Taking risks

next weekend I'm one of the participants in the Society of North American Goldsmith's trunk show-
And I've been wondering how much experimental work I should be bringing to the trunk show-

I'll bring my one of a kind work, which is interesting and "sale-able" but the multi media stuff is pretty risky.....and I love it! in fact- I'm really feeling a move away from my more traditional metalsmithing work towards my more eclectic sculptural pieces.

Hey, I figure if I don't show it at the SNAG conference (which will be loaded with creative people with developed aesthetics) where would I consider showing it? It's kind of a leap- but I'm going to go for it- at the very least I'll be the girl with the crazy stuff on her table....(and I'm sure I won't be the only one)
Safe schmafe, I'm laying it on the line at the:
SNAG Member Trunk Show and Sale
at the Westin, Seattle
1900 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA
May 29th from 3PM until 5PM
in conjunction with the 2011 SNAG Conference - showroom location off main lobby

Just as Promised...

the Tucson mountains, from the foothills of the Catalinas- Tucson AZ 2010

ahhhhhh! I'm just home from a lovely thanksgiving dinner I had with friends-
yes, I ate too much- it was great to be with friends who I think of as family and just share
a wonderful meal. I'm hoping next year that my whole family can be together- but this year Guido had his turkey dinner at the telescope with the scope director (whose wife brought up a Thanksgiving feast!)and a bunch of Italian astro geeks. We missed having him here, but are glad that he got a bit of holiday time while up stargazing and telescope tweaking.

Anyhow.....
as I promised on twitter last night, I'm announcing here my coupon code to be used for a 15% discount
this Black Friday through Cyber Monday ( from 9:00pm Nov 25- Nov 29 11:00 pm mountain time)
in my etsy shop "Cosmo's Moon"-

here it is: holidays2010
how it works:
during checkout you will have a section asking for a coupon code- just type this in and etsy will recalculate your order total to reflect the discount. This is a new feature on Etsy- and I am thankful that I can now finally set up a promotion this way! (I imagine you like it too!)

So- have fun this weekend- if you are coveting something from my shop make sure you send a link to my blog to your friends/family- I'm sure they'd love to know about this special offer as well

ciao for now- Maureen

Affordable alternatives

Yes, silver is becoming more and more expensive-
I'm watching the market price go up on a daily basis- it's almost to the point that I won't be able to replenish my stock of silver supplies without raising my prices on my silver stock! YIKES!

Anyways- I totally appreciate the being on a budget thing-
that's why I've just added a less expensive alternative to
some of my gear pendants- They are in Yellow bronze and are on "sliding clasp"
adjustable cord.

gear heart pendant in yellow bronze  with sliding adjustable cord $35(pictured here)

I will also have one of these tree huggers on a sliding cord listed soon-
just have to finish them up and take some pics- they are the same as this listing, but with a sliding cord (also $35) I can list one of these for you if you are interested- just let me know

oh yeah- I don't have the compass pieces in bronze just yet- will have them in stock most likely in December/January. Hopefully in December...early. That's what I'm shooting for- Bang!
:-)

what is this RAD pack anyways??

I thought you'd never ask!
You probably know by now that I am one of a group of artists participating in the "Ring a Day" project.
in this practice of doing a ring a day there is a community of metalsmiths who have committed to making a ring every day this year...and with that you could guess that every once in a while we hit the creativity wall.

it happens like this- you wake up, have your coffee/tea/smoothie, walk into your studio, look around and kind of feel....un-inspired. AAACK! what to do what to do? well, here's where the RAD (ring a day) packs come in...ta daaa! rad pack to the rescue!

LOL, ok, maybe I've had too much coffee this morning...
To explain- the RAD pack is a bag of "mystery items", all wrapped up individually in kraft paper- in these little paper pods are objects donated to the artist from another artist- Items that the donor has perhaps had lying around their studio for a while, or things that they would like to see you respond to.
the rules are simple- NO PEEKING! (which includes fondling , shaking or x-raying the items)
the packet you pick for the day is yours to do with what you will....but it is meant as a source of inspiration. yes, you can smash it, burn it, set it, make fun of it, cover it in plastic, make an image with it...on and on...here's the thing- you are to use it as an inspiration for that day's ring.

basically, it lights a fire under your creative ass.
I've done a few RAD pack rings- yesterday I picked our a beautiful rectangular faceted smokey quartz-
which I immediately groaned and thought..."oh , I really don't want to make a formal setting today"
and then, I thought....Wait a second! I don't have to do anything formal- I just have to do what I want- make it my own- enjoy the hunt, the experience of creation....
as Old Blue Eyes said, "Do>Be>Do>Be>Do"
so...this is what I made....the Smokey Quartz is the rectangular stone- everything else were odds and ends from my studio. I loved the subdued rich color of the quartz, and paired it with a gorgeous little zig zag seashell I picked off the Beach a few years ago on the island of Elba. The jaunty attitude of the stone paired with the pearl, shell, and twisted silver is reminiscent of the fishing boats in the island-

I hope this explains the "RAD packs" - you can find other examples of Ring a day creations at the official ring a day Flickr photostream here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/rad2010/
I'm off to my studio now, to follow the muse
may the flux be with you- ciao- Maureen

sept 27 lil country gal wedding ring3

sept 27 2010lil country gal wedding ring3
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I love these old fashioned clothespins- they HAVE to be wooden- can't stand the plastic ones...

this piece is another of my free formed rings that I make for the ring a day project. The rings I am making for this project don't necessarily have to be wearable- they don't have to make much sense- they don't have to be anything! And that is what I find so intriguing...

when I go to my studio I have a bunch of things I want to complete for the day- on that list is a ring...can be anything it wants to be- made of anything that calls to me...and can be as fast or slow and detailed as it is.
a zen ring- it IS because I follow the creation- never really knowing if it is gone over the edge, never really sure where it will lead. The creation is in the moment, and it is sheer freedom.

Ring a day a journey that allows me to take risks, and one that has opened a spring of creativity! I know I can't have a winner every time, and giving myself the permission to fail is one of the best gifts an artist can give to themselves.
Keep it real, baby!
:=)

Text Rings- Story

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/45934959/word-story-silver-text-ring

What's so important about Stories?

There is a powerful connection with our past and the possibilities of the future in stories. They comfort people, teach, enlighten, and inform our world.
This ring is an ode to stories of all kinds- His story, Her story, Our story. Celebrate your imaginative storied self. Read, listen and learn. Storytelling is an art-it is the stuff of inspiration.

Ring a day - inspired by you

Tell me your ring size! I'm looking for inspirations for the ring a day project- and I'd love to design a piece in your honor.

These will be fast and fun- I will take inspiration from what I think I know about you- and I will post an image of the piece here on my blog when it is done (and on your Facebook page if we are connected through Facebook)

I cannot promise that I will get to everyone-(but I'll try) I will be picking the names at random during the duration of my ring a day year (2010) . I make rings for this project during the weekdays only  and I am currently on ring #88.

So...what do you say? :-) let's make some rings!

kiwi lunch mosaic1

kiwi lunch mosaic1
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I'm on a Kiwi kick lately...just biding time before plum season I think...but I'm starting to wonder why I haven't eaten more kiwi fruits (and stayed with the classic fruits apple orange banana)
My theory is that I remember discovering them in the 70's as a kid, and remember them being "expensive"- a real thing to covet and save(might have been perceptions of comments- I was a little kid then)
....now you can get kiwis for about the price of lemons, so I vow to indulge my inner child more often and feed her the opulent country club food of the 70's

Ring a day ring #53 "Kiwi Lunch"....Carved Kiwi fruit

Blog Carnival- Ring a Day

My favorite ring from the ring a day project is the ring that has yet to be made.

It is the ring of possibility. The one that exists in the moment of creation- 

I love this ring because it is ever changing- it holds many forms and ideas, and is executed

in a multitude of techniques and designs by talented artists in a variety of studios.

The ring that has yet to be made is one of possibility and promise: it can make you laugh, cry...it can hold a beautiful stone, a rock, a piece of plastic, or simply an idea. 

There is no overlying concept inherent in the ring of possibility, but it is a concept in itself.

It can be utilitarian, can spice up your life, can make you sneeze...it slices, it dices, it makes a great gift. it is a giant question mark, an exclamation point, asterisk, and comma.  There are an infinite amount of them, and there are none at all. 

The ring that has yet to be made hugs the future- it is in the hands of those who risk to create it.

it is beautiful, because it is possible. And I can't wait to get to my studio to see it today!

 

here are a few of my rings (posted on my Flickr photostream) from the past week... I encourage you to go and see the incredible variety and possibilities that are being created every day by this inspiring group of artists- 

here's the link to the official ring a day group - ring a day flickr group (constantly developing)

this is a blog carnival post- that means that several other artists are taking up this same subject (favorite ring) and blogging about their response- it's a great way to be introduced to the ring a day project and the artists who are participating- 

below you will find a list of the other etsymetals artist blogs in today's blog carnival

Enjoy!

Alisa Miller http://alisamiller.blogspot.com
Colleen Baran http://seeseebe.blogspot.com/
Danielle Miller http://daniellemillerjewelry.blogspot.com/
stacey hansen http://wildflowerdesigns.blogspot.com
Chris Parry http://chris-parry.blogspot.com
kerin rose http://kerinrose.blogspot.com
Sara Westermark http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com/
Victoria Takahashi http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/
Su Trindle http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/
Nina Dinoff http://ninadinoff.blogspot.com/
Maureen "Cosmo's Moon" BZ http://cosmosmoonjewelry.blogspot.com
Thomasin Durgin http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
Caitlyn Davey/discomedusa http://discomedusa.typepad.com
Catherine Chandler http://catherinechandler.blogspot.com/
_________________

Thank you to Nina Dinoff for creating this project and to all of the other artists in this group who inspire me every day!

ciao- Maureen BZ

(aka "Cosmo's Moon" and "Mbzap")

Ring a day 2010

This week I started participating in the Ring a Day group that was started by my friend and Etsy Metals team mate Nina Dinoff. I was initally hesitant to take on a challenge like this one- I thought- OH MY...a ring a day EVERY day for a whole YEAR?? pretty daunting challenge, I thought initially...... however....

I pondered the reason behind my hesitation- thinking about a Year- what a Year means....it's a measure of time- that's all. and we have ways of measuring time in smaller increments too....A month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, a second, a moment.....

It's not that we don't have time- it's that we get overwhelmed by the apparent size of the task (365 rings)  and we think about the size of a year (365 days) and we all roll our brains around this and think...... well, that's just too much! you mean every day- we make something- and it will take how long??

 hmmm.... let's see the equation would go something like this...

365D+365R=1Y x life = time /work + play = OMG

AH, wait- there's the problem- we can use our measurements of time and amount in a different scale- break it down into bite sized chunks- and have a better view of the possibilities. so instead of "OMG a ring a day every day for a whole year!!" you can say "Today I'm going to make a ring. I know how much time I have to play today, so for __________ amount of time I will make a ring that reflects what I am doing- or what I feel like. I will give myself permission to listen to my muse and play today.

 so.... 1D+1R=life+play=possibilities

And tomorrow is another day, when I can make a choice to play or not. No penalties. No grades. No judgements. Only possibilities. And what could be better than that?

ps- here are a couple of my rings from the project