A New Year with a New Bronze

Happy New Year!!!

I've been away from my blog but not sitting idle. In my last post I talked about my firing issues with Bronzclay.  Since finding a firing schedule that works I've been hard at work testing the clay with my new designs.

I'd like to report that some things work and some don't.

These small pendants were quick and easy and fired nicely.  Only the pendant on the far left had to be fired a second time.  I found when layering or attaching elements water is not enough to keep them together in the kiln.  Most attachments need a loose mixture of clay and water covering the entire surface of the adhesion.  If there are any spaces the piece will begin to separate.

I like to add flowers and curly snakes to some of my pieces.  But sometimes the little particles of carbon that the bronze is immersed in get stuck in all the spaces my style provides.  Sometimes that just means digging these particles out  but occasionally they interfere with the shrinkage.  This bronze clay shrinks a lot, about 20%, so the carbon particles immersed in a design will cause it to crack.  To solve that problem I've purchased some stainless steel wire mesh to cover the delicate pieces and keep the carbon particles out.

This high rate of shrinkage also makes it impossible to embed a bezel setting for even a small stone.   Because the setting doesn't shrink it causes clay around it to crack.  Bezels need to be attached to fired clay and the whole piece fired a second time.

It's been a learning process but all in all I'm happy with the finished products that have survived the kiln.  My new inventory for 2014 has some new designs I hope people will like.  Bronzclay is a joy to work with and the finished product sands to a lovely shine that I protect with clear coat.

Here's a sneak peak at more of my new jewelry soon available at Jansjems--

More Fun with Metal Clay

I've got a half dozen craft show applications sitting in the office, my Etsy shop has been totally neglected, and my website is down pending some new pictures.  So I've been spending a lot of time working on some new silver designs. Wanting to try with silver the techniques I used with bronze clay, I spent another week buried  in my workshop.

Trying to create open work curlicues with silver is a bit different from  bronze.  Silver hardens more quickly and seems to be more fragile when dry.  It breaks more easily.  It took me a while to get used to the feel again so I started with some simpler pieces.

Like flowers and leaves, the curlicues are much easier to put on a solid surface.







But I eventually created a pair of earrings that I really like.

And later a pendant set with a genuine ruby cabochon.

But the best piece I made this past week was actually one I made using a tutorial.  Now there are lots of tutorials out there and they are a great way to learn new techniques.  I just haven't found one for anything I really wanted to try.  But in an older issue of Metal Clay magazine I found a tutorial by Anna Mazon.  She's a metal clay artist and instructor from Poland.  While she's the expert on the open work technique I've been working on, her tutorial is for a 3-dimensional pendant called "Hidden Pearl".  I spent several hours on this piece and I have to say that it's really nice to have all the logistics of the design already figured out.  (Sometimes that takes more time than the design itself.) So I just followed her very clear instructions and pictures and here's the result--

I haven't decided yet if I'll put this one up for sale or just keep it for myself.

January and the Creativity Zone

I'm in the zone right now, holed up in my downstairs workshop.  January is when I take out all those pictures I cut out and the sketches on little scraps of paper and try to create some new designs.  Not all of them work out as planned but I've made a resolution that this year I will only fire those I'm completely happy with.  Then I can't fall asleep for thinking about how I can change something that didn't work or what can I add to a dull piece so I won't smash it in the morning and reconstitute the clay.  A lot more clay than usual has been reconstituted this month.

I've done a little more work with those curlicues I mentioned a couple of posts ago using the bronze clay in an attempt to get better at it before I move on to silver. While the open work can probably be even finer, these are pretty good initial designs.  Sanding is really important for a smooth finish but I'm finding it difficult not to sand these brittle pieces to the point of breaking.

These are time consuming, a challenge, and a bit different from my usual geometric Art Deco style.  But one needs to move on creatively and challenge oneself, no?

As for geometric, I also made more of the the dangly retro style necklaces.  These are just fun and a nice break from the detail work.

Selling REAL Jewelry

"This is real jewelry.  Not those store-bought pendants you just hang on a chain."  This is a quote from one of 3 young girls who stopped by my booth this past weekend to look at my fine silver pieces.  Though they didn't buy anything, it was so gratifying to know that they knew the difference.  I'm not certain everyone does.

This was not a very successful show for me and given that the traffic count was easily over 20,000 people, I couldn't help but wonder why I did so much better the last time I attended.   The question of what is handmade came up again as I left my booth in my friend Eva's capable hands and walked around to see how everyone else was doing. 

Crystal who makes "real" handmade bags.

                                   Becky who also makes "real" jewelry. 

About 8 or 10 booths away was a cluster of jewelry sellers, 5 or 6 booths almost in a row, selling pendants for $5 or $7 or the same bangle bracelet in different colors for $10.  I'd like to say that I can't compete with those prices.   But while several of them had people in their tents, it didn't look like they were selling a lot either.

This year on its 10th anniversary stART on the Street accepted 360 vendors, both with 10 x 10 booths and sidewalk tables.  That's over 100 more than last year.  The section of Park Ave. between Highland and Pleasant was completely filled and even included a farmer's market at one end.  As I walked up one side of the street it suddenly occurred to me that I really wasn't taking in anything.  Occasionally a painting would catch my eye but mostly I just browsed.  Between dodging people and the sameness that all the booths became after awhile, I never really focused on anything.

Many of the shows that I do have too many jewelers.  It's not often a problem as my steampunk usually stands out.  I had a corner booth so I was getting traffic from 2 sides.  I just had to put up something that would catch their eye.  So I did a little rearranging and put up a couple of bigger steampunk pieces right out front and some fancier silver pendants on the side.  Anyone who actually registered what they were looking at did stop and comment on the steampunk and the creativity that went into making my unique pieces.  Men in particular were fascinated with what I do with watch gears and sewing machine parts.  And everyone liked the expensive pieces but no one was willing or able to buy them. 

At other shows I encourage people to come in and try something on.  It sometimes leads to a sale. This wasn't an option at stART as we were also very close to one of the stages that featured some very loud repetitive heavy metal type music that made it difficult to hear.   Words don't sound very encouraging when they're shouted.

For me the show wasn't a loss.  Just disappointing.  While the organizers of stART probably did very well financially on their 10th anniversary, adding 100 vendors didn't do the artisans any favors.

You can read a more detailed review for vendors in my side pages.

Circuit Board Designs

Unlike my fine silver designs that have to be planned out before I even open the art clay, steampunk lends itself well to unplanned flashes of creativity.  I recently ran across some small circuit boards in my travels and asked hubby to cut one up into smaller pieces.  They laid for awhile on my workbench.  But each time I walked by I'd pull something out of my supply stash and lay it next to one of the pieces.  Eventually a design formed and I had to sit down to put it all together.

My daughter has created a few designs from green computer circuit boards that became quite popular.  But these are my first pieces.  

The boards are a bit older, perhaps from the 70s, and a nice shade of yellow.

I really like the way they look with black decoration but both gold and silver work pretty well too.

Jansjems will be showing off these new designs very soon at Crafts on the Common, a craft show in Amherst  sponsored by Big Brothers & Big Sisters.  The show takes place on July 14.  Stop by and see more of our steampunk/recycled collection of jewelry.

Roseland Cottage Fine Arts and Crafts Festival

Well, I didn't get accepted to this one again this year.  So I took a ride to Woodstock, CT., to find out just what kind of jewelry did get accepted.  Last year I applied with pictures of my steampunk jewelry.  While it seems to be what gets me into shows like West Hartford, Historical New England probably didn't find that classy enough. So this year I sent pictures of my nicest fine silver pieces.  And it appears that too was a mistake.  

Taking a tour around the festival I found that though the jewelry category wasn't more than a quarter of the vendors, there were many, many with silver jewelers.  Silver clay pieces and those made by metal smiths tend to have similarities.  There were jewelers with shiny sterling silver, some with oxidized silver, a couple with some interesting designs, and a few that set stones.  On the other hand, I think there were only about 3 bead jewelers and they were all different from one another--riveted, soldered, and crocheted but no strands of plain strung beads at all.

So my dilemma now is what should I apply with next year.  Steampunk is the only genre with no competition. But I'm not sure this show is ready for what might be considered "gritty and industrial" just yet.  I've thought about a high end steampunk with gemstones and no rust.  Play up the whole recycling thing.  Or should I go back to my roots and try gemstone cluster pieces.  I guess I'll be working on this for awhile.

The show, however, is still quite successful.  Traffic was great on Saturday morning despite the $5 admission fee.  And people were buying.  The wind was an issue and I heard that a couple of tents blew away.  There were also a few empty spaces where it appeared people didn't show up.  But this is a show I hope to get into again one of these years.

I did see two members of the Artisans of Western Mass. selling there.  Fortunate enough to get is was Little Birch Farm and Armeith Naturals.  They both have great products.  I hope that had a great weekend.

Getting Braver with New Designs in Silver Clay

September has been a pretty good month for Jansjems.  Considering that sales were down in the shows we did earlier in the year, it was a pleasant surprise to see that people are not only buying, they are buying my more important pieces.


I've talked about how much I enjoy working with Art Clay Silver.  But silver can be pricey so for the past 2 years we've been creating moderately priced pendants and earrings.  Recently I took the plunge and made a few larger pendants and strung them on strands of gemstones.  These are the reason I started working with silver clay in the first place.  Given the economy that could've been a really bad idea.  I am happy to report, however, that in the last 2 shows I sold 3 of these larger pieces and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the trend continues.

I've been reading a lot and watching online videos of techniques.  Learning on your own can be expensive if you make too many mistakes.  And I've had a few.  But I feel so good when something works.  So what's so special about silver clay?

The possibilities are endless.  Here are just a few designs that inspire me to keep working on my technique. I did manage to take a couple of classes with Lis-el Crowley.  She teaches out of her gallery in Windsor, Ct. and makes pieces like this one below.

In one of the books that I have there are instructions on how to create Gordon Uyeha's very organic "Forest Spirit" hollow form.  I'm not quire ready for this one yet.  Maybe someday.


And I have admired for years the work of Liz Hall who combines silver clay
with polymer clay for incredible pieces that look like this.


I have a long way to go and lot to learn.  But the journey is so much fun.

A Tree Does Grow in Brooklyn. Actually Lots of Trees

My daughter & I managed to make our yearly trip to NYC this past week.  Needing to get away and de-stress I thought the Big Apple might help take my mind off of recent sad events for a bit.  We usually go to sample sales, hit the bead stores for supplies, and spend Saturday morning at the Garage Flea looking for steampunk parts.  But we've been doing this for a few years now and each year we get braver and venture farther out.  This year my daughter wanted to go to the popular Brooklyn Flea.  I've never been to Brooklyn.

A  cross between a flea market and a craft show, The Brooklyn Flea also has great food. We never did get the name of the vendor whose donuts were "life changing."  Lunch was a margarita pizza and the best limeade.  One vendor had some steampunk jewelry similar to ours.  And we saw lots of vintage clothes.  Actually several women attending the flea were wearing vintage clothes. Yeah recycling!

The sample sales we stopped at this time were all in the Soho district.  Sadly they were all at high end trendy boutique shops.  You know, those minimalist stores that have 20 items all between size 0 and size 2.  Very intimidating.  We actually did quite well at Macy's and their 50% and 70% off racks.

But...we bought the best shoes at United Nude, a great shoe store on Bond St.  Also minimalist and totally black, the shop has its shoes backlit with rainbow colors.  But there were actual customers in there and the staff was very friendly.  Shoes were 60% off.  While not as colorful as my Irregular Choice shoes (we managed to stop there too), United Nude shoes are architecturally unique.
 And I can't believe how comfortable they are.

I managed to snag a couple of tickets to How the Succeed in Business without Really Trying.  Yes, this musical has been around forever.  But I really wanted to see John Larroquette.  He can't really sing and doesn't do much dancing but he was a hoot as the CEO of World Wide Widgets.  Oh, and Daniel Radcliffe had the starring role as Finch.  Harry Potter actually can sing and dance.

All in all it was a good trip.  We only got lost once on the subway.  We found out that even when the local isn't running the express doesn't pick up the missed stops.  We rode around for awhile.

We walked up to 50th and bought very expensive chocolates. On the way we passed the entrance to the Empire State Building and noticed a SWAT team in front complete with large black van, rifles, and dogs.  I asked the doorman if something was going on.  "No," he said.  "That's the travelling SWAT team.  They'll stay here awhile and then move on to another (undisclosed) location."  He made it sound like they might go into a song and dance routine.

We also passed the New York Public Library.  I was tempted to stop in and look around but my daughter spotted and 80% off sign on a shop across the street.  Maybe next year.

We even made it up to Central Park this time.

Finding a reasonably priced hotel gets harder each year--especially if you want clean and bedbug free.  This time we stayed at NYMH on 32nd St., about 2 blocks from Penn Station in the section called Korea Way. The shops and banks there all have English & Korean signs. We were happy to find the rooms air conditioned, upgraded and clean and the beds comfortable. Breakfast was included in the price of the room. If they don't raise their prices, we'll go back there next year.  The hotel is next door to the Paris Baguette, a bakery carrying a combination of Parisian and Korean pastry.  Really, check out the website.  


Each year I like to see what kinds of jewelry people are wearing in NY and check out the jewelry stores looking for trends.  This year we found a row of 3 or 4 shops selling Asian imported jewelry in wholesale lots.  This jewelry is BIG.  Do you think this could be the latest trend?  If it is, I'm really not ready for it.

Crafts on the Common -- Successful and Rain Free

Sunshine and occasional cool breezes made for a pleasant Saturday in Amherst at the Annual Crafts on the Common Craft Show.  We were shouting distance from the always wonderful Amherst Farmer's Market and  had a great spot between Amy, who does wood carved sculptures and Shannon, who drew a crowd of children for face painting.

Didn't even realize my friend, Rebecca, was in the background.


And here's Bethany getting into the steampunk spirit of things with Shannon's help--

We at Jansjems featured mostly steampunk designs.  They are really popular with all ages at this show.  We also had a small collection of traditional jewelry just in case.  But we only sold a couple of those pieces.  I did have to say "goodbye" to one of my favorite steampunk pieces.                                                  



Several other members of the Artisans of Western Mass. were there--

Lou's Upcycles had a corner booth and her banner stood out nicely from a distance.



Cutsomers got drawn in by Aviva's bright and colorful Sieberdesigns.

And you couldn't miss Wild Child's tie dyed clothing.

Steve was there with handcrafted soaps and skin care products from Little Birch Farm.

Another jeweler from the group, Mary Risley Jewelry, brought her beautiful silver and gemstone pieces to the show.

It was really nice seeing some of my former co-workers from the Umass Library who stopped by the tent to chat.  The Indian food was great and the snow cones were enormous.  And it was nice to spend the day with artistic friends and appreciative customers.

Even Hamlet had a good time.  I don't think he bought anything but it looks like he chatted with friends.


For an official review of this show, see my side pages.