Weekend Eye Candy - Beach Edition

1. Beach Necklace, 2. marconi beach, 3. pottery shard and beach glass earrings, 4. Beach Cycles I detail, 5. Glass Vial Necklace, English Beach Glass, Green Amethyst, 6. Beach Pebble and Chocolate Diamond Ring, 7. RAD 360/365 12.26.10, 8. tide land, wet beach, 9. beach inspired necklace, 10. Stone Age Beach Glass, 11. RAD 52/365 02.21.10, 12. Deckchairs on Brighton beach, 13. Sunken City Necklace, 14. Tide land, wet beach ring, 15. venice beach, 16. beach stones standing2 Created with fd's Flickr Toys 

This is very probably the last Weekend Eye Candy that will be curated from my tiny studiolo in Venice, California. All of the images were found through a search for "beach". Notice the Venice boardwalk in the last row.

I'm almost finished packing up and saying goodbye, and taking a last look around this wonderful city.

I was born in Hollywood, and lived in the San Fernando Valley for the first 30 some-odd years of my life. The last 26 have been spent in Venice. It's a strange feeling to be getting ready to abandon the land of my birth, but the butterflies are beginning to stir at the promise of a new adventure.

Weekend Eye Candy - Art of Containment Edition

1. Cretaceous Box, 2. Haunted and Abandoned Fine Silver House, 3. Metal Clay Class Project Sample: Reversible Pendant and Box, 4. Maria Lucia's box, 5. 4 Way Over the Rainbow Musical Kaleidoscope Front AA-R, 6. hinged box pendant with keum-boo - clasp, 7. Book of Kells: Arach (Dragon), 8. DSC_0180, 9. Inro2 

The very last PMC Guild sponsored conference is about to take place next week. To honor the occasion, here's a taste of some very sweet containers from some very creative metal clay artistes.

Weekend Eye Candy - Memory Edition

1. Custom Collage Pendant, 2. RAD 362/365 12.28.10, 3. Me and the sea, 4. R-A-D #238 8/26/2010 "A memory of summer", 5. My "adult life" charm bracelet 1990-2008, 6. Crystal Earrings, 7. wave, 8. the Memory of Flowers, 9. Ring a Day 213/365  Created with fd's Flickr Toys 

It's Memorial Day weekend in the United States, and all of these images were found through a search for the word 'memory'.

Jewelry can be a talisman, a private token that holds a moment in time, a tangible manifestation of an entire relationship, or a collection of facsimiles that tell the story of a life.

The memories associated with a special piece of jewelry can be a powerful force. As I begin to pack and purge for the big move, I'm finding things tucked into corners that I'd long forgotten about. And know, that even though they haven't seen the light of day in many years, I'm still not ready to consign them to the thrift store. The stories they continue to tell are too powerful to silence.

I have a whole collection of my Mother's belongings that will travel with me to Virginia. The gloves, handkerchiefs, and 60's costume jewelry still whisper their fairy tales. And I still listen and long to believe.

And life goes on...

I've been busy getting ready for my big move to the east side of the continent. I've been working furiously on my seminar for the last ever PMC Guild sponsored metal clay conference. I've been overwhelmed and stuck at times too, just sitting stagnant at my desk. But I've also been thinking, planning, re-imagining, and  looking forward to creating a whole new time in my life. And I wanted to share some of that mind mapping with you.

I'm revamping my fabulous Mentorial service.  I have lots of ideas, lots of notes jotted on various pieces of paper, lots of value added pluses to help you wonderful artists be the best you can be! I also still have lots of purging, packing, shipping, and cat carrying to do - so there will be a launch party for the new and improved Mentorials in September!

You may have noticed that the past few Weekend Eye Candy posts are more closely related to the Candy's specific content. I'll be continuing in that vein until my move is complete, but then look for a weekly article that will focus on craft business, making, or other aspects of our chosen addiction.

I've designed a new Intro class for the metal clay enthusiasts of Richmond, Virginia which I'm proud to say will be held at the beautiful Visual Arts Center. I'm also going to be opening a studio to teach more advanced classes as well as offer regular Sunday Sessions so we can all get together for Play Dates, to work on specific projects, and talk shop.

If you'd like to be included in my new and improved mailing list too, send me your email addy to get updates on the planning progress.

Thanks for reading, for sticking with me through the thinner posting periods, and for all your support.

Weekend Eye Candy - Candy Edition

1. Candy Dish Rings, 2. WIWT: 9/1/08, 3. “I Want Candy” Flower Pin by Harriete Estel Berman (back view), 4. RAD #16 01162010, 5. Eye Candy - Mike, 6. Cluster earrings, 7. DSC_0239, 8. RAD 276/365 11.03.10, 9. RAD #182 & #183 7/19 & 20/10 

Something sweet for this week's Eye Candy. With best wishes for a tasty weekend.

Weekend Eye Candy - Planning and Preparation Edition

1. Sketches for new piece, 2. TADA365, #2 Collecting ideas from RAD, 3. in progress, 4. TADA 365-2 02/01/2011, 5. earring sketches, 6. Patterns and Cut, Unfolded Model, 7. Necklace with more folded paper, 8. You Messin'?, 9. 10/1/11 Sketches/doodles TADA365 No:10 

Jewelry making should be more than just tearing into expensive materials and starting a new project. The more time you take planning the design in advance, the more likely you are to have what you consider a successful outcome.

If there's an unusual object that you'd like to set, place it on a piece of paper and draw a few different possible examples of the metal backing around it. Wanting to try a new chain design? Make a maquette out of paper first. Trying to figure out how to put together a complicated construction? Use polymer or paper clay to work out each step in the process before you get out the silver.

One of my favorite tricks is to draw a design I have in mind, then repeat the process altering a few details. Repeat the whole thing 5 times, using each previous drawing as a jumping off point for the next iteration. By the time you have 6 drawings of the same theme, you'll have worked out the design in your mind and can choose the best version to get started on your piece.

Weekend Eye Candy - Steel Edition

1. Steel Anchor Bracelet 1, 2. mega organizer EM secret santa, 3. Perforated Steel Cufflinks, 4. 15/9/11 Steel Wire Ring TADA365 No:364 & RAW52 No:17, 5. linked leaf necklace, 6. RAW 52-14: Foldformed Steel, 7. steel roses in progress, 8. RAW 52-18: Moto(ring), 9. Eddies # 2

Created with fd's Flickr ToysWeekend Eye Candy - Steel Edition, a photo by lorahart on Flickr.

This week I'm in Richmond, Virginia to teach a class and start the search for a new home. Yesterday I also took the time to stop by one of the best galleries on the eastern seaboard - Quirk. I love visiting Quirk because they showcase many of the jewelry artists that I stalk online. This time I was able to fondle the work of Catie Sellars, Amy Tavern, Jillian Moore, and Megan Auman. (to name but a few).

I'd seen everyone's work before in other galleries, but never Megan's. She works almost exclusively in steel wire and I had always assumed it was a medium gauge binding wire of the sort one might find at the hardware store. What a wrong impression one can develop when viewing images online! Megan's pieces were thick and sturdy, but also very lightweight, and I was sorely tempted to add to my earring collection.

There's nothing like being able to see a thing in person. Whether it's a painting, piece of jewelry, or other work of art. Why don't you take a trip to one of your favorite galleries this weekend and share your discoveries in the comments section here on Monday?