The Washington monument is not a phallic symbol.

Well okay..... maybe the Washington monument is a phallic symbol but in my latest commission I tried not to make it look like one.

I had a commission to make a tie tack with the Washington Monument on it for a first year history teacher.  Sounded easy enough until I started working on my designs for the piece.  Darn, it was hard to come up with something that didn't look like a giant..... you know what!

But, I think I did it.  I moved it off to the side.  Put the reflection pool in front and a few bushes off to the right to balance it.

Here is the design I was working from.  (Easy to make in it's big form.  Not so easy in the small form.  Where's the 30% shrinkage clay when you need it?)

Here's what I ended up with.

As usual, the picture doesn't do it justice.  Actually the photo does look a little like a ............, but it doesn't in reality.   (I hope!)  

Newest Acquisition

As if my studio didn't have enough furniture in it, I went and got another piece.

Judy Slater, who also has a studio in the Transit Building was reorganizing her studio from one of polymer clay making to that of drawing and painting.  When she asked if anyone wanted a display stand she was trying to get rid of I said yes (Without thinking where I was going to put it.)

The day we brought it over to my studio (it took three of us...... that thing was fairly heavy) we set it right inside the door until I could decide what to do with it.  It sat there, blocking the light from the window and I thought it would have to be moved.  But, lo and behold it had lights in it (and some really nice drawers below.)  That spot had always been dead space.  I had a shelving unit there but it never attracted any attention. The light from the window backlit the pieces and they weren't very visible.  

But now, anyone just walking through the hallway is caught by the light.  And since the light comes from above, the pieces stand out.  It's staying where is sets.  (Thank goodness.  I didn't know how I was going to move it anyway.)

Had to take this one by standing inside the vault that is across from the cabinet.

Duh!

It's been about a month now since Oil City had their Oil Heritage Festival.  About ten of the National
Transit Artists set up in the Grafitti Gallery for the arts and crafts show.  We could set up out in the street, but that involves having a tent, setting up at 6 in the morning (and I am sooooo not a morning person), sitting out in the heat (and maybe rain), and taking it all back down the next day.

Instead we chose to set up in the Gallery where we could leave our pieces for several weeks and not just two days.  It's still a lot of work hauling everything down to the gallery and figuring out where to put everything.  It involves hauling down the tables, the jewelry and all the displays.  True to form, the elevator always seems to give out at this time of year.  So, it's a lot of running up and down the stairs carrying heavy loads.

Swan Daashuur (another jeweler in the Transit Studios) and I had displays that took up the most room.  As we were setting our displays up we kept talking about what we did last year.  Notice...... I said talked about what we did.  And..... tried to remember.  Sometimes we remembered and sometimes we did not.

This year we wised up and took a picture of our set ups.  Duh!  How easy is that?

This isn't how it looked last year but I think it was better.  I even had a couple of people make a comment on how nice the display looked.  

Next year I won't have to strain my brain trying to remember what I did.  Duh!  An easy solution.  

The un-exhibition reception

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in awhile.  I was on vacation and making jewelry was on my mind, but somehow other things got in the way....... like golfing, shopping, swimming, shopping, boating, eating, eating and eating.  (Pretty sad when the place I visited the most in Florida was "Heavenly Pizza" in the Merchant's Crossing Plaza.  It's the first time I've had a waitress say, "The usual?"....... time to get back to Weight Watchers.)

Anyway, I'm home (and in my yearly funk for a few weeks.  Don't know why that happens.  Maybe the sudden lack of warm air and sunshine?)

I finally made it back to the studio this past Saturday for our monthly Second Saturday Open Studios.  I did have a few visitors (and even made a sale..... YAY!)  But, most of my time was spent cleaning and restocking the studio.  (I always take way too much "stuff" to Florida.)

Usually, the Graffiti Gallery has an opening that coincides with Open Studios but this time there were not enough entries to have a show.  (It was decided that we should still have the reception ...... any reason for a party!)

The reception was really nice ..... and we had an exhibit of empty canvases and frames.  (It was probably one of the easiest shows to hang.  Oh..... there's a nail, another one hung.)  

The piece in the corner may look like a work, but it's actually pieces of styrofoam which is the base media for JoannWheeler's work.  

Of course a Gallery reception isn't complete without wine and food.  

  

Invest in Silver!

I've been doing metal clay for about five years now ( that's five inventories.)  And of course in those five years the price of metal clay has skyrocketed.

If I were to try to remake certain pieces (or at least make something similar) my original pricing would be way out of line.  I could be losing money instead of making it.

So, I decided to "update" some of my bigger pieces and wow..... was I surprised.

Original clay price.... $10.03

Today....... $17.38

Original clay price..... $62.58

Today............$90.63

Original clay price...... $48.73

Today........ $57.90

Original clay price.......$66.87

Today...... $115.80

Okay, you get the idea.

And that's just the metal clay.  The sterling silver findings that are used have jumped immensely also.  And don't get me started on the sterling silver chains.  The chains are usually three times what they use to be.

Guess I should have bought stock in silver.  (But I'm not into the stock market.)  I'll just keep making jewelry.  That's how I get my silver fix.  (That and wearing it.)  

But you can see why many artists are turning to the base metals to save money.  But in my book, what is gained in saving on the price of the metal is often taken up in more work time and longer and smaller firings.  

Still Anal in 2013

Tax time comes around so darn fast and like most artistic people my focus is on making art........ not keeping records and tracking every little detail related to the business end of art making.  (Although I do try..... really I do.)

One of my first orders of business is inventory.  I swore I would not be as anal about counting every little jump ring and bead as last year, but that is a hard habit to break.  So....... I've been spending days playing with numbers, not making art (it's killing me.)   Luckily, my cousin comes up to the studio to help with it.  (She can't believe I make her count every last one.)

I try to keep up with it all .  Every year at this time I resolve to spend time at least once a week and get my paperwork in order.   (That usually lasts about a month.)  Preparing my reports for the tax preparer is mind boggling.  It's okay if the numbers work out, but they never do.

It wouldn't be so difficult if what comes in equals what goes out, but art doesn't work that way.  Pieces don't work out (got a jar full of that stuff.)   Things get lost (still haven't found the piece that shot off my flex-shaft.)  Some pieces get made with materials I've had for twenty years (how would I remember what they cost?)  I can't remember what I had for breakfast!  Sometimes it's hard to figure out exactly how much polymer clay was used or how much wire.  (I finally put wire down as an overhead item.)  Then I have pieces that are unaccounted for.  Where did they go?  I do know that a few were stolen, along with a display piece I had sitting out.  How do painters ever figure out their expense sheets?

Oh well, I am trying to do it right.  Anal or not, it's who I am.

So, I'm including a picture of young artists working in my home studio.  (I'm so jealous!)

National Transit Jewelry Display

I ended up with twenty one pieces of jewelry.  (No wonder I'm tired!)

It's that time of year.

This is my annual post around this time of year.  As mentioned in previous posts, my college roommate and I get together over the Labor day holiday and catch up on the past year.  I'm not sure how long we've been doing this but it's been a long time.

We shop, go out to eat, watch movies, play games and of course do art.  The first year I taught her how to do metal clay.  Subsequent years we've done such things as kumihimo beading, polymer clay pens, combining beach glass with metal clay, and this year we are etching copper sheets.  I've never etched metal before.  (Strange that I never came across etching in all my college art classes.)

So we both were beginners.  Armed with my latest book purchase (and my latest Rio Grande purchase) we set out to teach ourselves etching.

Our choice of metal was copper as it is cost effective for experimentation.   We started working on Thursday but found that there were still some basic supplies we were missing like, rubber gloves, duct tape, a funnel, and a brown glass container..... so it was off to the Dollar Store.   It's hard to find anything in glass anymore, but A-1 Sauce is still in a brown glass bottle and luckily I had an almost empty bottle in the fridge.  The brown glass container is to hold the used etching mordant. (That's what I needed the funnel for too.)

The basic procedure is to clean the copper, apply a resist (we used permanent black marker), soak in an acid bath and stop the etching reaction with baking soda.  That's a "nutshell" explanation.

Top design is Cindi's 

Soaking in the acid for 30 - 60 minutes.  We did 40 minutes and will probably do longer the next time.

The longer the metal sits in the acid, the deeper the etching.

We plan on cutting the pieces into smaller pieces.  Then combining them with other copper shapes that have a green patina and turning them into jewelry.  We will play with some cold connection techniques when we combine the pieces.

Thursday we had to do more shopping.  Today we got a little more done, but since it was Second Saturday at the studios we had lots of visitors and didn't accomplish as much as we wanted.  So, it's back to the studio tomorrow to complete our jewelry.

As usual, I'll post the finished pictures when we are done.  Then it's off to the camper to do more shopping, eating, movie watching and game playing.  (Combined with looking for beach glass on the shores of Lake Erie..... now that I know how to drill it!)

"No Women Allowed"

As mentioned in an earlier post (August 16th to be exact) I finally started working on my National Transit Jewelry series.  Some of it will be very traditional and some of it will be a contemporary variation.  I plan on doing limited editions of each piece although I haven't decided the exact number yet.

Most of the pieces will be totally based on the architectural details of the building. But, even though the pieces are based on purely the visual aspects of the building the history of the building itself is interesting.  Right now I'm reading  The History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida M Tarbell to get more of a feel for what transpired in the area and in the building as it related to the oil industry.  

The concept of time travel fascinates me and I would love to be able to go back and observe the Transit Building in it's hey day.  I would have to go back as a man though, since the Transit Building was a men only building!

Here's a few photos of the National Transit Building where my studio is located.

This spiral fire escape is outside my window (The one that I can't get open..... hope I never need it!)

The steam elevator is not working anymore but when it did it went to Rockefeller's penthouse on the 4th floor.  I've been told that there are only two of these elevators in the world and that the other one is in the Eiffel Tower.  (It's loaded with lots of design possibilities.)

This is the (it takes two hands to open it) vault located inside my studio.  I'm not sure how many there are in the entire building but this one is part of a block of four.     

Getting your feet wet

Parking in Oil City is at a premium.  For someone who is going to be in the city for more than a couple of hours, the best place to park is down under the bridge by Justus Park.

During the Oil Heritage Festival that parking area was for vendors and the handicapped.  So the next best lot for parking was by the VFW.  (Which required a little longer walk.)

Both parking lots provide walks with a nice view of the river.  The Justus Park lot has a nice shaded walk that follows along the river (and provides me with Gingko leaves for my metal clay.)  It comes out  in an area that is attended by the Master Gardener's club with a nice display of flowers and passes by CV Curl's sculpture of Chief Cornplanter (and some tables set up for chess or checker playing.)

When walking over from the VFW lot I had to walk across the bridge.  Every day I've been noticing  the ducks in the river.  I always thought ducks loved water and I'm sure they do.  But it just seemed strange to see all the ducks standing and sleeping on the rocks.  On my way to the studio they were on the center rocks.  On my way home they had moved to the rocks on the river's edge.  (And they've been doing this everyday since I noticed it.)  

Oh well, at least they're getting their feet wet.

(Can you tell I haven't been in the studio too much lately?  I'll get back to the studio soon and start posting about metal clay again.)

That time of the year

For over 30 some years Oil City has hosted the Oil Heritage Festival on the third weekend in July.    Well, it is that time of year again.

Two years ago, I bought a tent and set up in the street.  My goal was to get my feet wet at outdoor exhibiting and to create a gallery setting within the tent.  As was mentioned in a post on that show, I succeeded at both my goals and made some money too.

Last year, I moved inside the Graffiti Gallery and exhibited with Swan Daashuur (the other jeweler in the Transit.)  We were positioned behind the tents and sales were pretty dismal.  Swan sold more than I did but still not as much as she expected.

This year I had planned on going back out on the street but Swan persuaded me to try the Gallery one more year.  This year the Festival Committee left the space in front of the Gallery open so it was more visible.  We still did not have the number of visitors the street vendors did but it was so much better than last year.  Sales were pretty good today (hoping that tomorrow is even better.)   And, we will be leaving the show up for the entire month of August.

Work by John Mander, Corinne Carbaugh, Abby Bunnell and Swan Daashuur

Part of my display.

 The outside vendors set up  today and it was a good thing it wasn't yesterday.  We had severe storms yesterday and the fire sirens kept going off to warn us of possible tornadoes.  (The Transit Building is built like a you - know- what.  So, if I have to be somewhere during a storm the Transit is my choice.)

Today the wind came up again and it rained for about an hour.  Some of the tents were toppled and people were looking pretty wet.  So..... I'm thankful I was inside.  Linda Lineman who paints porcelain decided that she was tired fighting the weather every year and will join us inside next year.

Hidden Pictures

As a kid, I loved the "Highlights" magazine.  One of my favorite pages in the magazine was the Hidden Pictures page.  So..... here is my version of hidden pictures.

Can you spot the two charms that are different?

I bet you can figure out why they are different.

The copper and bronze charms are in the making (if I can get them done in time........ retirement is really busy!)

Junk Art Show

Last Saturday was the opening of the "Junk Art Show" in the Graffiti Gallery.   I mentioned that I was making a couple of pieces to enter into the show. (I was out of my comfort zone but Swan is very forceful!)

This past Friday I did one of my stints at Gallery sitting.  We had a few people in but the second shift saw a bigger crowd because of the Indie Fest going on out in the street.  Since I didn't get a chance to take photos of the show during the opening, I used my down time to take a few yesterday.  (Along with sanding my silver charms for the conference..... and a little reading of a romance novel.  Luckily no one came in to see me blushing!)

So..... here are some pictures of the exhibit.  Pictures do not do justice to the works, so stop down on a Friday or Saturday between 11:00-7:00 to see the exhibit.  I believe it's on until July 7th?

"Wrench Bench" by Bill Kapp

"Pure Piano Keys" by Susette Jolley

"Wind Chime" by Bill Kapp

"Prohibiting Bridge" by Swantje-Elke

I'll share my pieces in the next post (which is almost as uncomfortable as sharing them in the exhibit.)

Indie Fest

Tonight was Indie Fest in Oil City.  30 singing groups or individuals performed in six different venues on Seneca St.

An outdoor stage was set up directly in front of the Transit Building where my studio is located.  All I had to do was open my window to enjoy the music (and the view.  And the smells as they were cooking  hamburgs and hot dogs in the alleyway below.  I'd planned on waiting and getting dinner at one of the restaurants hosting musicians, but darn that smelled too good and I caved in.)

"Last Chance Louie"

Besides music there were other areas set up to serve food, offer painting activities for children and show people local business ventures.

"John Manders drawing caricatures"

The Forest Wood dance studio which is located on the third floor of the Annex did dance demonstrations in the street.  They also orchestrated a Flash Mob.  (Which I just missed.  Darn I really wanted to get out there and dance........ if my bad knee and shoulder would agree to it!)

"Forest Wood Dance Academy"

We couldn't have asked for better weather and it did seem like there was a good turnout.  I even had quite a few people come through the studio tonight.  By the time I was ready to leave, the band outside my window made it impossible to talk without shouting and I figured it was not a good idea to shout at potential customers.

"One man's trash is another man's art"

On June 9th, the Graffiti Gallery is having it's opening for the "Junk Art Show" from 4:00-7:00.  I'm actually working on a couple of pieces to enter in the show.  (My first.)  Entering shows is not in my nature so this has been a struggle.

I've always said that artists are pack rats (at least I know I am) as everything is a potential art material.  It makes it really hard to throw things out.  

During "Art all Night", there were several artist's whose work would fit the exhibit's theme.  James Dworek was one of those artists.  His modem, "Gone but not Forgotten" is created from "outdated" technology.  Hopefully, he'll be able to share his work at the show.

Join us for Open Studios on the 9th and stay for the opening of the show!

Is this the Art floor?

Yes Kong, this is the Art floor!

Thanks to Carol McDonald, Swan Daashuur and Heidi Heck for painting the entrance to the National Transit Studio.  

Rising up as you climb the stairwell is an explosion of color and abstract expressionism.

Feel free to visit!

Oil Heritage Festival

Every year at this time Oil City celebrates their heritage with a festival.  This year's festival begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday.

Activities for all ages are planned for the next few days, including an adult and a young peoples art show at the National Transit building (where my studio is located.)   Tomorrow is a children's olympic competition and tomorrow evening is a children's pet show.  Friday and Saturday is the annual craft show.  Also on Saturday is a run and a parade Saturday evening.  At some point there is a car show, plus many other activities.  The culminating event on Sunday night is the fireworks.  (Since I'm too lazy to go find my paper with the information of all the activities for the festival, I'm missing lots of the details.)  If you are interested just google it.

Last year I tried my hand at a booth during the Art and Craft show.  I was planning on doing it again this year and then just got too stressed out thinking about all that work (that sounds pretty simple but I'd just been in some kind of funk.)   Last year was successful and I felt good about it.  But this year it just wasn't appealing to me.

Instead, I am setting up my work in the Graffiti Gallery.  There are eight of us that are offering our art for sale.  Assemblage artists, a stained glass artist, painter and book illustrator, along with Swan (another jeweler in the studios) and myself.  My work and hers are so different from each other that we feel we can exhibit and sell together.  Hopefully people will come in off the street to visit.  (It's supposed to be hotter than you know what, so maybe they'll come in just to cool down.)

If the weather is anything like last year (hot, stormy and windy) I'll be glad I'm not out on the street.
If you're in town, stop by and say hello.

Tomorrow I'll share a photo of a new piece I just finished today.  (Another one of those things that have been sitting around for a year or more.  It finally talked to me and I love what it said!)

ART!

The main hallway into the studios was pretty drab looking.  It's a huge hallway and the lighting is dim.  Not a very inviting entry.

Down at the other end of the hallway the lighting is brighter and the artists whose studios are at that end have added little paintings to the walls here and there.  It is fun and inviting.  (Will share a photo of that area when I take one.)

So some of us at the other end decided to do something about it.  John Manders came up with the idea of creating a wall that said Art when you looked at it.  (It literally says art!)  Using left over paint from a previous project, we painted the wall purple and added the lettering.  It's something you can't miss.  Even walking by the doorway it catches the eye.  We've done one wall so far, but it's just the beginning.

The day I painted the "R" I decided to add to the corner outside my studio.  Just a little flow to lead the eye.

Busy day

Yesterday was a busy day at the National Transit building.  It was our usual second Saturday at the studios, the Oil City Student Art Show and the Graffiti Gallery reception for a poster contest that was open to Art Institute Students and Clarion University Students.

The day was a rainy one but many people still ventured out for one or more of the events.  Many people were just passing through to get to the student work, but many did take the time to stop in the artist's studios  to visit and see what was happening.  Since it was one of our quarterly events, we had refreshments in the studios.  (For my studio my cousin made a wonderful hot dip served with bread.   She found the recipe on line but added her own flair to it.  She's good at that.)    One of the young visitors said that if the dip was a person they would marry it.  Guess they liked it.  

The student show was a floor below us.  Years ago we set up a "Living Painting" at the art show to educate the public about art.  This year they revived it and did an installation based on the work of Sandy Skoglund.  (Look her up on the internet.  Very interesting work.  Almost got to hear her speak years ago but got turned back by a tornado.)   I didn't get down in time to see the students in the installation but I did get a picture of the set up.  

The Poster Contest was held to try to interest young artists into coming to Oil City.  The judges were young people because they would know what would attract the younger viewer.  Guess I dated myself when I was drawn to the Abstract Expressionist styles.


(Darn..... I don't feel old...... most of the time!)