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")

pewter memory boxes

urn rip fullon front1
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

My newest project is creating hand fabricated pewter memory boxes. They are intended as urns or memorial pieces for beloved pets who have crossed "the rainbow bridge".

This particular box I created for the "Dia de los Muertos" show at Obsidian gallery, Tucson AZ. It is a bed-like structure with a headboard that resembles the arch of the virgin of Guadalupe (which is so prevalent here in the southwest) there is a lotus flower as a candle holder (candle representing eternal flame/soul) and the top section comes off, revealing a small compartment below, to store a small amount of ashes/photos/id tags/kibble/notes and wishes for the departed animal companion.

Tuareg Jewelry event

Last week I went to an event here in Tucson that was put together by Yvonne Foucher, owner of Cata Vino's wine shop, and member of Local First, Tucson. The featured artist/group Tuaregjewelry.com was represented by their US representative, AnnElston. I was lucky enough to find a gorgeous pair of silver earrings for my collection. It is rare for me to purchase jewelry; I usually wear my work only..(like a walking billboard)... But these pieces were truly remarkable, and I knew immediately that I wanted to have a sample of the amazing technique and "soft geometry" of the designs. 

here is an image of my sample pair- remarkably, they are Hollow, and not soldered.. the piece is cut and folded into it's box shape- I believe (based on their weight) that there must be a small piece of wood in the core, to keep the light gauge silver from collapsing. I'm going to do a little research to find out if this is a technique that the Tuareg metalsmiths employ 

(I'll let you know when I find out)

in any case, these are made with stamping and repousse techniques: (with hammers and broken screwdrivers and files, as told by their rep...sounds right to me!)

repoussé |rəˌpoōˈsā|

adjective(of metalwork) hammered into relief from the reverse side.nounornamental metalwork fashioned in this way.ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: French, literally ‘pushed back,’ past participle of repousser, from re- (expressing intensive force) + pousser ‘to push.’

As a bonus piece, I was given a fantastic deal on a gorgeous hand sewn leather piece, which is a smaller version of the Tuareg sleep mats (mine is the size of a pillow). The hand tooling and design of this piece astounded me. I feel fortunate to have it, and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to hold many more beautiful metalworks at the event.

You never know what opportunities arise, and I am so glad that I took time out of my busy day to be in the presence of such amazing craftsmanship.

Report from the Far West

Amazing Artists,

Historic Buildings, 

Sunny skies, 

Free Trade,

Flowing Liquids, 

Campfires, 

Singing, 

Dancing, 

Saw File and Soldering.....

Just a few descriptive words for the Magical annual event called the Yuma Sumposium

(click here to see the YS website) The last weekend in February, the dusty 

desert outpost of Yuma Arizona hosts artists and creative minds from around the world. 

This year was the 30th anniversary.

I describe it like this:

the Yuma Symposium is where your heroes 

become your friends

and your friends become your heroes

Me and Harlon Butt, the President elect of the 

Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG)

and the creator of the most poetically gorgeous cloisonné vessels you will ever set eyes on

his website is at: http://www.harlanbutt.com/

(I had the privilage to take a workshop with Harlon a few years ago and I get to see him every once in a while at metalsmithing conferences. It is always wonderful to see him)

Yuma is where you get a good dose of kitsch, 

with a flair that lets you know

(in no uncertain terms)

that you are on the edge of California

it's a place where

a man on a segway with a cellphone

ambles by a Giant Rooster...all on webcam 

(see Yuma's live webcam here)

(the webcam had more interesting images when we were there, that's for sure)

It had been 6 years since I had last attended the Symposium, but I declare now that 

I will move heaven and earth to attend next year. 

It was that good.

really.

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!