We Were On A Roll

Today we worked in the metals studio for almost six hours. I think that is the longest we have been in the studio for a long time. Either mom's neck gives out or I am frustrated with the way enameling is going and we call it quits. Today was also sniping at each other today. When we first got going I kept giving mom things to do and her come back was, "I only have "Blanking" two hands," and she gives me "The Look". Towards the end of our time at the studio I was sawing and mom was looking for something to do and I told her to glue down one of the patterns and she says you don't have to glue it down as long as you have the outline of it and I gave her "The Look" and she glued down the pattern. Probably swearing at me the whole time while she is doing it.

While in the studio I took some photographs of the process of us making bowls and pendants. I don't think people realize that we hand saw everything out; the pendants and the bowls. We do not buy pre-cut forms. I think that is why it takes us so long to make up the inventory, but I feel better knowing it was mom and I who cut out everything. It is our special touch in that piece.

As you can tell in the photographs mom and I spread out. It is a good thing there were no students in the studio today. I don't think mom and I would know what to do if we had to consolidate to one work station.

Mom cutting out earrings and the pile of bowls we are still working on

Kiln area

Pieces waiting to go into the kiln

Pieces just taken out of the kiln and cooling

Today I was able to enamel four bowls, two pendants, a pair of earrings and one frog (because I need to fix the pair of the frog - the last firing got all jacked up).

Misc. purples and turquoise enameled bird pendant

Black and Purple earrings - I still need to make small beads to put in the center of the earrings

One pair of frog earrings - misc. greens

Howling Wolf pendant - white, black, grey

Black and Purple Heart shaped bowl

"FlutterBy" bowl - misc. transparent yellows w/ purples on the butterfly

Folded "ThumBowLina" bowl - misc. yellows and turquosie

Leaf Bowl - misc. greens and misc. yellows

While I was taking photographs of everything I thought I would also take a photo of the completed commissioned piece mom did. It is a Sterling Silver Viking Knit necklace with one of the rings I made (black base bead w/ red dots).