beautifully crafted handmade jewelery
Well it turns out that forging is way harder than forming for me - who knew? Though I am so new to all this, take my perspective with a grain of salt! š The featured picture is my first sloppy attempt at a forged bracelet. These are some of the teacherās samples: If you look… Continue reading Metal Forming #2
One of the many things I enjoy about Lillstreet is that there is art everywhere. Itās chaotic, a little messy, but always a visual feast! When I arrived on Saturday, a little pop-up shop āBabbleonā and gallery was bring set up between the second and third floors. It was varied and playful and I enjoyed… Continue reading Art, art everywhere
I learned about sand blasting and powder-coating today! It was the second session of my Color on Metal class at Lillstreet Art Center. Powder-coating looks like paint; you might recognize it from cars, home appliances, etc.. Apparently, itās actually a type of resin, or plastic. You conduct a little electricity through the piece, spray it,… Continue reading Color on Metal #2
At the beginning of our second class we had a look at peopleās work from last week. Some left theirs at the studio, and I brought in experiments from home. Here are the instructorās rings - cool variety of colors! These are from another student. The dark blue is really amazing! And the chunky salt… Continue reading Color on Metal #1 – Part 2
I am smitten! Both with the outcomes and with this technique. I had a crazy moment a few weeks ago when I was feeling great health-wise, and in that moment, I signed up for two classes at Lillstreet this session. Not my smartest move (itās only been one week and Iām already tired). BUT, I… Continue reading Metal Forming #1, Part 2
In my metal forming class on Tuesday night this week, Darlys shows us the basics of forming and planishing. These first four pictures show her shaping a 3 inch copper disc into a bowl shape. She used dapping sets and a mushroom stake to create the bowl-shaped curve. The metal is worked, and then annealed… Continue reading Metal Forming #1, Part 1
Here are some of the samples from my Color on Metal class last Saturday. The first photo (featured image) is copper with a stamp on it; a slow, gentle heating turns the metal purple. You can also achieve wonderful yellows and oranges, like the instructor samples below: But Saturday we mostly focused on blues and… Continue reading Color on Metal #1 – Part 1
For the first time since before the pandemic, this weekend I traveled into Chicago to take a class at Lillstreet Art Center. It was great to be back in this creative, welcoming community art center! š I am taking two classes, but the one on Saturdays is a quick four-week class called Color on Metal.… Continue reading Return to Lillstreet
Iāve been enjoying the slow unfolding of this project - I hope you have too. ā¤ļø The settings and hollow forms are now complete. The next step will be to connect them together!
Considering all the ridiculous food sensitivities in my family (plus being gluten and dairy free), our dinner and desserts turned out to be both beautiful and delicious! Do you have family traditions that make you cry? No? Me neither, thankfully! š¦ š½š„§ BUT, my momās mashed potato recipe calls for a a mountain of sautĆ©ed… Continue reading Thanksgiving 2022
Last weekend I puttered around my shop, and I enjoyed the change of pace - the slow unfolding of this project was a pleasure. In this series of pics, youāll see that I prepared the settings for the Labradorites, and then I shaped the hollow form frames to match the stone shape. I settled on… Continue reading Labradorite bracelet – work in progress
I have not been super motivated to metalsmith in the past week or so. Some of it is because I have been trialing new drugs to manage my health conditions, and that has been a bit of a roller coaster. But the cold has also been a factor - I have to get myself mentally… Continue reading Working in batches