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

Muse of the North

leather bracelets 201013
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

every once in a while I get the urge to work in Leather.
Lucky for me, I live in a town that has a good leather supplier (the leather factory/Tandy leather) so I have fast access to diverse tools and supplies and beautiful supple leathers.

this is one of the leather bracelets I made this spring. I love pairing the softness of leather with the solid structure of handmade metal elements. I think my love of leather originates from my years of working with horses as a youth.

I was a horse obsessed kid- ask anyone who I went to school with- they'll roll their eyes and agree- the only other thing I was ever really excited about was making things- Art, industrial arts and the like.
when I work with leather I feel a connection to my horse loving roots- I feel the pull of my Irish ancestors, and the soft muzzles of all the horses I have had the privilege to encounter.

This bracelet I made when it was still quite cool here in Tucson- cool meaning that I didn't have to have the A/C on while in my studio-

Deerskin, white and brown leather, brass heishi and sterling 

metal elements with turquoise and coral chip inlays 

This piece comes from a different muse- She was singing her song of encouragement from the northern winds. I imagined her as an old Eskimo woman, wintering with expertise in the North- calling her enchantments to nature, and encouraging my leather working mania in a soft, wise song.

I hope I meet her again.

Project Runway - etsy metals challenge

I'm a member of the Etsymetals team- it is a group of talented metalsmiths who have outstanding work in metal (mostly jewelry) on the popular Handmade (and vintage and suppies) Craft commerce site, "Etsy" (pronounced like "Betsy" without the B) 

 One of the aspects of the team is group challenges- a way of stirring the creative pot a little and relating to each other in a visual manner- Being highly creative people, most of us are big fans of Project Runway(PR)- (if you don't know what PR is, click the link...and welcome to earth.....lol)

Each week on PR the designers are given a challenge, and they work to create a piece that is runway ready- usually in very little time, with very little money. Etsy metals team members have taken it on as a challenge- and each week we are invited to create a piece that represents the subject matter/challenge on the "real" show. And the results are usually pretty interesting!

Well, this week I decided to give it a shot- My kid is back in school, I am full time in my studio, and to top it off, I had a big supply of this week's featured material- Burlap.

Well- I must say....as much as I love the smell of burlap, and the color....that texture was not working for me this time! I made a huge mess in my kitchen , working until midnight one night just trying to get the material to work for me...then scrapped the entire night's work, only to start over agin the next day....and scrap the work again....here's a pic of the mess I created while trying to dye my material with greens from my garden.....

The next day, I worked with it again- folding, wrapping, stitching...all to nogood end..My burlap was really funky- it was the screen that I put up on my studio porch last summer to help shade me from the AZ sun. I think that's where I went so wrong...the material was so stressed already that all I had to do was look at it and it would crackle and puff all over my clothes!(of course I didn't notice I was covered in burlap fibers until I went to pick Cosmo up at school.....)

 

this is (sadly) the most successful thing I did with the burlap...

I guess I'm not really cut out to work in fabric

(TGFM- thank God for Metal)

oh well- I would be kicked off the runway from this week's challenge...but luckily we don't have Heidi giving us the "you're out!" ...so as Tim would say- the next time I take on a PR etsymetals challenge I will "make it work"

 :D  ciao _ maureen

click here to see more successful results of the burlap week from my talented teammates from Etsymetal (it's a link to the Etsymetals blog)

Alternative Materials

red and green LIL DOTTIES2
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

You know, with metals prices being what they are I have been experimenting with alternative materials- for one, they keep my prices affordable - (I don't believe that only wealthy people should have access to handmade craft) and also, I get to freely explore ideas without getting too hung up on the price of materials.

One of the things I started trying last spring was aluminum. I've been having a lot of fun with these pieces- roller printing (it's really squishy!) and stamping is incredibly satisfying- the tools act as if they were on steroids! then- blaspheme! I paint them.

oooh, I know, next thing you know I'll be stripped of my credentials as a professional metalsmith!
well, it's been fun while it lasted! :-) don't think I'm going to stop now!

Decisions decisions

I'll confess, when I first heard that I got into the 4th session of Haystack this year I actually had some doubts that I would even go-

My first pick was to go and spend a week with Andy Cooperman (one of my favorite metalsmiths) and do his popular "Zengineering" class, (which pares down stone setting to a Zen-like simplicity)

I've been lucky enough to know Andy for years, as he comes down to the Yuma Symposium on a regular basis. The thing is, I've never been able to take one of his workshops- I was either out of the country, pregnant, or chasing after Cosmo in his toddler years..so I thought his Haystack session was my chance!

I received the acceptance letter in late spring..Congratulations! -it said- you have been accepted for session 4, Metals....(which was my second choice) with Fred Fenster and Hiroko Yamada...
"pewter for the table"..OK, I thought..steady now...
You see, I've never done any tableware before (having been mostly self taught) and Pewter?
well, I did read Johnny Tremain when I was a kid, and I knew someone who did some cast pewter here in Tucson...So I guess you could say that I was a complete and total Pewter virgin.
I had a question in front of me....do I accept? YES YES YES!

It only took a few hours of contemplation...I decided to go based on a few things...
one- Fred Fenster is a hugely popular instructor, one might even go so far as to say legendary (although Fred would scoff off any accolades) I usually get nervous when I meet such admirable people, but my friend Kristen assured me that Fred was as genuine as they come- both and Hiroko gave great demos and are phenomonal instructors.

Two- Pewter made me nervous....I just didn't feel comfy with reaching for a soft metal...and wasn't sure that I would enjoy it..but then I remembered Haystack- what better place than this sanctuary of creativity to try something new and reach out of your comfort zone?

Three- Place...I mean really, what Tucsonan wouldn't give their eye teeth to spend 2 weeks in coastal Maine in the summertime??

Pewterpalooza 09

So- when that first bill came, I paid in full.. held my breath and jumped into the deep end...

to be continued....
(next installment=Love)

new computer

I now have a new computer. Not that I was in the market for one..

I got one by default after someone (not me) spilled a cup of tea on the keyboard of my laptop.

Now , after  A week of trips to the computer store, angst , tossing and turning and grumbling I am faced with a weekend of learning how to use a Mac. Yup, I made the switch. I had heard so many negative stories about Vista that I refused to be forced to get another pc. 

so....we will now see what all the hubbub is about bub.

Tangents.....the path less followed

As creative people we all have the tendency and desire to explore new ways of creating.


I am definitely guilty of going off on a tangent for weeks on end in my studio...then later, thinking..."what was I doing?"And ending up with what I call my (excuse me) "little bastards."





Here's the thing...despite the unflattering name, I really love these pieces. They almost never have continuity with what I usually do in the studio, or within their group. Just a bunch of really diverse pieces, looking like they were made by different artists.





I could probably have a show and assign different artist names to each piece and nobody would know the difference!



Why do I love them so? Because they represent to me the essence of artistic freedom and creativity. Let's face it, in order to have our "work" recognised artists and designers have to cultivate a "signature style". It is essentially our version of visual "branding".



Many people like the comfort of the familiar, especially when buying something.And having an oddball piece or two in a collection can be unsettling. It raises questions, like whoa, what IS that? where did that come from? why is it here?? and so forth... But I try to twist it around, to think...ok, that's a new path...I wonder where that will lead?



And lead to something they do, these unique journeys into a path less taken. Though I may not use anything from a piece or a technique that I tinker with, the result from having that freedom is reflected in all my future work. And then, down that twisting path, another fork in the road will present itself, leading to more openings and questions.






So today I salute all my tangents and their resulting oddball pieces. Hey, who knows, perhaps I will find another fork in the creative road....which path will I take? and where will this lead? With acceptance to work a little "dirty" I may just find my next exciting groove!