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

Artisans Gallery

Our friend, Chad, called last week and with incredible excitement announced:

"I SAW YOUR JEWELRY AT ARTISANS GALLERY!!! IT LOOKS GREAT!!"

oh yeah...two weeks prior we had dropped off some of our jewelry and have been too busy to go back to see the display! So, after class on Saturday we stopped in to see how everything looked!

 

Josh standing outside!!

Inside the gallery...our work is on the lower level of the display tower!

 

 

Here's a peek at some of our work...

 

and, I love this ring that Josh just made...

 

So...if you have a chance to stop in, the Artisans Gallery is located at:
535 Pleasant Valley Road
Diamond Springs, CA 95619
(530) 626-4181

Our instructor, Aleris Hart, also shows her work there...along with many other incredible local artists. We are very proud and excited that we are able to sit along side these beautifully talented individuals.

Facebook "Contest" Now on our blog!!

I posted the following our Facebook page:


Kewish Designs Lisa wonders.... What kind of goals do you have for this year? I'm looking for themes. I'm EXCITED about working on a special project. :) A name will be drawn from those that participate...and that person will get the FIRST "special project." :) Deadline for submissions is....Sunday, January 17. Winner will be posted on Monday, January 18...and "special project prize" will be sent by the end of the month!

If you want to participate, but are not a fan of social networks...you can post your comment here...

Out and about...Sacramento's 2nd Saturday

Whew...what a great night. Headed out to January's 2nd Saturday Art Walk in mid-town Sacramento.
We've included as many links that we could to give you an idea of what art life is like around here!

First landed at Jason Thorpe's reception at The Denim Spot...check out what was going on early in the evening. (please forgive the strange ending to this vid...I'm still getting used to the camera and obviously have not checked into any editing software!!!)



We headed over to Crepeville for some food and while there, Lisa saw an ad in SN&R The Jammies.
Info on The Jammies
This is a great cause to support teenagers and music...we are thinking of going next Friday night.

We headed out of Crepeville and found ourselves in front of Jodette's Belly Dancing Studio. Here's what that scene looked like:



Jodette made her way across the room to hand Lisa a flyer with information for belly dancing lessons. (How did she know that I have been wanting to study belly dancing since I was ten????) hmmm $99 for 3 months, 3 times a week...and you get to learn Egyptian meditation... SIGN ME UP!!

Next up was the Sacramento Art Complex....
Stopped and chatted with Joe Tate - Lisa read the first line of his bio "I am from San Bernarndino, California...." and HAD to stop and talk with him (Lisa being from San Berdoo...). He's a very cool dude, here's his MySpace link: Joe Tate


Then we checked out some blown glass at the Los Rios Gallery in midtown.
Nicholson Blown Glass
Fire River Art Glass
...and yes, both places teach classes in blowing glass.
Yes...Lisa is adding that to her list of things to learn/explore.

Here's one of the shots that Lisa took tonight...

Mutual Support

Yesterday, Lisa and I went into a fine jewelry store called Designs by Mike Lim. We had noticed the place a few days earlier while walking around the Birdcage mall. Designs by Mike Lim had taken over the space formerly used by RITZ Camera. This establishment sells high-end gold and diamond jewelry, a bit different than our work, but very very nice.

We were a little unsure how to approach the store owner. Being jewelry designers ourselves, we had no way to know how Mr. Lim would react to us. Would he see us as a nuisance? Or competitors? Perhaps as fellow artists? To our delight he and his master jeweler, Rasmik Carapetian, responded with warmth and proved to be a wealth of information. They shared experiences in the retail jewelry business, providing several useful tips which we plan to use to improve our own business during the coming year.

They also offered their expertise in the event that we have jewelry designs that prove to be beyond our skill level. They were very willing to offer their services as jewelry designers (for a reasonable fee, of course).

It is great to know that people are still open to share ideas and offer advice to others in a similar line of work. Thanks Mike and Razmik!

Designs by Mike Lim info:
6123 Sunrise Blvd.
Citrus Heights CA 95610

www.designsbymikelim.com

posted by Joshua