6-8-08

3:36pm

For so many years, I have confused boredom with yearning. I thought I was yearning for something unreachable, needing something, maybe a person, maybe a path, maybe a god... There had to be something to fill that void! Now I realize. I was just bored. I should have taken up video games and MMORPGs a long time ago. At this point I've filled my life with so many other things; I hardly have enough time to play my video games, and certainly not enough electronic accessories to do it right.

I've also realized that boredom really isn't so bad. Real-life boredom is better than real-life drama.

3:44pm

Some people here have asked me what my blog is about.

um
yeah that
me, me,me, and my art- all me, remember?

3:45pm

I left this morning early, before breakfast. It was cold and gray. I wanted to warm up in the car. As soon as I left the island, the clouds faded, the sun came out and the air reached the perfect upper seventies temperature. Gorgeous! I stopped at my favorite wireless hotspots, uploaded my photos and blog, checked email, bought yarn, and stopped at a tool barn.

I was ready to drive several hours off to another tool barn. I thought about the time (2pm), thought about the gorgeous day, thought about the lobster-on-the-rocks picnic scheduled for tonight... I said to myself (optimistically), maybe I should go back to Deer Isle, so I don't miss the beautiful day and the picnic. As soon as I crossed the bridge going to the island, the sky greyed over and the air temperature dropped about 20 degrees.

Now I can't decide whether I should leave again, crochet a hat, have a drink, work in the studio, keep writing- or some combination of all those things.

psst...hey, do I look like I'm nearly 40?

Sunday, is it the 8^th or the 9th? Am I still a day off?

Today really is a beautiful day, both on and off Deer Isle. I left Haystack fully intending to drive hours to visit the Camden Rockport area and Liberty Tool. Then I stopped in Blue Hill and got lazy. I sat outside the library and uploaded all of my photos to Xanga and Flickr. I decided I'd rather browse than blog, so I started ambling down the Main Street, whatever it's called, Hwy 15 anyway. I bought most of my souvenirs, tshirts for the kids, a few frilly things for myself. Now I'm sitting at Wescott Forge ( a restaurant not a smithy) waiting for a posh little breakfast. One of the storekeepers told me that it's graduation weekend here in Blue Hill, as it must be in many towns across Maine and elsewhere.

Now for some scenery

The lupines are blooming



Lichen is everywhere in the coastal areas.


 Lobster on the rocks-  cold, but scenic.

Some studio shots from ceramics and wood

Haystack Journaling #2

It's still Tuesday late afternoon. We've had an amazingly productive workday. The students have gotten some tools done and their chasings started. The students come with a wide variety of experience, and lack of experience, which keeps me on my toes. I love seeing the moment when something clicks, maybe the heat color, maybe the flop of the hammer, maybe the tapping motion.

No I did not work on the commission design at all, well maybe 10 minutes, but not enough to price, copy, and fax out.

I've really tried hard to figure out a way to bring the photos to you. The internet connection isn't fast enough. I tried to cellphone them in to flickr, but no luck. Alltel is fantastic, but US Cellular is bad. US Cellular handles the lines around here and doesn't allow data transfer on their lines. Alltel customer service, real people, spent lots of time on the phone with me, figuring out the problem.

So I'll write for 2 weeks. It'll build character...

6-4-08
Jodi, I'll try to get the dates right for you. No promises. I rely on my computer at home to tell me the date. Even then I get it wrong at times.

It's Wednesday morning. I'm having my first cup of coffee in the lodge/dining hall, rather than out on the rocks. But yes, of course I will go to the rocks today. There is a very rustic path that winds around the perimeter of the school property, mostly following the coastline. It's lightly marked with blue paint dots on trees, yet still hard to follow at times. The forest floor is a spongy layer of spruce needles and moss, grown up thick over huge solid rock. Some of the trees are tall, towering overhead. Other sections, where the spongy layer is thinner, are like bonsai forests, miniature clumps of spruce with lichen shrubs and wild strawberries for flowers. Roots twist all over the forest floor, making these bronchial (?) structures, that remind me of the anatomy diagrams of our lungs. Combined with the spongy nature of the forest floor, it feels like I'm walking on the huge respiratory organ of the coastal forest.

6-5-08
It's Thursday morning, I think. Do I have the date right? I'm lazy here. I feel tired. Usually I work late at workshops and get up early. Maybe it's the ocean chill. Here I like to sleep under my electric blanket for my full 8 hours and then wake up slowly, enjoying the warmth. I meant to walk the path in the early morning today and write about the abundant mosses and lichens. Still, I'm being lazy. I dragged myself out of the bed, dressed in layers, and walked groggily up to the dining hall – to sit on a soft couch in front of a cozy wood fire, with a sweet milky cup of coffee.

My skin is super soft here. At lectures, or any time I sit idle, I put my hands up my sleeves to feel my smooth silky elbows. I think of those lotion commercials, with alligator skin and the lotion that cures it. Those lotions never work. But here my elbows are perfect. (I really should check my knees.) It must be the salty moist ocean air and perhaps even the cool temperatures.

I have finished one chasing, on a 6x6 inch enameling steel panel. Enameling steel is the lowest carbon steel easily available in small quantities. The lower carbon makes it not softer, but more malleable, more stretchy. I can push this stuff. So I did. I made a very high relief steel heart. The idea was to make a steel heart, asymmetrical, one larger higher side, with a staircase lifting out of the highest side. The heart and the height were successful, but the staircase is just, well, not great. If I want to follow through on the idea, I need to re-sketch it and do it again. I'm trying to decide if it's an idea that I should follow through on, or if the idea will lose its appeal once I leave the wood and root staircases of Haystack. I've got another steel heart nearly done, that will stay more leafy and swirly. Which ideas do I make next? Do I make them in bronze or steel? Do I make them with men or women in mind? Do I make them jewelry scale or small art scale? I've got requests for dragonflies, fish, acorns- all sorts of things that could keep me busy. I've got those designs to finish and fax off. 
I have work to do.
I'll think about what's next and let you know.

Hollow Branch Forms in Steel

A few entries back, I posted about some tree shelf brackets that I've been working on.  Here's how they turned out! 

I used a U shaped beam at the top.  The shelf should be routed to fit over the u shape, so that it looks like the tree is going right up into the shelf. 

The shelf brackets are large, about 30 inches high with a shelf support length of 12 inches.  Surprisingly enough, they are not very heavy.  I specifically designed them to be strong, but also to be lightweight.

Let me back up a little.  When the client first approached me about the project, I sure "sure!" jumping in headfirst like I usually do, without thinking about it enough.  I originally thought I would use branch textured bar stock.  Then I realized a few things.

1. I don't have a power hammer anymore, so it would be terribly difficult to for me to texture my own bar stock like I used to. 
   
2. Those would be heavy!  I'm trying to avoid heavy.
   
3. Propane is very expensive right now, so that means hot forging is very expensive for me.  I've been adapting my work to use much less propane.

So I started to re-think the process.  At first I thought I would use plain un-textured bar stock.  Still that would use lots of propane for forging and would be heavy.  Then I thought, well I'll just buy the bar stock.  That was a mistake.  That supposedly "branch textured" bar stock from King Metals is UGLY and doesn't look at all like a branch.  Finally I realized, I need to go back to the rough anticlastic technique that I've used in the past to make hollow twig/branch forms, in both large and small sizes.  I used to use it a lot for steel work, but I only have the pictures as slides, with no slide-scanner.  If you look back through my jewelry pages on flickr, you can see the technique on the twiggy copper bracelets and on many of my leaf stem pendant bails.

Basically, I cut asymmetrical long strips of metal.  Then I shape them over the step of my anvil into a tube shape.  To finish up, I close up the tube, letting the metal overlap and wrinkle at the edges.   I also hammer around the hollow tube form, to create more texture and form.  This creates a surprisingly strong and lightweight hollow form, that is very organic and convincing as a branch form.

I agonized over this for ages before I started!  I hadn't done it large scale in so long and I was worried that it might not work after all the effort I put into it.  But as you can see from the pictures above, it worked beautifully!

I was so pleased after I finished the brackets, that I even created a few small steel branch sculptures, and a candleholder, using the same technique.  Click on each photo for full details.

All in all, it's turned out to be a great example of how a challenging project can lead to exciting new directions, or exciting new takes on old directions.

Working to Use Less Propane

I am working with some different thicknesses and metals for my leaves, in order to reduce my use of propane.  My forge runs on propane.  As you might imagine, the cost of propane goes up as the cost of oil goes up.   This could be a huge strain on a business that runs on propane- but I'm flexible.  There are so many ways to work with metal!

Copper and Bronze Ginkgo Leaves.  I use propane to anneal them, but they don't need constant heat.
 
Wax as a final surface treatment really brings out the heat colors on copper.

 
These are steel yes, but a thinner steel.  I pay special attention to the edges and surfaces, to maintain the feeling of strength that I give to all of my work.  Look at the difference in surfaces.  The one on the left has been burnished back much more and highlighted with brass goldtones.  The one on the right keeps its true forged steel black.

And of course a few more pendants, another copper oak leaf and a forged steel maple leaf.

back to the studio now.  It's a welding day- for cattail railings and branchy shelf brackets.

More Ivy Art, Butterfly progress, Cattail Progress, and a Shop Tip

More ivy?  Yes, of course more English Ivy Art.
#5    #6 

What's in progress?
The 2nd butterfly is waiting to be soldered

The cattails are welded up!  Now do they look like cattails?

I'll be forging the leaves early next week, along with textured steel branches, and some new coat hooks - all special requests.

And finally, the shop tip for other metalsmiths.  I was about to throw away some sticky chewed up dirty playmats from the playroom.  I realized that they were just the right resiliency to use in metalforming.

I use them for anything that I would have used sandbags for.  I can lightly dish or form metal over them.  I can work harden without marring a surface.  I can block my chasings in progress, whether small or large.  No more dusty sandbags for me.  Recycle those foam playmats or alphabet squares.  They're cheap and incredibly useful in the metalshop.

Butterflies and other pretty bits in progress

Many Etsymetal Street Team members participate in a monthly theme challenge. There are no votes or prizes. The goal is to stretch our creative skills and grow as metalsmiths and artists. I'm currently working on the insect theme with butterflies.

There are 2 different butterflies, each one about 2 inches at its maximum dimension. I haven't decided yet if these will be pendants or pins, maybe both.

Some other things going on in the studio...

Leaves and cattails in progress! Oh, you don't think those pipes look like cattails yet? They will. I'll show you later this week.

A Colorful Giggly Easter!

An Easter Greeting from my daughter

4x6, ink and easter egg dye drawing

Little critters in the Easter baskets!  all the way from Canada...
Popcorn Monsters by Banjopuppets!

Pegasus and her Princess flew in from Acorngirl in the Southeastern USA.

The handstitching is amazing.  I'm in love.

Have a happy, colorful and spring-smelling Easter!

Forged Steel Bamboo Art for the Wall

Here's the last installment of work going into the exhibit. Weather permitting, I'll be delivering the work on Monday.
These are all Forged Steel Bamboo Wallpieces, photographed laying on our bamboo floor. 
(I don't have a spot of my wall devoted to photography yet, so the heavier pieces lay on the floor.)

Approximately 21"h x 11"w

Approximately 38"h x 13"w

approximately 32"h x 24"w

Approximately 31"h x 12"w

Bamboo Leaf Art

Here's another piece going into the exhibit for the month of March. It's a forged steel bamboo leaf cluster, measuring approximately 10-1/2 by 9 inches at its maximum dimensions. This can be hung on the wall or displayed on a tabletop or shelf surface as sculpture.

So be patient. Everyone in this house has been exchanging viruses during the month of February slowing my work down considerably. I'll be working on railing commissions and jewelry for the next few months. In April, after this exhibit is done, I will have lots of art to list for sale in my Etsy shop. If you are interested in any particular pieces that you've seen here or on my flickr pages, you can contact me for more information or prices.

New Growth - New Art

Here are five more pieces, finished and ready to deliver for my upcoming exhibit at the Frehner Art Gallery in the Monroe Arts Center in Monroe, Wisconsin. They are part of the New Growth series, simple trellis-like arrangements of forged bronze tendrils, in the 18 to 24 inch size range.

Fiber Art Fun (and metal leaves)

First- the metal. Here are a few new pendants. I've got a lot more commissioned jewelry to work, several larger jobs to design and bid on, and a show opening in Monroe Wisconsin on March 6th.
I'm busy.

However, this potential work week has been completely consumed by snow days, sick days, no-kindergarten days, and a running errand days. I didn't get more than about 90 minutes studio time, but I did get bits of fluffy stuff put together now and then in the house.

Crocheted Pink Octopus, by special request, for my daughter

litte Embroidered Heart Ornament

Needlefelted Ball Ornament, made with Whimzypinzy's handdyed alpaca locks

The same ball ornament

I've got another octopus in progress for my son. I'm also teaching myself to spin- slowly with a lot of odd looking fluffy unreadable results. I'll post pictures of that if it looks like yarn when I'm done. If it doesn't look like yarn, I'll felt it.
I'm reading an Anne McCaffrey book and have a pile of several other non-fiction books to browse. And the internet...plenty of browsing on the internet.

ahhhhh... I'd better get that designing done now.

The Season of Love

It's the season for hearts - swirly whirly glorious girly hearts.
Does your beloved has a heart of steel?
Or is that you?

These are small Heart Art objects, available of course in my Etsy Shop. Click on each photo to go directly to the listing.

For the softer side...

These are not for sale. This is the kind of activity I do in the house for relaxation, when I can't work on metalwork. If you're looking for embroidered art hearts to buy, try this search.

I'm still here!

I'm still here! just not taking so many in-progress photos.  Here are a few leaves.  I prepped a lot for the show last weekend and am now listing the rest in my Etsy shop.

About that show last weekend...
Well, let's back up about 3 weekends.  I came back from a visit to my mom's house with a horrible cold.  That cold turned into a bad cough.  After 3 weeks of coughing, the NP said I had reactive airways and gave me an inhaler and some other symptom treatments, with instructions to call back if I didn't improve.  A week later, last Friday before the show, I came down with the throbbing headache and fatigue of a sinus infection.  So I called in, talked to the nurse and got a prescription for antibiotics.  I did the show anyway, a Holiday Faire at a local Waldorf school.  I did alright, although I'm not sure the customers appreciated my juicy coughs and tissues. 
On the way home in Saturday I was driving home in this ridiculous wet snow storm, still miserable with my sinus infection.  I thought for sure I'd get stuck somewhere.  I made it all the way home and 1/3 the way up the driveway before the truck's wheels started spinning.  So I parked it and walked up the drive.  Husband tried to move the truck further, but ended up driving it off the driveway, where it was really stuck.  Next day, we try to plow.  That wasn't snow.  That was a 3 inch slab of snow-ice.  All we could do was stab it with a big shovel and move snow-bergs around.   I called around and got a local guy to plow for us. It was fun to watch him.  He would back his truck up the driveway, awfully fast by the way, to crunch up the snow slabs.  Then he plowed the snow back down the driveway.  He also pulled our truck out of the yard and back onto the driveway.

I'm feeling much better and have been working for the most part, despite all sorts of distractions like snow days, kid sick days, me sick days...  Someday soon I'll have a studio update.

For now, see what my son drew on http://crayola.com

Both my kids really enjoy the site.  To get to the digi-color, click on the spinning palette under the "About Crayola" link in the left hand sidebar.  Check out the games too.  Little kids love 'em.

Exhibit in Hudson, Wisconsin

My work is on display at Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wisconsin, very close to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. It will be up officially from Nov 14th until February 10th. There is a reception on Friday Nov 16th from 6pm to 8pm. I won't be able to come to the reception. (I can't spend that much money on gas twice in one week!)

My work is in the specialty clinic, on display with a ceramist's work. You can get to it through the main doors to the hospital. It's a beautifully designed hospital with art and handmade touches all over, even in the lighting fixtures.

There is work by other artists displayed in other parts of the hospital.

Let me know if you go.

Now back to the 4 things I've promised to get done immediately after I delivered that work.....

Studio, Inspiration, and Food

A recently finished wallpiece - a bald eagle image in bronze

Queen Anne's Lace in October

Cool weather food

Here's the photo of the finished stew, that Smarticus requested. It was good!  Husband is tired of seeing the little curly things (quinoa).  The pickiest child took seconds and ate it all.  That's all that matters, so I'll put the quinoa in next time too.  And yes, that's soft white grocery store bread next to my crockpot soup.  Recipe- Put a bunch of stuff in there, including mushrooms and onions.  Add plenty of salt and some curry powder. If you forgot to soak the beans, then start it at 9am, set the crock pot on high and let it go all day. 

English Ivy leaf series

Here are the next 3 in my series of 8 ivy leaf chasings.

approximately 3-1/2 x 2-3/4 inches

approximately 7 x 5 inches

approximately 8 x 5 inches

I've got 2 more done, ready to photograph and 2 more still in progress.

SW WI Art Fair and New Work

It's nearly time!  I'm one week away from the Driftless Art Fair, taking place in Soldier's Grove, WI next weekend, September 15 & 16th.  Please check here http://www.crawfordcountywi.com/art_festival/2007%20Event.htm for all of the details and come find my booth if you visit the show. 

For the next 7 days, my studio time will be devoted to work to sell at the Driftless Art Fair. 

Now for the new work.
I have a tendency to overthink and overwork every piece I do.  Every now and then I decide to trust an instinct, just trust it and go ahead without self-critique.  I did it this week to finish up a few pieces that I started off thinking of as houseplant trellises.

 

They are about as simple as I can get- scrolled ends, the most basic and enduring decorative forged element and gentle curves,  welded into springtime fern forms.  They are about 18 inches high, bronze, with an antiqued finished and coppery undertones, left un-sealed so that they will age naturally in the home environment.
I love how these turned out and think that they'd make great wallpieces as well as elegant windowbox trellises.

Studio Updates

It keeps raining here, multiple inches each time.

I promised photos of what I worked on at Touchstone , 3 relief pieces. These are all completely formed, but not what I would call finished.

Greenman needs hanging hardware on the back and a final burnishing.
See all those bits around him? I pondered making him part of a larger collage, but decided against it.

Little ivy leaf piece will be a part of a larger collage. I'm going to make more of these small ones, oh about 3 inches max dimension, and use them to create 2 or 3 larger, but not really big, wallpieces.

Bear will also be a part of a larger steel collage, again not a huge one, just collaged enough to frame it out. He's based on the same design I recently used for some drawer pulls and fairly low detail.

I'm completely focused on wallpieces from now until November. I'm planning on lots of small pieces rather than trying to make big pieces. I'm inspired by many artists, but these days, I really like seeing Miss Laurence's stitched pieces, allisonstrine's art show with lots of small works, ruthrae's intuitive mixed media collages, and more collages by Xanthe. They work in very different styles, yet they all share a kind of raw intuitive approach full with joyful life energy.

and when I'm in the house, which seems so often, I've been working on these little acorns in wax. Eventually I'll cast them all in silver or bronze.

Then I'll hammer them into life.

Here's a pile of hammered and cut thin copper scraps, waiting to be beat up some more.

After I get some kid to punch more holes in them, I'll tumble them and use them for earrings or some kind of promo magnets.

Studio Updates

 I never knew it would be this tough to stay on a blogging schedule.  I've been busy.  The kids have classes, their last official classes of the summer.  I'm preparing to go teach a workshop at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Pennsylvania.

I'm working on a small commission, not pictured in this entry. 

I listed 2 new bronze ivy pendants on my Etsy shop.  I also updated my banner and avatar. 

 
 I'm working on gazillions of chasing tools for the workshop and resisting the urge to list them all on Etsy immediately.
   
 
I'll be listing tools after I return in mid August. 

I'm working on more pendants in varying price ranges.  Here they are on the welding table, waiting ...
 

I've been playing with a little copper vessel form that I started sooooooo many years ago as a raising sample.  It will be a sweet little bud vase when it's done.
 

These big acanthus leaves are calling my name, but I absolutely must finish some other things first.  So I keep looking at them.  I've got some even bigger blanks waiting for me up in the storage area, sigh.

I do not lack for creativity or motivation.  I have piles of things waiting for my attention - bamboo, bas-relief panels, flower blanks, and more. 
I don't think many of us lack for creativity.  I think most of us are just afraid to start on an idea that isn't good enough or isn't fully formed.  If you can't think of something, just start, even with your most vague of ideas.  Work it out in progress and the ideas will keep coming.  Don't wait for the right tools or supplies.  Use what you've got.  Save all of your samples.  They are great for trinkets and collage pieces.

New Art!

I finally made some jewelry just for me! I haven't worn earrings for a long time, because any metal makes my ears itch, from gold to niobium. I finally found some nylon ear wires on ebay which truly are hypoallergenic. I also seem to be having good luck with plain surgical stainless steel. So I'm wearing earrings again and loving it.
Did you know I worked at a bead store for about six months in my early 20s? I found one of the pair of earrings I made from that time, and reworked them.

I kept the black leaf beads, then added 3 vintage beads from a broken necklace that used to belong to my grandma. The yellow beads are an old plastic. The black and gold beads are a handmade glass bead, really beautiful. The best part- they are just for me. They are long, dramatic, beautiful and tickle my neck when I move.

---

I've been doing lots of stuff in the studio. I don't know how, as I never seem to have enough time in there. I finished up another in my copper collage series. This one is called Driftless Wetlands Landscape and is about 12 x 12 inches at its max dimensions.

This is the 6th piece in the Driftless landscape collage series. They started off as collages of pieces, from my bits and pieces hanging in shop limbo. As they formed together, I felt that they represented the textures, colors, forms and feelings of the landscape that I live in.
These collage pieces are odd. First the bits are a challenging puzzle. I often wonder if they're too unrelated. I have to put elements together, almost blindly, then suddenly, the piece is appears right. It's complete.
You might recognize just this detail, from previous blog entries.

I've got one more of these collages sitting on my welding table, pieces waiting to come together. I already love it and can't wait until it's done to show you.

Here's another wallpiece, inspired of course from the bronze railing that I worked so long on.

It's horizontal and very long, maybe 3-1/2 feet long. To me it evokes the feeling of the water lilies floating on the Mississippi backwaters, so graceful yet still tough, never staying long, but always coming back. It could hang on a few small nails, but I also made these hooks for it to hang on.

With these kinds of linear pieces, the standard picture wire won't work. Although I prefer nails myself, nearly invisible when placed properly, I like to think of some other graceful options for hanging the piece.

After I perform my motherly chauffeur and chaperone duties this morning, I hope to be back forging in the studio this afternoon. It's finally cooling off a bit here.

---

and back to my Pendant section on Etsy .
This pendant is still available. Don't miss it. It's the last one you'll see like this. I don't have any more of the tiny acorns and won't be making them any time soon.

Handforged Oak and ...
Knitsteel
$20.00

I added this steel oak leaf yesterday.

Wrought Iron Oak Le...
Knitsteel
$14.00

And what about some jewelry for the wall? You can tell that I come to Art Wallpieces with a jewelry background.



Oak Leaf Wall Pendant - Jewelry for your Wall$27.00

Grape Leaf Wallpiece - Jewelry for your Wall$30.00
>


Two Oak Leaves - Art for your tabletop or wall$25.00