FeBLURary....

February was a blur...hence the title. For the past seven years, my good friend and wonderful artist Gisela Pferdekamper and I have joined forces to hold a wildlife art show benefiting the good works of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation. This show, aptly called "Wild Things" began as a small, word of mouth event featuring a few of our local arts friends, showing works inspired by nature, held in Gisela's converted barn/studio. Our first year attracted about 100 folks and raised a few hundred dollars for RSCF. Fast-forward to 2013 and the show featured 18 artists from around the country and attracted over 350 guests, raising several THOUSAND dollars for RSCF! We done good! Each year the show gets bigger and better, yet still retains a "down home" appeal we are so proud of. Gisela's barn/studio is an ecclectic, wonderful space, tucked off a dirt road in the wilds of Loxahatchee, surrounded by a lush garden landscape, wandering albino peacocks, and a molluccan cockatoo named Pepitta greeting you as you come in. Gisela and I are so proud of this show and the fact that we hold it each year with a budget of around $500.00 (thank Heaven for our volunteers, friends and sponsors!). 

 

 

 This year's show was a BLAST. Great art, music, food (thank you International Polo Club and Wanderers Club Wellington), and more. Please visit our Flickr page for pics of the event. Planning and preparing for the show pretty much obsesses me for the bulk of January, and recovering (my word for "accounting") takes me through to the middle of February. When it's all over I heave a sigh of relief and immediately begin imagining next year's show. I'm a glutton for punishment!

 

In the meantime, I am so thrilled to be showing at the Copper Frog Gallery in New Jersey. Just sent them a box full of goodies, soon to hit their shelves. I hope they like the selection, and look forward to joining the CFG family. One of my favorite jewelry designers, Staci Klinger Smith also shows there, so neat to have my work alongside hers....I anxiously await reviews....

 

I also just sent a box to Plum Gallery in St. Augustine, one of my favorite spots on the planet. Karen Sheridan has created such a wonderful space on Avilla Street, right in historic downtown. The gallery is gorgeous, full of light and filled with wonderful works, including Karen's beautiful Key West inspired paintings. I am always looking for any excuse to visit St. Augustine...I may just have to head North to see what she thinks of the new work I just sent her...

 

Working on new designs as well--exploring steel wire bundles and color. I'm experimenting with Gisela using steel wire, glaze, and clay. Her kiln is loaded and I can't wait to see if my ideas worked or not. Will keep you posted, the firing is today. I've posted a couple pictures here of the first rings I've made featuring the wire bundles. The rusted steel wire ring is my favorite. I love rust, and steel rusts beautifully. Add MaryAnn Carroll's enamel copper discs and you get a gorgeous ring. The other ring is aluminum, with blue enamel steel bundle and a copper enamel accent. More to come.....

 

 

Finally, a ring I made right after this month's rather explosive celestial events. This "Asteroid" ring is created from a lump of black quartz druzy I set in sterling silver and brass, wth 14k gold nugget accents. I love this...very fun to wear and full of sparkle and mystery.

 

My head is overflowing with ideas these days, just have to find the time to execute them! My life is about to get even more hectic--as many of you know, I am a conservation biologist in real life, and soon will be hostage to hatching red-browed Amazon parrots, one of the most endangered Brazillian parrots. Eggs in the incubator, will be hatching next month. We feed the babies every 90 minutes around the clock, so sleep will be a distant memory...wish us luck!

Looking Ahead...

Welcome 2013!  Clean slate, metaphorically speaking, right?  Clean work bench at any rate....new designs brewing in my brain, anxious to become reality.  Got a fabulous package of goodies from Becky Nunn of Nunn Design, to stock me with the very latest jewelry components from their soon-to-be-released 2013 catalog.  Yes, I am so happy to be a part of the 2013 Nunn Innovation Team!  Becky also sent me a PDF preview of the catalog and I drooled all over my keyboard.  So many lovely design elements!!  Many included with the 2013 stash she sent me.  Already been busy, effectively destroying my clean work surface in a creative frenzy.  I can't share photos of the new stuff yet, (I send the finished designs to Becky first and she promotes for us--SWEET) but I can tell you about my favorites so far...first off, the brass elements coming out for Nunn are FABULOUS and I've been cold connecting like mad (made a gorgeous cuff).  Deep bezels in many sizes (great for us mixed media, assemblage folks--I made two really cool pendants filled with this and that), tons of unique, detailed stampings, new clasps, closures, chains, findings, chatons, settings, bangles, and SO MUCH MORE.  I have included here some photos from the catalog of finished designs from the Innovation Team, including some of mine.  Becky has a great team and the photography for the catalog is to die for.  

So, get to the Nunn website and go crazy!  She offers wholesale accounts for designers and links to retail outlets that carry the products.  You won't be disappointed! 

Great Way to Start the Day...

Woke up this morning to find one of my rings featured on the Jewelry Making Daily blog! My Party Hat Ring, created here for Nunn Designs, features a gorgeous ornate adjustable ring blank in gold by Nunn, layered with lots of colors and textures in brass, aluminum, enamel and more. Topped off with a lovely purple enamel dangle. This ring is super-fun and easy to make. Check out the step-by-step instructions on the blog, and make one for yourself! A party for your hand….and who doesn’t like a good party?!?!

 

 

In the News...

Just a quick note and a link to an article that just came out about me in our local newspaper, The Palm Beach Post.  I am a member of a cooperative gallery in Lake Worth (Clay Glass Metal Stone), as well as a new member of the Palm Beach Cultural Council.  I have been showing my sculptural works in the Council Gallery (Uniquely Palm Beach), and they featured me as part of a series showcasing artists in the retail Gallery housed within the Council's brand new home in the Montgomery Building, also in Lake Worth.  I was so flattered, and actually can stand the photo taken, so it was a win all around!!  Thanks to Laura Tingle and Nichole Hickey of PBCC, and thanks to Randall Lieberman and Damon Higgins of the Post.  I hope this and future artist profiles will bring a new audience to this great little gallery featuring 50+ local artists!!  If you are in the Lake Worth area, please stop by for a visit.  The retail Gallery is full to bursting with amazing art, and the exhibits are breathtaking as well.  Definately worth your time!  Be sure to stop by CGMS Gallery as well, right next door to the Council!!

The Lost Tutorial...Image Transfer

Hello all!  I've been getting some emails and requests for my image transfer tutorial, that at one time lived on this blog, but then the Internet ate it.  So, I've found it, and republished it here.  You can also find it at ArtChix Studio, a wonderful website full of fantastic image collage sheets, ITS solution, and about a billion other things you will HAVE TO BUY (including a new line of ADORABLE miniature wood cuts perfect for mixed mediapalooza). 

I hope the tutorial works for you--image transfer is so fun.  Explore texture with this--burn the edges of your paper first, sand bits away when finished, go nuts.  I'd love to see what you create--feel free to share images of your finished works with me and I'll post them here!