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!

  

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.  

  

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.  

It's Brilliant!

In my last post,  I mentioned that silver clay seemed better suited for the elevator design.  I think that's because the design is small and  delicate.  Until I tried Hadar Jacobson's brilliant bronze clay.

The original bronze clays seem better suited (at least to me) for larger, clunkier pieces.  But the brilliant bronze clay is supposed to look more golden.......... and it does.

I mixed up a small batch the other day and made small test pieces using my photopolymer plate from the National Transit Series.  The clay mixed just like Hadar's other powdered clays.  Spritz distilled water into the powdered clay and stir.  Keep doing this until the clay starts to stick to itself and pull away from the container.  At that point, place the clay in saran wrap and begin to knead the clay until it is smooth and has a clay consistency.   It has a nice silky feel (like Hadar's other clays) and is easy to work with.

There was a difference though when sanding the clay.  I found it denser and harder to sand than Hadar's other quick-fire clays.   It wasn't difficult to sand; just did not produce as much dust.

The firing is the exact same as the original quick-fire.  Fire in charcoal in an open container, burning out the binder at 1100 degrees for thirty minutes to two hours.  Time depends on the amount of clay and the size of the pieces.  These were small pieces so I fired them for thirty minutes.  Since I have a muffle kiln and a front loader, the pieces are positioned in the back of the pan with half inch between them, an inch of charcoal beneath them and a half inch to one inch on top of them.

Let the container and charcoal cool to room temperature and blow the ash off the top of the charcoal.  Add more charcoal to the pan to replace the charcoal burned up.  The second firing is 1520 degrees for two hours.   Kilns may vary so it's best to make small samples and try the firing temperature in your kiln.  The temperatures may have to be varied for your specific kiln.  Luckily my kiln works perfectly with Hadar's temperatures.

The pieces looked different out of the kiln.  They were lighter in color and more yellow with areas of orange.  The minute I applied the 3M wheel to the piece it was obvious how much brighter they were than the other bronze clays.   I like them (looks like gold without the price tag.)

Unfortunately my photos do not do justice to the pieces.  (Again!)

The two small pieces are examples of how new shapes come into being after I drill too close to the edge and break through........ nothing lost.)

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!)

National Transit Jewelry Display

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

"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.     

The "Hub of Oildom"

Oil was discovered in 1859 in Titusville which is just north of Oil City, Pa.  Because of Oil City's location along the river and it's access to the railroad, Standard Oil Company (headed by John D. Rockefeller) decided to locate their headquarters there.

In 1890 the National Transit Building was built in the Chicago architectural style on the corner of Seneca St. and Center St.   Six years later the "Annex" was built next to the Transit building and connected to it through a walkway over the alleyway.

Today this four story stone and brick building houses the National Transit Studios and several offices of local organizations.  The architecture of the building is impressive and is worth a trip to check it out.  

For several years now I have been saying I was going to make some jewelry based on the architecture of the building.  (I have lots of ideas but never seem to get around to actually doing them.)   I've pretty much taken the summer off when it comes to metal clay but yesterday I finally got around to working on a design for my Transit series.  (Hopefully the cooler weather of fall will inspire me to get to the studio more....... actually I just need to organize better and schedule it.)

Anyway, here is the piece of architecture that my first piece will be based on.  I worked on a drawing for it that will be made into a Photopolymer plate so I can make multiples.  This is a post at the base of the stairway when you enter the front door.

Besides the Transit Series, I also started working on designs for a series on Pittsburgh Bridges and I've been working on my bezel setting pieces.  (Guess I have been working....... just don't have anything concrete to show for that work yet or post about.)

"Art Car"

For the past several years the artists of the National Transit Studios have painted on a car for the annual Oil Heritage Festival Parade.  The past two years I have not participated in the painting as the time just didn't coincide with my other activities.

The theme for the car this year was Drums.  Once a month there is a drum circle held at the Transit Building where people can drum to their hearts content and the car was based on that.

For now the car is sitting in the alleyway at the Transit Building and will eventually be towed away to the wrecking ball.

(Since I didn't make it to any of the sessions, I'm not sure who did what on the car but I will make a few assumptions based on the artistic style.)

Crocodile and Lion are the work of John Manders

Notice the knit bombing on the grill and hubcaps.  I imagine this is the work of Corrine Carbaugh.

Other artists that worked on the car (at least I think they did)..... Joann Wheeler (Assemblage artist), Anissa Gage (Poet, painter and drawer) , Maureen James (Stain glass)  and George Cooley (Painter and Installation artist). 

The car was a visual display of art coming up the street. 

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.)

Oil Heritage Festival Day two

Yesterday at the Oil Heritage Festival was pretty promising as I mentioned in my post.  We were hoping that today would be better since people would be off work and more likely to stop by.  That was not the case.   The number of people in attendance was disappointing to say the least and it wasn't only for us.  The outside vendors also saw quite a drop.  The weather didn't help as there was once again a tornado warning in effect.  The sky got pretty black and all the outside vendors cleared out about an hour early as today was the last day.

We were able to stay open a little longer since we had nothing to take down and made an extra sale or two.  We also have the advantage of being able to be open tomorrow during the car show.  It's a whole different crowd and I know when my husband takes me to a car show, I usually look for something else to look at.  So.... hopefully tomorrow will add a few sales.

Today was the 5K race that all the members of my son's family participated in.  I wasn't able to see the race but "the crew" stopped by after the race.

John Manders (our resident book illustrator) was once again doing caricatures out in the street in front of the gallery.  He was positioned in such a way that we were able to watch him draw when he wasn't busy.  (He even did a caricature of a Mastiff named Lenny today.)   Yesterday he did seventy caricatures.   I had him do caricatures of my three grandsons today.

Tyler the oldest

Ethan the middle child

Cody the youngest

"Silver Landscape"

Okay, I was asked to show the work that I entered into the junk art show.  So here's one and tomorrow's post will show my other entry.

My working method for the most part is to over think everything and not let loose.  Which is pretty much what I did with my approach to making something for this exhibit.

This particular piece did come together very quickly though.  I was sitting at a table in my studio, trying to resolve problems with my other piece when I saw the metal clay paper "scraps" from previous projects.  Often I take these pieces which are the negative shapes left by the use of paper punches and use them to make designs on jewelry or add them to my paste pot.  The woven piece would probably have been destined for the past pot for sure, as it would have created a jagged piece (which really isn't good for jewelry.)

In searching the closet for something to use with the pieces I came across some pieces of ebony from my long ago "body ornament" that I made in my college jewelry class.  (Oh God, that class was forty two years ago.)  Those pieces made a nice framing piece for the silver.

Ebony and silver may not seem like junk, but when they are not being used they are.

The silver looks white because that's the way it looks fresh out of the kiln.  It's not a coating, instead it's the silver particles standing on end.  Once they are brushed down the silver begins to show and burnishing it polishes it to a shine.  My original intention was to polish the pieces but I rather liked the white contrast with the black ebony.  I did polish up an extra piece to see what it looked like and didn't like it  (Plus the paper pieces were too fragile to polish without some kind of backing.)

"Silver Landscape"  Ebony and silver on canvas
6" x  9"

I thought maybe the title would help the viewer visualize what I was going for but I'm not so sure..... so I add here a description.  (Note there is a piece of silver directly added to the canvas, below the third ebony piece.

Since this is a blog about metalclay and grandchildren, this post is about my junk art entry dealing with silver.  My next post will be about my junk art entry that deals with grandchildren.  

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.)

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!

Rock on Oil City

Holly Berlin from the National Transit Studios started a "Rock On" movement in Oil City.  She read or heard somewhere about people who painted rocks and set them around town in unexpected places.  Thinking this was such a great idea she suggested that we try it.

Many have jumped on the band wagon with both clever phrases and ideas involving the words rock and actually painting rocks.  I think Holly had a painting party last weekend that got even more people involved.

I think this is a great idea (but so far haven't painted any rocks myself....... so far.)

But today, I did come across my first "Rock on Oil City."  Don't know who painted it but it was outside the Transit Building in one of the flower pots.  What an appropriate place and what an age old question.  

The windows on the second floor have signs in them that say "Art Inside" and there are also banners lining the streets that say the same thing so the rock's placement couldn't have been better.  Can't wait to "come upon" more.  What fun!