More Leaves sans hammering...

Sterling filigree leaves on sterling chain.

I found these during the studio move, I made all the leaves in February and I found them in a little sorting bin...what a nice gift, but how did that happen?! This is some of the lightest most delicate work I do....I can only do so much of it before I need to go forge some heavy metal. I like to do them it's just that they require me sitting very, very still with steady hands for several hours to make a batch (about 5 hours to make only 15). So I guess that was how they got stored away...I finished the task then *poof* it went out of my mind.

Cheryl's Earrings

In the works....

I've been making some lovely sterling, brass and copper riveted earrings.

Lots of sawing and filing.

Some sanding and drilling

One rivet is set

All 3 rivets set, those in the middle are extras.

I like to have piles of my own little rivets on hand. I use them so many times just for ornamentation but other times for lovely little connectors. These rivets do both, they hold all the layers together and they add a nice dimension. I love rivets!

There, now the world knows all about my rivety love.

Fall

Today was the first full day of fall, it's starting to feel like it. Not the temperatures, highs are still in the upper 70s, but the way the light is angling, it's changing. The air is different too. Nice.

I've been making leaves, I didn't realize it but they fit the season. It's been a couple of years since I've made these and I still love making them. They have this ruffle along the edge that is just amazing, I mean it starts as a flat disk then I take my cross peen hammer and hammer along the edge in a fairly specific pattern, saw the disk into quarters, then use the cross peen some more and it ruffles! Just like fabric....but it's metal! Each one is a wonder to me, honestly, a wonder.

Back at it!

Now that the studio is mostly set up, I've been warming up my muscles with a little light hammering

Those up there are copper and sterling with fine silver rivets, some naturally drilled (ha!) Lake Michigan beach stones and one has a little fiddley bead I made awhile back.
This one up there, is copper with fine silver rivets and a lovely amazonite bead.

That one is mine.

...uhhh I mean it's for display purposes...

Moved in

Studio Dog is moved in.

I can't believe I have all this room.



This desk is the workspace I had to work on before.

I'm a lucky girl.

Filling in the Blanks

They call this Crimson Sky...looks more like a plum to me.

See why I have her helping? She's the bionic woman!

Who is this Miss Tints?

A friend told me I could get very cheap paint just by visiting her friend at the local paint store and asking to see Miss Tints...It took me a few moments to realize that wasn't a person but paint that had been mixed improperly... Seriously. Too funny! Did YOU know there was such a thing? Well, I didn't.

I chose a 5 gallon bucket of mistint green...it is what I would call tree frog green.

I like it very much. I better. I got FIVE gallons of it!

Primer from Top to Bottom

Look at all this help I'm getting.

Very nice.

Cleaning Day

Thanks Ave!

Studio @210 Water Street

In my mind I've been dithering about renting studio space for at least the last 9 months. I've been sweating/freezing in my garage far too long. There is this great artists' studio downtown Benton Harbor that I have admired for quite a while. Nice old, late '40/early '50s, service station that some smart folks bought, renovated and converted it into artist studios and one upstairs apartment. It's very cool. They use a lot of reclaimed supplies from other old buildings, cars...what-have-you. The coolness factor really cinched it for me. Get it? Cool in the summer....oh ok. Here.

Take a look, if you'd like.

Here we are at the front of the building.

Lovely patio, isn't it?

Another of the front....

The lobby area, head down that hall to the left......

....and you'll see this! The door to my space. Did you hear that? MY SPACE!

Bear with me this is gonna' be like baby pictures. From every angle.

Notice the one on the right is happy for me and going off to college in a couple of days. The one on the left is happy for me but not going off to college in a couple of days. The one on the left will be featured in the up coming studio cleaning segment....and knows what is in her future....