Learning with my son

From Ian Crafting

I decided that my son was mature enough to learn some basic metalsmithing.  I take a slow approach to learning and therefore to teaching.  I feel it's important that a person learn to understand how to shape a material, how it moves, what it can do.  I like to keep it simple and safe, with plenty of room to explore.  Throughout the whole process, I focus on safety, on always knowing where ones hair, finger, clothes, etc... are, especially in relationship to the torch flame and to any moving equipment.

To prepare, I cut up a lot of small scraps of copper and bronze and cleaned up any sharp edges.  I also pulled out some pre-sawn leaves.  I started off showing my son how to anneal.  We used a portable propane torch, because that's what I often have to use for workshops in non-metalshop spaces.  It's also what a lot of people start off with these days, as they learn from books or even youtube videos.  (I wanted to test out the propane torch for workshops in generic, non-metal, workspaces.)

Once he annealed the metal, I gave him several hammers, with different peen shapes.  I showed him how the hammer strikes both texture and strike metal, and how they work-harden the metal.  He spent quite a bit of time just hammering his scraps, getting the feel of the hammer and the metal.  I try to focus on proper hammer technique from the outset- letting the hammer do the work and using the hand only for control. 

After he had hammered all of his pieces, we did a few solder samples.  To keep it fun and casual, we used easy solder and focused simply on the idea of getting the solder to flow evenly on both pieces of metal.  I didn't worry about getting too much solder or about cleaning up solder blobs. That can come later.

He looked at all of his hammered pieces of metal and seemed to know exactly what he wanted to make.  He laid it all out on the table, then separated it so that he could solder it in sections.  I supervised him through each section, giving him tips on how to set it up and then helping him see the heating process.  One section popped off after he thought he had it all done, so he set it up and did it again.

I didn't think he was physically or mentally mature enough to handle a polishing machine.  Instead, I showed him how to clean his metal with a brass brush.  Then we let it run in the tumbler for 3 hours to work harden and polish the finished pendant.

Take a look at the slide show to see the sequence of events.  I had a lot of fun working with my son.  He had a good time, finished on a positive note, and ended up with a pendant that he is very proud of.

Tunnel Mill and The Morel Project

Last weekend I taught a 3 day chasing and repoussé workshop at Tunnel Mill, near Rochester Minnesota.  The weather was perfect.  The people were friendly.  They got a lot of work done!
Here are some photos from the workshop.  



We spent the first day making chasing tools.  I think I recommended 7 to 10 tools, but most students made many more.  By Thursday evening, a few students were starting chasings in copper and bronze.  I asked the students to make clay models first in a non-hardening oil based plastilina style clay. 
I've learned to ask students to make models so that they visually understand what they are making. In the past when students have worked from my sketches, many do not see the same forms that I see.  I find that I can help the students more effectively, and they can understand the process better, when they make a clay model first.

I asked the students to start with a morel mushroom, appropriate for the season and the locale.  The Morel has an overlap, the potential for height, and a lot of funky texture.  Another great point for a beginner project- a mushroom looks like a mushroom, even with all sorts of mistakes and detours.   The idea of a mushroom is a little boring, but the reality was so much better. 

Every student came up with a unique end result, some realistic, some more fantasy, some funky, some abstract.  There was incredible texture in each piece and lots of great form exploration.  I found that for the extremely new students, the mushroom project gave them a lot of experience in fundamental design elements related to metal and also left them with a lot of confidence.  The students dove right into 2nd and 3rd projects, fearlessly.  Mistakes didn't stop them.  Metal rips became learning and design opportunities.    I had several advanced "students", one actually a much more experienced metalsmith than myself.  He of course adapted to his own skill level and excelled at the process. 

My own major educational revelation-  The less I teach, the more the students learn.  I show the basics, answer questions and then step back, letting them work.  They learned faster and came up with incredible results.  I was working with a group of fearless crafters, ready and willing to learn from mistakes.  Here are some interesting articles about how important failure is in the process of mastery.  Let me note that safety is still of prime importance.  Mistakes are fine.  Injuries are not and are usually preventable.

• The Courage to Screw Up
• Learning from Mistakes

I am still working on my own morel mushroom pieces.  My kids are out of school, so my studio is limited, but I will show you the pieces when they are finished. 

New Design Toy

Inspired by Jinxmedic's convention photos, and my own computer obsessions, I got myself a Wacom Bamboo Drawing Tablet and Pen.  The tablet came with Corel Painter Essentials 4 as part of its basic painting/drawing software package.  I will use the sketches as chasing designs or print them on fabric and use them as a base for further thread embellishment. 

Yes, I could sketch on paper, then scan and resize and print. I'm sure I still will.  I like the idea of sketching right from the computer, skipping the scanning and some potential print phases.  I do love my technology, so why not incorporate it into my art processes?

Expect to see the chasings sooner and the fiber art later this summer.

I know everyone likes to see an idea develop, so I'm showing you my first experiments with the tablet.
I worked from two of my garden rose photos.
 
It feels a bit awkward to draw on the pen tablet while looking up at the computer monitor.  I did more drawings than these, but decided that these are three I can actually work from for a chasing in metal.
  

With any kind of drawing, I constantly remind myself that it doesn't have to be realistic.  I so wish I could go off on some crazy swirly whirly abstraction, based on the original lines and flow of the image I'm working from.  I slowly make progress, but still my eyes and fingers seem set on making the picture look realistic.
Luckily, as I move into the chasing, I seem to be able to loosen up a bit and bring in some more fantasy.

Where's the rose chasing? I haven't made it yet!  I'm leaving you in suspense  I will work on some this weekend and show you photos next week- both in progress and and complete. 
****

oh oh oh
I got my new business cards this week, actually bookmarks.  I rarely keep business cards, but I am always hunting for bookmarks.   I hope you find them useful too and that you pass them on to your friends.

Fluff, Gardening and Sunday Spirituality

Fluff Fluff Fluff

fluffing my hair up, for a bit of Sunday chat

Here's a lazy photo update for my lazy lady's straw bale garden

1. dreads day 25, 2. IMG_0628, 3. straw bale garden  update (2), 4. straw bale garden  update (3), 5. straw bale garden  update, 6. straw bale garden  update (5)Created with fd's Flickr Toys
Some plants are doing well.  Others are so-so.  One basil withered and died while the others thrive.  Same with the parsley, one is dying while the other grows beautifully.  I think moisture must be the key.  I need to let future straw bale plots sit for a few months to compact and compost enough to hold more water.
I want to go get about ten more straw bales.  I just need to call the farmer and set it up.  I hate making phone calls and will procrastinate a bit longer.

On Sundays I find myself thinking every now and then that I'd like to go to church.  I consider myself a Christian, a very liberal Christian with influences from other spiritual traditions.  I prefer to focus on life now and don't understand all the focus on salvation.  I believe there any many paths to a relationship with the divine, including but not limited to the Christian tradition. I'd like to go the Unitarian or Quaker fellowships, but both are about 40 minutes to an hour away.   I'm just not willing to spend 2 hours of my peaceful Sundays on the road.  I considered visiting an Episcopal church, because they show some signs of liberalism with their acceptance of gay clergy. 

I want the best of everything.  I want a liberal fellowship nearby (within ten minutes)  where my kids can see people working together, for the community, with faith and acceptance, regardless of sexual orientation.  I'd like a group that has a food pantry, community garden, and possibly a free clothing closet- as a service to the community.  I want a group that isn't trying to save and baptize my kids.  I want a group that can teach me about social justice action.  I'm more of a looker and talker than a do-er, so I need the prodding of an active social justice fellowship.  I want it ALL!

editing to add currently reading:
Just finished enjoying

Geisha , a Life
By Mineko Iwasaki

Now starting

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in theNew China
By Matthew Polly

Peacock Inspired Chasing and Repousse

Have you been following the silver peacock feather chasing and repoussé progress? 
Installment #1
Installment #2
I confess... I was really making two feathers because I knew this would be a challenge.  I was doing a detailed swirly whirly pattern in a thinner gauge silver than I typically use.  So I made two, for the learning process, and for the just-in-case factor. 
Good thing I did!
I had a little catastrophe.  I tried to add some gold accents to a feather.  The gold bits looked big and clunky.  During the heating process, the thinner areas of the silver starting melting out.  Ack, oof, icko...

A blacksmith friend, Bob Bergman once said that it was the ability to fix mistakes that distinguished the highly skilled from the less skilled.  I myself prefer not to make mistakes or to start over, yet indeed, there is a point at which mistakes can be repaired or re-designed. 

Instead of smashing and chopping my first feather to bits, I carefully cut out the good sections and looked them over.  I kept envisioning them as earrings, but questioning the asymmetry. Again, I was inspired by a friend.  Sandra Eileen  (Jewelry for your Good Life), had recently requested that I modify some earrings to be dramatically asymmetrical.  That's the kind of drama she loves and wears.   Her request pushed me over the edge to go ahead and trust my asymmetrical instincts on more earrings.

1. Peacock Inspired Earrings (4), 2. Peacock Inspired Earrings (3), 3. Peacock Inspired Earrings (2), 4. Peacock Inspired Earrings
Those 18k gold accents look gorgeous on the individual earring elements.  I used my own 18k gold handmade earwires, for beauty and comfort.  From the bottom of the earwire, one earring hangs 3cm, The other hangs 6.2 cm.   These are dramatic, lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Having learned from my mistakes on the first feather, I returned to the second feather.  Part of my mistakes had to with making some areas too thin.  On the 2nd feather I was able to rethink my hammer strikes to more evenly distribute the metal.  I skipped the gold dot accents and instead flowed a small bit of 18k gold solder into the heart motif at the top, to add just a touch of color.

1. Peacock Feather Amulet (2), 2. Peacock Feather Amulet (4), 3. Peacock Feather Amulet (3), 4. Peacock Feather Amulet
This amulet measures approximately 7 x 3.5cm at its maximum dimensions, not including the bail.  It should go on a visually strong chain, either a woven style or handmade link style, at a choker length or a very long length. With large jewelry, always go for the drama.

Since I'm mentioning influences, I should add Bernice Sensei, an aikido teacher at Sunset Cliffs Aikido in California.  (I took classes there for a short while in the 1990s.)  Whenever a new student would get shy and say "I'm new", the consistent reply was "We're all new."  The more skilled I get, the more I realize what they said was true.  Each project is a new challenge, with new learning opportunities. 

Silver Peacock Feather Progress

The work continues...  Please click on the photos to go to the larger sizes at flickr if you'd like to see more detail.

at the end of day Tuesday


part way through one


back side, not clean


ready for the next step


the same two together for contrast
one worked through a "round"
one the same as yesterday

Peacock feather in progress and inspiration

Work in Progress:
A silver peacock feather in progress.  This is turning out to be much more detailed and complex than I expected, also quite lovely.


For some colorful spring inspiration, a selection from my recent pictures.  
RED passion fertility lush


YELLOW sunshine spring joy

Ginkgo Jewelry and Dreadlock Update

This photo shows my dreadlocks all wet on hair washing day, day 15 of the dreadlock process.  It also shows me crocheting a cord for a necklace.  I see a direct link between fiberarts and dreadlocks as a fiberart.

A few people have asked about the dreadlock process on flickr and facebook.  Let me share a few links that will help to explain it.  I'm too lazy to type it all out myself.
*Making Dreadlocks - a series of pages that show the process
*The Organic Sister's one year review of the dreadlock process plus a link to her faq.
*2 dreadlock photo series on flickr showing caucasian women's hair.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucidrose/sets/72157613011420944/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluezfire/sets/72157600184668812/

Now for the studio...  I said I was focusing on ginkgo leaves.  Here they come.

A brooch with one copper and one bronze ginkgo leaf


A bronze ginkgo leaf pendant


Copper Ginkgo Leaf earrings


I also completed two necklaces that I will show in an upcoming exhibit.  So far I am calling them part of the "Ginkgo Falls" series.  Please let me know if you have ideas for better titles.
The longer necklace has copper links and copper ginkgos hanging on a crocheted silk cord.


The shorter necklace is all copper, with hammered links and ginkgo leaves, and a hook clasp at the back.

• Will it turn your neck green?  It might, depending on your own skin chemistry and how long you wear it. 
• Will it prevent arthritis in your neck?  I'd like to say yes, but there is no scientific evidence backing up the claim that copper jewelry prevents arthritis .

Back to the studio -  I've had special requests for a few birds, so will go work on them now.

My Beautiful Yard

This is how my garden grows.
Click on the photo link to get to the slide show.
I am enchanted by peonies and roses.

Yard and Garden