Sweet Give Aways At Julsbeads Blog

Julianna Cannon of Alabama and her blog, Julsbeads, are giving away free beads. If you are interested check out her requirements.

No Sleep for the Wicked

Last night I couldn't sleep again. The last two weeks for some reason I have been waking up at 3:50 in the morning. I get up and feed the cats and lay back down thinking I can sleep for another hour before the alarm goes off. Of course this doesn't happen; it is more like a cat nap then anything else.

Last night I just couldn't shut my brain off. All I was thinking about were ideas for ceramic class and then ideas for my Senior show next spring semester. At Purdue you have to participate in a senior show before you can graduate with a Fine Arts degree.

I want to do my senior show in both metals and ceramics. I also wanted to incorporate things from my time in the Army into the show. I have already been making pieces with military images in ceramics and now I just have to figure out how to incorporate these ideas into metals.

I was thinking of doing a series called "Postcards from an Army Vet". I loved the postcard project I did at Penland, so I will just have to figure out how to do a postcard with a military/nature them in metals.

I hope now that I wrote down all my ideas I can get some sleep tonight, but I doubt it!

Ning for Torch-Fired Enamel

Just wanted to mention this, for those of you interested in Torch-Fired Enamel. This is information from Barbara Lewis blog, Jewelry of Distinction. She makes wonderful enameled pieces.



Hey! There's a new guy in town and I hope you'll join us. Yesterday, with the help of my friends, we got a fully functioning ning site up and running for those who either make torch-fired enamel pieces or just love the sight of them.

It will be a forum for sharing, learning and supporting those who share your interest. The inspiration behind the site started by me returning emails from those interested in trying this art form, or many had tried it but now had questions. As I was answering the questions with the best information I had, it dawned on me that others probably had these same questions.

I have always felt that when you take a workshop, you learn as much from the other participants around you as you do from the teacher. This is proving to be true at paintingwithfire.ning.com!

February's Bead Challenge

Luna Park

Vestie Davis (1903-1978) New York :: Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"
American Folk Art Museum, bequest Gloria Bley Miller 2008.5.16

"Born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 10, 1903, Davis went to New York City in 1928 and worked as a circus barker, newsstand manager and undertaker. Completely unschooled in the arts, he began painting after seeing a gallery painting on 57th Street. He said, "I can paint like that" and went to the paint store. Within a few days, he completed a work which sold. He is referred to as the city primitive. Discovered by a collector, he was featured at the Museum of American Folk Art. At first he painted only buildings but found that more popular were scenes with people. None of them are ever in a hurry. There is a sense of peace and joy and civility."

"Vestie Davis's New York is a bright and shiny place with impressive and diverse landmark buildings, bridges, parks, and beaches. It is a hub of civic, business, and recreational activity chronicled in the artist’s meticulously detailed pictures from the 1950s through the 1970s. Davis focuses on New York’s historic, civic, and mercantile interests in works such as Fraunces Tavern, Wall Street, City Hall, New York Public Library, and Brooklyn Bridge. Recreational sites are beautifully rendered in Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center and the fantasy architectural Luna Park at Coney Island. A preservationist, Davis predicted that some of his favorite sites would not survive the rapidly changing needs of the city. He faithfully rendered scenes of Steeplechase at Coney Island and the Ninth Avenue Elevated subway with this in mind."

I have already thought of what I want to do for this challenge. I am thinking of making copper circles and enamel the circles orange and white. And then I plan on making a large white and orange (maybe some red) focal bead and then smaller orange and white beads. I then want to use orange and white Czech beads as accents in the necklace. I can't wait to make the parts and then incorporate them into a necklace. You are going to have wait until I make it and take photos :)

Inspiration Out of No Where

Last night was studio night in ceramics. I wanted to glaze my pieces that were bisque fired and then finish painting slip on the bowls that had the grenade and the M-16.

I finished up the glazing of my bowls and shaped cylinders and I was sitting down eating my banana when it hit me. It was like being struck by lighting; the light bulb going off; or a chorus of heavenly beings singing "AHHH". I had an epiphany; a brilliant idea on what I wanted to paint the grenade and the M-16. Why go with the usual colors for the grenade and M-16, make the grenade pink and the M-16 lavender. I loved the dichotomy between the masculine weapons and the feminine colors. I was a female in the military and I wanted to show this in my art work; show it with colors!!!

I am sure this has been done before but I am so proud of myself for coming up with it on my own. I almost wrenched my shoulder out patting myself on the back. I don't usually think outside of the box and when it happens I am so excited.

I am not sure how the pink will turn out. I am trying a velvet underglaze of pink, on the grenade, and Siggy is not sure how the high firing will turn the colors. That is alright with me because these are my experimental pieces. I plan on going to Amaco to order dark colored underglaze and I will see if there are darker pinks or reds I can order.

Pay It Forward

I took this from MJM Jewelry Designs blog by Kristen Latimer. I thought this would be interesting to try and see if anyone makes a comment to our blog. Plus I thought it would be fun to make gifts for other people.

THE RULES:

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me. (It will be a surprise but I promise to make it something fun)

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

Enameled Copper Bowls

Mom and I have been working on our inventory of enameled bowls. We sold the majority of our bowls last year and we needed a new and larger supply (especially if we are accepted into any art shows this year).
Mom has been wanting to cut out designs on the copper, before we hammer the copper into a bowls shape. I told her to go for it. If the copper tears the enamel should hide it or the tears in the copper might look really cool.
Here are some shots of the newest bowls in our inventory:

Holey Bowley

Rise and Shine

Heart shaped with designs in the enamel

Folded "ThumBOWLina" bowl

Eyelet in the Round (we still have glass beads I made to add to the bowl)

All Fired Up

Bloomin' Bowl

Clam shaped "ThumBOWLina" - used dark blue enamels to lighter blue enamels