Thanks to all the men and woman who serve in the military. In these challenging times it is definitly admirable to put yourself in such a dangerous profession.
Lillian Jones, Granulation /Enamelling, Betty McKim, Hoops with Garnet. Julie Brooks , Virus series. Megan Clark, Wing/feather series. Suzanne Krill Color on Metal. Summer weather officially here just in time for Larkspur.
Had a great family weekend in Charleston SC. Such a rich historical town to visit. Enjoyed a wedding that ended with a rainbow. The reception was under the Cooper River Bridge. Took a boardwalk hike through the swamps at Beidler Forest. Saw a 8-10 ft. alligator , he was sunning on a log. And of course all the beautiful iron work and gardens of the historical district homes near the Battery, including the Meeting Place Inn with Tiffany windows.
Order of sequence Julie Brooks Bacteria series, Megan Clark, Sterling Silver oxidized, Suzanne Krill Hardware Series, Betty McKim Hoops with aquamarine, and Lillian Jones Granulation. Another Good Week.
My sterling silver with peridot hoop. a little different for me but expect a new hoop design each week.
Julie Brooks, new science series for the month of May.
Betty McKim silver with citrine, variation on almond shape. Julie Brooks , 5 minute earring concept though it really took her longer. She is working on some incredible sculptural pieces right now. Suzanne Krill hardware series. Megan Clark , Wing shapes. And Lillian Jones , more granulation with enamel added. I think this was a good week. For May Im thinking Hoops . Getting ready for the annual Larkspur show.
, replaced with 7 workbenches from Rio. We covered the tops for protection and got the bench pins cut. The steel blocks from the old bench pins will remain at each bench for hammering. We are grinding and finishing them so they will be good for forging. Julie and Keith did a great job assembling the benches. The parks crew and Melvin got them off the truck .. It was an exciting day at Pullen Art Center. More to come as we are decluttering, brightening the walls and adding a new cutter and more flex shafts. Right now we arestill waiting for the worktable that will house the new equipment.
This new arrangement utilizes our space much better than before, so hopefully less crowded. We have 2 workshops coming up Ben Dyer :Forging and Tim Lazure :Rings. We will see how that goes with the new space. Julie has been rearranging the enamel area and working on a sample board, she has initiated a monthly enamelling club. Check it out.
These 4 pieces were done by Bruce Metcalf, Im guessing they are hand carved, painted and gold leafed. I think they are pretty amazing . They are sensuous and whimsical, they quietly explode with beauty and a mysterious seductive quality. I've followed Bruces' work and writing for years. He is so intelligent, any one in the field should pay attention to his writing. His work has always had a distinct character about it, some weird, some disturbing, but these works of art seem to speak a visual ecstasy of beauty.
In order Betty McKim, I actually did two this week , but decided to post this pair, sterling with peridot. Lillian Jones, granulation. Suzanne Krill, rivets. Megan Clark, multiples and Julie Brooks, whimsy.
For April I'll be doing this production line. Another set of variations on a theme. I see this one in multiple sizes and finishes. Silver oxidized and gold plated. Its already April so the summer shows will soon be here.
The Surface Color for Jewelers Workshop led by Ken Bova was fantastic. Ken gave several demonstrations and bench tricks to the participants. Everyone left with lots of beautifully colored metal and ideas to work with. We also made chopstick hammers out of 4 penny nails. The new anvil at pullen was given a workout. The patinas were the result of experimentation with borax, salt, vinegar, copper nitrate, liver of sulfer and color pencil. We hope to have Ken come again to do a workshop focusing on assembling the pieces that were made.
The thing I have always likes the best about Gary Noffkes' work has been the surfaces and marks he puts on his pieces. He was initially a student of painting, before going into metal. His show at the Mint Museum is pretty amazing. Lots of spoons. He said at his talk that was his favorite thing to make and viewed it as the most important tool one would need. I had several favorite pieces. The bowls and cups are hot forged from a billet. They are high karat gold alloyed without copper. He has video documenting the process. He had a huge crowd for his talk, told some funny stories and it was apparent his life as metalsmith has been fulfilling and appreciated by his patrons. The trip to Charlotte is worth the visit for anyone who works in metal.
Betty Mckim, oxidized, more delicate than the first 3. same shapes, similar movement.
