Please Plan To Come

I would love to meet some of my followers at Pearl Market on June 7th when I am vending my jewelry and recycle signs.  I will be there from 10:30-2:00.  There will be plenty of items in all price range that day, and I won't be vending anywhere else anytime soon.  This booth is paid for by the Ohio Arts Council, so it is no risk to me.  I have tried vending at various booths throughout the years, and usually I don't even cover the cost of the booth.  If I had some friendly faces show up that day...it would make the trip worth it, even if I don't sell anything. 

 

Friday Afternoon Delight

I am blogging this entry on Thursday in anticipation that I will be spending the whole day in my studio Friday.  My Princess Powhatan line of jewelry is shaping up.  I am trying to fill my display case in anticipation of both the Pearl Ally Market, and the possibility of another demonstration at Flint Ridge this spring.  Without Acetylene, I can not finish my bracelet.  That does not mean that everything has to stop though.  If I can clear my bench, then I can move the clay pot into the sunlit studio to get rid of the coils and smooth out the pot.  I think I have to do that before I start closing the hole, as I am doing a Pueblo style pot.

Out Of Gas

About a week ago...my acetylene torch started sputtering.  Upon investigating, I found the gauge was reading just above empty.  I finished the penny project and soldered a couple feathers and shut the torch down to go away for my painting holiday.  This morning I ran completely out of gas while soldering the silver on both the bracelet and the matching ring.  I am so close to finishing both projects that I could scream!  But that is just the way it goes in the metal shop, I am always running out of something.  A replacement tank of acetylene was on my art council grant list, and it was one of the things I waited on as I wasn't completely out of it, and there were other things I was completely out of at the time.  Lucky for me, there isn't a thing on the bench right now that is pressing.  My plan is to refocus my attention on my clay piece and my painting...neither of those projects needs acetylene.  I have been making a coil pot in pueblo style that does not require a potters wheel or a kiln...which is good as I have neither.  I heard that there was some talk about my wasting my time and talent on copper.  There is some truth to that, as it takes just the same amount of effort, skill, and time to do the same projects out of silver...and of course the obvious price hike because of the cost of silver versus copper and brass.  I do what I can, with what is available and within reach.  It is true that the Zuni bear is exquisite in sterling!  This one in copper will go in my display case, and if a customer wants one in silver, they will have to pay me a deposit so I can get the silver to do it.  Which is better, no Zuni bear, or a copper one?  I am sorry if I disappoint some folks....I don't have the luxury of fixing a problem by throwing money at it.  It could be weeks before I can fill up the tank, and rather than pine away because of it, I would rather keep my mind on what I can do.

Thunderbird And Lightning

When I first started making jewelry, there was a demand for Native American images. It seemed like everyone was at the very least a 1/4 part Cherokee! There seemed to be a whole movement of "Indian Wanabee's". I grew up in a place called Flint Ridge where it has been said was a sort of safe zone for all the tribes to come gather flint to take back to their tribes. Most of the "Indian" jewelry from out west is turquoise and silver. I found out rather quickly that folks would not pay a local silversmith for turquoise or flint. Rather "Indian Jewelry" was and is something a person only buys when they are traveling out west in search of a souvenir! Consequently, I have adopted my own versions of this symbology over the years. Here is my Thunderbird and Lightning piece with a black onyx triangle stone. I plan on incorporating my native symbols into my Huichol style hubcap for the landfill project.