Maryville University had a great metal show and I wanted to share some pictures I took today of the art work displayed.  Please keep in mind that these are my photos, NOT professional photos...

A little background on the show:
The show was curated by SMM member Sherri Jaude.
The name of the show was, Contemporary Metal: Aesthetic and Commerce
On view: October 16 – November 15, 2014
Opening Reception: October 16, (Thursday) 5:00p.m. - 8:00p.m.

The contemporary world embraces a range of expression that includes functionality, the diverse use of materials, along with a balance of aesthetics and commerce. Artists today are challenged in the studio to meet this world and remain true to their voice. Presented in this exhibition is a collection of objects by invited artist’s working in metal.

Maryville University is honored to present works by Haley Bates, John Baltrushunas, Deborah Daher, Marilyn da Silva, Michael Good, Aimee Howard, Sherri Jaudés, Joe Meunch, Paulette Myers, Sarah Perkins, Lanie Kodner, Claude Mette, Rodney Roots, Sun Kyoung Kim, Warren & Diane Sauer and Billie Jean Theide. 

These piece were so well crafted.  It was amazing to see the work up close, of so many well known metalsmiths.  The details and quality were wonderful.

Lanie Kodner created a wonderfully crafted and functional silver interchangable back scratcher...

What a spectacular idea...!!!

Anyone that knows me, knows I love to put flowers or something that is flower related in my work.  I don't always...  I like to make miniature things too...but most of the time I end up making flowers, or leaves or vines or...you get the drift, right?



..

I was shopping with my daughter and one of the stores had these big paper flowers in their display....I whipped out my phone and snapped a pix.

This is pictures of a one of a kind painting on newspaper that I saw at a local furniture store in U-city.  Sorry, I don't know the artist's name...but the painting is very cool in real life.

Picture from my flower garden...

Don't you just LOVE these huge metal flowers in front of the Metal Museum in Memphis Tennessee!!! 

Below are some pictures of my work that were inspired by floral objects...
 

So when my father, a retired machinist, hobby furniture maker and blacksmith, showed me these cute and AWESOME bird houses that he made...I thought...

Wow...those would be sooooooooooooooo cute as earrings!!!!  As soon as I get my studio up and running smoothly I want to make some of these...at least one...maybe a necklace.  Not only will it be something that will remind me of my dad, but it's a flower AND a miniature!!!   Will post a picture as soon as I can. 
So what has inspired you lately???

After the flood...

I don't want to dwell on this whole moving thing...but since I am STILL unpacking, for the second time (after the flood)...I thought I would post a few pictures of the state of my current temporary studio...

 

It has been hard to get focused. I think I am turning my creativity to my blog posts and pictures instead of my jewelry.  Do you like the pretty picture collage???...ha ha!

Do you see where my kiln is???...  Yep, I am going to enamel in the bathroom!  It's a pretty confined area but I think it will work.  It's nice because the sink is really handy.  Whatever it takes, ya know!

I would say the studio is 80% set up.  I hope to get back to work by this coming Monday!!  

Wish me luck!!

Movers were GREAT. Moving...not so great!

Moving day has come and gone...and with a few hick-ups along the way...

I don't think my bench has been this clean since I first put it in my studio!!!  This baby is soooooooo big and heavy...and the movers had to take it down 3 flights of stairs...ouch!!

 Boxing up my tools and stuff.

Here's my little moving buddy.  He decided to hop on my car windshield and take a little trip with me!!  :-)

The above pictures were of my new studio...until a week later...it flooded.  So we called the movers back...and they moved my studio again!!!  :-(
Very demotivating to have your life in boxes!!  Not really feeling like unpacking again.  But I am...slowly this time, not as much "umph" in my steps.
Until next time... 

Plastic Personalities...

Soooooooooooooo...we all know about Margaux Lange's art jewelry, right???  If not, you should!!!   She makes bold and colorful jewelry out of...Barbie parts!   Some of her work is pictured below...(EYE CANDY TIME!!!!!)

Or you can go to her Etsy store HERE:
or
Her website HERE!!

As we all LOVED playing with BARBIE.  I remember when I was little I had a 3 story Barbie house complete with an ELEVATOR!!!  I loved that Barbie house...it was sooooooooo tall, almost as tall as I was!!  I also had a blow up Barbie pool and a big fluffy Barbie dog and a Barbie camper...ohhh...I could go on and on... 

Anyway, there is an artist by the name of  Kristyna Milde from Praha (Prague??).  She stages Barbie's to reflect famous historical paintings which she then photographs.  I find her work extremely humorous!!!  Not sure if it's suppose to be or not.  At the very least it is interesting, wouldn't you say??? 

 

You can see more of her work at her Flickr site here

or

her website here!!

 

I never knew Barbie was so adventurous, did you??

 

 

Almost Christmas...

As an early Christmas present, my husband, unbeknownst to him, got me this very beautiful...

jewelers hand saw!!!

I know, I know...most girls want diamonds, or pearls or perfume...but not this girl!!  A few of my metalsmithing friends Linda and Melodie, had one of these pretty saws and when I saw it I just HAD to have one!!!  I absolutely LOVE it!!!  What the picture can't show you is just how comfy the saw feels in your hand...

Below is the actual"product description" from the website.

"The new jewelers saw frame from GreenLion Studios features an injection molded hard rubber grip over its sturdy 11 gauge steel frame. This saw offers the most in price point, balance, precision, ease of use and comfort! These are made in small batches and released in limited editions."

In case you were wondering the saw is ONLY $35.00...which is a bargain considering I was thinking about purchasing a different saw that was over $100.00!!!
So....if you want one for Christmas...you can get them at the link below.  I am not sure if they still have them in stock or not...They make them in small batches...so when they are out, they are out for a while.  I put my name on an e-mail list and they e-mailed me when they had more in stock.  It took about 6 weeks or so... 

www.sobaone.com

Happy sawing!!!...and Merry Christmas!!  :-)

Lets talk Druzy!!!!

My shipment of druzy just came in...Aren't they pretty??!!

I quickly made a ring (below) because I wanted to see a finished piece.  I know...it's not quite as fancy as it could be...but I am pretty happy with it.  :-)

 

Sometimes referred to as druzy, druze, druse or drusie, these glittering rocks are sought-after by jewelry lovers and rock hounds.  (I prefer to use this spelling, druzy.) 

A druzy is sets of tiny crystals of minerals that form on the surface of another stone. There are many types of druzy, because there are many types of minerals. Each type of druzy has particular characteristics, such as crystal size, luster and color. Quartz is one of the most common druzy types because of the prevalence of silica throughout the world. No matter what mineral forms the druzy, the overall appearance usually resembles that of sugar. The tiny crystals are considered beautiful because, like large gemstones, they glitter and catch rays of light.  The most commonly found druzy is quartz (agate or chalcedony).  Druzy comes in many colors, most coming from non-quartz species of druzy gems, such as cobalto-calcite (hot pink), uvarovite (day glow green), and rainbow pyrite (multi colored) among many others.   There is also a special coating called that can be put over the cystals to make them even more brilliant. 

A chemical process called Chemical Vapor Deposition(CVD) in which the druzy are exposed in a gaseous environment that contains a metal like titanium. During the process the metal bonds on a molecular level with the mineral resulting in a spectacular rainbow of colors. By varying the metals and process parameters a host of colors and shades can be created. The most common compound used is titanium but others are cobalt, Silicone-Dioxide, gold, and silver.


A druzy has a Mohs hardness of 7...which is...hum...not the hardest, especially for rings.  I have just started working with druzies...but I plan on ALWAYS setting my rings in a "shadow box" setting.  This type of setting means the sides of the bezel extends past the crystal sides of the stones and will protect the tiny quartz crystals.  You can see in the picture below how the sides of the bezels extend past the crystals.  These are NOT set yet, they are merely sitting in bezels for now.   

Unprotected settings:  
Since druzies are fragile, the way they are set is really important to the "life" of the stone.  A lot of druzies look like they are just set with glue or epoxy and the crystal tops are not protected.  If the crystals get knocked off, the bare stone from underneath the crystals is not very pretty.


Below is another example of an unprotected setting.  You see this type of setting a lot when you are surfing the net for druzy jewelry...click on this link for examples.  This type of bezel is electroplated.  The sides of the stone is protected however, the crystals are above the electroplating and are subject to being chipped off of the stone.  
I did read my comment box for this post and there were some designers that were quite miffed at me for saying the things I said about electroplated jewelry.  I didn't mean to offend any jewelers that actually do electroplating in their own studios...as I am sure they do everything they can to protect the stones from the users wear and tear.  

The mass produced electroplated druzies from China do not protect the stones...therefore the jewelry does not "hold up."  Hopefully the buyer will do their research on who they are buying from and if the jewelry is handmade/handcrafted.  The buyer will also need to be educated and use their own judgment in regards to the quality and wearability of the jewelry they are buying.   

  

I prefer to set my stones in a more traditional setting because I believe it protects the integrity of the stone.


More Information on druzy gemstones...

http://www.ehow.com/about_6606347_titanium-drusy_.html