Lets review...

So lets review what has been going on the last month... it's quite a lot. I am learning more about enamel already than I though I would. I am picking it up well. So well in fact, that tonight, I met a lady who swore she did not like enamel; well I changed her mind with one piece I was wearing. :) Not bad for a newbie to the art form. I have to admit I am loving it so very much... color, fire, art, jewelry, all combined into one wonderful medium! I got all the colors to sample, so I am experimenting like crazy... I simply LOVE this! And so far, it IS selling... which is really great, because not all mediums I have done were easy to sell.

I get my line into TWO new shops this month, both really great places in downtown Phoenix area. Both artisan places as well, and I have a meeting with another shop this weekend. I managed to finish a tutorial this month as well, and designed something I believe is going to end up a bread and butter type item for me for spring/summer at least.

*Fingers crossed that my intuition on this one is right.*

I am kicking the idea of expanding into wedding jewelry around, but so far it is just an idea in my head.

I did a TON of research this month, on everything from places I can sell at, to packaging tips, promotion ideas, ways to get published, and numerous other things... I feel like I am doing what I should be. Some days I have doubt creep in, because it is not an overnight thing to do, what I am doing... going back to being a fulltime artist, WITH an income, not just pocket change. But I do feel I am on my way. I feel a tug in my soul to do this, and those are the things I succeed with.

Oh and I made a PINK shabby chic enameled flower, to turn into a necklace this morning. It is GORGEOUS... looks porcelain like.


Anyway... there is my review. Next month, I will focus on more clothing type boutiques that also carry handmade jewelry, and of course I already have a meeting with another artist friendly place this weekend, so hopefully that is a good fit for me, and I have that going here soon.

Whats new?

Well well well... So I've been reading a really cool book on enameling. I was reading about a technique that uses thin washes of white over a black base, each layer building up the color of the white, until you have the colors you want... each layer must be fired between, so it is a rather long process. But, it brings me back to my roots of visual art, which to me is fabulous! So last night I did the first piece with trying this out. I added a bit of transparent color over certain places... This pendant measures 1 inch across.

 I found out later in the process, you need to use very soft brushes to get a nice blending... and since it is powdered glass, not normal paint pigment, it behaves a little differently. Still, I like the result.I need new brushes and more practice... :D

So flowers are always a love of mine... and I have been doing some poppy type pieces. I think some of these are going to a local store. I really love this line! This picture does not capture the real feel of the enamel... it has an almost porcelain feel to it.

I decided to try making something winged, and since that was the week that jewelry of the year was doing music, I decided to do a guitar. I love how this piece came out, however it was a little over-fired, so I decided not to sell it. I will revisit this design in the future.

One feature I LOVE LOVE LOVE is that I made the wings hinged, so they move.

The hearts were created with pieces of glass I melted into the guitar, and then drug the colored glass out into heart shapes while keeping the piece red hot.... fun stuff! BUT I think that might be why the guitar is over-fired, and the wings are not. Regardless, I got a cool new guitar necklace, and a sweet design which can be used is so many new ways! :D My "feathers" on the wings even worked out better than I had imagined.

More new things I've been creating recently...

A bunch of enameled earrings, some of these are going out locally, and some will end up online for sale!

A few hollow bronze hearts... I LOVE these!!! These are all for sale on www.metalfuze.com

And yes, I painted a new piece... this is a recycled panel. My first piece of finished visual art for 2013.

I went out last week and got a sample set of enamels, which gives me a little of every color pretty much.... so I am like a kid in a candy store with this stuff. :D 

New year, new stuff...

So this year I am really feeling the pull to get my stuff out there in shops and brand my jewelry, so hat I can make a living off of it, and make a positive impact on people. I am going about it in a similar manner as to how I did this with my supply shop. Meaning I am doing it by letting my intuition lead me. A lot of business people would probably tell me that is stupid, but really I don't care. I have tried going along with what others told me would work, and it never did work for me. Or not in the way I thought it would. Once I made a firm decision to do this, this year... it seems I am finally finding the places that do sell handmade local artisan jewelry. Before I searched, I just was not finding many places.

So that leads me to this last week. I decided to search some other ways... and I found quite a few places. I was starting to think this city just didn't want handmade jewelry, unless it were Indian made. I didn't understand this, and thought it was strange, but I was close to writing off this city as a place I can make enough, just selling locally. Now that I found all these places, and found ways other than killing myself trying to get online sales... I also found ideas for ways to sell in even more stores and areas. So despite my self doubt sometimes... things are moving forward, and probably faster than I realize right now.

Another thing that seems to be happening more for me, is I know when I do a piece that is a seller, and not just something for people to wow at, but for them to BUY. AND I am finding those seller designs that make the buyer happy, but also my muse. That is not always an easy balance, but I am determined to find it... without others telling me how I "should" be running my business or doing my art.

Stay tuned for a look into what I've been creating in my studio these days... some exciting new lines, lots of learning, and I am in love with both new mediums I picked up lat last year.

Happy New Year!!!!!

So the start of this year has already started with a whirlwind of activity for me. I got a new vehicle, got Metal Fuze into a local shop called "Made" and am going to be selling there tomorrow in the courtyard during first Friday art walk. How many days are we into the new year now??? 3 days??? Not a bad momentum to start out with!

I also am really enjoying this bronze clay, despite the earlier mishaps with firing correctly. I am starting to find out how to fire it right, and when yo re-fire it. Enamels are also fascinating and I can not wait to get my hands on more colors, but for now I am experimenting with the ones I have, and seeing if the ideas I have to mix mediums will work well. :)

I'm going to keep it short, because I have a gazillion things to do before tomorrow this time... but HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!

Yeah...

Well as promised last blog... here it is!!!!! The "winter" pendant I made.

It was going to just be a test piece... oh well... nice "test" although I think it warrants being finished into a necklace.


Well now there are some things moving on the music front for me. Yesterday I decided to start looking for musicians again. I posted an add and got a couple of responses I am still evaluating. Both have possible promise for totally different reasons. I went to a jam last night and got my first time being shunned most likely for being a chick with a guitar. My friend played and wanted me to play drums so I obliged him. I told them I wanted to go up front later and sing and play guitar, but they never got me back up... they got every dude in the place up, just not me. I have a feeling when I walked in with my guitar in hand, from the looks on most of the guys faces it was gonna be one of those nights. Oh well, I've written some very good songs from experiences like these. These were metal type guys anyway, not really my thing. It's OK, I got to play drums and got to talk with someone I am looking into as a possible band-mate, so all was not lost. And those guys don't know what they missed... I was by far the best singer in the house, and they never even heard me sing. Oh well no biggie, I have been through this song and dance before, and there was a time when I would have gotten really mad, but I get it. Some guys in the music business still think they work in a "mans world"... little do they know, they better move over, cause there are a lot of great female artist... and there's only going to be more and more.

I'm gonna keep this short since I had very little sleep last night and have been having some nerve issues last night and this morning already. Till next time!!!

Color??? YES PLEASE!!!

Well... unfortunately, I am not able to show the new cool bronze pieces I had drying... they fired, but apparently not all the way, because when I took them out and started to clean them, they exploded. :( Two really cool hearts down the drain (literally) Oh well. Back to firing tests when I get more clay in my hands.

Of course I don't sulk over broken pieces for long... I have plenty of other new mediums to explore! Namely enamel. So I decided to see what would happen if I enameled on fine silver. I had some little pendants I made from fine silver clay a long time ago. They were pretty, but never sparked my muse for whatever reason. Well I decided to try transparent enamels on them and OH BOY did they come to life!!! Check these out!

The last picture also shows some earrings I made with sterling silver. I used heat repeatedly to bring the fine silver to the surface, it looks beautiful!

Since I really (as much as I would not mind) can not afford to work in silver exclusively, I also have been experimenting in copper and enamel. I can form shapes out of copper and enamel them to give them color, dimension, and life.

The earrings are fun, light and eye catching... the other flowers are hand forged, and enameled. I am experimenting and learning what colors do what. Copper has a whole other range of hues from silver... esp with the transparent colors. A little disappointment in some pieces. A couple went RIGHT into the garbage. BUT weather they are successful as these are, or not so much like the trash bound pieces... I am learning a TON by just trying this and that.

SO my boyfriend says, these earrings are nice, but they are so spring, and well winter is about upon us. So as I was experimenting today, I started to do a little pendant, and was going to do flowers on it (so my natural grove)... but his words rang in my head and I decided to try and make it more "winter". I did not take a pic yet, but I will post it next blog!

Oh how I love knowledge!

I am a craver of knowledge.  I don't usually read fiction, because I always want to be learning something, so I am more of a how to book, or non fiction reader. WELL... You should see the huge stack of books I have right now from the library. MOST of those are on jewelry making, esp. metal clay, and a couple on enamel. My two newest mediums... as if fabricating and wire wrapping were not enough.... it's OK, I am a painter also, and thus I want to paint my jewelry. One book I am reading is giving me hope I can actually do that. Not the half haphazard torch coloring I've done in the past(I say haphazard, because colors are hard to control when using fire to color metal), or the inked pieces... or patina... all the other ways I've colored metal. No this, can be used like actual paints... of course like picking up watercolor after using oils... the medium has it's own properties I have to learn. BUT As much as I love painting, and I love fire... and the permanency of glass on metal... once I do master the properties so I can plan accordingly to get the affect I want... watch out!


Now my ideas in my head are certainly higher than my current ability, but I think, as with ANYTHING creative I pick up, I will find a way to make it work for me... and work well.

Now... time to get the torch out and try some things.... :) HAPPY DAY!