Holiday

Spent another Christmas in Tucson. It was lovely! Actually, it was pretty cold (for Arizona anyway). It even snowed the day after Christmas! But then two days later it was 70 degrees again. I love Arizona! My little brother came to visit from Boston. I always love hanging out with him! I'm hoping to be able to visit him in Boston over spring break. Anyway, he was home for the holidays and we got to spend lots of quality time together. He even talked me into going on a hike:) The mountains in Tucson are so pretty. My parents live near the base of this mountain, on the other side of that large hill in the middle of the picture. Aww...me and little bro! The picture doesn't show that the ground he is standing on is a good foot below where I am standing. I think he has been bigger than me since he was born, and he is two years younger than me! See all that water behind us in the picture? That wash is usually dry, but we got a lot of rain and a lot of the water is snowmelt. He wanted to cross it and keep hiking. I refused. I was not about to ford a river and freeze to death! So, we found another trail:) I've always been the dramatic one... This picture illustrates just how much I love AZ!! Enough to kiss a saguaro cactus...almost:)
I even got to meet up with some really old friends. We make a point to get together every year at Christmas. We have all been friends since elementary school. My best friend Kristin (tall one in blue) and I have known eachother since we were 2 years old and are still best friends. I know I am lucky to have such great friends!
It was so nice being in Tucson for almost a whole week. Now, its back to work. I have to figure out what the heck I am going to make for the Love Letters show I have coming up in like two weeks and I was hoping to get my etsy shop filled over the break.

Happy New Years Eve!

Third Annual Intercollegiate Metals Exhibition Catalog is FINALLY here!

Something I have been working on for a few months now is the Third Annual Intercollegiate Metals Exhibition Catalog. We wanted to publish a full color catalog to go with the exhibition we hosted at asu in October. Well it took me FOREVER, but it is finally here! Every piece in the show is included in this full color catalog. This book is a great way to see what other students and faculty are producing at institutions around the country. It was a lot of work, but it looks great and will be something I reference long into the future.

Make sure to get yours now!

Third Annual I...

Catalog of the Exhi...

By ASU Metals

Book Preview

Here is a little sneak preview, you can preview more here.

This book is a complete full color catalog of the Third Annual Intercollegiate Metals Exhibition hosted by Arizona State University in 2008.

The ASU Metalworking Department was proud to host the 3rd Annual Intercollegiate Metals Exhibition, held October 6th-16th, 2008. The Exhibition consisted of eight universities from across the nation, incorporating work from undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty members from the participating departments. Each institution was responsible for jurying the work to represent their program. The exhibition was a great opportunity to educate, inspire and develop public and academic awareness in the field of metalworking as well as encourage interaction among metalworking departments on a national scale. It showcased a wonderfully diverse cross-section of what is happening in metals studios across the country.

Participating institutions included:

Arizona State University

Bowling Green State University

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Indiana University at Bloomington

Kent State University

Rhode Island School of Design

San Diego State University

University of North Texas

Gift Certificates

Now available in my etsy shop. Better late than never:)

Officially Done

I just finished grading all my student work and uploading it to flickr (ok, almost got it all on flickr). I am SO proud of my students this semester. They seriously rocked it. I am hard to please (and I know it). I pushed them hard and they delivered. Its a great feeling!

Go check out their work and leave them a comment!

Pearl and Fingerprint Silver Etched Earrings

I was asked to make these earrings to match a necklace I sold in my etsy shop. I love how they turned out and definetly need to make some more!

A Little Help

My pet rabbit, Coppersmith, helped me study for my History of the Decorative Arts in Interiors final exam. Isn't he cute? He ate all of my page markers...

Love Letters

I just finished up all my finals...this semester is finally over! I don't know what it was, but this semester killed me. Dead.

Anyway, I am really glad the break is here. I get almost a month off school. Plenty of time to visit the family for the holidays and get some serious work in the studio done with NO distractions. I am really looking forward to it.

One thing I have to work on is a piece for a show called "Love Letters." The show is an invitational exhibition of work by ASU graduate students and recent grads. Each artist is assigned a letter of the alphabet and asked to respond to that letter. 26 letters in the alphabet, 26 pieces in the show. I was given the letter "L". I am really excited to make the piece, but need some serious inspiration. Maybe I will have an epiphany while consuming massive amounts of sugary sweets and holiday treats in the next week or so. Cross your fingers for me and send warm wishes of artfully inspired "L's".

The show will be at Modified Arts .

407 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, Arizona 85004

Third Friday, January 16th – Artists’ Reception
First Friday, February 6th – Closing Reception
Sunday, February 15th – Show officially closes

30th Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition

I just found out that some of my work was accepted into the:

30TH ANNUAL CONTEMPORARY CRAFTS EXHIBITION

"Highlighting the finest in contemporary crafts from around the country, Mesa Contemporary Art’s Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition has become a benchmark for innovation and quality. This year represents a milestone for the museum as it celebrates the 30th anniversary of this popular juried exhibition. Representative of traditional craft mediums including ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts, this exhibition showcases 58 artworks by 39 artists from 14 states."

I am sooooooo excited to be a part of this amazing show and would like to invite you all to come and see it!

The opening is January 23rd from 6-8pm. The show runs Jan 23-Mar 15, 2009. Mesa Arts Center is located on the corner of Main Street and Center Street in Downtown Mesa. For more info: http://www.mesaartscenter.com/

New Student Work

Just posted lots of new student work on my flickr. More to come soon...I am SO behind! Go check it out!

Metalworking Merit Badge

On Saturday, we at ASU Metals hosted a metalworking merit badge workshop for a local boy scout troop. It was super fun. The boys learned how to harden and temper steel and then fabricated their very own belt buckles. I made a mold for the hydraulic press so that we could make multiples and buckles with some volume, and then I made up this little sample for them so they could get an idea of what they were making...very boyscoutish don't you think? It was a one day deal, so we only had time to teach them very basic piercing and soldering. It felt so weird making something so simple and with no texture! Anyway, I think its funny.

And then, I had to make a simple little buckle that I would actually wear, so I made this one...The craftsmanship is not great but it was like a 2 hour project so I just did the essentials. It was super fun! If you want to read more about it, head on over to the ASU Metals blog!

Craft:

Yesterday my work was blogged on Craft Magazine's blog. If you haven't been to their website you should definetly check it out, its a great resource for all things crafty! Thanks so much Rachel for writing about my work! Check it out here.

Bragging Rights

Just thought you may like to know that it is still in the 70's here in sunny AZ. So, while I will NOT be enjoying final exams and critiques for the next two weeks, I will be enjoying the weather. And...this is the ONLY place on earth you get sunsets like this...in December! I love it. I took this picture yesterday right outside the studio when I stepped out for dinner. Gorgeous!

Procrastination

Today I cleaned my bench and soldered some earrings that I made out of my sample etchings for the class I am teaching at Phx Art Center. I was putting off writing my paper for my Art History class. AND THEN, when I went to class today my teacher gave us an extension. Just think of all the things I will accomplish with the extra time I now have to put off my paper!

Maybe I will even get some of these earrings listed in my etsy shop soon...