Nancy Worden Workshop

This weekend I went to a cold connections workshop in Tucson, hosted by Arizona Desiger Craftsmen. It was taught by Nancy Worden and was super fun. She taught how to incorporate tube rivets and commercial rivets into jewelry, mostly for bead making. I really enjoyed going to the lecture she gave about her work and hearing the stories behind each of her pieces. I took a million pictures at the workshop, head on over to my flickr to see what everybody in the workshop made. It was really fun and I met some really wonderful people! Nancy was great and gave me some much needed life advice. It was really nice to meet her and it will be fun to see her at the Yuma Symposium at the end of this week!

This was one of the necklaces Nancy brought with her, made from dried oranges.

Two other necklaces Nancy brought, one made from pelligrino caps, and the other from wine bottle trash.

This was just a really funny sign they had at the Pima Community College studio where the workshop was located.

Good News: Selling Locally at Mesa Art Center Store

Some of my jewelry will now be carried at the Mesa Art Center Store, so if you are local head on down to Mesa Arts and take a look! The Mesa Art Center Store is a great place to find wonderful art things that you can give as gifts or keep for yourself! All proceeds from the store go to support the programs at Mesa Art Center...and we all know how important that is these days. Also, the Mesa Art Center is a beautiful building in downtown Mesa that has several galleries with shows that change regularly, and a performing arts center...if you haven't been you really should go!

Workshop

Guess what I am doing this weekend?! Heading to Tucson for a Nancy Worden (see work above) cold connections workshop. I am SO excited! Expect a full report when I return!

Defining Moments

The more work I make, the more I realize that a lot of the pieces I create are in a way about a defining moment in my life...about someone who changed me, a moment, an event, a place that became part of who I am. This piece is the start of a new series along this line. I think. Its just a fresh idea in my head and will almost definitely evolve into something else, but its where I am at the moment. Huh, just another defining moment I guess...

This piece is a found silver platter, etched copper backplate and embroidery. Measures about 10"x8"x2". Image taken from this photo of me and a friend when we were little girls...dressed as twins.

Collaboration

I just finished working on a collaborative piece with the other ASU Metals grads, Amanda Frazier, Erik Bogner, and Victoria Altepeter. We were given the assignment to work together to create a piece for the Yuma Symposium Auction. We decided to make a wall sconce vase. I LOVE how it turned out and think I am going to have to make one for myself.

The wall sconce/vase is made of copper and brass. It measures about 15" tall and sticks out about 1" from the wall. It holds a test tube for a little bunch of flowers. The etched pattern is acutally a close up photograph of a barrell cactus (photo taken by our professor Becky McDonah.)

What do you think of it? I hope people will want to bid on it! All the proceeds go to Friends of the Yuma Symposium.

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

Last weekend I went down to Tucson with my good friend and fellow metals grad Victoria, for the Tucson gem and mineral show. First we HAD to stop at my beloved Eegees. I can't go to tucson without stopping at at least one.
There is SO much stuff at the gem show...if you can dream of it, its there. People come from ALL over the world, every single country to sell everything from seed beaded chairs to rocks to fake prada bags. Its a really good time. The show literally takes over the ENTIRE town for about 2 weeks. Every hotel, motel, convention center...etc turns into a shopping mall for rocks, stones, gems, beads, pearls etc.

Miles...miles....and miles of beads, stones, and gorgeous glamoury goods.Even crazy huge belt buckles.

Like this one...

That is ONE expensive rock...

It was a really fun trip and I came back with some awesome new goodies.

Too bad this didn't fit in the car...jk:)

Love Letters on the Front Page!

The show "Love Letters" that I currently have work in, along with several other ASU grads, is on the front page of the State Press (ASU's newspaper) today! Its a happy day when the arts are in the spotlight! Check out the article here.

18Kt

My work was featured on the 18kt Contemporary Jewelry Blog yesterday. Click here to check it out. 18Kt is a wonderful resource...you can get lost in it for hours! Check it out! Thank you Marta!

Reaching

I finished a "new" piece today. I actually started this quite a while ago but never got it resolved. It always feels good to find resolution after a long time:) Its called, "Reaching" and is made of found silver platters, copper, pearls, and embroidery.

Bats and Lasers

This semester I am taking a class in the woods department with plans on making use of their shiny new tool...a laser engraver! Today, my good friend Ellie who is a graduate student in the woods department gave me a little training lesson on how to use the machine. We made a little bat wall plaque for my professor Becky (she loves bats). It was a fun little trial run and I can't wait to get in there and make some cool new artwork. I want to engrave on laminate and leather... mostly... I think...now I just need to figure out where to buy laminate!Here is Ellie getting things started on the computer...And now we move to the engraver where she is also showing our friend Lizeth how to use it.And then we wait...

Until...Ta DA!

Stay tuned for more laser engraving extravagannnnzas!

Wood You Be My Valentine?

Wood you love me forever? Wood you really?!

Copper heart shaped pendants acid etched with wood grain and adorned with fine silver ball head rivets. These valentines day goodies will soon be in my etsy shop. You can also get them at our ASU Metals Club Jewelry Sale (along with lots of other awesome stuff made by metals students!). The Jewelry Sale is Feb 11-13th from 10-5 in front of the art building on campus.

Textures!

For the last several weeks I have been teaching a class at Phoenix Art Center on Texturing Metal. It has been lots of fun and I've made tons of samples. Techniques I've covered in class include, roller printing, hammer textures, etching, reticulation, fusing, and solder inlay. Head on over to my flickr page to see what each one is... (or click on the photo for a larger version).

Next week I will be adding etching samples and fusing samples so stay tuned.