Ladies and gentlemen, it's time once again for our monthly carnival o' blogs...
My most influential teacher was back in high school, which is where I took my first metalsmithing class. Mr. Anderson taught me the basics that I've faithfully put to use for more than two decades. He was influential in that I would otherwise have had little interest in metal work, as at the time I was more interested in painting and photography. His encouragement and sense of humor made trying a completely new medium less daunting. His high standards taught me that "good enough" when it came to care, precision and even safety was not good enough — that cutting corners was to be avoided, period. He always pushed his students to produce the great work he knew was within them, and he pushed me to challenge myself when it came to design, rather than take the simple or easy route that would result in a "lesser" piece.
Since after that time I have been primarily self-taught, it was an easy choice to say this man most influenced my jewelry.
See what my fellow blogging jewelry artists have to say about their influences:
Tod Pardon
Angela Baduel-Crispin
Lora Hart
Tonya Davidson
Tamra Gentry
Lorrene Davis
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I'm teaching a workshop this June, Metal Clay for Metalsmiths,
at the Lillstreet Art Center (click for details or to register) here in Chicago.
Discover how metal clays can add texture and dimension to your work that isn’t possible with fabrication or casting alone. Learn how to create surfaces and objects with metal clay — which become solid silver or bronze — and the techniques for incorporating them into your designs. We’ll cover basic handling, forming, firing and integration techniques, and metal-specific methods for adding components and textured surfaces to fine silver, sterling silver and copper including gold embellishment of fine silver. Prerequisite: First-Time or Beginning Jewelry.
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Price: LAC Members $125.00 / Non-Members $130.00
Material fee: approximately $55
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Due to web server issues I was unable to post about this on Friday with the rest of my monthly "blog carnival" group, but I figure, better late than never.
I don't really have one favorite technique — I'm pleased with every technique that works, especially more difficult ones. Plus I'm way too A.D.D. If I had to try to narrow it down, though, I supposed I could consider two as more favored:
1) Forming metal with a hammer, using anvils, steel forming blocks, or dapping die and punches. There's something satisfying about molding something as hard as metal using just hand tools.
2) Combining elements and textures made using metal clays with forging and fabrication techniques to create a piece that might not be possible to make any other way.
See what my fellow "carnies" had to say about it:
Angela Baduel-Crispin
Tonya Davidson
Lorrene Davis
Tamra Gentry
Lora Hart
Elaine Luther
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I was so excited about how well this turned out, I'm sharing it prematurely. It's actually one of a matching set — I haven't finished the other half yet.
Although several people have said "oh, I should have you do our rings," It's been a while since such comments have actually come to fruition. A couple I know actually committed (no pun intended) to having me make their rings.
They wanted them to be coordinating, but not exactly the same. I pointed out that doing so would cost more because of the need to create two different designs, and suggested a design with a pattern that made the rings look different depending on how they were placed on the finger. They liked this idea, and off I went.
I designed a pattern that would rotate around (and be cut out of) the surface of the ring, which gave the design uniqueness due to the "negative space" and also would cause the rings to look coordinating yet different when worn, based on what part of the pattern was visible on the top of the finger. And if they get tired of looking at a particular part of the pattern, all they have to do is give the ring a twist. The pattern doesn't say anything; it's a series of shapes that play off each other, much like my Geoglyphic bracelet.
I'll update the photo with the pair once my fingers have healed enough to complete the other ring!
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For some reason disasters are more interesting to read about then successes. It's like the news — when things go right, there seems to be no desire to talk about them. Ah well.
I've had my share of things go wrong at the bench (and elsewhere) while working on a piece. I've melted things, dropped a bezel down the drain, and burned or cut myself countless times over the past twenty years.
One day that does stand out is the day I was working on a bracelet link and I attempted to pick it up with tweezers immediately after a soldering operation. I lost my grip on it and the hot piece landed on the wood floor, burning it and in danger of starting a fire. I quickly bent down to pick it up... and slammed the top of my head into the bench pin (a piece of wood that is attached to the front of the bench, for sawing and forming). Ouch. I saw stars and nearly forgot about the piece of silver burning its way through the floor.
I picked up the piece and managed to get it (smoldering with melted polyurethane, nasty) to a safe place before staggering to the bathroom to survey the damage to my head: apparently I had dragged the top of my scalp (my head is shaved so this was easy to see) across the front of the bench pin, leaving a 3-inch long bloody scrape. It didn't cut all the way through so I didn't need stitches, fortunately, but it was quite ugly and for about a week I had to put up with being stared at and asked "oh my god, what happened?"
Read about these other jewelry artists' mishaps:
Angela Crispin
Chris Parry
Lorrene Davis
Elaine Luther
Tonya Davidson
Tamra Gentry
Lora Hart
[ 1 comment ] ( 251 views ) | permalink
My work for the last twenty years, although certainly not "silent" has for the most part been missing a voice I've always wanted to add. I've sought to incorporate color into my designs by using various gem beads and the occasional cabochon-cut stone, which I have no trouble setting.
But I've always loved and wanted to use faceted colored stones. I just never learned how to set them properly. I generally do not like prongs — I strongly prefer bezels, and bezels are tricky and difficult. I attempted them from time to time but never with much success. Oddly, even with the ubiquitous Internet and all of the free information out there, I couldn't find a "how-to" anywhere, and the books I've found don't really discuss the bezel-setting of faceted stones.
Over the years I collected more and more of stones, because (as I've mentioned before) I just love my sparklies. Unfortunately I didn't feel confident enough to actually do anything with them, so they have sat in various drawers for years, and I would pull them out and look at them, wistfully.
Now at the Lillstreet Art Center, where I also teach every now and then, the head of the metals department offered a class on bezel setting, including faceted stones. I wanted to ask for her help prior to the class ever making it onto the schedule, but was always too busy (and I'm sure she was also).
Anyhow, I took the class. It was fantastic. Apparently I had the right ideas all these years but lacked the tips and tricks of execution that mean the difference between success and failure. Armed with this newly acquired skill, the gemstone floodgates have officially been opened.
Starting with this: my Helios pendant of fine silver with a 30+ carat citrine. The whole piece measures about 2 inches wide, 2.5 inches tall and about 3/4 of an inch deep. It is not light or delicate by any means. I wanted it to be big and glorious — if the comments of all who've seen it are any reflection, I have achieved that. More to come!
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