Oooh, sparkly!

Crystal dangly earrings

Day 337: Crystal dangly earrings

I’m in a bit of a rush today as I’m heading out the bay area early to visit with my mom before swinging up to SF for tonight’s opening at City Art Gallery. Not having as much time as I’d like to paint, I decided to make some sparkly quartz earrings to go with the necklace that I made back on Day 258. I put them on some nice hand-hammered silver earwires I bought on Etsy awhile ago with the intention to put them in earrings for sale. It’s nice to use the good silver for yourself sometimes, just because. 🙂

Another view on milk glass

While I’m generally pleased with the work up at City Art, there are some particularly stunning pieces on the walls this time around. There’s some phenomenal sculpture, and some really wicked cool mixed media pieces from a couple of new artists at the gallery, plus the entire back room is affordable art under $200. As a rule, you can usually find great pieces at City Art for under $200. I’ve got work up for $35-$60; as y’all know, I’m a proponent of affordable art. It’s always nice to get a sweater under the tree, but how about a piece of original artwork? Now there’s a great gift! Come by for free food and wine at tonight’s opening from 7-10 pm at City Art Gallery on 828 Valencia St. in SF! Parking is $2/hr at the 21st St. garage and it’s only a 2 block walk. Pubs and restaurants around nearby, so make a night of it! See you there!

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Dangleberries

Wire wrapped pearl earrings in berry tones

Day 303: Earrings

One of the few things I can make from my sick nest on the couch is jewelry. Today I put together a pair of wire-wrapped freshwater pearl earrings in tones of blue, purply-red and green. Feeling marginally better after another long night on the couch propped up with pillows in a failed attempt to keep junk from running down my throat. Here’s hoping tonight is better, as I have to make a trek to SF tomorrow to take down my artwork at the gallery… or what’s left of it, that is. 😉 I’ll post an update with which woodblocks are still available soon. In the meantime, it’s a great gray day for a cup of tea/cocoa/coffee and catching up on DVR movies!

All that glitters

Long gemstone necklace with turquoise, onyx & agate

Day 258: Chunky Necklace

It’s been awhile since I made jewelry. I have a substantial amount of jewelry supplies, however. It’s like scrapbooking. I’m pretty sure everyone knows someone who was so into it before and had to have every little fancy schmancey tool with a purpose.. but now she never takes pictures anymore because she’s self-conscious about her burgeoning doublechin (and honestly who wants to look at that) and really she should get back into it and stop wasting them or just donate the stuff to her perky cousin who just got married and make it HER box of crap. 😉

So I decided for today’s artwork, I’d make myself a necklace to go with the outfit I’m planning to wear on Sunday when I give my I-am-awesome-elevator-speech to the lovely people at Bravo and hope they decide to put me on their show. Only I forgot how long it takes to make necklaces and now it’s nearly 11 pm. Yowza! Note to self: start earlier than 8 pm tomorrow.

Day 145: Golden Globes

Golden globes of gemstone beads in a drop choker with magnetic clasp

I named today’s post that on purpose just in case someone is googling the actual awards show and ends up on my blog instead. I imagine them saying “oh rats, algorithm! Get it right already!” and then looking and going “oh, ooh! This is some purdy jewelry!” and becoming hooked on my blog. Even though usually it’s paintings and not jewelry. (Mr. Burns fingers) Yes, my master plan to draw in ever more blog readers has been hatched! Mwa-ha-ha!

Golden globe earrings

Today’s art is a set of jewelry- a necklace and earrings made with gold foil lampwork beads, gold freshwater pearls and some chunky faceted citrine wrapped in gold wire. I used to be a silver-only type of jewelry person, but the way gold shimmers and changes shades of warmness depending on the light is captivating and has grown on me.

Day 137: Jewelry Madness!

Chartreuse pearls, jade and fiber optic beads + silver wire = atomic clusters of nuclear awesomeness

I was at a gem faire the other day (yes, I said gem faire. It’s not quite a Star Trek convention, so I’ll thank you to lower your eyebrow) and I managed to restrict myself to just a few strands of pearls to throw on top of my massive stockpile of beads. Chatting with a friendly stranger in line who let us use one of her free passes to get in since we’d been robbed of all cash at the extortion window (parking kiosk) moments before, I asked, “Do you make jewelry?”, to which she replied “Everyone makes jewelry.”

I could have been taken aback by that and had my ego offended if I were a jewelry artist first and foremost. I’m primarily a visual artist who paints more than anything else, but I enjoy making jewelry sometimes too.

Radioactive? No. Hot? Yes! 🙂

To be fair, that started off with a love for metal. My father’s in sheet metal, and my sister and I learned to weld as teenagers. In fact, we were the only two girls in the history of our lame ass high school to have ever taken metal shop. One of my most vivid memories from high school is the discussion I had with the course counselor about that very elective…

“Hi, yes, please sit down.”

“What’s going on?”

“I noticed you signed up for metal shop.”

“Yep.”

“Well, I really don’t think that’s the right class for you.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“You’ll be the only girl in the class. I’ll just change it to home ec for you..” she took my sheet and moved to amend my selection.

“Hey! I picked metal shop because I want to take it. Is there a rule saying I can’t?”

“No, but..”

“Does is conflict with any of my academic time slots?”

“No, but..”

“What is this, some kind of after-school special on sexism? Jesus! Don’t you change that form. I’m taking that class.”

She huffed and scowled at me while I stood and walked out grumbling about being taken out of English for this. I still think fondly of Mr. Gray, our metal teacher, who turned out to be one of my favorite teachers of all time. The lack of respect shown by the counselor was made up for in spades by this gentleman craftsperson. I didn’t make much jewelry then, though Mr. Gray had taught a jewelry class as well before they cut it, but I got a great foundation for metalworking there. Later, at college, I took several jewelry classes from a few amazing women who taught meticulous attention to quality, but also encouraged creativity in any form.

Graduated drops of rock crystal necklace

I have always marveled at the fact that you can ask 30 artists to do the same thing and you’ll get 30 different results. I can’t really argue when someone says “everyone makes jewelry” because hell- a lot of people do! But I happen to like jewelry… a lot. The more the merrier, I say! Today I made two necklaces- one with atomic yellow-green clusters and the other with cascading drops of rock crystal- and a pair of earrings, wood jasper beads wrapped in silver. These puppies will be in my Etsy shop soon (assuming I don’t decide to keep them, that is), so keep an eye out. And a Happy Birthday to my Auntie Kasey, another amazing woman in my life who’s taught me much.

Wire-wrapped clusters of wood jasper earrings