Foldforming

I recently bought Foldforming by Charles Lewton-Brain and it has been incredibly inspiring. I have been busy making all sorts of samples in a wide variety of materials. The possibilities within line folds alone seem infinite.

Over the Christmas break, I was commissioned to create a ring for a man. The ring was a replacement for a lost wedding band and I was given free reign, as far as design goes. I wanted to create something unique and masculine that highlighted the structure and properties of the metals. After exploring several design options, I decided to use some of the foldforming techniques I have been testing.

The final design is a structural band of sterling silver with an interior band of line-folded fine (pure) silver. The folded band moves and spins independently of the sterling band. Over time, the sterling band will develop a dark patina and heighten the contrast of the fine and sterling silvers.

Cuttlefish Casting

The cuttlefish casting experiment is finally complete. This ring was cast as a flat strip and then formed into a circle after casting. By creating the band in this way, I was able to take full advantage of the cuttlebone texture as a central design element. If you are interested in seeing some of the process, please check out these links:
making a mold from cuttlebone
cleaning and forming a casting

A Wonderful Afternoon

Yesterday was my niece's 8th birthday party and she invited me to come and do a jewelry demonstration and project. I was honored to be invited and thrilled that she was interested in what I do. But I accepted with a bit of trepidation. What could I possibly do with the girls that would be safe, interesting, and fun for more than ten minutes? I love making jewelry but I recognize that it involves a great deal of tiny, tedious activity. I find the repetition enjoyable and meditative but I am not eight.

After considering several projects and rejecting each for a variety of reasons (toxic chemicals, too expensive, requires too much supervision) I determined on making silver domed pendants on spring-wire necklaces with beads. The pendant could be personalized by each girl and would allow them to see some metalworking processes that, perhaps, they had never thought of before. Then, they could string their beads with minimal supervision.

I gathered all the materials and loaded up the car and headed over to my niece's house. The girls started arriving as I was setting up my gear. They ran about and jumped on the trampoline and were generally busy being little girls and I started to sweat a bit. How on earth was I going to get all of them through the project when they couldn't stay in one place for ten seconds together?

The moms and I called their attention and I sat down at my bench and started to show them how to make the pendant. It was absolutely silent. They were gathered around my bench watching and listening to everything I told them about the materials and the tools and the reasons behind each step. The entire demonstration took about 15 minutes and they enthralled for the entire time. They asked really bright questions and were excited about making their own necklaces. After I finished showing the pendant-making process, they went off to the worktable to string their beads. One at a time, they came over to the workbench and assisted in the making of their pendant.

I had such a good time working with all of them. It is really refreshing to experience that bright interest of a child again and see the things that we, as adults, often take for granted or have ceased to care or think about. They embrace the process of creation with such enthusiasm and joy. They share their wonder and energy so willingly.

My niece and in-laws kept thanking me for taking the time to do the project with them. But, really it was a gift they all gave to me, to spend the afternoon with the girls and get a fresh perspective on the nature of work and the joy of making things. I had a wonderful afternoon.

Making Little Things

Sometimes it is nice to make little clothes, just for fun. A little hat and booties for baby Nora made a good break from all of the over-analyzing that I do. I hope they keep her warm this winter.

Time to Focus and Prepare

A new semester approaches.
It is time to buckle down and clarify all of the ideas and plans for the fall. I am looking forward to teaching another semester of Metalwork and Jewelry Design but I am not without a certain amount of anxiety and jitters. I have so many ideas for the new class and I am really excited about the new and improved projects I am designing. I hope to have a group of students who will be as enthusiastic and hard working as students of past semesters.

In addition to new classes, I am currently developing a blog with materials to supplement in class offerings. All of the possibilities for using the Internet to enhance teaching are becoming more clear to me, now that I have played around a bit in the blogosphere. If you are at all interested in metalworking, I hope you will visit throughout the semester at http://jewelrystudio217.blogspot.com/. Although the material will be primarily directed towards my class, there will be links, tips, tricks and tutorials that will be of interest to studio metalsmiths and all are welcome.

My goals for this semester are:

• Be more organized.
• Offer more slide presentations in class.
• Create better projects that enhance student learning and encourage enthusiastic participation.
• Get more involved in my school and promote my course more effectively.
• Improve my in class demos.
• Effectively use the new blog to enhance learning and engage my students outside of the classroom.
• Successfully balance my professional development with my teaching responsibilities.
• Remember why I love teaching, every day that I walk in to the classroom.

Having the opportunity to teach really is a blessing. Sometimes I lose sight of that in the bustle and worry about doing everything right. Teaching is not always easy but it can be very rewarding. I am fortunate to have had incredible teachers throughout my studies. I hope that I am successful in honoring what those teachers have given me by passing on the knowledge of my craft with integrity.

I Wonder Why...

There are many, many things that occupy my head. They are not important, really. They are just there. Such as:

• Why does Eddy (the cat) beg volubly for food and then stick his head in the bowl so that I can't fill it?
• Why are there so many june bugs? As far as I can tell, all they do is hang out on screens and fly into stuff.
• Why can't Philip (the husband) close doors?
• Why do none of the socks match (we bought them all at the same time)?
• What is wrong with weeds, if they are green and pretty? Who decides which plants are weeds? Is it just snobbery because they are easier to grow than "proper" plants?
• Why is 10 minutes before my alarm goes off Media's (the cat) favorite time to deal with her hairballs? And why does it have to be right where I will step when I get out of bed? Does she have some sort of 6th sense about these things?

There are more. Many more. What do you wonder about?

20+ jumprings

Sometimes, I need jump rings. So I make a whole bunch.

Sometimes I can't think of anything to make. So I make a whole bunch of jump rings.

Well, I suppose I accomplished something. I will probably be glad I did this... later.