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.
The clay is all gone :( It certainly didn't take long. It's all jewelry now. And you can tell me what you think.
I have to say that except for a couple of classes with a certified metal clay artist, I've been learning the hard way. Fortunately I've only had a couple of projects that were a total loss but still... I've been reading a lot and watching YouTube videos (what did we do before YouTube?). As a result my new collection includes bezel set stones and some pretty fancy colors.
I started off with a few simple things. For craft shows I need to have a wide range of styles and prices. Simple pendants and earrings sell well so make sure to have a few. This one has a square cut peridot in the center that can be set right into wet clay and then fired. Some stones can actually stand the super high temperature of 1650 degrees that silver clay can tolerate. But peridot can only be fired at 1430 degrees for 30 minutes.
At the high end, I've created 4 pendants with bezel set stones. These have stones that can't handle heat at all. You need to create the piece and the bezel separately. Then attach the 2 pieces together and fire again at1650 degrees for an hour or two. Once it's all done, you can set the stone in the bezel. This one below is my favorite. The stone is aqua chalcedony and I've added a few pearls.
Oxidizing silver is pretty much hit or miss. I've collected a few formulas used by other artisans and they have helped. But a lot depends on the clay. Fresh clay oxidizes better than reconstituted clay. It also depends on the temperature of the sulfur solution. I've used straight liver of sulfur and tried adding ammonia. You can imagine how bad the work room smells. And I've never had the same results twice.
Something really interesting happened with a pendant I made in the steampunk style. The key and lock were created at different times from different wads of clay. I attached them and dipped the entire pendant into one of my new formulas hoping for a little color and this was the result. If I had actually wanted the key to be a completely different color from the lock I could never have figured out how to make it happen.
Then there's this bracelet. I really only wanted it to be lightly oxidized to bring out the pattern in the links. I didn't want any color so I just used a watered down liver of sulfur solution. This blue and gold combination was another surprise!
It takes time and practice to be able to handle silver clay well. There are classes and there's a whole certification process with a series of projects to help artists get proficient and learn to do things like set stones, make hinges, create lockets and boxes. It costs a lot of money and takes a bit of time so I'm not sure I'm ready yet. I was getting a 35% discount from my supplier. But now that the manufacturer of the clay is making it mandatory to be certified in order to receive that 35% discount, so I may be compelled to get the certification.
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.
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.
Though I haven't posted here in a couple of week, I have to tell you that I've been extremely busy. Craft show applications have been arriving and a couple are due in February. As I want to have some fantastic pictures of fantastic pieces of jewelry, I've been hard at work making new silver clay designs.
If you look online at any of the handmade venues you will see lots of people making jewelry from silver clay. Mostly, however, these pieces are small and stamped or a bit larger set with fused or dichroic glass. Silver clay is very expensive so the more you can make from one pad of clay, the better.Going against what's practical and the cost effective, I've chosen to create a few pieces in a style similar to Art Deco. I like the geometric lines and simplicity of that style. I like to layer smooth shiny parts and textured oxidized pieces. This means more clay and a higher price. I also have been working for weeks on a hinged bracelet. Having only taken basic classes in silver clay, I'm really learning as I go. Layering means sanding & waiting for each piece to dry before "gluing" on the next one with a bit of silver paste. So I've actually lost count of the number of hours I've spent on this piece not to mention the amount of clay it has required. I am well aware of why people make smaller, less elaborate pieces of jewelry with this relatively new product. I also found that while I like the look of faceted stones set into the silver, the flat-bottomed cabochons are a lot easier to set as they are shallower. The glass many people use instead of gemstones can be set into wet clay and fired in the kiln. The druzy pieces I've used need to be set afterward.
Not all of my ideas have been successful. While the bracelet and purple druzy pendant worked, I won't be selling a black druzy pendant with pearls that I also made. The bezel setting was problematic as the clay shrunk around it in the kiln. The final outcome looks messy and is not up to my standard. So I'll be wearing that one.
Getting great color when oxidizing has been pretty much hit or miss. I've tried various amounts of liver of sulfur, water, and ammonia getting different results each time. The consistency of the clay also seems to matter. Once fired, new, fresh clay turns a nice color and keeps it while clay that has been worked too much absorbs the chemicals and quickly turns black.
I have made great strides, however, in reconstituting dried clay. Sometimes the greenware breaks and is beyond repair. Sometimes bits and pieces dry out. There's also all the dust from sanding. I've gotten pretty good at turning it back into workable clay. Less waste. But this is the clay that doesn't bend or oxidize well so I have to remember to use it for flat pieces that will remain shiny.
The weeks since Christmas have been productive and educational. Now I just have to hope that people like my designs well enough to wear them.
It's snowing like mad outside. Hubby is trying to clean the driveway for the first time because once we get over a foot the snowblower has a hard time with it. And there's already an inch in the area that he cleared.
It's a great day to do paperwork. So I'm sifting through craft show applications to do the ones with the earliest due dates. I like to do from 12 to 15 shows per year; most from June through November.
I have a spreadsheet of shows that lists show dates, application due dates, costs, requirements and, when I have it, information on traffic numbers. Maybe that's a little obsessive but I like being organized. (Another consequence of being in the library world for so long.) And since they all have different due dates, if I don't get into one I can quickly find another the same month or even the same weekend with a later due date.
I also keep a notebook that includes printed off information from the show websites and copies of applications from last year along with the pictures that were sent. This allows me to redo what was successful and change applications that weren't. I spent part of yesterday photographing my newest silver clay pieces. I have a couple I'm particularly proud of and wanted to try for great pictures. I think that pictures are probably the most important part of the application process. After all, they're worth a thousand words. Although I've never been on a craft show jury, if I were, I'd want them to be crisp and clear and show as much of the work as possible. It's a contest after all and the best work wins a spot.
In some shows all jewelry is put into the same pot and in others there are categories such as metalsmithing, strung jewelry, alternative materials, etc. I have learned that lots of work gets lumped into the very large category of strung/beaded jewelry. So last year I applied using pictures of our steampunk pieces. There's not so much competition there. This year I'll do the same but with the higher end shows I'll send pictures of my new silver pieces. While I do see silver smiths at some of the shows, I think my fine silver is a bit different. Well, I guess we'll see.
A few quick thoughts about craft show applications-- --Every show that you want to get into is important. Treat every application with the same level of professionalism, whether it's a large juried show or a small local one. --Make sure the application is filled out completely right down to your car model and license number, if requested. --Any essays should be neat, legible, well written, and grammatically correct. --Descriptions of pieces should be like advertising sound bites. Rather than "necklace", tell them what it's made of, how it's constructed, etc., as succinctly as possible. --Send the best pictures of your best work. --And send it out so it gets there before the due date. --If you have questions about any part of the application, don't wing it or skip it. Call or email and ask! --Don't forget to include the check. Read the application carefully as some only want the jury fee, and some want the check post dated.
It's important that the show organizers get whatever information they need. If something is missing they might just toss your application.
Finally. I've had this new toy since August and have just had no time to create any silver pieces. But with the new year I've had fewer obligations and more time.
With my stash of clay ready to go and pages of sketched designs I began with a few simple things. I stamped a couple pair of earrings and a simple pendant. These are similar to designs that have sold well in the past and a good way to get my "fingers wet".
I moved on to a couple of layered pendants. I like the contrast of combining dark oxidized areas with sleek, shiny silver. And I'm trying to do more in the Art Deco style--simple geometric designs. After molding about 100 grams of silver and was ready to bake it.
I have to say firing up my first batch was a process. I won't go into all the details but my husband couldn't get far enough away from me that afternoon. I've never owned a kiln so I had no idea what all the codes in the digital program were for. The instructions sent were all about firing potter's clay complete with "cones" to test the temperature. They also sent me a pyrometer. Why? I have no idea since I purchased a digital kiln that already reads the inside temperature. I spent a couple of hours just trying to find out how to program it for a simple 30 minute firing. The kiln is in the garage and since the manual I got was no help at all, I ran up and down the stairs, to and from the computer, looking for information...anywhere.
Thank you YouTube!! What did we do before people started posting instructional videos? While the first video I found was for the Paragon SC2 and none of the codes matched what was on my kiln, I later found one specifically for the Firefly. I took a few notes and ran down to give it a try.
Although my practical husband thought I should just put a couple pieces in to try it out, I laid out my whole first batch. Some instructions said to fire at 1200 degrees, others at 1300 degrees. So I split the difference and fired at 1250 degrees. Presto! Pure silver!! I'm so excited. So here are some of the pieces after firing and polishing. Some have been oxidized and others I'm leaving shiny. There are a few pieces that still need to be partially oxidized. It's a tricky process that requires the liver of sulfur to be put on with a small sponge or paintbrush.
But I have learned how to get those nice rainbow colors on silver. I love how this ring turned out.
Now that I've gotten the basics out of the way, I'm working on an Art Deco style bracelet with hinged components. I've never done hinges and can't find a video to show me how so I'm learning as I go. But here's what I've done so far. The next challenge I'm going to take on is soldering. I'd like to solder the rings I use to attach my components together. But I'm not worried. I'm sure there's a video somewhere.
Yes, I've been busy since the library craft show. Christmas is coming fast and I spent a few days decorating, baking cookies (dozens of cookies), and cleaning in preparation for Christmas guests.
Mom & my youngest daughter are both coming in on Thursday. So here I am 3 days before Christmas getting ready to hit the grocery store for supplies for the weekend.
We still celebrate the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner called Wigilia. My sister-in-law and I switch off and each year provide pierogi, kapusta, zur and other meatless dishes as well as pastry. It's one of the days that the entire family comes together and we wish each other good things for the New Year.
As I'm really hoping to get started after Christmas on some new silver clay designs, I've also been shopping for a few little things I still need--long handled tweezers, fine silver wire for jump rings, a bezel pusher and burnisher. I can't wait. Yes, I'm even going to attempt to set stones. Now I just need a large block of time to set up and roll out the clay. So while everyone else is anxious for Christmas, I'm actually more anxious for the week after Christmas.
Wishing everyone who finds the time to read this blog a very Merry Christmas!
It seems like only yesterday when I took a temporary job as secretary to the head of acquisitions at UMass. Going back to teaching wasn't in the cards so I just stayed on. But I went out with a great party, lunch at Bertucci's, and seats at an Adam Lambert concert. Two great days! Judy organized a great "meet & greet" on Thursday with snacks and a beautiful cake. Talking to everyone I didn't get a chance to taste everything. They came from the Science Library & the 4th floor.
And the staff from IRM was there, of course.
And even the maintenance guys showed up. I'll really miss the asparagus and corn Eddie brings in.
And my best friend, Linda, came to share my day and reconnect with people she used to work with.
Got a hug and clock from Jay.
It was great to see Mel & Irene who knew me as a child.
And the staff chipped in to get me a gift certificate to the Art & Soul Gallery in Windsor, CT. Lis-el sells silver clay and related equipment and gives classes. Sorry, Jay, that was better than the clock.
After the party, Linda & I left for Foxwoods. She bought us tickets to see Adam Lambert. What a great retirement & birthday gift!
I did come in on Friday though not long enough to do much more than turn in my keys before it was off to lunch at Bertucci's.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the events, who contributed to my gift, and who came to share my joy.
