New Displays

I've been working my butt off making new pieces for AppleFest which takes place Oct. 3, 4 and 5 in the city parks in Franklin, Pa.  This is my first year and I want to put my best foot forward.

Speaking of foot....... I got some new displays for the festival.  One of which is a foot to display anklets.
Now maybe it's just me but why do the foot displays have the heel of a shoe and barefoot toes.  I understand the heel raises it, but why not have a shoe on that foot?  Just saying!  (It kind of freaks me out.)

There is plenty of room in my front studio to display pieces but the tent is only 10' x 10' (a little crowded.)  I needed some displays that saved space and these next two pieces did just that.  In fact, I can't believe how much more room I now have.  (Got to keep the nose to the grind, I guess.)

This display rotates and will hold thirty two pieces.  (Both of these displays could hold much more if my backings were smaller.)

If you are in PA with nothing to do, stop down.  The food is good, the activities are fun and there are lots of vendors.  There's something for everyone.

Speaking of puppetry

Speaking of puppetry in my last post brings me to share this big puppet with you.

This "Charlie Chaplin" puppet is the creation of John Manders.  John is the National Transit Studios resident children's book illustrator.  Now John of course had help with this guy.  He drew up the plans for the puppet and created the skeleton.  But other transit artists, Carol McDonald and Joann Wheeler created his head, hands and feet.  Help with the puppet wasn't limited to just the Transit artists.  The Giant unicycle was created by Bill Kapp and Charlie's clothes were made by Ecclesiastical Threads.  And of course the puppet wouldn't have gone anywhere without  the crew who helped Charlie take part in the Oil Heritage Parade.  Charlie started out pedaling his bike, but by the time he reached the end of the parade (where I was) he needed a little help getting across the finish line.  

Usually the Transit Artists paint a car for the parade but this year they took a different approach.  (A very clever one I think.)  The reason being is that 2014 has been designated as "The Year of Charlie Chaplin."  Many activities are planned around Chaplin for the year, culminating in the First night activities on New Year's Eve.  For more information visit  Oil City Special Events and download a copy of Chaplin Calendar events.  

The reason Chaplin has been adopted as a theme is because he supposedly signed his first movie contract in Oil City.  

This "Charlie" will be making more than one appearance.  He may be seen in upcoming Graffiti Gallery shows and will be present at the Halloween party at the end of October.  

I have Charlie Chaplin's Biography on my Kindle.  Guess it's time to read it....... may lead to some Charlie "inspired" jewelry.  (Mini-bot is telling me to get to it!)

Back to basics.

This post is about showing more student art work.  Except this time it's not about grandchildren or painting and drawing.  This time it's actually about metal clay!

It's been a few weeks since I taught this class but figured that it's never too late.  My student was Charlotte Randall from Titusville.  Charlotte is a jack of all trades but well known for her puppetry work and presentations around the local area and around the country.  She's taught classes here at the National Transit Building several times.

This was an intro class where I teach the basics of working with the clay,  how to set a CZ in the clay and how to create a fold-over bail.  Usually I have the students do a small project first to get use to the feel of the clay.  These small pieces are used for earrings or a charm.  I save these pieces so the student can get the feel of torch firing clay while the bigger pieces are in the kiln.

Every student is different (which is what makes teaching fun) and I never know what direction the class will take.  This time, Charlotte chose to use her small piece in her bigger pendant (which I actually never had anyone do before.) You can see the small piece in the upper left hand corner, tucked under the edge of the fold over bail.   She also embellished her piece with clay coils to enhance the design.

Very nice for a six hour class which included an hour for lunch and an hour for firing (plus the gab time which always goes on in a class.  Girls got to talk.)  

Art Inside Studio Tour

This weekend is a busy one in Oil City.  Lots to do and see and it's all free!

Indie Fest starts on Friday with a variety of bands.  Locations will be all over the place.  Some will be in establishments and some will be set up on the street, along with some other outdoor activities.

Grafitti Gallery has a new show opening on Friday night.  The opening runs from 5:00-7:00.  Come meet the artists and share in some good food.

Saturday and Sunday things continue with the addition of the  (first and I hope annual ) Art Inside Studio Tour.  It is a self-guided tour of 20 artist's studios.  See first hand the various artist's talents.

I'll be in my studio on Saturday only, but the tour runs on Sunday too.  If you are out and about this Saturday stop in and visit.  See what's new or if it's your first time..... Welcome!

  

A follow up.

I'm finally following up on a post I did on March 2.  Finally finished the "beer cap" piece that I posted about.  Actually it's been done for a while now, but I've been in some kind of "funk" or "artistic drought" if you want to call it that.  (Although this funk has carried over into other aspects of my life.  Can't wait until it's over.)  Sorry but I've dropped off the social map for a while too!

So, here is my latest Beer cap piece. If I do it again, I'll place a CZ at the top.  (I kept wanting to turn this one and drill a new hole.)   

I did get some good news yesterday that I am hoping sparks my mood.  I finally am going to do Franklin's Applefest this year.  I've tried other years and did not get in.  I found out that bulk mailings are sent out every year when I'm in Florida.  And since bulk mailings are not forwarded, I wasn't getting the application forms.  

This year we gave them my cousin's address.  She contacted me the day she got the form and over the phone we filled out the application.  Then I emailed pictures of some of the pieces in progress and pictures of the finished pieces.  The Chamber told us to return the forms early as it was on a first come, first serve basis.  We were the very first form returned.  (Can't get any earlier than that!)  

So now I need to get my tent out to practice setting it up and get to work on some pieces for the show.  My beer cap earrings are one of my favorites so I think I'll focus on making a bunch of those with variations.  Hopefully that will get the creative juices flowing again.  (Lord knows I need something.)

I smell a ........

I smell a rat!  Well not literally.

But after four years in my studio and never having a problem with leaving packaged food in the vault, there is a rat (or maybe a mouse.)  Something is eating the tootsie pops (may your whiskers stick together) and biting through the bags of peanuts.  The only thing it's not eating is the popcorn.  What's the matter?  Want me to pop it first?

First of all the National Transit Building is by the river so chances are it's a river rat.  (Have you seen the difference between a rat and a mouse?)  With the weather being so, so cold this winter I'm sure they are coming in for the warmth.

Well, he better get out as soon as it warms up.  Cause if I run into him in the close quarters of the vault I'll have a heart attack.  Hopefully John will be in his studio, hear me and come to my aid.  Other wise I might lay there and get nibbled on by the intruder.  (That's a sobering thought.)

Surely I'm not the only one with this problem.  Need to check with the other artists.  An exterminator may be needed.

I hope he doesn't think my metal clay is food.  That's all I would need is for him to nibble on those expensive packages.  From now on I'm keeping the clay in a metal container.  Wonder if he'll eat the polymer clay?  At least it's only $2.50 a package when it's not on sale.

Damn Mother Nature.  Is there no end to the fall out from this winter?

How to impress your girlfriend!

This post should have taken place in 2013, but as I mentioned in my last post...... I fell behind.

If you've been reading my blog, you'll remember that this past summer I had a young man (Alex) who has muscular dystrophy come into the studio to make his mother a ring.  When he came to the studio his cousin (Brandon) came with him to help him out.

In late November Brandon texted me wanting to know if he could come into my studio and learn how to make a ring.  He needed to have it done by Christmas as he was making it as a Christmas present.

Alex made a by-pass ring which is made flat.  Brandon's ring was made to size on a ring mandrel.  (He had his girlfriend's roommate check her ring size when she was out.)  He wanted the ring to have an organic feel.  At first he was thinking branches and leaves but ended up making vines and leaves.

His mother stopped by to take pictures so he had proof that he did indeed make the ring.  (I figured that his girlfriend wouldn't believe it.  He did such a nice job.)

How much more a gift means when it's made from the heart.  

(One of the nicest things my husband ever did for me was take the money out of the church envelope and buy me a dress that I wanted.  Now I know that sounds bad, but he didn't have any money and I was certainly surprised........ Sorry Lord!)

Tis the Season

Well it Tis the Season to be busy...... and busy it is.

Last week I held my annual Open House which despite the weather was nicely attended and my sales outdid last year.  The past five years they have been steadily growing.  I tried to compare my first two years but did some different kind of book keeping then so I wasn't able to separate those sales from my other sales.

This weekend I took part in the SugarCreek Craft Show which has been going on for thirty years.  This was my first year to take part in it.  My tables were positioned right next to Linda Lineman from Lineman's Porcelain paintings.   Linda is another one of the artists in the National Transit Building (in fact she was the very first artist to have a studio.)  Now we have twenty three artists in the building.  So we would sit and chat during the down times and watch each others tables during potty breaks.  (At my age those are pretty frequent....  just sayin!)

My dear cousin, Debi Plyler came out to help too.  She helps me out when I can't be in my studio on Second Saturdays and with an assortment of other tasks.  We started setting up at seven AM and anyone who knows me, knows I am not a morning person.  (It was a long day yesterday.)  Today was a little easier as the doors didn't open until noon.  Debi had one of her migraine headaches and is such a trooper that she toughed it out today until the end.   (She's also a good sales woman; which I am not.)

Here's "Vanna" herself.

The venue is not really suited to my kind of jewelry (and prices) but who knows what may come of it.  It gets my name out there, it's a cheap form of advertising and hey....... we were right by the kitchen.  Yesterday I had a wonderful chicken salad croissant and today vegetable soup.  They had a nice selection of food to choose from.

Sales weren't the greatest but enough to pay the rent for January.  Besides I met lots of nice people, both customers and fellow vendors.  I'm going to do it again next year and who knows, maybe some people will be looking for me.

Crosses for Flat Stanley

My granddaughter sent me "Flat Stanley" to take around for a couple of weeks.  Flat Stanley is a story book character who is flat and can be sent through the mail.  Her second grade class at Mother of Sorrow's school in Murrysville is doing this project.  Tomorrow I'm sending him on to the next person on the list.

Since I was away, Stanley mostly spent his time in my studio.  I was trying to make up for lost time.  He saw me working on crosses.  I had several commissions to do crosses, both male and female crosses.  For some reason I have continued to work on them

 Crosses are actually a little difficult to make because they are thin and delicate.  (I can't begin to tell
you how many I broke during the sanding process.)  Not so much the bigger crosses for the guys, but the smaller ones for the ladies.  I usually make my pendants three cards thick but I made these five to
six cards thick so they would be sturdier (in the dry clay state.)

I took pictures of several of the new crosses, but they didn't turn out. Here's one of the pictures that did.
If I can get some other acceptable pictures I'll post them too.

Some have stones and some don't.  But they all have textures.

Family Time

Sometimes a class will go and sometimes it won't.  Luckily this summer was one of the "will goes."

The Oil Valley Center for the Arts scheduled two classes for me this year.  In June I taught an Intro class and in August I taught an applique ring class.  Both classes were filled (plus one more in each) so they were taught in the Art Center's classroom.  

In June there was a mother and son who took the Intro Class.  They returned in August to take the ring class and this time the father and the daughter came too.  Quite often the classes become a family affair.  

The first time I had a family in class, each member got to pick an activity for the month and they all did it.  The father didn't seem too interested at the time, but he later told me that he wasn't a morning person and hadn't had his coffee yet.  All turned out well.

Then for Easter a mother gave her son and daughter a class instead of giving them candy.  She took the class too and they used stones in their pieces that she bought off QVC.

A friend of mine gave her daughter and son-in-law a class as a birthday gift.  Which is what Beth Orris did this summer for her daughters.  

This time I'm not sure what the occasion was, except that the mother and son really enjoyed their first class and wanted the family to share in the experience.  Dr. Brad Fell and family did a great job on their rings.  Having a doctor in the studio came in handy as he was able to use his expertise with tweezers to retrieve a piece from the Liver of Sulfur solution.  (Another lady and I must have tried twenty times.)  Dr. Fell got it out with one try.

Tina and her daughter both made two rings.

Julian appliqued fishbones to his ring.  It appears he has a theme going here as he did a radioactive symbol on his pendant in the Intro Class.

Brad liked the way the patina added a variety of colors to his ring and decided to leave it on, rather than polish the piece.  The colors will eventually turn dark and disappear but for awhile the ring will have a unique color to it.

The daughter carved words into her ring to compliment an existing ring she owned.  

It's fun to teach classes with families.  There is some interesting interactions going on that doesn't happen usually with people who don't know each other.  

Happy Birthday

Yesterday I taught my first class since March.  A fellow Oil City music teacher, Beth Orris treated her daughters to a metal clay class for their birthdays.

This isn't the first time someone has given one of my classes as a present.  Another teacher friend gave her daughter and son in law a class for Christmas.  One Easter, a mother gave her son and daughter a class instead of candy.  They even used her own stones in their pieces.  And a fellow artist's husband gave her a gift certificate for a class.  Can't remember what the occasion was.   If you ask me, I think it's a great idea......... a tangible gift "and" knowledge.

Anyway, there were five students.  Not only did Beth and her daughters take the class but also Beth's sister in law, Amy Krumich and a good friend, Vicki Scherr.

What a great group.  Lots of fun and laughs (and lots of picking on each other!)   I felt right at home.

What always amazes me is the variety of work that comes out of a project.  Everyone adds their own flair and truly designs their own personal pieces.  

Unfortunately the photos I took of the finished pieces were rushed and most of them did not turn out.  (There were men watching little ones back at the house .......... need I say more?)  So, my best shot is the unfinished pieces as they were prepared to go into the kiln.

Julie and her mom brought leaves and ferns that they incorporated into their fold over bail pendants.  Others tried a variety of shapes and texture variations to make their pieces unique.  

As many times as I make pieces and teach it, it is still like Christmas when the kiln is opened.  Everyone surpassed their expectations.  Besides the pendants, we used the remainder of the clay to make a pair of earrings.  

This was the only decent photo of a finished piece.  These were made by Vicki.  Her earrings kept breaking so she ended up making a delicate necklace for her grand daughter. I wish I could show you the rest of the pieces but the pictures just don't do them justice.

A Grand Entrance

When entering the National Transit building, the first thing one sees is the massive copper, black and gold newel posts on either side of the stairs which lead down to the ground floor and the stairs leading up to the first floor.  Going up the stairs are two murals, one on each side, depicting the history of the Standard Oil Company.  It is the main triangular piece of copper from the newel post that was the inspiration for my fourth design.  

In these earrings the post design is cut in half.

The drop in the bottom picture is the new Brilliant Bronze clay by Hadar Jacobson.  

All of the pieces from the newel post are larger pieces.  Nothing dainty here.  

Going Down!

The other design based on the steam elevator came from the left side of the elevator cage.

Again, it is a simple, very literal design and like the other designs seemed to lend itself to the silver clay.

(Although I can now see it in the brilliant bronze!)

Once again the photos do not do justice to the jewelry.  I've taken these photos all different ways and sad to say these are the best of them.  At least it gives you an idea of what they look like.

I made two photopolymer plates and reversed the image so the recessed areas in the first design are now the projected areas.

Color was added using the alcohol inks.  

Going UP!

The Transit Building is actually two buildings.  The original built in 1890 and the Annex built in 1896. They are connected with a walkway bridge on the second floor.  (My studio is at the beginning the main building side of the bridge.)

One of the most impressive pieces of architecture is in the annex and that is the steam elevator.  It is not in working order and probably never will be.  I've been told there are only two such elevators in the world; the other being in the Eiffel Tower.  This elevator went to the top floor and opened up into John D. Rockefeller's penthouse.  (Hard to imagine how plush that penthouse must have been when you see it now....... fit only for critters.)

It is a wrought iron masterpiece full of design inspiration.  I've done two designs from the elevator so far with more to come (there is just so much detail in it.)  

 The elevator design just seemed to lend itself to silver more than the other metals.  I made a variety of necklaces and earrings from this design.

This is one of the elevator pieces which was given as a prize for the scavenger hunt.  

National Transit Jewelry Series

As I've mentioned before, the National Transit Building in Oil City, Pa is an example of gorgeous architecture.  Anyone who has ever visited has noticed how amazing the building is, both inside and outside.

Inspiration for art most often comes from the artist's life..... what they see, experience, feel, hear and more.  So the designs that I pass everyday on the way to my studio is a natural inspiration for design.

The designs I used are basically literal.  How else will people who briefly pass through be able to associate with the jewelry.  What I have done is try to use them in a variety of ways to make them each different.

The ground floor is tiled and has a narrow tile border that reminds me of a celtic design.  (Not sure that it is.)

This is the design created from the original tile. (Couldn't find my photograph of the tile itself.)

I created a couple of very long necklaces using the floor tile design; one in copper and one in bronze.   The bronze piece took awhile to make as I incorporated some of the chain I bought at the bead show.  I really like the look of combining chain with beading (not to mention how much further the chain will go.  I have enough left to make another necklace.)

Now I want to create more necklaces to be worn with these.  (One thing always leads to another!)

And the winner is......

Last night was the annual Friends of the Transit Event.  (That's why I was working my butt off all last week..... oh if only that really worked.)

Turn out was good (but could have been better) for the festivities.  A new local Reggae Band played for the event.  They were really good (but loud in such a small space.)   With that rhythm and beat we all couldn't help but dance as we walked.  They will be playing in Pittsburgh soon.

The 12 minute paintings done to some lively music added to the festivities and were auctioned off at the end of the evening.

Joann Wheeler, Abby Bunnell and Carol McDonald all completed paintings in their individual styles.

The winner of this year's Friend of the Transit Award went to Marilyn Karns.  Marilyn is a retired kindergarten teacher who for the past ten years has run the National Transit Gallery and set up all the classes that went on for the Oil City Arts Association.  It was an award well deserved and we are all indebted to Marilyn for all she does.

John Manders again donated his time to do caricatures (which is always so popular.)  One of these days I'll bite the bullet and have mine done.

I demonstrated (basically talked about) one of the processes used to create designs for metal clay (particularly the Photo Polymer Plate technique.)  Then I did a brief demo with bronze clay and talked about the differences between silver and the base metal clays.  

The evening ended with the announcement of the winners of the 12 minute paintings.   The winners of the silent auction will be notified in a few days.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was having a scavenger hunt and giving away a piece from the National Transit Series.  Earlier in the day a co-worker I hadn't seen in years stopped in the studio and it was great to see her.  In fact it was so great that her name was drawn for the necklace.  Way to go Vickie Conn.

All in all the yearly fund raiser was a success.  First count estimates that we raised $600 for the Gallery.  Thanks to all who helped.  

It just keeps coming

I'm still trying to figure out the perks of being old..... besides retirement and grandchildren.

This past week I have been very productive.   In fact I think I've gotten more done this week than I did all summer.   I've been trying to get as many pieces done for my Transit Series as I can.  The four designs turned into eighteen pieces of jewelry.

I've been working my fingers to the bone every day.  Well, actually I've been working my fingers until they cramp (and I mean cramp!)  Yesterday I was doing some wire wrapping to finish off rubber cording.  That means holding on tightly and making small tight motions.  Last night I could hardly sleep as my right hand hurt so much and this morning I wasn't able to make a fist or hold a pencil.   It wasn't bad enough that my hand hurt but my inner thigh cramped up too last night at 4 AM.  (If you've never experienced that one..... you don't want too.  It's a killer pain like nothing I've ever experienced.)   Even though my hand hurt like hell today , I knew I had to keep trying to use it.  (Thank goodness for Aleve.)

Today I went to the studio again to finish up twelve silver pieces.   I wasn't sure how things were going to go (it even hurt to push the gear shift in the car) but eventually my hand loosened up and I was able to get all twelve pieces finished.

As I was polishing the liver of sulfur off the pieces I realized that I was using small tight  motions again.  (If I don't sleep again tonight....... I'll cry.  Oh wait.... I cried last night when my thigh cramped; so I'll cry again.)  Damn this never happened when I was young.  I'm afraid to find out what is going to cramp up next.  It just keeps coming.


Anyway,  here is a not so good picture of one of the finished silver pieces.  (For some reason photographing this one is giving me fits.)  It's a dainty necklace based on the architecture of the National Transit Building.  (Not going to tell you where the design inspiration is located until next week.)  At least my mind is still sharp enough (for the moment) to not slip up and give out the location.   The piece hangs from an  eighteen inch curb chain and sports a Swarovski crystal.  I made six of these pieces (each with different colors of crystals) as I think they will be well received.

Tomorrow night I'll post more pictures of some of the other jewelry.  (If I'm able to type after polishing today.)  

Get a jump on it.

The National Transit Building was built in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller and housed the financial, commercial and transportation dealings of the Standard Oil Co.  It is a four story building with an annex building built six years later.  The buildings are connected by a bridge  on the second floor that passes over the alleyway between the buildings.

Invariably when people visit the building, the one thing they all say is "How beautiful a building it is."  The architecture of the building is amazing even though it is old and in need of some TLC.  Everyone notices and comments on it.

So..... as I've been saying for quite awhile, I've designed some jewelry based on the architecture of the Transit Building.  (Finally got off my butt and got it moving.)  So far I've created four designs that are pretty much literally based on a piece of architecture somewhere in the two buildings.  I do plan on doing more but this is just a start.

On Saturday, at the Friends of the Transit Event in the Graffiti Gallery I will be demonstrating how to make a PPP plate and how to work with bronze clay.  After the demo I'll be giving away a piece of jewelry from my Transit Series.

In order to be eligible for the drawing, the designs need to be identified as to where they are located in the buildings.  (It should be easy, since the first designs are pretty literal.)  Be specific as to where the designs are located.  There will be forms in my studio for the scavenger hunt and some at the event which starts at five.

If you are coming to the event, or are going to be in the area this is your chance to get a jump (and more time to look) on the game.  Winner need not be present.

Here are the designs, but the official forms must be picked up at my studio or at Saturday night's event.
Good Luck!

All jewelry will be available on my Etsy site (once I get decent photos.)

(I plan on doing other jewelry series and conducting more games.  These will be online search games.)  Stay tuned....... although it may be awhile. 

Back to the Beginning

Last week, my friend Carol Scheftic was blogging about tumblers and polishing metal clay.  Burnish means to polish by rubbing.   She mentions that early on she used silverware to burnish her metal clay pieces.  We've all been creative in the tool department when we are trying to save money to buy clay.

Usually I burnish fired pieces to give the raised areas a high shine.  Sometimes it is useful to burnish unfired pieces.  Anything that can be done in the unfired stage is the easiest route.

Thursday while I was waiting for my "rebellious teenager piece of jewelry" to be fired, I worked on sanding and burnishing some unfired pieces for my Transit  Series.  Copper clay and silver clay should never be mixed in their unfired state.  Even the tools should not be shared.  (What copper clay does to unfired silver clay can be ugly.)  If they are shared, they need a very good cleaning between uses.  Rather than grab the burnishers I use for silver, I pulled out my trusty knitting needle to burnish the copper pieces.  Like Carol, I made do (in the early years) without the fancy tumbling equipment we now think we need.

So it was back to the beginning for a few minutes!

"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.