Mother Nature's Sidewalk Art

There's nothing like a twig-eating puppy to help you be observant. While on the lookout for those twigs (and other consumables), I've had the opportunity to appreciate the world beneath my feet. The lighting can be very dramatic on our early morning walks and the sidewalks in our area (made from natural stone) are approaching the century mark - some have weathered just beautifully. One day the puddles froze into beautiful crystal patterns. Here are some images I was compelled to capture with my phone. A few were manipulated with some photoshop effects for fun. Hope you enjoy... click on the pictures to see them larger.

ArtCraft Holiday Sale

It's that time of year again–time for my favorite show. Of course I'm still madly creating new work... and I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends, fellow artists, and the wonderful customers who return every year. Join me on December 3 & 4 for great shopping in a festive atmosphere–hope to see you there!

PMC Sterling!

So it's finally happened - you may have heard that Mitsubishi will release PMC Sterling in December. I was hoping that a little more info might start to appear so I could pass it along, but guess we'll have to wait. 

If it has the greenware strength and flexibility of PMC Pro, I'll live with the carbon firing just to be able to use a little less material for the same effect and greater strength. The price is estimated to be less than PMC 3 so it will be great to save a little on the price of the clay. It will be well suited to making stronger clasps and bails and we will able to say a piece is sterling silver and not have to explain the fine silver difference... here's the info on the package insert.

If you just can't wait to try sterling metal clay, you can read Metal Clay Artist Magazine's' article by Lisa Cain (in Vol. 2, Issue 2) on making your own sterling metal clay, or watch Lisa's video. I have a bit of Pro on hand, so I think I'm going to mix up a little sterling clay just to see what happens...

Fibula Workshop at La Ruche Davis

Seems like the weeks are flying by this fall. This August I had a great time teaching a class on PMC Pro - we made lots of rings! My classes at the Valley Art Center are in the 3rd week already and I'm preparing for a fun workshop next month in DC.

Ever want to try your hand at water etching and enameling? This could be your chance...

I'm excited to be teaching a water etched and enameled fibula workshop at La Ruche Davis - an extension of Ann Davis Studio (just outside of Washington DC) on October 15-16. But don't wait too long - there are only a few spots left - contact Ann for more information.

And if this isn't your cup of tea, Ann is offering several other classes so you can see what else she has scheduled!

If you haven't seen any of my water etched and enameled fibula pins, here are a few examples... 

Yes, but what have you done lately?

It's been a while since I've posted... life has been very busy. Some of you may have seen Tonya Davidson's blog where I had the honor of being featured as a "Muse Personality" a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed Tonya's great interview questions - I love reading the Muse interviews. Ask yourself the questions. It's fun to think about the answers.

So what have I done lately? When I've had a chance to do anything jewelry related, I've been playing with PMC Pro again. This is a ring made with Pro. I've worked on pieces designed to test the strength of the fired material and the handling in the greenware state. If you haven't tried Pro, you'd be amazed at the strength and flexibility of this metal clay as greenware.

Now, the hinge for this ring is made entirely of Pro... and while I worked on the ring I opened and closed the hinge at least a few dozen times. I shared the process of construction with my students and they couldn't believe how much handling the ring could withstand without breaking. The sections are pretty thin (about 3+ cards) and stayed firmly attached to the hinge knuckles throughout construction and clean up.

There are 3 white topaz faceted stones fired in place. One is on the top of the hinge, the other two are on either side of the center section.

And speaking of firing, I recently tried a Square HeadTM pot for firing the Pro and loved it. I'd been using soup cans but had been too busy to spray them with high heat paint so they quickly disintegrated. This ceramic pot was great - fired perfectly the first time with NO MESS!!!

And finally, what I've really been doing lately is this: surviving puppyhood. I've been absent from blog posting, Facebook, crafthaus, etc for a while.... and this little guy is the reason why. He's a four-legged-fur-covered creature that we adopted (at 7 weeks old) from a local rescue organization. He's FULL of puppy-ness and recently found his "big dog" bark (he's gonna be a big guy... and is already a great watch dog!). I'm exhausted (and sleep deprived), but he's worth it!

What's a "Mentorial?"

It's a clever idea developed by Lora Hart. She took "mentor" and "tutorial" and put them together into one concept. The purpose is to help creative entrepreneurs "discover, re-imagine and refine their artistic voices; develop a conscious intention for their business; and fine tune their working practice."

Lora is the Artistic Advisor of the PMC Connection and a national PMCC Senior Instructor. Her "historically inspired" work has been featured in many books and magazines and she was one of the Whole Lotta Whimsy Master Muses. We are lucky enough to have her scheduled to come teach a class this summer for our local chapter of the PMC Guild!

Many people are turning to coaching for life and business. It seems that the chance to work with a talented, accomplished, supportive person could be really useful for developing a plan for success. People like Lora and Tonya Davidson are generous and supportive by nature. They love to teach and seem perfectly suited to guide others along the artistic adventure.

P.S. I'm sharing the info on Lora's and Tonya's mentoring programs (previous post) so people can learn more. These posts are not intended as an endorsement or advertisement - I just happen to think they're creative solutions for supporting artists and hope some of you might benefit from their experience.

Helping Artists Soar...

Tonya Davidson is busy helping artists soar. As long as I have known her, she has been very supportive of her fellow artists - as a teacher, nurturer of the creative spirit, and the energetic force behind Whole Lotta Whimsy. I'm always amazed at all the things Tonya does. She's always generous with her energy and ideas and has now developed a program for Artful Success, yet another way of "helping artists soar." My head just spins thinking about what her day must be like, yet she's always so calm and collected. She even started a Facebook page for the Artful Success program!

And speaking of Facebook pages, if you haven't seen this yet - Tonya created the Whole Lotta Whimsy Sunday Social Circle - a group for artists to meet, share ideas, experiences, and help one another. If you want to be a member, you can stop by the Whole Lotta Whimsy Facebook page on a Sunday and join. The group is very active - I can't keep up with all the posts - but I'm pretty sure Tonya is reading them!

Check out these resources... Tonya will gladly help you soar too!