Life on a Tuesday night

Just thought I would share a little snapshop of my current point-of-view.

That is Josh (right side of pic) working on our table covering for our booth. We are fitting the fabric (Wal-Mart sheets) to be a snug fit on the table. I'm done with using bungee cords!! Anyway, he's measuring and pinning the fabric - I'll be sewing the seams in a bit -

To the left is Booger. Sleeping. The cat is actually helping by weighing down the fabric.

Yes, that is our mantle with my photography, one of my charcoal drawings (15 Pears), and some of Josh's sculptures...and a lava-lamp.

Yes, Josh's hair is actually spiking up in three spots. It has been a long day!

Welcome to our world! :)

How does your potential grow?

Art expresses life. Jewelry art intimately expresses life. It is intimate because it is worn against the body, it is seen, it is felt, it is experienced. Some jewelry artists draw meticulous designs and hold true to that design. Others, like me, work by intuition. I never know where a piece is going to end up - but it always tells a story. Usually, a very telling story.

I made a series of "copper skeletons"

I posted the pic and received many compliments on the basic copper shapes. The second guessing began; "Hm, maybe I need to just leave these the way most people would expect them." "My designs are very wacky...maybe they are too much for this world..." But I knew I had something in me that wanted out. Ever find yourself thinking, "there is more to me than just this...more than what you see?" Yeah. Still waters run deep.

Reading the bracelet from left to right - it begins with some sense of uniformity. I expected that this design element would stay the same all the way around the band. But it didn't. The uniformity begin to split and get a little crazy. And then "something happened"...a new bead, full of potential hits the scene...and then, all heck breaks loose...

The uniformity is no longer and instead seems to be leaping, landing and then jumping off again. One element ( a bead) seems to be stepping outside of the lines! It is a little chaotic. The brass wire that attaches the beads is NOT uniform and perfectly straight.
Because -

Life is not uniform and perfectly straight. Things happen. Events change things. Thoughts change the self. New paths are tried out. One should be leaping, landing and then jump off again. Some aspects should fall outside of the lines...surprise and chaos IS OK. NOT everything should be controlled and put on the day's agenda.  Potential is powerful. Many fear their own potential. A good way to hide from one's own potential is to live inside the lines, plan everything and act as if he/she is in control.

Ever watch a vine grow? A vine just goes...unchecked it can take over. I believe that is how our lives should be. Full of unchecked growth. Yes, jewelry is intimate. I may have some intimate stories to tell in bead, stone and metal. There is unchecked growth ahead. Potential untethered.

FOCUS <---highlight in yellow

We are busy. Events in May handed us opportunities that astound us. Josh used a "slight" bit of downtime to move our studio from the dining room to the garage. We did an inventory on ALL our pieces of jewelry. I made list after list of "things to do"..."things I wish I could do"..."things I had better do..."

So MUCH! And it's all GREAT!

And...with everything we must focus on...there are also many tempting distractions. This is how the picture played out in my head. I ended up with realizing that life is one big ritual on focus.

Kewish Designs at Ladies Night at Vintner's Cellar Custom Winery

TONIGHT! 6-8pm.

http://985cork.com/index.html

Kewish Designs at International Festival in Rancho Cordova, CA

We will have a booth FULL of our new work!! Lisa will be creating a space to honor her ancestors, complete with her recent work, "The Angel." "The Angel" is a tribute to her great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Archange Ouilmette, a Potawatomi Indian from the Great Lakes area!

Village Green Park is a great place to hang out. There are restaurants right down the street AND a Starbucks!! Have a leisurely dinner, grab a coffee and then walk to the park and check out the incredible World Dance participants and all the vendors! This event was a lot of fun last year and we are looking forward to participating in it again!

More important, we would love to see YOU! :)

Granulation

Granulation is a technique used by metalsmiths to create small silver or gold balls for decoration or an accent to a piece. The technique is said to originate from Sumeria from as early as the early to middle Bronze Age. During the Iron Age it was adopted by the Etruscans in present day Italy.

Here is a very short video on the granulation technique!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PaSHtyl3fI

Art and Business

Many artists say they love working in the studio but hate the "business" side of the art business. I have certainly said it and I know many artists who have said it too. And while it is true that it all starts in the mind and soul of the artist, the moment he chooses to sell his work it is a business. Like it or not, art is a commodity like any other.

But we artists need to adjust our thinking about art as business. Commodity isn't a dirty word any more than knife, or fire...or even dirt. Money is not evil. Money is just a tool. And like any tool, it can be used for good or bad.

Lisa and I have chosen to sell our work. But we know it is honest work...and we know we charge an honest price. The work still contains all the love and integrity we put into each piece. And, when one of our customers wears one of our designs with pride, when we see the sparkle in her eyes, we can see first hand the true value of our work.

My point is that art is meant to be shared, to be in the world, not merely in the artists world. And making a reasonable profit from one's labor is not merely acceptable...it is honorable.

I have been slow to arrive at this understanding. I spent decades making art that no one except a few friends and family ever saw. But now I am embracing honest capitalism. Lisa and I have much to learn in order to grow our business, but I know this much for certain:  our art is made with love and skill and yes...it has value.

Peace.
Joshua