn't come up with anything that felt appropriate, especially since I can't take pictures right now. The pressure was to great, so I'm caving in and posting just the regular stuff.

It's mid semester funk. Everyone is sick and/or super stressed. There's bad studio juju all around, people melting stuff, over firing enamels, wishy-washy design decisions and temper tantrums. I spent most of Monday in my studio and all I managed to accomplish was a bunch of really gross enamels. Yesterday was a wasted day in printmaking. I could not get my gauche to do what I wanted it to. Today was better; I finished up a brooch for Bob's auction and got my flatware handles enameled. Now I just need to assemble them, photograph them and fill out the paper work. By Friday.

I'm lagging on the thesis work. Like I want to make everything BUT the thesis work. I just want to play, start something new, experiment. But now is not the time. And I still have a giant gross blister on my finger from when I burned it over three weeks ago. Ick.

So much for an incredible 600th post. Happy Wednesday.