The business of art

     The second session of my business class was tonight.  Again, an enjoyable time and lots of learning.  Last week we focused on our financial health and ability to borrow money for our business.  (I hadn't really planned on borrowing money for the business, but one never knows.) 

 

     This week we were deciding exactly what it is we want to do, what we have to offer the public and who we will be marketing our product and services to.  Marketing myself is an area I know I need help in.  Interesting to think about such things.  There are four artists in the class and that is nice, as we have similar needs and similar people to market to.  Already I have some new ideas to help.  Such things as a wish list, (so men don't have to think about what to buy).  Someone even suggested cards be sold so the men have one stop shopping.  Gift certificates also help those looking for gifts for others.  Having a list with names, addresses and emails of customers wanting to be notified when things are happening.  (This list might include a range of ages for people to fill in so we know the target age of our customers.)  It was also suggested to have one of the booths in the mall hallway around the holidays. 

    We were reminded that the business is not about us, but about our customers.  How can we make it easy for our customers to do business with us and how can we differentiate ourselves from the competition.  The instructor gives us lots of information and lots to think about.  

     This is supposed to be a part time business, but getting it going successfully is a full time job. My husband is complaining now that he doesn't have a wife since I am gone so much.   Hopefully his patience persists.  It all takes time!    

By-Pass Ring

       I taught a class yesterday on making by-pass rings.  You know, the kind that wraps around your finger and the ends by-pass each other.  The ring was designed by Jeanette Landenwitch and she gave me permission to teach it.  The directions were simple; roll out the clay, cut a strip, decorate it and fire it.  Once it is fired, the strip is bent around a metal ring mandrel with the fingers.

    Sounds easy enough and it is.  The hard part is designing the ring.  Unlike making a regular ring you don't know exactly what it will look like until it is done.  So, I had to try to adjust the lesson to make the outcome a little more predictable.  At least as predictable as is possible.  We'll find out tomorrow how our designs worked out.  I fired them today for maximum strength.  My student, Carol, came up with a good idea.  She made the band and decorated only one end.  After she wraps the ring, she is going to finish the other end so they line up and refire it for a shorter time period.  

I love teaching; you learn something new every day.  

Guess it's time!

My husband has been after me for a long time to lose weight.  Over the years, I've lost and gained many, many pounds.  I was even a Weight Watcher leader for about three years, until menopause and a class full of druggies hit.  There comes a point where it just doesn't seem to matter and I am at that point.  But I guess it is time for it to matter again.  "The Biggest Loser" is back on television and I love that show.  The month in Florida isn't far away.  And tonight, as I was going up the stairs ahead of him, my oldest grandson told me that I had a big butt!!  (I doubt his Grandfather put him up to that.  Even he wouldn't stoop that low.)  Little kids don't lie (about somethings).  So, I guess it's time.  

Everyone does it once!

Stainless steel shot is what is used in the tumbler to polish and work harden the metal clay pieces after they are fired.  The tumbler I use holds about two pounds of shot, plus the burnishing fluid and the pieces.  Now shot is little teeny tiny pieces shaped like bullets, balls and space ships and one pound of shot has thousands of these little teeny tiny pieces.  (Do you see where I'm going with this?)  I've heard of people doing this but up until now I've had a clean record with my shot.  But that all ended today when the shot exploded all over the floor as I tried to pour it back into the tumbler barrel.  Thank goodness my studio has carpeting.  The shot only "shot out" in a circumference of about six feet.  A hardwood floor would have been worse.  Darn it, my studio has carpeting.  The blue gray berber wasn't going to give up the pieces that easily.  First the little teeny tiny spaceships were darn hard to see.  And secondly, the carpet fibers wanted to grab those little teeny tiny pieces.  So, I spent part of my day in the studio, on the floor, picking up little teeny tiny pieces of shot.   (I repeated little teeny tiny pieces many times so you could experience what I was feeling.  Did it work?)

Yesterday I spilled the liver of sulfur mixture.  I'm not sure which was worse.  The pungent odor of sulfur running all over my table or those little teeny tiny pieces of shot, bouncing all over the floor.  

No one ever said it would be easy! 

A purist at heart

There were several products at the metal clay conference (besides the bronze clay) that created quite a stir.  Both, were ring making products.  

One is marketed by www.metalclayfindings.com and is a ready made silver band just waiting to be decorated with your own metal clay designs.  This method eliminates the need to make the ring bigger to allow for shrinkage.  

The other product is the Japanese ringmakers.  These allow you to make your own ring bands in a pre-made mold.  The molds come in varying widths and styles; again allowing you to add your own metal clay designs.  Some of the rings made from this method were on display and were simply beautiful.  The Japanese ringmakers do not allow for shrinkage, so it is necessary to buy a mold bigger than what you need.  It is also confusing to try to figure out what size is needed as the sizes are not compatible with American ring sizing.  www.pmcconnection.com is the carrier for the Japanese ringmakers, although I hear they are not listed on the site. 

 But for me, I guess I'm a purist. I love making rings and I love making them on my own from scratch.   (Not to mention the extra added cost of such gadgets.)  The closest I get to using an aid is a ring pellet that fits inside the ring when fired, to keep it from shrinking more than is wanted.   Sometimes it is frustrating for sure, but somehow it seems like cheating to use those readymades. 

Happy Birthday

Today is my daughter's birthday.  I can remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.  Labor wasn't at all what I expected.  In fact I didn't even know I was in labor.  If it hadn't been for my mother telling me to go to the hospital when I did, it probably would have been too late.  My monthly cramps were worse than labor, so having her was a breeze.  (The son made up for that easy labor four years later though.  Can't get away with anything. ) Now she has a daughter of her own and is experiencing the joy a daughter can bring.  Here is a picture of her surrounded by money when she was little.  (She grew up to be an accountant.)   Happy birthday Heather!

I can't forget another birthday today either.  A friend of mine shares the same birth date as my daughter.   She likes to remind me that I am six months older than she is and there is nothing I can do about that.  I can't even make fun of her age without exposing mine.  (Darn!)  But wait, I think there was a mistake on my birth certificate and actually Karen, you are six months older than me.  (Are you buying it?)  Anyway, Happy birthday Karen Amendola......

Damn it!

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"  That is what my 5 year old grandson said a couple of years ago while we were sitting on the bed putting together his Lego spaceship.  When I looked at him in wonderment, he replied..... "I'm not allowed to say that at home, so I'm going to say it here."  I guess he thinks anything goes at Grandma's house.  (It doesn't!)

Damn it is what I felt like saying today when that same grandson and I went to leave the parking lot at Giant Eagle and my car wouldn't start.   (But I didn't, he has too good of a memory.)  So, my car was towed to the garage to see what the problem is.  The problem  isn't a new battery as the hubby just put one of those in six weeks ago when my car wouldn't start in the McDonald's parking lot.  

Damn it!  Now I have to wait until I can get a ride to the golf course, my quilting class, the studio and the business class.  I hate being dependent.   DAMN IT!

Inspired by the grandkids

I just got an email from a friend in TN who talked about finding inspiration for jewelry design.  I had been thinking about this for my blog the past couple of days.  Funny how often when you think of something, it appears out of no where. (This happens when I think of former students.)

   I had been thinking about some of the pieces I've made that were inspired either directly or indirectly by my grandchildren.  (a natural progression since this is a blog about metal clay and grandchildren!)  

One of my pieces started from a picture of my Granddaughter when we took her to the zoo.  She is such a cutie and I wanted to preserve that picture in metal...... hence the title, "Olivia in metal"  The picture doesn't do it justice; it really is nice.  (Working on photographing jewelry is a whole other story.)  I plan on doing one of the grandsons too.  All I have done on that one is to get the picture ready for a PPP. 

 Indirectly, I did a piece based on a mold I took from my Granddaughter's jellies (shoes).  It made a beautiful necklace with a shell theme. 

 The last item was made from my grandson's Lego pieces.  I get lots of compliments on these earrings.  I plan on doing a series of pieces called, "Child's Play."   I had to assure my grandson that no Lego's were harmed in the making of this piece.  (Sounds like something that goes at the end of a movie.)

The Business of business

I'm a teacher and not a business woman.  At least that is what I used to be but that roll is changing with Ally's Art.  Now I have to think differently and for an old gal like me that isn't easy.  So..... I went to an informational meeting tonight for a class in business.  Scary!   But, it sounds like it will be fun and very beneficial.  A former classmate was there and a former student, plus some fellow co-artists from the Transit Studios.  Right now I feel like I am flying blind, even though I've been at this since November.  Hopefully, this will straighten me out or at least keep me from crashing!

Paste

The final form of metal clay is paste.  You can buy a teeny tiny jar of paste or you can recycle all the sanding dust by mixing it with distilled water.  Once in a while it is necessary to buy a jar of paste, but most of the time, the homemade stuff will do.  Paste is used to "glue" two pieces of metal clay together.  It is used to fill in cracks, texture pieces and also as a coating over something that will burn out.  Many people use paste to paint over leaves as one of their first projects.  Personally, painting over leaves is not my thing.  Adding lavendar oil to the paste, gives it extra holding power and if used on leaves makes the leaf stronger.  Don't ask me why, just believe.  The little vessel was made by using paste over a dried cork clay form and decorating it with paper and syringe.  I did break down and try the leaf thing, but have no idea what I am going to do with these.  Any suggestions?

First day of school

Since I talked about the boys first day of school I thought I'd add some pictures.  Ethan is showing off his backpack but it wasn't enough to make him want to go.  We stopped over last night and he was asking his Dad why he had to go to school.    Tyler missed the bus at the end of the day yesterday.  He has to learn to pay attention, but what kindergarten kid does?  He hates his black shoes; they hurt his feet.  I'm not too crazy about them either.  They don't hurt my feet. but I think I'll like them better when he wears them with long pants.  Something about them now reminds me of little old men who wear black socks with their sandals.  

Paper Clay

Metal clay comes in paper form too.  One brand is more like a piece of leather, while the other brand is more like a sheet of silver.  I think it originally was created to be used in Origami but has since been used other ways.  I've done Origami but not with the clay.     

So far I've used it with paper punches like scrap bookers use.  It can be layered to make thicker pieces that provide a more definite relief.  The paper pieces are pasted onto the metal clay piece using metal clay paste.   Even the scraps left from the paper punch is usable.  I use it to create what I call my "Negative Space" pieces.   The following ring is made using the paper punch and the pendants were made using the scraps that were left from various projects.  

Twinkle Toes

My granddaughter in NC is only two years old.  She started dance lessons last Saturday and her Mom said it was so cute.   She wore a leotard, tights, ballet slippers and sported a tatoo.  (fake of course!)  Another woman there said she looked like a sailor ( a "cute sailor though.")  There were only three little ones there, but I understand they did what they were told and followed the teacher.  The week we spent in Gatlinburg with Olivia was precious.  It is  hard to be so far away, but that is how our world works now.  We get down as often as we can.  We want her to know who her Grandparents are.  And, she does.   

Life changes

The oldest grandson started kindergarten on Tuesday.  It just dawned on me that there would be no more weekday sleep overs.  Life changes and moves on but sometimes I wish it would stay the same.  He is a lover.  He hugs and kisses us all and I know that now school has started, someone will tell him that is for babies.   Then he won't want to kiss us anymore.  I will miss that. 

   But, oh the stories he will tell.  He came home minus the usual two stickers and we found out that Andrew makes him laugh.  So, they are not allowed to stand together anymore.   

   His brother went to pre-school on Wednesday.  He just turned three in August so he is probably the youngest there.  He likes it, as long as his mother is there.  But, let her leave and he was wailing like a banshee.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.  He will grow up faster than his older brother.  It seems to happen like that.  I guess it is best to enjoy the moment and not worry about the future.  But I will miss the little boys of today.  (Think I'll stop over tomorrow to see them..... get my grandma fix.)   

Syringe clay

As was stated in yesterday's blog, metal clay comes in syringe form too.  It takes some practice to be able to control the syringe.  When I first started, I had to keep reminding myself that "This is a learning experience."  Things that used to take me hours, now take minutes.  I've come a long way baby.  (Wasn't that an ad at one time?)  Anyway, the syringe is held over the item to be decorated and just like cake decorating, the plunger is pushed long before the clay line is laid down.  And, just like cake decorating, the pressure is stopped long before the clay line is finished.  (That is the part I still find frustrating..... the darn clay wants to stick to the syringe and not fall off.  I only have two hands and my left hand is not good at finding the needle tool to cut it off the syringe!!!!)

Syringe clay can create a piece by itself or be used in decorating a piece made from lump clay.  It is also used to fill cracks and join other clay pieces.   The necklace is an example of using syringe clay by itself to create the jewelry.  The earrings and the "King's Ring"  (that's my husband's ring.... another story in itself) are decorated with syringe clay as a design element.  

Metal Clay

Not everyone who reads these posts knows what metal clay is.  So, over the course of the next few days I  will briefly introduce this amazing medium.   Metal clay is made of recycled fine silver particles which are suspended in a clay like binder. When the clay piece is dry, it is fired in a kiln where the clay binder burns off.  What is left behind is 99.9% fine silver.   It is made in the form of lump clay, paper clay, syringe clay and paste.  Regular ceramic techniques are used to form the lump clay.  After firing, the finished silver can be worked using traditional silver techniques.  Metal clay pieces often resemble pieces made by casting and all four forms can be combined into one piece.  The ceramic shard piece and Life for Lynn, shown in earlier posts was made using the lump form.  Here are some other pieces made using the lump clay.  

Frosted tears

Today is the last day for my friend's visit.  But, before she leaves, we got some more jewelry made.  This time we did some beading.  (Okay, our kumihimo was beaded too.  But, somehow it seems different.)  We saw a beautiful beaded necklace at the beading store in Erie, so we came home and made one.  Cindi bought her beads at the bead shop and I got mine at AC Moore.  (Only because I originally wasn't going to make one and also they ran out of the frosted pink at the bead shop.)  Which by the way was a very nice bead shop in the West Erie Village Plaza on West 26th St.  So, take a look.   Oh, Cindi was creative and added the leaf.  The earrings are hers too.

Life for Lynn

No, Lynn is not going to jail.... but she did just have her second surgery for a brain tumor.   She is still in Houston, recovering but should be home soon.   They got all but 10% of the tumor and the good news is that it is treatable.  She will be going to Cleveland for her follow up treatment.   A few weeks back, we had a benefit fundraiser to help defray the costs of the trip to Houston and some of the medical bills.  I was asked to donate a piece to the chinese auction, so I made a special pendant.  I had Lynn in mind when I made it.  She is such an upbeat, positive, funny person that I put the "Live, Laugh, Love" phrase on the back.   For the front I created a design with the Bodoni ornament font for the lower case letter L.  (which could stand for Lynn or the other 3 words on the back.)  I cut the front design out and sandwiched a textured piece between the front and the back.  The front and back pieces were created with my trusty computer and a photo polymer plate.  The great thing was that one of Lynn's best friends (and a friend of mine) won the necklace.  She wore it the other day when we went shopping, and if I do say so myself... It looked great!

Kumihimo

As I promised, here are the pictures of our kumihimo bracelets that we made this weekend.   Didn't get a picture of Helen's bracelets, but these are Cindi's and my bracelets.   

Thinking about teaching a class on kumihimo and how to make end cones and toggles with silver clay.  It looks like just maybe, Helen and Cindi will be able to finish off their own bracelets.  Thank God!!!!!

Kumihimo

It's an annual tradition for my college roommate to come and visit over the Labor Day weekend.  We always have a nice visit and usually do something arty while she is here.  One year we worked with polymer clay and another year we made beaded golf counters.  This year we worked on Kumihimo bracelets.  One of my TN friends, taught me how to do Kumihimo when we were in Gatlinburg in June.  Kumihimo is very relaxing and I think I have hooked my roommate and another friend.  We are heading to the bead store in Erie tomorrow to hunt for Kumihimo supplies.  It is hard to find bead caps that are fat enough to handle the thickness of the beaded braid.  Also, the cord and the board are not something that can be found easily.  Since the bead store offers Kumihimo classes, I'm hoping that they offer the supplies to sell.  My friends are joking that when I see them next, they'll have hundreds of pieces for me to finish with the metal end caps and toggles.  Sad, thing is, they are probably not kidding.    I'll post some pictures of the bracelets in a couple of days.  I may end up making my own end caps and definitely my own toggles.