Laumeier Park Art Fair - 2012

A MUST TO DO THIS WEEK-END... (May 11-May 13)

Laumeier Park Art Fair...

This art fair never lets me down.  There is always a great mix of Pottery, Textiles, Jewelry and Glass work!!!!  I also noticed an abundance of Print work and exceptional Paintings.  There is something for everyone at this show. (Wow...I sound like a commercial!!!)  There is usually a kids play/art area as well!!!  And the food is OUTSTANDING!!!!

Below is a link to all the awesome artists that will be at the show.
2012 Artist List 

The actual ART FAIR jargon is below...see you there!!!

Art Fair at Laumeier is a nationally acclaimed fine art and craft fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park, one of the world’s premier open-air museums. Over 14,000 visitors – mostly families – attend the annual event, which is held on Mother’s Day weekend.
At Art Fair, visitors can choose from a variety of creative and original works of art from 150 artists from across the country. Available for sale are works in ceramics, fiber/textiles, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography/digital, printmaking/drawing, sculpture and wood. A highly competitive juried show, the art fair receives over 700 applications, of which 150 are selected to participate. Judges award a total of $11,000 in prizes, sponsored in part by the City of Sunset Hills to those artists achieving excellence.
In addition to the artwork, food and drink from a variety of vendors is available and you'll find exciting music and entertainment throughout the weekend.
Event Hours
Friday, May 11: 6-10 PM
Saturday, May 12: 10 AM - 8 PM
Sunday, May 13: 10 AM - 5 PM

Admission

$8.00 for adults
$5.00 for children ages 6-11
Members and children under 6 are free
Pets and outside food and drink are not allowed during Art Fair.

The Art of the Vine
Art Fair's wine tasting event takes place on Friday evening. Celebrate the opening night of Art Fair with fine wine and music from 6-10 PM. The separate admission charge of $12 at the gate provides unlimited wine tastings from area wineries.
Creation Location sponsored by Mercy Children's Hospital
Saturday and Sunday with hands-on art activities for children and demonstrations by both performing and visual artists.

NEW for 2012! Mother's Day Brunch

presented by Whole Foods Market and Marmi

Sunday, May 13, 10AM – 12:30PM
Brunch has been SOLD OUT
The Park and Museum will be closed on Thursday, May 10 and until 6PM on Friday, May 11 for Art Fair Set-up. The Park and Museum will be open May 11-13 with an Art Fair admission.

ART FAIR MENU:
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Cha Cha Chow: Walking Taco, Beef Short Rib Taco, BBQ Pork Taco, Sweet Potato Taco and Fire Fries
Ed's Food: Asian Pork Skewers, Fried Rice, Crab Rangoon and Egg Rolls
Little Jip Concession: Hamburgers, Bratwurst, Potato Ribbons, Nachos and Funnel Cakes
Mediterranean Foods:Gyros, Shish-kabobs, Greek Salads, Seafood Platters
Nutty Sisters:Fresh Roasted Nuts and Soft Pretzels
Old Tyme Kettle Korn & Shaved Ice
Schlafly Beer
Smugala's Pizza Pub:Pizza, Toasted Ravioli, Hot Wings and Frozen Daiquiris
Tivanov Catering:Lobster Risotto Cake, Wild Mushroom Pesto Quesadillas, Grilled Eggplant Goat Cheese Panini and Spicy BBQ Pork Jambalaya

Here is the parks address:
12580 Rott Road • St. Louis, MO 63127 USA • 314.615.5278
Google it if you need a map!!  ;)

Getting back to enameling.

I am working on some fine silver and using a transparent white.  But first I must put on a flux.  Tricky stuff!  I am really excited about this look...as long as I can find a consistent end result.  The focus of this post will be on testing to get the flux to fire clear.

(***It is VERY hard to photograph white on silver on white...sorry about the picture quality.  I did the best I could.)

The pieces I am using as all old scrap pieces...that I will recycle someday...but for now...I am using them as a testing ground.  So in other words...I am not working on the design of a particular piece...just the color outcome.

I am using an unfamiliar brand of enamel.  I started experimenting yesterday with 3 test pieces.  I fired them on 1450...which was obviously too high, because they came out YELLOW...Yuck!    The below picture is with 2 coats of flux and 1 coat of trans. white.  The white is an ugly color because it is touching the silver...which is a no-no!!  But trust me under the white is an ugly yellow flux!!!

I am not concerned about the orangy-brown on the surface of the silver(as this will be stoned off)...just the recessed areas.  Did not get the clarity I was looking for...So I decided to start over and lower the temperature. Below is a pic of what the piece looks like after before it's fired.  THIN LAYERS!!!  

1st coat fired at 1400 for 2.00 minutes. Result: came out clear but not all the way melted...I would say just a tad bit after the     orange peel stage. Put a second coat of flux on piece.  (See pic below)

2nd firing @ 1420 for 2.00 minutes.  Result: came out clear but again not all the way melted...so I put in again for another minute...a little better.  Not a coat of enamel this time.
3rd firing at 1425 for 3.15 minutes.  Result: Came out clear and 95 % melted!!
I will put one one more coat and fire a little longer and a tad bit hotter.
4th firing at 1430 for 3.45 minutes.  Result: Perfectly Beautiful!!! (see picture below)

Don't forget to wick, dry and tap your pieces BEFORE you fire them.

I really, really, really think the "secret" to clear enameling is THIN COATS.  I can't stress this enough!!!!

And there ya go!!  These tests are a good starting point for any enamelist!!
Good Luck on your journey!!  and Happy Tax day!!!  Taxes are due on Tuesday...UGH!!!:-(

Silver Spoon Ring.

I have never made a silver spoon ring.  I thought it was time!  So I hopped on Ebay and looked for a pretty sterling silver spoon.  You can use plated spoons...but I am more familiar with sterling, so I thought I would just stick with that.

This is not a great picture of my cute little spoon...but you get the idea!!  I adore this spoon/pattern.  It's the King Edward pattern, made by Gorham Silver, 1936.  I like it so much I wonder if I should cut it up at all???
The process of making a spoon ring is pretty easy.  There are many tutorials on making them, so I won't bore you with writing another one.  Here is a great tutorial on the process.

Have fun!

And the Truth will Set You Free!!!

I have been on a major experiment phase this week!!!

For some reason I was (past tense) extremely fixated on figuring out how to add a new look to my jewelry.  I guess what got me started was a picture I saw.  It was a picture of a vintage bar from an upscale hotel/resort.  Not the type of bar you would belly up to and ask for a Bud Light.  It was the kind of bar that a women would sit patiently, wearing her blue silk dress and sip on a a pink Cosmopolitan.  Her husband would finally arrive in his tux, dressed for the evening.  She would smile at him as he approached her and they would exchange soft, gentle pleasantries.  Placing her half empty glass on the bar, she would grab her fur wrap and they would disappear into the corner...That was the kind of bar it was!!!  Inlaid into this beautiful vintage bar was a river of deep vibrant color.  It was so unexpected.  What was this beautiful splash of color doing in a bar??  I wanted that look for my jewelry.  Just a flash of unexpected color...but the color would knock you on your ass.  So am I making any sense here???

I enjoy the transparency, the color, and the many different looks you can get from enameling...however, this inlay stuff has really piqued my interest...so I thought I would take a little journey (come with me).

As far as inlay goes, I thought I would start with opals as I love the fire in an opal.

I have opals however,  I wanted the color to be embedded/ inlaid, not protruding.  An accent, not a feature.

Well to make a L O N G story short...my train of thought went something like this...

1. Opals, to
2. Crushed gemstones in resin, to
3. Opal "paper" and gold leaf in resin, to
4. Fantasy film and embossing powder, and gold leaf in resin, to
5. Polymer clay with gold leaf, and alcohol inks, to
6. Glass and gold leaf, and UTEE, to...

 Wait...why am I now into scrap booking supplies??? 

All the stuff I google seems to come up with results saying. "faux" this (enamel) and "faux" that (dichroic).  I CAN MAKE REAL dichroic and I CAN enamel...so why would I want this "FAUX" stuff??? 

Did I really just come full circle and come back to ENAMEL?????

So... here I am, realizing for the umpteenth time...I LOVE to enamel...so I should just focus on this!!!

Below is some stuff I "made" or experimented with in my search for "The Truth"  

I purchased a few Abalone beads (top left) that I still want to try and saw up and inlay.

I also want to do something with the crushed sapphire(middle).

I did make a ring out of some of this stuff...and sterling.   

I guess it's a work in progress!!

I will go now...I have A LOT to clean up!

Good Luck on your journey!!

Adventures in Pickling!!!

I took a break from soldering the other day and ran out to pick the kiddo's up from school....Yes, I turned the pickle pot OFF!  I also ran by Wally World, otherwise known as Wal-mart, to pick up a few office folders and supplies.  While I was there, I saw just the right size crock pot for pickling (pictured above)...not too big...not too small, but JUSTTTTTTTTTT right!!...(why do I feel like Goldilocks right now?)  Best news of all...it was only 10 BUCKS!!!  

(Side note for all non-metalsmiths that might be reading this...Metalsmiths and jewelers use pickle to clean their metal after they solder it)  

Anyway, to make a long story short, we came home and unloaded the car.  I went up to my studio with my new pickle pot in hand...and as God was my witness, the bottom of my old pickle pot had eroded and there was acid ALL OVER MY STUDIO!!!!!!  Talk about a great time to have a new pickle pot!!!  I was in "freak out" mode to clean up the mess...and I was certainly glad that I was using CITRIC ACID as my pickle, or it would have been a LOT nastier to clean up!!!

After my mess was cleaned up, I filled my new crock pot up with water and mixed in the citric acid.  All was good in the world...until...

Moving on to today...

 

My old crock pot had holes in the top of the lid...so if I did ever accidentally leave it on, it would not blow up or do anything weird.  Well, my new one doesn't have the holes...and I did forget to turn it off!!!!  I had unknowingly left it on "high" all night.  When I went up stairs it smelled really strange, but I thought it was the creamer in the coffee that I had spilled up there the night before.  But, boy was it strong !!!  When I did finally realize that the stuff in my crock pot was orange and bubbly...I thought, "Oh great, I am gonna die from these stupid fumes, just like my husband said."  (He is always teasing me)  To make another long story short, I poured some pool  hth Alkalinity Plus (also known as sodium bicarbonate) into my vat of orange brew and neutralized it.  Now it's this nasty dark brown color...(see picture above)

I just finished cleaning up my new crock pot.  I don't think it's damaged.  However, now I have another problem... I am in the middle of a project and I am out of pickle.  So my "stand by" pickle is: vinegar and table salt.  ( TIP: 1 Tablespoon of salt to every cup of white vinegar)  The Problem???...I am out of table salt too! (Frustration sets in!!!!!)

I do have Kosher salt and Sea salt.  So I flipped a coin and I am going to pray that the Sea salt works.  I am heating that up right now.  

I will update this and let you know!!!  :-) (click on this link...it will take you to my tutorial page, and I answer all your pickling questions there.)

On a bad note...my throat does hurt a little:-(...breathing too many bad fumes????

Argentium Silver

No picture today...:-(

I had a new idea and wanted to try it out today.  I didn't have enough Argentium silver to finish the project...so I dug down deep into my drawers and found a 1/2 sheet of Sterling silver.  

I must say...after not working with Sterling for a while I can REALLY tell a difference.  

I didn't like Argentium very much at first.  It was WAY to brittle for me!!..but after I figured out how to solder with it...and to be really careful with it when it's hot...I started working in it all the time.  So after digging out my old Sterling silver and working with it...I can really tell the difference in the color.  The Argentium is so much whiter than Sterling...which is prettier to me.  It looks more like fine silver, which I LOVE!!!  It is also purer, has a longer shine than Sterling silver, and is ALWAYS resourced responsibly, which is not always the case with Sterling silver.  Okay...so I am starting to sound like a commercial...can you tell I like the stuff??  So if you haven't tried working with it or wearing the Argentium silver you should definitely try it.  Below is a list of Argentium resources:

Argentium Silver.com - http://www.argentiumsilver.com/

Silversmithing.com - http://www.silversmithing.com/1argentium.htm

Ganoksin - http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/argentium-testing.htm

I better get back to tending to my thumb...I drilled a hole in it today...silly me...won't do that anymore:-)

BTW...I enameled on a piece of Argentium about 2 years ago...and it still looks GREAT!!!

One more thing...I purchase my Argentium from Hauser and Miller here in St. Louis...but there are other suppliers as well.

Cocktail ring

This was a ring I created for a lady that wanted a nice "cocktail" ring.  It was made with an emerald she picked up from her travels abroad.   

Now that I have made this, I am hooked on getting a hold of some nice, fat and juicy gemstones.