Yes Eight...

Apparently octopus have 8 legs...errr...tentacles.  This is a screen print I created, I have a love for them, for the way they look at least.  I can manipulate everything, create movement and fluidity.  There is a joke among my family and Metalsmithing class in college I never made my octopus with 8 tentacles, sometimes aesthetically it just doesn't fit!  So I made an edition of 8 prints with 8 tentacles and titled it "Yes Eight" to be spiteful and make my point.

A long time friend Chad Bowles, also an incredibly talented piano player purchased on of my prints off my Etsy site.  This was also the inspiration for his album cover I created for his beautiful music.  The concept was to create the fluidity of the music, how it dances through your mind and air as you listen.

Bracelet of Petals...

More silver, more etching.  The bracelet was originally a flat, plain piece of metal.  I cut out the form in 2 pieces (to save silver) and soldered the two together to have a semi-symmetrical piece.  I fabricated the shape using a sinusoidal stake, (picture to the right), creating a compound curve. 

My mentor, Joe Cornett who teaches at Northern Arizona, was adament about teaching us the art of metal fabrication.  He said it would set us apart from the others.  It is a satisfying feeling starting out with a flat piece of metal and hammering it to no end, annealing it, hammering it again until you've created this shape you didn't even know you were capable of doing. 

I soldered on 4 bezels and set Champagne colored CZ's. Etching this piece took quite a bit of time because of the large surface area.  Well worth all of the effort.  Unfortunately I do not have one of these stakes, or the set up at home at the moment so I can't create any more of these curves...sigh.

The bracelet may be viewed on my Etsy website.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

I like fish, it's a bit of an obsession.  They are everywhere in my house, (tastefully of course).  These earrings are made from sterling silver and I used Nitric acid to etch in my design.  Simple, nothing too glamorous, but I like them anyways!

They are in my Etsy shop if you would like to see them.  Good day!

I have an absolute passion for intaglio thanks to Dave Williams at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.  He is absolutely amazing & truly inspiring. 

This intaglio/aquatint is of a snake charmer in Africa.  My dad is a photographer and this print was created from one of his photos.  The gentleman depicted invited my dad for tea after...and as my dad said, "How can you turn down tea with a man who charms black cobras?"  Unfortunately, there were...errrr...consequences from drinking the untreated water.  He still said it was worth it.

Anyways, the man and snake are true to the original photograph.  I embellished the image with the foliage, sky, plane and border.  I always like to add more and have a hard time limiting myself.  Maybe this is why intaglio is so appealing, you can always add more lines, stop out sections so they don't etch too deep and become too dark. There are so many layers to a print you don't even realize are there.  It is a true art that deserves a deep appreciation.

You may view this print on my etsy site.

be mine...

be mine...valentine

It's almost "that" time of year again.  High expectations from lovers, or if you're well seasoned, perhaps boycott the holiday (if you can call it a holiday) all together.

I don't make too much heart jewelry, but I'm starting to become more fond of it.  I cut out a piece of copper using my jewelers saw & then enameled it.  I was having considerable difficulty enameling the piece, my enamel kept lifting right off!  Incredibly frustrating, but worth the results.  I absolutely love enameled pieces, even if it does take hours for one little piece because I have the smallest kiln available.  One day...sigh.

Slither....

I take a considerable amount of inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement.  This pendant was inspired by a serpant necklace I found in one of my many books. 

The stone is a white agate, and vintage black beads adorn the sterling silver chain.  I originally cut the snakes out separately & soldered them together along with the bezel setting to save on metal.  Once again my love for Intaglio is where the etching originated from.  I used Nitric Acid to etch the silver, and I rub in an enamel paint to help bring out the details of the lines.

Necklace is available to view on my website.

little blooms...

I like to add detail where ever possible, I'm not a supporter of "less is more".  I created a little silver frame by cutting out a piece of silver & soldered on a bezel.  I drew a little picture and watercolored it.  Set the picture & filled in my little frame with a 2 part resin.  A little tricky to fill such a small space with such a goopy substance.  

A friend and I once made a coffee table with bottle caps and filled in the area with resin.  It is amazing!  Very durable and scratch resistant.  Equivalent to 25 coats of poly-eurothane or something ridiculous like that.