My painting phase

Metals Madness

Well, that job I set out to find finally arrived, yeah! I now operate a 7.6 ton crane dumping grapes at a wine press! Cool no? Even though O no longer imbibe, the smells are intoxicating!
I can now afford some of that silver sheet I've been dreaming about using. Well, maybe the 1/10 stuff for starters!

tomorrow is my 50th birthday, and...

And I am feeling very reflective lately. I did not expect to make it to 50, actually truth be told, I did not expect to live past 30!! The life I lead for the teens and twenty's was....the worst you can possibly imagine. So when I tell you I did not expect it, I really did NOT expect to be facing my 50th birthday.

Besides all that morose stuff, I made a pair of earrings I have been chomping at the bit to make!! I ordered some sheet copper and figured out how to melt the ends of wire to make those cool ball pins, and she's off!! The stone is something I found in a wash while in a very remote area in California. I have never seen it anywhere else, and it is very hard!! I wore out a diamond saw blade on making one cut of this stuff!! I love the colors in it though!!

Let's Get BUSY!

So I got all revved up after the show and made some new stuff yesterday ...
But I blogging from my phone for the first time and don't know how to post photos on blogosphere yet!
You CAN view them on BurlapBudda on Etsy if your really wanna know. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

Or, I could get my computer back up and post some pretty pictures for us all to peer into...

"Salvation"

The downward sparrow is a talisman for good luck for the wearer. These are really cute on. The white bone draws the eye in , and the rest keeps the eye busy!! 

Please post if your a jewelry hound, or rock hound, or art hound of any breed and let me know what your latest project is!! I'd love to hear what you've been up to in creativity!

American Craft Council show experience

I was at the American Craft Council Show in San Francisco on Sunday. What a group of talented folks! I was so excited that I got to meet a few of my idols! And not one of them fell off of the pedestal that I put them up on! The show was held at the Fort Mason Center, which is a mecca for artists. Lots of exhibits outside, cool mobile art, all of which I did NOT take pictures of. This is one of the views though. Nice huh?

So I got to meet Sydney Lynch, a highly talented jeweler who was very nice for taking time out to chat with me a little bit about the craft of metalsmithing. I first found out about Sydney from Pinterest. There was a pair of ear rings that she had designed and crafted that I loved and pinned, and then so did everyone else! Well,I got to put them on, I was so excited just to be near them!! I love the way they are connected, the colors, everything about them!

Me wearing Sydney Lynch ear rings

Another one that blew me away was Brandon Holschuh. He is online at brandonholschuh.com, no photos allowed, which is why I ask. He makes these sea urchin shapes out of copper, then fixes crystals on the inside with pins..to make a 1/2 sea urchin and 1/2 geode looking form. His pieces all come with their very own pedestal, some of which have pulleys and such. So that even when you arn't wearing the piece, it is still art. Love that!!

 I also met Karen Pohl from San Carlos of Enamel Collectables. You can see her work at kpenamels.com Her work is enamal fine paintings using the Limoges technique.  That woman has patience!! The process requires layering the colors and firing them before applying the next coat.

Speaking of patience! How about Christina Goodman? Her specialty is very minature paintings on ear rings or necklaces. I am talkin' about tiny!! christinagoodman.com

Christina Goodman's work.

Judith Kinghorn was of course, amazing. I was so awstruck I forgot to even ask if I could take pictures. Her pieces seemed to be out of nature, all very labor intensive. Floral structures that were shaped and pieced together, not cast, pieces!! wow. judithkinghorn.com

Mary Donald has these amazing pieces made of recycled materials. They are all very organic light, airy looking.From what I saw I think it was plastics and rubbers, but don't quote me on that. They also seemed to resemble "of the sea" in some way. marydonaldstudio.com is her site.

I took a few parting shots. What fantastic views Fort Mason has! Holy Diver! Juxtapositions of the Golden Gate Bridge where you get to drive off and escape to the countryside if you doing really well .....

(Golden Gate behind Fort Mason)

or Alcatraz where you used to be stuck if you were very bad...

(Alcatraz in the background and Fort Mason in the foreground)

After a full day of manmade stuff, I took a minute out at the Community Gardens on Fort Mason. What a nice quiet space to hang out before the long drive home. Kudos to whomever planted this planter, how beautiful is that!!

American Craft Council show

So, I have been waking up to a cup of coffee and videos by Nancy L.T. Hamilton so I wrote her an admiation note. She replied that she is going to the American Craft Council show in S.F. tomorrow. I had a volunteer commitment that I asked someone to stand in for so I can go, yeah!! Now my co conspirator in Jewelry making has the flue!! As does my husband ( I gotta get outta here!!) I may  have to go it alone, but trust this. I am going!! yeah!
Cant wait!
Jen

The Stall

OK, so I have stalled. Maybe it's that big ol' moon outside my window some nites. Wow. I am also searching for employment. Yeah, I think it's a bummer too, but it pays the bills! The focus on that has dulled my focus on artsy stuff though. I have 37 years of employment experience and when she asked me today what my skills are, I couldn't come up with one damn thing! Nothing I could tell her anyway.
So, I have been fixating on Rio Grande for copper and red brass sheets of metal, and a few tools to assist in the forming and cutting of said metal. sigh. Yip..It really is amazing to me. I have a bucket of glass straight from the beach! I have made two pair of ear rings with it.  Lotsof 20-21 gauge red and yellow brass wire, beads. From what I have read on other sites, I am not that far off with the metalsmithing "bug" I have caught. I just need a way to pay for all the stuff I want to play in! I KNOW I will be awsome at this, I just need to get my hands on it.