Art at the Ranch-

Hi there! I will be showing my work this Saturday at This event in Amado Arizona- (just 30 miles drive south of Tucson, near Mt Hopkins and the historical artist community of Tubac AZ)
I was invited to participate by the organizers,
who used to run a craft gallery in Tubac AZ , where I used to show my work- Before I moved to Italy and had to change around my galleries...but that's another story

This will be my first outdoor event with my new canopy and tables- I am going to be
"bare bones" this time- just a couple tables on risers with tablecloths and jewelry displays-

I have visions of what I want my booth to eventually look like, but now I will be happy
just being able to set up and enjoy the day-
with a no frills booth, and a plethera of beautiful jewelry to sell!
I will take pics of each incarnation of my booth as it develops- I hope to have a really good developed design- fully outfitted by the end of the summer-
(so I can have great images to use for show submissions next year)

I hope to see you in Amado this weekend- In any case, if you cannot make it to this event please

mark your calenders for Dec 13th-from 1-6pm,  when I will be hosting a holiday sale at my lovely Tucson garden studio (aka Cosmo's Moon World Headquarters!) I'll be updating this blog about that event in the near future- so keep tuned!

Have a great Thanksgiving - (and to my international friends- have a great weekend!)
ciao- Maureen

Gifts for the Metalsmith

Gifts for the Metalsmith

As holidays are coming up, I have been thinking about gifts.

Every year my husband struggles to figure out what he wants to get me for a gift-
he is baffled, as I really do not need anything traditionally girly..
and he knows what kind of reaction he would get if
he hung up his brain and went to Kay Jewelers
to get me a (yikes) heart solitaire locket
or some other commercial crapola..

Metalsmiths have lots of hammers, so you can guess what the
outcome would be...something would get ...forged. :-)

So I was thinking of helping all of our significant others, giving them a sort of master list to look at for Metalsmith Gifts... and I'd love to have your input! I'll gather a list of our wishes, and post them on this blog later in December- (and I'll announce it on the Metalsmiths Unite! facebook page)
Both practical things like tools / books and ideological things like world peace are welcome on this list

I'll give it a start-

1. world peace/ the end of hunger
2. really good hand cream
   
3. a cool apron for the shop
4. a bench mounted band saw
5. a coupon for 100 solitary hours at my bench

I could go on and on...but I'll let You have your turn- to add to the wish list simply leave a comment on this blog, or if you want to do it privately you can message me on Facebook and I'll cut and paste it (anonymously) to the master list.
then..
I will publish the list in December- and will announce it on Facebook -
Have fun with this,( I look forward to seeing the end result.)
happy 'smithing everyone!
ciao- Maureen BZ

Open Studio Time Again!

This weekend I will be participating in the Tucson open studios Fall tour.
It's my second time doing it- I had declined participating up until now,
because my studio
is not located downtown with the cluster of other artists-
instead I am in a residential neighborhood
tucked away in my vegetable garden..
just me and the garden gnomes..

I decided to start being on the tour last year, when I was layed off from my day job-
it was a decision to accept all offers, try new things and just see where it would lead me. I had nothing to lose, and it proved to be a really enjoyable weekend.

Cosmo's Moon studio is located at 2609 E Mabel st- the little studio in the backyard garden-

I guess the big issue for me has always been setting deadlines, or knowing about deadlines especially for shows and publications...for some reason those have always eluded me. My first task this year, after I clear my schedule of my day job, is to create a calender of events and deadlines for 2010.
The satisfaction I get from meeting a deadline and completing a task is so rewarding, and I look forward to finding new mountains to climb.
wait....does that mean I have to learn how to yodel???
:-) ciao-M

Metalsmiths Unite! blog

 This post is copied from my new blog, one that I just set up for my Facebook group that I founded a year and a half ago, "metalsmiths Unite!"(Click here to see the New Metalsmiths Unite! Blog!)

Phase 2...the BLOG

Hello my Metalsmithing friends!

I had an a-ha moment today as I was driving to work...I thought, "well, why don't I just start a blog for metalsmiths Unite!? " and then I immediately thought, "Why haven't I thought of this sooner?!!"

So here we go, into what I will now consider phase 2 of metalsmiths Unite- (not like any of this has been planned..) what I would like to do with this blog is have it here for

1. interviews of Metalsmiths Unite! members
2. MU member's reviews of books/shows/events about metalsmithing
3. plus links to each others blogs.

this project will certainly take some time to develop , but I think it is a good solution to dealing with the limitations of Facebook, therefore giving MU members a more developed and flexible forum to elaborate on discussions and introduce their work to the community.

within the next weeks I will be developing a blog post schedule- and will be introducing myself (who you already know) and the other support people that have helped me during the year and a half of Metalsmiths Unite's growth.

I'm really excited about the possibilities for this blog- and hope you are too-
please excuse the mess while I'm doing construction....I'll be careful not to make too much noise
:-)
Happy 'Smithing!
ciao-Maureen

lovely ladies

lovely ladies
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I love these new pewter pendants with images of the Venus of Willendorf-
I remember her as one of the first sculptures that we touched upon in Art History 101 waaaay back when I was in my first year or art school.
I love her because she is a real representation of motherhood, of female beauty and power. A venus from another time, when you couldn't photoshop any images, as they were on cave walls, and the skinnier the figure the less healthy or desirable it was.
Now I'm not here to celebrate obesity- we all know that carrying extra weight can be deadly. What I am saying is that I think women need a touchstone to remind us of our power, a talisman of femininity that is untouched by modern cosmetic ideals.
Unlike Botticelli's venus with it's incredible effusive beauty- the Venus of Willendorf's power is echoed in the howls of labor, the tenderness of friendship and the carnal pleasures of the flesh. You go girl!

Flying Solo- quitting my Day job

let’s see, what have I been up to lately?
Things are going well here- I have started to upgrade my studio (and drain my bank account) so that I can teach small workshops there (3-4 students). More info about workshops and teaching will be posted soon- I plan on moving into this new realm starting next year...

I am also getting prepared for an open studio event, an art show, and a holiday sale: all being held between now and Dec 15th.

In my studio I've been playing with fabricating and casting pewter- Also... I'm working on a collection of new bracelets and pendants in sterling and mixed metals-

And at home I have been getting our gardens ready for the arrival of winter and the onslaught of winter visitors....

also also also!

With all of this on my plate, and with the prospects of many other opportunities and responsibilities I decided that I had to make a decision on how I was spending my time- and my conclusion was that I needed to have more focus on my own business during the weekdays, so that I could keep my weekends free to be with my family...so.....

Last week I gave notice to my goldsmithing job at Krikawa Jewelry Design- I am working there until Christmas break- after which I will be there only as an emergency goldsmith (if they get backed up on their orders).

It was a difficult decision to quit, because I really love the work environment there and the people as well- However, I found that I was not able to focus on the opportunities that have been coming my way....I simply needed to clear my desk and work on my own projects. Thankfully the owner of the design company that I worked for is a friend of mine and completely understands my need to go solo.:-)

I’m looking at this time as a period of accepting challenges- I know there will be times when I need to take a bigger jump, and times when I will feel defeated or victorious-
I believe this is a turning point for me- I feel the support from my family and my friends and contacts in the “real” world and online and I’m ready to let go of the edge!