Holidays!

I had a silly thing happen and it caused me to totally stress out and lose my creative momentum. A friend asked me to fix a pair of earrings for her, a simple tightening of the clips on an old pair of earrings. I don’t do jewelry repair as a rule but I thought this probably wouldn’t be too hard. She gave them to me almost a year ago, at a time that I was working off my dining room table. Of course, every time I needed to use the dining room (holiday meals, book club, etc.) I would have to clear everything off the table, into boxes, and stow them away. Well, wouldn’t you know it, I misplaced the earrings. My friend started asking for the earrings back during the summer, during the time I had packed all my jewelry supplies and tools away while I worked on the room that was to become my studio. I couldn’t find them! My friend was very upset because the earring had belonged to her mother who had passed away and I was frantic! How could I have let this happen? I was consumed with looking for the earrings. Well, to make a long story short, I found the earrings this week! In a crazy place, one that I had searched more than once. I feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I was able to return the earrings this week.

What did I learn? I don’t do repairs! I need to be careful with other people’s things. I need to be more organized. What can I say? I’m just glad the earrings have been found and I can get on with making jewelry!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Christmas in the Studio

I have been working like crazy, trying to get things made for Christmas in the Studio. It’s the 30th anniversary and there are 30 artists this year. I have been going to this show for nearly that many years. I was thrilled to participate last year. And I’m doing it again! I’ll have some bronze as well as my silver jewelry.

It’s such a fun show. It’s a benefit for the 13th Street Animal Rescue.  Hope to see everyone there! Click on the flyer below to get the complete image.

Marilynn Host 13450 Harding Avenue San Martin, CA 95046 (408) 375-3792

copyright 2009, Christmas In The Studio

Studio!

For years I have been using the dining room table to create my jewelry. Whenever it came time to actually use the dining room for the purpose in which is it was disigned (Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, book club) I would have to pack everything up and pile it in a room off the family room. That room was our “office” but it mostly contained the computer stuff, modem, printer, etc., and my boxes of supplies. My goal for the past couple of years was to turn that room into a studio. So, it has finally happened!

Just before I left for the Art Clay World Conference in Chicago, I removed everything from the room. I asked my sweet husband to remove the “popcorn” ceiling while I was gone. When I returned, I went to work.

I then removed the carpeting.

I also removed the shelf and hanging bar from the closet.

Jorge filled all the holes in preparation for paint and texture.

Jorge also added a fluorescent light fixture to the ceiling because there was no light in the room

Ready to paint!

After painting, I put in a laminate floor.

It really wasn't that hard to do except around the doorways which were a little tricky.

I put shelving into the closet area and a book shelf into the doorway that leads to the bathroom. I decided I needed the space more than a doorway into the bathroom.

I added a tall table and shelf from Ikea.

I made this table by cutting down a solid wood door and sitting it on a file cabinet and a chest of drawers. My friend, the wood shop teacher at school, is making me a shim to put on the file cabinet to even up the level. This is a really solid table.

I'm still organizing the shelves. I have so much stuff!

So, I’ve been really busy getting this set up but now I don’t have any excuse to not get some new projects done.

New Mexico

After the MCWConference ended I flew to Albuequerque to visit my good friend, Joyce and her husband, Gary. Veronica Gross was was visiting, too, so that she and Joyce could take a water color workshop together later in the week. It seemed like the perfect time to spend a little girlfriend time together.

Gary's jewelry on display at the Tomé Gallery.

Tomé Hill

Indian Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

Ceramic sculpture by Kathleen Wall from the Jemenez Pueblo.

San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town, Albuquerque.

Cerrillos

MCWC

The Metal Clay World Conference took place just a few short weeks ago in Chicago. I had wondered if I could afford to go this year but I am so glad I did. What a great opportunity to mingle with the metal clay and jewelry community.

My class with Mary Hettsmanperger was great! We worked with copper and brass sheet and wire to create all kinds of earrings and pendants. I loves the opportunity to try all the techniques Mary showed us and I left with a number of finished pieces.

These are the pieces I finished in Mary's class.

I also have another couple pieces that are waiting to be finished.

The conference started the next day with a keynote by Alan Revere. He has been one of my jewelry heros from way back. I actually drooled over his jewelry back in the early 80s when he sold his work at the ACC Craft Fair in San Francisco. I bought a pair of his earrings and still wear them on occasion. I should take a picture an post it sometime.

That night we attended the Opening  reception. I enjoyed mingling with old friends and new acquaintances at the reception as well as all of the presenters and teachers. Mary Hettsmanperger, Holly Gage, Gordon Uyehara, Hattie Sanderson, Tim McCreight and Trish Jeffers are just some of the names I remember.

Alan Revere was the keynote speaker. I have admired Alan for many years. During the early 1980s, I used to drool over his jewelry at the ACC Craft Fair in San Francisco. (I even bought a pair of earrings that I still wear.) His talk was about giving back. He has created a website, Adorn America, that explains his concept. To begin, we were given a piece of foil and told to create a ring. At the end of Alan’s speech, he asked us to give our ring to the person next to us. I traded rings with my friend and room mate for the conference, Susan Shahinian.

The sessions were great. I got so much new information my head was spinning. Many of the presenters were people who post to the Metal Clay Gallery Yahoo Group and it was great to connect names with faces. The shopping was great, too. I always love to be able to pick out stones that I can’t get every day. I also won a full set of Dynasty Stamp Textures at one of the meal time raffles! That was a wonderful surprise since I had been admiring some in the vendor’s room. And the greatest surprise was when I won a prize for my mystery bag entry! Alan Revere gave me a special award for Best Design! I felt so honored.

Alan Revere and me.Best Design

The way the Mystery Bag Competition works is that the competitors each get a brown paper bag that contains a number of  items including silver clay, a coffee bean, 2 squares of toilet tissue, a piece of hemp twine, a paper lollypop stick, a piece of square brass tubing. They must use every item in the bag but may also use the wrappers or the bag itself to create a piece of art (many were sculptures). The only limitation was that you could only use the tools provided at the work station. It ’s a real challenge to come up with something in the time allotted. Here’s my piece.

Best Design

I’m packing for Chicago!

Next week I’ll be attending the Metal Clay World Conference in Chicago. I attended the first conference in Las Vegas two years ago and it was wonderful. Met lots of talented metal clay artists and learned so much. This year the conference will be held at the Indian Lakes Resort in Chicago. I will be attending a pre-conference class on Wednesday with Mary Hettmansperger. She was one of the conference speakers at the last conference and I was really intrigued by her work which combines fiber working techniques with metals. I’m really excited!

Alan Revere is the Keynote Speaker. I have admired his work forever. I even bought a pair of earrings from him back when I really couldn’t afford such things. Maybe I’ll bring them and wear them. I wish I could take his design class but it’s just not in the budget this year. I’m really looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

I’m going to exhibit a new piece I just finished. My son’s girlfriend has been helping me do some photography and we tried to take pictures last week. Here’s a picture of this piece.

In My Garden

I got the the beautiful dicroic glass piece from my friend Judy Pagnusat last year and it’s taken me all this time to get just the right setting made. I finally finished the beading a couple of weeks ago and I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

Jennifer Smith-Righter

Today Jennifer Smith-Righter (Wearable by Design) presented at the June 14th SFBASilverClay Guild meeting. Jennifer was  a 2009 Saul Bellow finalist and has been experimenting with designs that are mechanical in nature. Her demo had to do with piercing metal clay and how she comes up with and exicutes her mechanical designs.

This pendant was created by pushing clay into a mould, drying and then piercing the metal clay.

Micro drill bits from Harbor Freight.

Jennifer uses very small drill bits purchased at Harbor Freight to drill holes into the corners of the shapes that she wants to remove clay. She then drills more holes between the starting points, connecting the dots. She then uses the moving drill bit like a file to cut a line between the dots until the entire shape has been removed.

Jennifer uses a rubber block to support the piece when using the flex-shaft. The dust she creates with the drill is caught in the plastic tray. She reuses this for slip.

This is another of Jennifer’s designs. The three wheels are all free-moving and connected. The pendant rolls  along the choker wire, like a bicycle on a tight rope. The three wheels are connected to the triangular from with pins created by balling the ends with a torch.

Jennifer uses a Smith Mini torch to ball the ends of the wire. She also showed us another style of connection she makes which includes a small “button” for added detail.

This shows the finished wires after the ends have been balled up with the torch.

This is a new piece that Jennifer is work-

ing on. Each of the parts are interlock-

ing and will move freely when they have

been connected.

It was great to see Jennifer’s work in person and a great demo, too. This was just the creative push I needed to get moving with my own work now that school is out for the summer!

Summer is coming!

The end of the school year is always the busiest time for me. Not only am I getting ready for the end of school but my lovely daughter, Stephanie, graduated from San Diego State University. We spent the Memorial Day weekend in San Diego, celebrating this big achievement. We are certainly proud parents!

Stephanie's graduation

Silicon Valley Open Studios

Our Silicon Valley Open Studios weekend is May 9 & 10, Mother’s Day weekend. Things are shaping up for great weather and most of my pieces are coming together.

I’ll be showing at the home of my friend, Veronica Gross, who does wonderful watercolors. She’s been recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff. I must say that even her paintings done with her left hand look great. Four more artists are showing with us this year. Janet Trenchard does assemblages and paintings. She taught art at Independence High School with Veronica and me over ten years ago. Patty Seaborn will be showing her awesome ceramics. Marilynn Host is new to our group this year. She makes whimsical animal sculptures from gourds and paper maché. Both she and Patty have been showing their work at the ACC Craft Show for years. Marilynn is also the organizer of the Christmas in the Studio show that I did last November. And last, but not least, Karen Schroeder will be showing her paintings. She does portraits and figures.

Zinnias in a Jar by Veronica Gross

Janet Trenchard

Jar with Handles by Patty Seaborn

Out of our Gourd by Marilynn Host

Woman in a Red Dress by Karen Schroeder

If you are out and about this weekend, Open Studios is a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday looking at art. Mapguides can be found at University Arts stores and many local coffee shops and libraries. Our studio is located at 200 Kimble Ave., Los Gatos 95032. Come enjoy the wonderful weather, Veronica’s gorgeous garden, our art and company! We’ll be glad to see you.

Catching Up

I have been busy, busy, BUSY!  But I’m terrible at updating this blog. Silicon Valley Open Studios will be the weekend of May 9 & 10 and I have been trying to get things produced for the sale. I’ll be showing with my good friends, Veronica Gross, Janet Trenchard, Patty Seaborn, Karen Schroeder and Marilynn Holt at a beautiful location in Los Gatos. Be sure to stop by if you’re in town.

I wanted to report back on my expiriment of repairing broken bronze pieces with an “oil paste” made from lavender essential oil and bronze clay. The last batch of bronze pieces that I fired included a number of things that I joined using slip that I had made with bronze clay and distilled water. The problems arose when I let the slip sit around for awhile (probably a month) and it oxidized, causing it to no longer be effective. I had set some stone in bronze clay lumps, allowed them to dry so that I could refine them before adding them to the main piece. After firing, these pieces fell off in the tumbler. I use AC Silver oil paste to repair broken silver pieces with great success so I thought I would try making some bronze clay oil paste. I bought the lavendar essential oil at the health food store. It cost about $10 for a small bottle. I took a small lump, about the size of a pea, and mixed in 1 drop of the oil. I used a palette knife to mix the oil in thoroughly. I used this slip to attach the broken pieces, dried them on a cup warmer and fired them, using the same firing schedule that I have been using with success (from Hadar Jacobson’s book, Silver and Bronze Clay: Movement and Mechanisms.)

I actually thought that it probably wouldn’t work. The bronze clay is so different than the silver and I didn’t think the lavendar oil would have the same effect of diffusing the unfired metal clay particles into the porous surface of the fired metal. But I was pleasantly surprised! Every piece that I had repaired was fixed. Even the tiny little bits of faux rivits that had fallen off even before I tumbled.

Repairs include attaching stones, repairing broken toggle piece, filling cracks and repairing rivet pieces