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!