Jenna

After concentrating my attention on creating my evil eyes (in the post below) I decided to embrace basic enamel techniques.  Focusing on the colour combinations to make a necklace for my friend Jenna's birthday.  This piece was created with vitreous enamel that I sifted onto each side of the pieces that are hand cut from copper.  You can flip the necklace and have a slightly different look.

Happy Birthday Jenna!
We never need an excuse to watch scary movies together.

Superstition

After coming back from vacation and working nonstop on my Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit application for the week leading up to the due date I didn't think that I was going to be creating any work to submit to Zilberschmuck's themed show that was due the following week.  Especially since I didn't initially have any ideas.  My mom came up with a great suggestion to make a garlic necklace and I was riding out that idea in my head before I thought about making evil eye jewellery while walking to the studio last Tuesday.  Most likely fueled by my lack of sleep (my own fault).  I am addicted to Top Chef and I "had to" watch the two episodes leading to the finale even though I have to wake up early on Tuesdays to open the studio.  Asinine, I know.  Apparently sleep deprivation leads to the impossible - attempting enameling things together that you have never done before.  The brooch was the result of painting a dapped copper circle.  Then there was the mutant eyeball. I had myself convinced that using a strong binder like A4 - which is like a glue that holds enamel in place - would also hold smaller dapped forms onto larger ones.  This is not the case.  It seemed like it was going to do the trick but after a few seconds in the kiln they slid off.  Time for a creative solution.  I decided that some well placed and carefully sized rings of cloisonne might do the trick and they did just that, phew!  The eyeballs did migrate a bit during the firing in the kiln so I kept a close watch on them and after a few attempts got the effect that I was hoping for.  I cannot overstate how much in love I am with the chartreuse colour of the mutant eyeball.  The finished product is equal parts nouveau zombie and world of goo which makes me smile.  Semi related side note: I was uber excited that Lianne was in the studio today so that I could gush and discuss the latest episode of the Walking Dead.

Back of the brooch, yay handmade pinbacks!

I see you.

Here's looking at you, kid.

It's a mutant!

Flip side

Side view awesomeness.

So, I present to you my submissions for Superstition.  Their arrival comes after two failed attempts, one melted piece, one ridiculously ass backward fabricated ring, and another ring that got close to being finished.  That is until I decided to plunk the eyeball in place to see how it would look disregarding that it was not yet polished and there was no way to remove the eye without damaging it... sigh.

The brooch and pendant ended up being made from scraps of metal that are cast-offs after punching out discs... great for creating eyelashes apparently.  And that chain that I thought I hated some how worked out just right for the final touch.  I often find that when I am scrounging for materials and trying to throw things together that I wouldn't have initially thought of while drawing out a design I end up much more satisfied about the results.           

Dog Charm

Woof! woof!!

Meet Picasso, one of my recent custom orders.
I have been finishing some last minute holiday commissions before I leave the city for some family time in the country.  I was excited to work on a piece that will be dangling from the charm bracelet that also holds the gargoyle charm I made a while ago.  I took a shot of the wax before I casted the charm in 18 karat yellow gold.  I ended up using two different types of wax - the blue wax I could carve into using wax burs on my flex shaft as well as dental tools that I use for carving and then the pink wax on the ears.  The pink were tiny wax sheet pieces that I folded and then bonded to the blue wax by melting it in place.  The dog became more and more delicate to carve as he got smaller and I ended up having to give him surgery a few times when almost all his legs fell off, but I think he definitely ended up being well worth the effort.  I am especially proud of the texture I gave his shiny gold fur.

Pin Swap

Bunch 'o brooches

Scrap transformed into "Platinum" brooch

Yay! Self promotion.

Tonight is the Annual General Meeting for the Metal Arts Guild.  As an icebreaker they encourage members to create pins that they can swap with others.  Yesterday, knowing that I am dying to trade with other creative folk I decided to whip up some enamel brooches.  Instead of creating perfect forms I searched through my copper scrap bin for pieces with an interesting shape that I wouldn't have to alter.  I have quite a few pieces from my hydraulic press dyes that didn't work out.  Sometimes the copper sheet was too close to the edge and collapsed into my dye when I was adding pressure, so I gave six of them an enamel makeover.  I sawed out some forms to hold the pin back in place, but other then that and the enamel I didn't change my scrap pieces all that much.  I decided to add on a painted layer of enamel that I labelled each with a different metal. Just before firing them in the kiln for the last time I added my blog address and name, just so each recipient knows who it is from.  Hopefully some of the new owners will be reading this shortly after meeting me and exchanging for one of their creations!

More Painted Enamel

Today I was able to keep a better watch over my painted enamel pieces when they were in the kiln with UV googles that aren't as dark as mine.  So, each of them turned out wonderfully.  Each of these was done on a coloured layered instead of the a white background, like the ones in yesterday's post.  Now comes the tricky part - fabricating something to set these babies into.  I am unsure of what to make them into - pendant? ring? brooch? Help me decide! 

I have been going into each little guy without really thinking about what I want to paint beforehand.  I think if I end up painting more I will continue with my tattoo theme and throw in some medieval inspiration as well as looking back to some poetry that I love.  And lots more skulls of course.  Suggestions for ideas are welcome!

This is all eventually leading to some grander scale pieces that I have in mind.  I definitely wanted to get the knack of using my acrylic enamels before jumping in too deep & so far, so good.

Painting with Enamel

Lately I have been extremely creatively scattered.  I have been burning myself out by making things at home - stenciling some handmade pillows, cutting linoleum prints, and doing some painting.  Also, attempting to organize things to avoid working.  I spent way too many hours online scouring for a new duvet cover.  Go ahead and judge me.  However, since I painted my bedroom I have been in need of something that matches the new colour (insert rampant consumer jab here).  In between my online journeying i whipped up some enamel paintings.  I should also let everyone in on the fact that I was watching Battlestar Galactica while doing so.  The skull was a connection to my ongoing obsession with the Dias de los Muertos.  I have been contemplating getting more tattoos lately, hence the tattoo designs.  I'm sure my mom appreciates them being painted on jewellery rather than on me.  My years of drawing henna tattoos have been put to use once again!  The one thing I found out about enamel that I hadn't known before is that red and white enamel repel... if you are lucky you can catch it before it happens (which is why you are seeing this batch of pieces and not the last ones I made - now lost to the light of day and never to be seen again).  Enamel is not always predictable and or reliable.  I left the bird piece in the kiln a tad too long, and it developed a speckly quality that I had not initially intended.

  I think I made the frame and components a bit more complicated than they need to be, I will be messing around with an alternative.  I painted each little vignette on white enamel, so my next batch of them are on coloured backgrounds.  Hopefully those work out and are worthy of a post. 

   

Lotus Ring

Check out the new Wedding Band I finished recently!  It's a joy carving anything organic and I was excited to create this design because I like that it will it will sit flush against her engagement ring, blooming on top.

I casted this ring in 14 karat gold and then added a sandblasted finish (leaving the inside high polish, so it feels nice and smooth against the skin).