Back in the Saddle (Its about time...)

So...I'm ashamed to say that it has been more than 6 months since my thesis show and I am just now finally finishing some new pieces (I haven't made a single thing since my show besides teaching samples!!!). It really seems like my show was just yesterday, but when I count back the months its embarrassing! After my show it seemed all I could do to just make it to graduation...summer followed and I started teaching, and then I took my trip...and now its 6 months later! Eek. Well anyway, here are some new pieces I just finished up this week. It feels good to be back in the saddle!
You may or may not remember, but a few months back I scored this awesome lot of antique hardware on ebay. Well, these five necklaces I just finished are all made with these old antique wood drawer pulls. I sand off the old paint, inlay them with silver wire, make some pretty chains to hang them on and many many hours of labor later, here they are!"Worn" Series

sterling silver, found antique drawer pulls, fine silver inlay, pearls

Julia Harrison: Woodworking and Finishing Techniques for Jewelry Workshop at ASU

This past weekend, ASU Metals hosted a woodworking workshop with Seattle artist, Julia Harrison. This picture above makes me soooo happy! Everyone who participated had a great time and Julia was awesome! (You can see all the photos from the workshop here.)She taught us all sorts of texturing techniques, carving methods, and we all got to make samples and carve wood spoons from a solid block.Step 1: Make a top view template.Step 2: Make a side template. Step 3: Cut off the top side.Step 4: Start carving out the bowl.Step 5: Cut off the bottom and then cut out the profile.Step 6: Carve away!Step 7: Sand, sand, sand until finished! (I still have a long way to go...)I loved seeing wood chips all over the studio floor...it was so fun!Here are all the spoons we all created that day...all of which are still in the finishing process.

It was a great time! Hopefully I will post more pics soon of the jewelry stuff I made...

Cool New Tool

I just got this cool new tool. Its a clamp/holder for my flexshaft handpiece. I got it so I could use these router bits (which are also new!) I have been making small laser engraved wood pieces to go in jewelry and I am uncomfortable with the big router table they have here in the woodshop at school. The pieces I am making are so small its really scary to have my fingers that close to a big router bit. So, I got this setup to work smaller scale in my studio and so far it is perfect!

The clamp holds my flexshaft handpiece upright and has a small table for routing.

These are the bits I got.

Newly rounded edged wood pieces ready for laser engraving!!

Unresolved

I started these pieces last semester but never finished them. They are laser engraved and burned wood circles (about 6" wide), set in a hand pierced copper backplate and hung on the wall. The patterns are little doily silhouettes of hand shadow puppets. What I still need to figure out is what to put in the middle. I was thinking some sort of little jewelry piece...maybe a brooch??? I dont know yet...I figured if I posted it here I would feel more accountable to get something done. Also, I am beginning my LAST YEAR (woooohooo!!!) of grad school on Monday and have lots of show deadlines coming up early in the semester so I'm hoping to resolve some unfinished pieces instead of starting all new ones. Wish me luck!

Shadow Puppets

I've been playing a little more with the lazer engraver at school. Finished pieces coming soon...for now, these are just some little samples I've been playing around with. Wood blocks, 6"x6" painted in pink and engraved with old shadow puppet illustrations.

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!