Intentional Stones

School for me?

Once, in a painting class, I had a teacher try to explain to me how I needed more contrast in my picture. I didn't really understand (I was 13 or 14 at the time). He reached over and dipped a fine brush into a dark color that I had been avoiding and diluting, and added a couple of dark colored branches in the very front. And boom! the landscape went from flat to deep!

Now a days, I would be all over this guy for painting on my picture, but he really effectively made his point. (And I was copying the picture he had put in front of the class. Really, we were working on learning the medium, not creating great art.)

I really miss that. It's been so long since I was in true art classes, and there is nothing that can make a vital point like a teacher who really understands my questions. I am looking at other ways to get into class mode. I have burned through the available drawing and jewelry classes at the community college. I may take one on color theory, or a digital design class in order to learn better how to use photoshop et al. I have found craft and arts centers that offer classes in technique that are extremely valuable. But these only serve to remind me that I want more.

Instruction in art. A mentor who is aware of my work and the combined resources offered by a university or community. More and more I am convinced that my next step is to enter into a Masters Program. But these are all in other cities and will require relocating. And I have a family to work with on this. Never mind paying for college for them really comes before pursuing a third degree for me.

So, for now, I have my books, (you didn't know the librarian in me would have been collecting the best I can find?)

and all the resources of the web, as well as TED talks, classes in iTunes U and whatever the universities have posted. All of this is good, but it is all over the place and very hard to coordinate. Especially since it's very difficult to maintain attention with all the distractions on the web.

And none of it has that sure, confident hand, reaching out and showing me that tiny, essential thing that I'm missing.

 

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Scapolite Gemstone, my bead hunting story

 

According to the Book of Stones, Scapolite's good for problem solving, sticking to goals and achievements. It's a white, brown or purplish gemstone that occurs in limestone and metamorphic rocks. It is an "alteration" of feldspar minerals, meaning that the mineral has changed because of exposure to water or oxygen. The resulting stone is clear and stunning. Sometimes it's got a catseye form.

This last year has been driven by my art and my business and getting home and family in a good balance. lots and lots of goals. No wonder this one jumped out at me while I was shopping last fall! At the time I wasn't prepared to work with them. I created a design for similar beads, but it wasn't quite the right thing for these beauties.

I shop a lot this way and my basement looks like a beadshop. I've created a central table where I can hang intact strands and i have enough display trays to lay out my cabochons and cut stones by variety. Displaying and sorting helps me when I am creatively blocked. Having a discrete space for each gemstone variety allows me to focus on design.

So far, for the scapolite i am thinking about puzzle pieces and labyrinths. Maybe I can do one of each. I definitely want to pair them with silver.

Hopefully, on this weekend's gem hunting expedition, I will not let the stones catch me off guard again.

Any requests?

 

-Simbelmynë

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Thinking Thursday

Homeschooling is probably the largest part of my life, like it or not. Don't get me wrong, I deeply love having home schooled children! But school is not a cakewalk, even with three very bright kids. Maybe that makes it harder. I like to be impulsive and my discipline comes from within. Together my three big personalities require external discipline and motivation. Without that our school experience is chaos, and when there's a lot to get done, impulse is deeply distracting. We all need external structure to make sure we get all of our goals met.

Cyber charter school helped us overcome our worst problems with homeschool progress. In the past attempting to be curriculum builder, teacher and disciplinarian has overwhelmed and defeated me. Our little homeschool team had a terrible success rate. A year and a half of the kids in the public schools gave me the perspective to understand what I value most about homeschooling. I realized collecting my own curriculum was not one of my talents. With My fly by the seat if my pants philosophy, I deeply value following interests, but kids will resist "hard work" like writing and spelling with all of their power, even if I keep the writing on an interesting topic. Having them in school helped me realize how far behind they were in writing and reading. I recognized that daily practice helped them learn and that classroom structure made that practice less difficult. I didn't like that the teachers had difficulty connecting with the kids. I didn't like the bullying with no adequate disciplinary response. Cyber school offered the structure and curriculum and the maximum class size is 3 and we get help remembering to keep up a steady pace.

Cyber school isn't perfect. Juggling three kids in three curricula is like juggling a scarf, a beanbag and a bowling ball all at the same time. My daughter can work independently. She frequently takes her laptop to her room and finishes 2 hours earlier than the boys. Unfortunately, this means sometimes she doesn't get as into the material. She doesn't take the time to discuss things that pique her interest unless I am stopping into her space to check in. She can read very quickly, but occasionally skips over things. I don't always catch it. The eldest has, after great pain of experience, learned to be independent as well, but the same issues can cause him to glaze over and lose comprehension. He also becomes quite unhappy if he's not getting attention. And finally, the Youngest. I'm beginning to think he's suffering a bit of ADD. He needs constant attention to keep his interest on school. If he's even a little hungry or tired he's more prone to losing it. And then there's the dynamic between the two boys. Sometimes they fight like alley cats if they just walk past one another. If one is asking a million questions about something interesting, the other jumps right in! Sharing interests is awesome, but if littlest is way behind because getting used to a more rigorous second grade than first (he is), he won't get all the parts of his day done! And sometimes I have to force them both back into the track that will get all our goals met.

I realize that this post contains easily 5 very large topics, but I really want to write mostly about art and jewelry in this blog. How about I try to post about homeschooling only on Thursdays? I think I need to write about this more. One of my writing blocks is the amount of my week spent engineering educated kids. I frequently weave wire or create kumihimo while we're schooling, but most of the time even repetitive tasks require too much of my attention. When my three students are deeply involved in their books and videos, they have a question or a problem just often enough that I really cannot develop a creative mindset. Bringing all of the elements of creating a learning environment together tests my dedication and creativity every single day.

 

-Simbelmyne

Filigree

I got a surprise e-mail from the Center for Contemporary Craft.  My teacher, Adrienne, teaches there and she'd passed on my name as possibly interested in advanced metal classes.  I don't think I can thank her enough!

I met Stephanie, (who's studying for an MFA in Jewelry art via a distance program, something I need to look into!) and a lot of other new people.  An energizing and refreshing experience.

The teacher was from Germany, so even though I hadn't been planning on taking any classes this semester, I absolutely had to take advantage of the opportunity. 

The piece above is my very first piece of real filigree! 

I didn't get the wires twisted tighted enough, so the tiniest wires are a bit clunkier than they should be.  However, I adore the techniques I learned!  I've got several pages of sketches of elements I can make, now I'm deciding what to make with them.  Probably I'll start with pendants and charms, but you can build pieces of amazing complexity with simple pieces.  I need a whole bunch of time.  I look forward to after holiday show season is over, when I can dedicate time solely to playing.

-Simbelmynë

Design part 2

The first part of the book is getting put away.  So many concepts, so much to think about.  Maybe I should give it a weekly review to see if anything clicks over time. 

So, let's get on with part two.  Page one may be as far as I get.  Exploring, exerimenting, evaluating, implimenting.  That's a pretty great breakdown. 

For the beginning part of the year I was exploring a whole lot, with the Artist's Way, art books, jewelry magazines and my classes.  I'm always exploring as I travel and even at home taking walks.  But it got a little out of hand.  Of course I need to explore constantly.  But how can I possibly keep it all in perspective?

For the most part, I already practice these steps.  The thinking parts frequently get rushed or I'm easily distracted.  The end result is I'm not satisfied with the ways I've worked out for myself.  I could be getting so much more done.  I could be creating a vision.  Right now, I'm letting tiny little bits of vision out each time I create, but larger things only escape on the rare occasions when I have a greater reason to focus and let go of other concerns. 

On the very first page of this section, Stewart suggests that 10 answers to any one question are required to create a truly well thought out answer.  Thinking back, it's completely true.  Teachers have asked for 10 designs for any one problem.   Even when most of the ones I come up with are throw aways, they help me think it out.  Sometimes I come up with solutions for other problems as I'm attacking the first. 

I need to work on my evaluation.  I am quick to jump to a favorite design and sometimes it's hard for me to think critically about it.  Thinking about the positives and negatives of a rejected design takes me away from the piece I must work on.  Why don't I look at them later? 

This section looks like it will help me.  Or at least get me asking the right questions.

-Simbelmynë

Forged

Lessons learned in jewelry class came fast and furious.  Previously, I'd had teachers who slowly taught the skills and kept all practice pieces very simple, with little patience for a student who wanted more.  The college level class was another thing entirely.  Just amazing. 

One of our first lessons was in forging.  I went in thinking we would be shaping sheet or hammering texture, not at all realizing how specific the term was. 

Forging is the thinning and elongating of metal by hammering it with a narrow edge of a hammer.  Initially I thought it was a very limited idea- one could create tapers and give them a bit of a turn.  However, it's amazing how often the technique comes in handy.  You take a round piece of wire and hammer crossways from where you want the thickness to begin tapering to the end or where you want the taper to increase to.  Then you turn it one quarter turn and do the same along the same area.  This results in a square and slightly thinner cross section to the hammered wire.  Then you planish away the marks and round the wire again with the flat side of the hammer.  Anneal, move down a bit and repeat the process. 

It can be a bit tricky to keep the squaring even, sometimes the wire will squash and you need to resquare with the hammer or file away angles that are too acute.  It's easiest to start with a very thick wire-the copper in the dragonfly piece is about 8 guage.  I worked the softer, more delicate silver later, once I was used to the process.   It takes some time and patience, annealing and pickling when the metal won't move any more. 

A side effect I found in working the copper so hard was the discoloration.  I love it!  All the handling and annealing gave it a dark, weathered look.  A wonderful contrast with the brightness of the silver.

The most fun I had was creating a blade of grass and the delicate body of the dragonfly.  Tapering here and flattening there to create dynamic shapes.

I quickly got a new forging hammer, the one above, that still needs a name.  It quickly became one of my favorites, with a convenient place just over the bench.  And I use it all the time for very basic things.  As we get to know each other better, I'll probably grind down the hammer's edges a little to make it friendlier to my finished pieces.  For now I'm getting to know it, as is, and appreciating it's roughness and angles.

Before, I made a mess of filings trying to get a nice taper for accenting.  This is much more conservative of the metal in a piece. 

It's not always the perfect solution, for example on the Dragonfly's wings, I went with piercing and light hammering instead.  This was the original idea:

I had very thick sheet and loved the idea of hammering it down to thin enough to be dragonfly wings.  I hammered an awful lot and still felt way to heavy to begin. Thinning sheet is something I've yet to do really successfully.  I've heard recommendation of using a rolling mill to apply even pressure.  But I'll inevitably try with the forging hammer.  Sometime when my eardrums are feeling very strong.

Still, the forged lines were very expressive and moving the metal extremely satisfying.  I think it offers much better control of the taper and it makes measuring a piece, for example a ring, much easier. The result feels very raw and can be very delicate at the same time.  Flattening parts or all of the forged element gives you room to drill holes and add elements with solder. 

-Simbelmynë

 

Technique

It's hard for me to look at any technique simply.  It's probably the thing that's given me the hardest time in learning new skills.  I think about chain and I see a world of snake chains, diamond cut figaro chains and micro chain. 

Not every complex idea is a disaster.  I've talked at length about playing with woven chain. 

My approach is not entirely without success, it's just that heading at full speed into a careful and detailed task and lead to tears and frustration much of the time. 

This last year, I've been taking classes.  Forcing myself to slow down, ask for help when I really need it.  And it's been wonderful. 

And now that I have that time free, I'll be writing about it. 

Forging-Yes, after a couple of years of self teaching, I didn't realize that this title referenced a specific technique.

Sawing

Piercing

Hammer texturing

Soldering

Creating findings

Bezel setting

And then the more advanced techniques that these skills make possible

Intricate piercing

Chasing

Chain making

Marriage of Metals

Design of complete pieces of jewelry

Tube and hopefully more complex settings.

I am by no means an expert yet, and so I won't be posting complex how-to guides.  But I do hope I can share, and therefore reinforce for myself, the basic lessons I've learned. 

I cannot say for certain what the future will hold, but I do know that I've found work and art that inspires me and gives me real joy.  Thank you for letting me share with you.

-Simbelmynë

 

 

Reinforcing knowledge

This book is currently part of my daily reading.  I picked it up at Half Price a few years ago and I'm almost finished reading it. 

Sometimes I worry that I'm stuck in the beginning stages of learning to work metals.  And, in a way I am.  Many of the things I've done lately have been to solidify my basic skills.  Begining jewelry class at the community college.  Drawing 1 and 2 over again. 

And they all have been amazingly worth it.  Granted, I've completely fallen behind on posting here on the blog.  I know once the summer comes I'll have tons and tons of material to write about.  But I've moved up a level in my jewelry and my design. 

It turns out, revisiting lessons over again and from a different perspective is highly useful.  When a technique isn't working the way I think it should, I go back to a different teacher and see how he or she recommends approaching it.  That's exactly what I'm using the Design and Creation of Jewelry for.  It's a great overview of basic jewelry metalsmithing technique.  I believe it's designed as a textbook for jewelry classes.  All the examples in the book are student work.  (from the University of Illinois, no less.  A year in their art program in 1992-3 and I never knew they offered jewelry!)

My only disappointment is the book's secion on Design falls at the end and is only one chapter in 6.  As Design is first in the title, I'd expected more.  This is alright.  Much of jewelry design is based around the many techniques you need to master in order to create it.

I'm working my way through the design chapter now. 

One thing I've loved about my jewelry classes is the instructor, Adrienne Grafton of Pearlette Jewels, is designing many different types of jewelry-from belt buckles to hair combs. 

I look forward to learning even more about designing as I get to the point where I'm just creating with the exciting techniques I've learned!

-Simbelmynë

 

If a Piece Sits in a Basement....

...And is never seen by anybody but the artist, is it still art?

A pretty good question, eh?  Does it become art once it's pulled out and framed or worn? Will we ever know?

Fact is, we have about 60 items listed between our two shops, and hundreds in trays in my basement.  How on earth is anybody going to see the basement dwellers between shows? 

One of the new habits I'm trying to cultivate is photography.  My new phone is helping with day to day pictures, yay for a decent phone camera.  The Tumblr blog has been pretty busy.  But it's still no good for really good pictures.  With all my frustration, I've been avoiding the real camera and good lighting and well thought out backdrops. 

So, the new routine is "get one good photo a day".  I'll take two or three, sure thing! But even one is better than leaving the camera and the pieces hiding in the basement.  Spring weather is helping out, sunshine, overcast-Sure!  bring it!  Just as long as we avoid the four letter word beginning with s, I'm fine. 

Here's one from today.

A little work and I can get some things listed.  Slow progress is better than none!

-Simbelmynë

Artist's weekend

My family will be out of town having the time of their lives.

And I'm staying home to have a party! (yes, I do feel like a teenager whose parents have left town for the weekend)

It's an artist's retreat at Simbelmynë's house!  I'll hit Costco and fill the house with food. I'm used to all sorts of eaters-picky eaters, carnivores, vegetarians, vegans, food sensitivities, OmNomNomNivores... Also I have hot and cold running WiFi, which is, of course, optional.  And, never fear, coffee.

Everything's ship shape with lots of room for big projects.  I'm not far from Construction Junction, really you could get pretty crazy. I'm planning to set aside areas for specific things, and we can adjust as people arrive with their projects and goals for the weekend.  I have lots of places to sleep, if you're from out of town or just don't want to leave.

The jewelry studio will be in full swing.  I have almost every type of equipment anybody could need-from torches to finishing equipment. I have tables and corners and quiet areas for writing, being quiet, meditating.  A park next door for walks and listening to the world around us.  A full crafting room with all sorts of supplies, if you forget anything.  I even have a macro photography studio, if you want to get some small photos.

We can swap, dump, laugh, play, work, meditate, trade secrets, teach, learn, whatever we want to do.

If you RSVP I can make sure I have what you need.  Or just show up, the more the merrier!

Stay all weekend or come and go as you please. 

Official Start is 7pm Friday, March 18 and end at 7pm Sunday March 20.

-Simbelmynë

(412)608-8986

235 Oakview Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218

(Please ignore the photo it's from the highway, for some reason)

We're the last house on the left.