Kid Jewelry Class

Here are a few pics of my daughter Annika's projects from the Metals class ( and a little LeafLady of my own). The kids were great. There was only one minor burn from a piece of hot metal. The first project we did was the lentil bead in copper. The kids got to cut a disk with my disk cutter (it will never be the same, I might want to re-think this part), drill a hole, dome both halves on a dapping block, sand the edges flat, solder (this was kid-solder--I was more concerned with the bead holding together and the process of soldering than I was with whether they had a complete solder joint). The kids were thrilled with using the torch, especially the boys. We quenched in water and I gave them the option of pickling or leaving the heat patina. The example here is with the patina left on and some polishing with fabulustre on a very dirty buffing wheel. I find that fabulustre doesn't heat up the work too much so it is a good option for kids who get intimidated by buffing if their work gets too hot while they are doing it.

We then went on to do a hammered bracelet, a letter-stamped bracelet, a hammer textured pendant and a roller-milled picture frame pendant. The hammered pendant gave them experience sawing before we did the inside cut for the picture frame pendant. I tried to do a gesso/colored pencil drawing with the hammered pendant but it was basically a failure--but the kids didn't seem to care. The prismacolors just didn't have enough definition.

I learned a couple of things. 1) Don't let adults into your kids classes. They really need their own level of attention which is always detracting from the kid teaching. 2)Don't let parents accompany kids. They also have their own, adult-level expectations that are difficult to attain with 11 kids going "Lennie, Lennie, Lennie". Also, if the kid is too small to be by his/herself then they are too small/dependent to do a relatively intimidating class like metalsmithing. The kid in point was only 6 so I considered making the class for 9 and ups, but in several other classes the 6 year olds did great and I would hate to deprive enthusiastic young artists just because of one child. In the other class there was a little girl who was 6 who did all the projects with amazing self-sufficiency and went away very proud.

Next week I will be teaching Concrete Animals. That will be a challenge. I did a sample from Sherri Hunter's book and it is way too much for kids so I am modifying everything. Look for examples in the near future

Summer Jewelry Challenge

Well, its been a long time since I last posted, but no biggie.  Anyway, here is my interpretation Mary Hettmansperger's folded earrings.  I was inspired by Deryn Mentock's challenge to do the entire series of projects from Mary's book, "Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet".  The earrings were almost instantaneous.  Just bend the brass, wrap and add beads and my lovely Grandmother's embroidery floss.  I  made the spinner necklace which was pretty easy too.  I textured a piece of brass, and since it was not annealled it bent and went nice and wavy, then I used an overcooked fine silver bezel plate with a Sulphur Butterfly Wing in doming resin, a copper disk left from the kid's metals class I just taught and a PMC bit printed from a rubber stamp.  I think it worked out rather well.  I have been waiting for the correct format to experiment with the butterfly, moth and dragonfly wings.

Tomorrow I will be putting in some of the projects from the metals class I taught at the Lander Art Center.  I had two sessions of 10 kids for a total of eight hours each.  They soldered, forged, sawed, drilled, stamped, roller-milled, and cut disks and domed them.  With a few exceptions it was a success.

This is a mixed necklace to go with Saturday's bracelet.  I love the combination of blue, purple and green with a purple/red spacer.  Hope you enjoy it.

This is mixed turquoise, sodalite, blue quartz and garnet with pmc charms and a pmc toggle.  It is fun to make.  I like a mix of things although there has to be an overall design that makes a mixed piece go together.

Skied again today and worked.  I am very tired.  This real work is hard!

Third piece/third day

I am feeling lazy today so I am submitting this as my piece.  Not very complicated, but it will keep me on track.  It is a Dictamnus seed pod (Gasplant) filled from the inside with PMCIII paste.  One side has a dichroic glass cab and the other has a cubic zirconia, so it is reversible.

Skiing on the golfcourse

This morning my husband and I went skiing on the golfcourse.  Eight degrees F., partly overcast with a beautiful view of the Wind River Mountains.

This piece is called 'Little Leaves and Pearls" and has 'Bette Corning' Clematis, Campanula carpatica, Geranium himalayense and Nepeta mussini leaves with silver beads and pearls.  

I installed an Altered Books show today on my first day at the Art Center.  It was fun and a fascinating exhibit but I'm tired now.

Ruminations in the morning

Well, got this off to a good beginning.  It shouldn't be too hard to make one thing a day, considering I have lots of components built up.  This will help me get some things done.  The bigger problem will be photographing it and getting something up here, considering that I hardly have the consistency to brush my own teeth on a daily basis.

On other subjects, I am reading "The Other Boleyn Girl" and it is delicious.  Today is my first day as Acting Director at the Lander Art Center--wish me luck.  I am sending out a grant and setting up an Altered Books show!

I am attaching a picture of a piece that I sent off as a custom order this Xmas.  I sold one like this and then I got someone asking for it so I had to make another.  They are all one of a kind.  The leaves are PMC fine silver Amur Maple leaves with 23K Keum Boo, pearls, swarovsky crystal and a PMC fine silver handmade clasp.  I charged $110 for it.  I am aware that it is too cheap, but I have a hard time asking alot for my work (more on this later). 

My first posting

Hi, whoever is out there.  This is my new blog to show the world my "stuff".  I make art (or sometimes craft, or a mixture)--metal clay jewelry, pastels, garden...and anything that strikes my fancy.  I am going to try to make a piece of art every day this year.  I will soon be starting my website, but I think this is a good way to keep a running record of my little resolution.  So many websites, especially in jewelry, are out of date or don't change enough.  I guess I have a restless spirit, but I like to see new stuff.

This is a simple but pretty necklace that I made today, a PMCIII (fine silver) aspen leaf with enamel, freshwater pearl and swarovski crystal beads and a sterling silver hook clasp.  Shown in a bit of our lovely Wyoming snow.