Weekend Eye Candy - Stress Edition

1. RAD #70, 2. artist balls detail, 3. Bracelet 2.4 (2007, IT) The Cellar Locker Bracelet (iron), 4. Stress Ball.., 5. Stress 1, 6. Spinning Stress Ring - 3, 7. String Theory Ring 1 (RAD 84), 8. Maria Fomich, 9. Stress - detail

Images found through a search for "stress" on Flickr.

As I get closer to moving from the city I grew up in (Los Angeles) to a new town that I'm admittedly not very familiar with (Richmond, Virginia), I'm feeling the stress a little more each day. Where will I live? How will I adapt to new temperatures and landscapes? What am I thinking???

The reasons why I decided to move at the age of 55 are all still valid. I want a larger living space/studio and real estate prices in Los Angeles are prohibitive, I've been craving a change of scene since the turn of the millenium, and a I have a burning desire to shake up my complacency to see where it leads.

But those reasons don't make the reality of my move and all that it will entail any easier to deal with. Cousins. Cousins will make the move easier. And I'll see them in April when I go out for a test run of the Visual Arts Center where I hope to start teaching full time next fall. But for now, I'm feeling a little flummoxed with all the terrors of moving myself, my car, my belongs, and mostly the kitties. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of leaving the wonderful metal clay community and teaching venues that I built from scratch over the past ten years. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to all the wonderful opportunities that I'm about to encounter. Just waiting for the anticipation to blossom into reality.

Weekend Eye Candy - March FAM Edition

1. to the point, 2. FAM Feb, 3. FAM 3/2012, 4. A whole lot of Gemmy Goodness :), 5. FAM/Jan/4of4, 6. FAM - Février, 7. Bracelets, 8. FAM, Month #1, Exploring Spirals

The Four a Month challenge is inspiring such wonderful work! I'm proud of every one of these makers. Have you joined in? It's not to late to ramp up your creative spark!

Today's the Day!

My CraftCast class is going live at 5pm Pacific time, 8pm Eastern time. I'm really excited about this new experience and I hope you'll join me to learn how to make Slip Prints with metal clay. I'll show you how to make stencils and templates, how to use commercially made stencils in a way that will make the design unique to you, how to make a fire-in-place movable bail, I'll demonstrate 2 different precision rolling techniques, and more. And if you attend the live class (as opposed to buying it as a download) you'll be able to ask questions about anything on earth. Not that I'll have the answer for the meaning of life, but I'll do my best to help out on almost any metal clay topic.

I had a run through with our Mistress of Ceremonies, Alison Lee, last Friday and I think it's gonna be a pretty darn good show! Will I see you there?

Weekend Eye Candy - Slip Print Edition

Slip Print examples. I'll be demoing the one in the middle of the first row.

I've been crazy busy preparing for my first online CraftCast class this upcoming Monday evening (after a little break in Texas with my artsy gal pals).

I know the pdf is going to be fabulous. I've been writing handout sheets and step by step articles for years and years. I think I've got that down! But taking video is a whole new adventure.

My very professional video set-up.The camera is clamped to a gadget

that is clamped to one leg of my soldering tripod, which is weighted 
down with my bench block. An Ott-Lite provides white light illumination.

 One needs to figure out a way to suspend the camera, keep one's hands in the middle of the lens (amazing how often they'd stray out of bounds), make sure the image is well lit and in focus, make sure you're telling the story you want to communicate... Sheesh! I have a whole new respect for those of you who regularly do 'how-to' videos.

Now I can get ready for my first teaching engagement in my soon-to-be new hometown of Richmond Virginia. I'm offering "The Art of the Bead" at the fabulous Visual Arts Center, and I think there are still about 4 seats if any of you on the east coast would like to meet up.

After that - I'll be swamped again with plans for my seminar at the last ever PMC Guild sponsored conference in June. Topic? Teaching 101. I think I know a bit about that too.

Then packing, moving, feeling guilty about trapping the cats for the 5 hour plane ride, unpacking, feeling guilty about freaking out the cats in a new space... sigh. It's a busy year! And I'm so grateful for all the wonderful new experiences that have come along with it.

Weekend Eye Candy - Play Date Edition

FAM February. Enamel trials, a photo by lorahart on Flickr.

Last week I went to Texas to for a long distance play date with Vickie Hallmark, Lorena Angulo and Laura Wood. It was one of the best vacations I've had in a long time. A practice I highly recommend to anyone in need of an inspiration boost.

These enamel on copper samples were made under the expert guidance of Miss Vickie on Saturday. We used a 'crow' pen (similar to a traditional quill) to draw black outlines on prefired white enamel. Then we went back with a paintbrush and watercolor enamel to add color and fire a third time. This was all done using a Little Torch.

I've enameled before, but never with a torch, never with a pen, never with a paintbrush, never with this kind of imagery, never with such a detachment to the outcome, never with such delight in the results.

These little disks are destined to become some sort of brooch and each will be gifted to the other ladies of the play date as a reminder of our time together.

Just a small sample of the fabulous food made byLorena's husband Jorge. Between his feasts and
the ones prepared by Vicky, my Texas experience was a gourmand's delight!

We might even make this a yearly thing. Next year in Richmond, after I move. Although the food won't be nearly as yummy with me presenting it. You notice I didn't say cooking...