Getting ready for Day 2

One of the things I love about vending at fairs is meeting other artists. Spending hours alone in the studio can give me tunnel vision...and be a rather isolating experience. Getting out and about and seeing what other artisans are doing is a very gratifying experience. Artists feed off of each other and, while work is not copied, after a while one can see the influences. Nothing wrong with that. Everything influences something else...we all touch and bump against ideas all the time.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.
Art is knowing which ones to keep.
~Scott Adams

The conversations that occur and fun...stories are shared about successes and mistakes. The mistakes are really interesting. What ends up being sold...always a surprise. You just never know what the public is going to respond to - everything you make is a risk. Little pieces of your soul out on public display. Artists seem to have a bond because of this. We know we are all putting ourselves out there, and we need the support from each other.

Over the next few weeks I am going to share some of the work of the vendors that are showing at the Historic Nimbus Winery (Hwy 50/Hazel in Rancho Cordova, CA).

I'm all about helping other artists be seen and known...supporting the artist, revealing their work.

Check out Mary's work with Sunburst Clay and Glass.

(authored by Lisa Kewish)

Burrito's Welcome!

Happy Thanksgiving to all...we have purchased our bird and other dinner items. We will be packing up said dinner items and taking them over to a friend's house to share the joy of prepping and cooking food stuffs. This works out GREAT for us as we just don't have the time to clean our kitchen properly!! Tomorrow morning we are packing up the turkey and said prepped food items up to Placerville to assemble and finish cooking...then eating. We're up there at the folk's house while they are away in Mexico! (I have my mother-in-law's permission to do this!!).

It sounds complicated I know. But I found the need to be extremely non-traditional this year. The "traditional" has fallen apart and I was feeling a bit....un-achored. So, to compensate and still get my turkey/stuffing/mashed potato/yam fix...we are doing it this crazy way.

It is crazy enough that I'm hoping it will shut my brain down from all this metal stuff and give me a break. Usually this plan works very well for me! Something absolutely different to distract me from the usual.

The usual that I need distraction from is the mode of putting one foot in front of the other and don't stop for anything! We have been incredibly busy!

Busy like twelve hours both last Saturday and Sunday and every night after work...

I have read in many blogs that craftspeople/artisans take January off. I can see why. By the time one makes product and does the holiday craft shows, taking time off to do nothing artistic is a must. I am amused that come January, when I should be taking time off...classes will begin. Both of us will be signing up for two metalsmithing classes. Two different teachers. I figure that January - May is a better time to take classes than September - December.

In the meantime, Josh and I are busy making things out of recycled materials. At first it was because we are doing a "green" show at Amanda's in Berkeley, CA. Then it became a creative challenge...what can one do with the bottom of a 7-Up can (they really are beautiful domes!!).
Josh came up with an amazing solution and I'm sorry to say that I don't have a pic right now to share. But trust me on this...it is very, very cool!

I have also discovered black wire and have been listening to Phutureprimitive and making all kinds of neato things. Took the shots with my phone.

The other night while I was doing this wire work I thought that I should take a class at one of the local bead stores on wire wrapping. Thought about it further, and realized that I really enjoy the problem solving aspect of it...AND, since I'm not learning any of the "standard" ways of wrapping, my designs will always be unique. I still go back and forth on that one...but for now I'm good with standing in my unique-ness! :)

I do miss the hard-core metal work, that takes time...which I am looking for!

Some days it would just be great to have someone drop a burrito or two off..."I know you're busy...here's dinner..."

Brass, ink and goth belly dance music

I had the dining room/studio all to myself tonight. I put on my latest music obsession...Shiva in Exile and Phutureprimitive (to be found when one searches music for "Goth Belly Dance"). Anyway, I decided tonight was going to be "experiment night". This is where I purposefully forget all the rules and make messes. To my amazement, I discovered the joy of alcohol ink on brass. OH MY GOODNESS. This discovery led me to digging out some pieces that have not moved...not even seriously considered...and dropped ink on them. Alcohol ink is made specifically for non-porous surfaces...and it is incredible on brass. I have a little bottle of Cranberry (lovely red), Eggplant (gorgeous purple) and...mmmm a green one...Asparagus? Anyway...a green one. After the ink dries, one can go back in and buff the ink off the silver...so you have these organic silver lines swimming across these reds, purples and greens. The purples are especially cool...very goth...very primitive. Totally inspired by the music. I am extremely content with tonight's experiments. Success!

The Process

When I'm in the mood to create, and nothing is springing forth from my mind, I begin to peruse images online. I type in strange combinations, well maybe not SO strange, well...things like "Goth Christmas." That produced black Christmas trees and skeletons saying "What's so merry?"

I found it lacking any inspiration.

So, I googled other images...still uninspired.

Then I realized, that for me...when I'm in the mood to create, there is NOTHING out there that is going to assuage my thoughts...only my own self is going to bring peace to the creative frenzy. My own exploring, my own discoveries.

There are other times when I appreciate a good image search. Times when I feel empty and lost. What do OTHER people do with fire opal cabochons and copper?

But those times when I do something needs to issue forth, I need to just sit with myself and muck about the workbench. Something cool is sure to happen.

(written by Lisa)

Sunday Shoot

Today was all about a photo shoot. Set up a light tent, took some shots. Wandered around the deck looking for shots. Wood on the deck was nice...but its been done. Leaves, layered leaves, soft focus leaves. Dragon sculptures and jade vases. And then...she entered the picture.

Finally found a model we can work with. Opal. She’s fantastic. Quiet, still, makes no demands, can stand in the sun for hours and not burn. Now we can continue on with a theme of sorts. Before all of our work was rather hodge-podge. A lot of work, but a good day.

Inspired by Coco

Josh and I just watched “Coco Before Chanel.” There is a scene where she is pulling together the fabrics for a dress she is having a dressmaker build for her. She chooses a black fabric, the dressmaker encourages a light pink fabric. She studies the pink, then says something to the effect of “black shows off the eyes” or “black is good for the eyes”…and turns down the pink fabric (that was popular at the time).

She sticks to her guns. Her own fashion sense. Not being swayed by the “professional.”

It hit me really hard.

Because..

I design jewelry and I am constantly asked to “make things smaller.” So I have decided.

I am NOT going to make things smaller. I will make what I make.

There is an odd thing with women and their jewelry. Either a woman sees herself as bold and so wants to wear bold jewelry…or she sees herself as dainty and wants to wear something that can not be seen in broad daylight from across the room. Why? Why hide?

I have seen delicate females wearing audacious pendants and they look fantastic. So it isn’t about size.

It’s all about attitude. It’s about wanting to be seen. It is about loving stones and metal and making a statement of, “I have entered the room.”

Time to stop hiding. That goes for all of us.

Between then and when...

An artist brings into the physical dimension ideas that sit and wait in the unseen realm. When an artist decides to sell these physical representations of visions, patience is needed to find the other human that recognizes the vision and makes it his or her own.

Sound a bit metaphysical?

All artists do it.
All consumers do it.
The only different group are the 'art collectors'. They recognize a talent/style/voice that very well could be the next Monet or Van Gogh and they invest in the early art and they wait...like the artist waits...

There is a great deal of waiting in the art world.
There is a great deal of patience needed.