Unplugged

The internet is great.  I love how much inspiration and knowledge is at my fingertips.  However it sucks my time up in an increasingly addictive way.
For me, the morning is my best time for accomplishing creative things.  But too often lately I've let that niggling voice in my head that tells me to just check my email, to see if there's any new messages on Facebook, or to pop in to the discussion forum with my etsy team, win the first part of my day.  And "suddenly" the morning is gone.  The afternoon then coerces me into getting out of the house, and before I know it, the day is gone, and nothing creative has been accomplished.
So last week was a necessary and welcome intervention.  We fled the city and it's conveniences of internet for some cross-country skiing and a bit of ice-fishing, with only the occasional access to internet when we chose to drive into town for other necessary things, like food.  
Aaah, what an elixir.  The plentiful fresh air and the freedom to work on some wire trees, as well as an owl sketch for a piece of jewellery that was, hitherto, stuck in my head, was blissful indeed.

Repurposing the long-gone railroad.

Every 10 yards or so, coyote did the soft-shoe.

In progress.

And now that I'm back in the city, it is my determined goal to not succumb to the Siren call of the computer in the mornings, and get right down to some tangible creative endeavor.

Digging Out!

   We're buried in snow today, but I've been busy doing digging of a different sort.  Tomorrow, myself, Jason Holley, and Alexis Templeton are having a SALE!!!  I just love doing group things like this, it's going to be SO MUCH FUN!  (apologies to those that find CAPITAL letters offensive!)


I've gone through ALL of my jewellery, not just the stuff that stands cohesively-well together in a craft fair setting, and I've found some pieces that maybe are just the only one that's left, or maybe it was the only one that I made in the first place.  Items that I'm really quite pleased with, but they're having trouble finding a home because they look lonely in a craft fair display, where many items of similar style stand together, and these items stand apart.

 SALE at Alexis Templeton's Studio! 75 Quidi Vidi Rd. 11am-6pm



AND, with the excitement of having this event approaching, I've been motivated to work on two new Crystalline Collaborative pieces.  One of which I've been pondering for some time, and the other of which I thought I knew my plans for, and as I tackled it, they changed entirely. 

At right is a stunning example of Alexis' talent with crystalline glazing.  A very gentle blue, with the crystal splashed across the cabochon from one side.  I had planned to incorporate a whale into the design of this piece.  I even crafted a whale tale shaped bail for it.  But after much thought it just didn't feel or look right.  The balance was off somehow, and so the whale bail waits for another pendant.  Instead, I used reticulated silver and where the cabochon cuts into the silver, the outline of the crystal completes the interrupted circle.

The Butterfly Brooch was determined to come about exactly as I pictured it in my mind from the start.  The shape of the crystal on this cabochon could be nothing other, in my mind, than butterfly wings.  Being so set on the design, however, led me on a much longer journey to complete it than I had anticipated!  And it used a lot more silver than I had expected.  But I'm ultimately pleased with the result.  The only alteration I made from my original idea was to leave out the antenna I'd planned to attach to his head.  I felt they were too fragile a component to be practical.


So these two new pieces will make their public debut tomorrow at Alexis' studio as well.  I hope you can make the journey down to have a look and let me know what you think of them.

Resuming normal flight pattern.

 

The holiday season is over, and on the cusp of 2012 I feel a greater sense of the direction that I've been cultivating over this past year.  One year ago, I was diving into my studies in Haliburton, and launching this blog.  Now, as I return home from a festive break with family, I expected the dreaded dead period of winter sales revenues to allow me to tackle some new ideas that have been percolating, as well as catch up on some production of wire trees, but, as it turns out, those will have to wait.  A couple of customers have surfaced, and I haven't even been home a week!  It is very affirming.  I feel grateful to have made this choice to shift my life in such a creative and rewarding direction.  Wishing everyone the best for 2012, onward and upward...

A busy weekend for most

This weekend there are a lot of crafters opening their studios up to the public for some pre-Christmas context to the artistic pieces they create.  I'd thought about having one myself, but I feel far too scattered this year, to do a nice job of it.  I'd like to feel prepared for such an endeavor, and right now I feel like I'm just keeping my head above water, dog-paddling towards the post-Christmas season, when I envision I will start to feel the solid earth beneath my feet again.  Such is the life of a crafter, I suppose, and yet others are organized enough to host open studios on top of all the craft fair commitments, orders, and other festive obligations that crowd our lives.  Next year, I will participate in this weekend of open studios.  There.  I've written it down for the world to see.  (eeek!)  There will be gingersnaps.

SO, if you are about town this weekend, Dec. 3rd & 4th, here are a few places you might choose to poke your head in and see what's happening:

Charlottestreet Clothing  Saturday, 1-5pm, 20 Barnes Rd.
Alexis Templeton Studio 's "Glorious Goblets" Event, Fri 7-9, Sat & Sun 11-6, 75 Quidi Vidi Rd.
Running The Goat Press Saturday & Sunday, 10-4pm, 8 Mullock St.

Other great stops on your studio explorations this December might be:
Blue Moon Pottery Tuesday - Saturday, 10-6 (Saturdays in Dec. are tax-free!), 17 Outer Battery Rd.
Leyton Gallery of Fine Art New Works for Christmas exhibit, Dec 3-24, Tues-Sat 11-5pm, 6 Clift's-Baird's Cove.  Here's a fine example of new work by Philippa Jones, who's work was very poetically reviewed in The Telegram:

"Life's not a walk in the park with you, but I like the wilderness", by Phillipa Jones

These are just a few of my favourite's, but if you look, you'll find talented local artisans tucked into most nooks and cranny's of this fine city. 

Next weekend is the annual Anna Templeton Tea and Sale.  I will have a booth of my jewellery on the second floor.  The fair runs Friday December 9th, 12-9pm, and Saturday the 10th, 10-5pm.  I'm so excited to be participating this year!  There's no better festive atmosphere to get the Christmas spirit singing inside you than this mash-up of talented craftspeople, yummy treats, all in a beautiful historical building.  There are booths on three (!!!) floors this year!  It's stupendous! Here's a sneak peak of the tortoises that will be accompanying me to the fair.  I had thought they were turtles, but they patiently informed me that turtles would have flippers, or at least flipper-like feet with claws, whereas they clearly do not.  So in the company of the tortoises, as well as a new herd of sheep, and a couple new Crystalline Collaboration pieces, you will find me on the second floor of the Anna Templeton Centre December 9th and 10th!

The vigor returns.

The recovery time after a craft fair is shockingly long.  I have slowly come back to my bench in the last few days, and focused my energy on doing something.  But it has felt forced.  Today, however, the tides have turned, and I feel invigorated by new ideas and inspirations.  I happily blame this on the snow that was blanketing the world when I awoke this morning.  (Just yesterday I bought new winter boots!)  The crispness of the wintery air was exhilarating.  After spending the morning working on jewellery, it was out into the world we ventured.  First to The Bookery which was having another 30% off day as it slowly (sadly) fades into nonexistence.  Snapped up a novel and book on owls that I can't wait to settle down to read.  Then on to Devon House to partake of the open house event accompanying the opening of the Comfort and Joy Show.  Very neat Kitchen Party scene in the works of Kevin Coates carvings.  Just a few carvings in the "kitchen" just now, but as we draw nearer to Devon House's 20th anniversary, more carved figures will arrive to share in the celebration.  Drop by between now and then and have a look, and even place a bid on this exquisite silent auction collection.

Home again and back at my bench I got to work making fleece for a new flock of sheep pins, since I sold out of the last (and first!) ones at the Craft Fair.  It's nice to have hit a popular nerve with this idea.  I've got plans for turtles next...  and squirrels and foxes and owls and and and..... !

The excitement of fresh ideas is tempered somewhat by the news of Nova Scotia College of Art & Design's struggles as of late.  Although I've never attended (yet!) it is shocking to think that an institution that offers such a diverse range of professional art and craft skills training could be in jeopardy.  If you value the vitality that a growing community of local craftspeople brings to your community, please take the time to sign this petition to help governments understand that these hands-on programs are valued in our post-secondary educational system.  keep-nscad-university-intact-and-independent

Fine time for a trip to the Fair!

I  think I'm ready!  The Craft Council's Christmas Craft Fair starts on Wednesday and runs until Sunday at the Arts and Culture Centre.  Tomorrow is set-up day.  I was working on the last of my jewellery until about 2 hours ago.  My Mom is flying in again to give me a hand, and I'm sure I'll need it, as this year the fair is a marathon five days long!  This year is also the first year there have been booths on the first floor.  I'm on the first floor, and I'm a little leery about that, but my fingers are crossed that people will find me down there.  (My booth can be found halfway between the box office and the children's library.)

The hours of the fair are as follows:

• Wednesday from 12-9pm,
• Thursday from 10-9,
• Friday from 12-9,
• Saturday from 10-9
• Sunday from 10-5 

 Pictured here are some of the new things I've been madly creating for the fair.  I'll still have a wide selection of the more familiar line of botanical silver earrings I've developed over the past year, but I wanted to work on a selection of more one-of-a-kind pieces for this fair.

At the top are four brooches. You may recognize the crystalline cabochons by Alexis Templeton, this time shaped with mountain horizons.  The lower portion of these pieces are sterling silver with 14k gold rivers trickling down from the peaks.  The back of each brooch is bronze.  It was interesting working with gold and finding ways to highlight it against the silver.

I've also been obsessively making cuff bracelets.  Each one has a different etched pattern.  I've made
them in copper, bronze, and sterling silver.  I hope these prove popular, as I'd sure like to keep making them!

Awhile ago I had etched curly-cues on a piece of silver to test a pattern, and decided it would make a great design for a series of sheep pins.  And so my little flock emerged.

I posted the first of these pearl rings on my facebook page.  Now I've made more in a variety of sizes, and will take orders on other sizes.  I'm so pleased with the elegance of them, I just had to keep one for myself!  I may try making this design into matching earrings as well, but will have to see if they would be too tangly in long hair.

So that's a snapshot of what's kept me busy this last while.  Although it's hectic preparing for the Christmas Craft Fair season, I feel lucky to have more ideas than I have time to explore them, rather than the other way around.

An aside:
I'm loving the new sprout mix that I got for my birthday (at right), the little round balls bursting with life contrast nicely in my mind with the beauty of dogberries at the end of their season (at left).

Wind-up Toy

 

Click, click, click, click.....Click, click, click, click....Click, click, click, click....

It's less than one month until the Craft Council Craft Fair, and I feel a bit like a wind-up toy.  The anticipation of a great fair is so dependent upon my stamina right now to keep making jewellery, more and more jewellery.  I've focused lately on the repetitive things, have done much filing, bent many, many shepherd hooks, polished, and polished again.  I still have the daunting task of packaging these things, but for now, have left that for a later date.

Now I'm moving on to the higher end, unique items.  Much more stimulating creatively.  But slower to make in many ways.  Mostly in the design process.  I've learned from experience that even if I can clearly see the finished piece in my mind, I need to pause, and rethink, consider carefully the process, to ensure I don't get ahead of myself and find I'm one step beyond something I wanted to do.  Jewellery is so sensitive to the "order of operations", as it were, and once you've gone too far, there's often no way to economically retrace your steps.  I like this aspect of jewellery fabrication, because I am, by nature, a very methodical person when I tackle a task.  

I have many unused cabochons in jasper and agate that I hope to set in jewellery before the fair, also some gorgeous cabochons made by Alexis Templeton that I'm focusing on using right now, both for the fair as well as potential submissions for the upcoming exhibit Comfort and Joy.  I finished up a pair of earrings today that were barely started during my time at Haliburton School of The Arts, of fish with fire citrine in their mouths.  I'd finished one earring some time ago, but then broke the second gem when I was setting it.  Aargh!  Now I know to order more than two gems, just in case! I'm also planning to sell a men's ring at the Craft Fair, but I'm unsure about the surface finish.  Which would appeal more to man in a ring like this, a mirror finish or a matte brushed finish, I wonder?  Both are pictured here.  This is substantial ring, and although I prefer the high polish, I wonder if it's "too much" on something like this!  I welcome your thoughts. 

So my time is pleasantly busy right now!  I do believe when someone finally lets go of the winder on that toy, hopefully not before early November, that I'll be ready to trade many fine jewels for that fine green (and pink and brown) paper that makes the world go round!