Been too quite

Been long time since I have posted anything, hasn't it?
Mostly dealing with real life, not much time for art. But, my friend Kathy and I are going to setting up a booth at the winter Shipwreck Artisan show at the end of this month. I had done the summer show with a bunch of my claydie friends in August, and enjoyed the experience.Kathy had wanted to do it then, but it was smack dab in the middle of her vacation. Now we are joining together and hoping for a good show.
     Really need to get my creative juices flowing and make some more fire lizards, or maybe other animals ... but hard to find the time.  Lord Opus on and I are still house hunting.  We have finally settled on an area to live after retirement, and thought we'd finally found the perfect house. Unfortunately,  it failed the inspection. .. water damage under the flooring caused by, according to the  inspector, improper installation of the french doors. The flashing was missing, which allowed the rain water to wick under the door into the flooring. Thousands of dollars in damages.
     So it is back to square one.
     I have had little time to experiment,  but did play around a few days ago with translucent clay.  The beads on the top are translucent lava beads with Pan Pastel chalks brushed on the raised areas. The darker ones below are made from translucent clay that first applied chalk to, rolled into the lava form, then brushed with another color on the raised areas.

this is the first time I am attempting to post a picture taken with my phone. Yes, I have finally given in and upgraded to a smart phone.  Also, this post is being written on my nook. I am slowing being pulled into the 21st century.  I think the pix is too dark ... have to figure out how to edit on my phone.

Segal Inspired

I count myself as very fortunate to have taken classes with Marie Segal.

I first met Marie at Ravensdale 2006. At that time, I was new to the polymer world and did not know the extent of her history with polymer.  All I knew what that she was a very kind lady who encouraged me to put some of my pieces up for sale in the Ravensdale store.  I actually SOLD a piece!
  Since then I have had the opportunity to get to know her a bit more at several NWPCG Clay Camps.  And I try to take a class from her every time she has been able to attend.

This time, I couldn't wait to learn the secrets behind the lovely earrings she had been showing on FB for months.  I was not disappointed.  Since Clay Camp, whenever I have the time (not much now that summer is finally here .... so much to do that pulls me away from the clay) .... I have made more Marie Segal Inspired Earrings.

Using more of the translucent window cane 

Translucent window cane and mica powders

Translucent window cane, mica powders and mud

A bit of a different shape

Just used the shaping here, and a tiny bit of the window cane

For these, I combined Marie Segal design with the translucent canes I made
in Kim Day's class. Now I have earrings to go with the bracelet!

Left over clay when mixed gave me an olive green color that I used for the base
of these earrings

Clay Camp Classes

There were a goodly number of classes offered this year at Clay Camp. Only wish I could have taken more, but time (and money) did not allow.

One class that I absolutely had to sign up for was Marie Segal's earring technique. I had been drooling over them since she first showed them on FB.  I am so happy with the pair that I made. If you ever get a chance to be in a class with Marie, jump at it.  She has a depth of knowledge that seems bottomless and is so willing to share .... she is awesome.

Notice the translucent windows.

Our guild's caner extraordinaire, Kim Day, present her first every class.  She did such a marvelous job, I hope she does more.  Translucent canes was the focus and I, not being a caner, could not have been happier with the results.  She present in a logically progressive format and made it all so easy.  Her handout was detailed, with pictures of every step.  And she threw in bonus material, including a flower tutorial that was easy but very effective.  We all made our own flower cane, large enough that we could cut off pieces and share with others in the case.  We each ended up with 4 to 5 flower canes for many more beads.  Learning a few tricks on how to properly reduce to prevent distortion was worth the price of admission.

    After making our focal bead, Kim took us through sanding (as anyone who reads my blog knows, I hate to sand and buffing.  Then we spent the afternoon making either a tile or bangle bracelet. As she had a bangle blank that actually fit, that was my direction.
    I am delighted with the results.

Bangle. I found it was easier to sand than the smaller bead. Who knew?

Closeup of the flowers

     Bead I made using flower cane made by guild president Betty.

I spent Sunday of Clay Camp making more components for earrings.  I hope to have time to assemble some more by this weekend, if my husband does not pull me out for anymore long walks. Today he had to try out the new opened wetlands here in town.  Would not have been so bad, but it was downhill going in, which means with was uphill coming out (my back was definitely feeling it - laid down when I got home for a short nap and woke up 3 hours later!)

Note: somehow blogger got my posts out of order. This post actualy predates my Clay Camp Earrings Post.

Clay Camp Earrings

I mentioned in my last post that Clay Camp Sunday was a day spent making more earring components.  I got a chance last night to start putting them together to make more Marie Segal inspired earrings.  I know that I broke the "rules" of photography by back lighting the photos, but I wanted the translucent windows in the colorful cane to show.

Used mica powders for highlights

Smaller earrings using only the translucent window cane.

Marie spent time with me discussing the importance of analyzing facial shape when considering earring design. Not all people look good wearing a specific shape, for example round earrings.  She let me try on various earrings she had made till I found the shape that looked best.  Even though I am very attracted to the round earring shape, in this particular design I look better in a rectangular shape.

They don't always need to be round

Oval Shaped

 A while back, Rebecca (aka Artybecca) showed on her blog experiments using liquid masking fluid as a resist. After picking up some masking fluid at Ben Franklin on the way to Clay Camp, I attempted to try my hand at it.  I did not have the fine tip applicator she was fortunate enough to find, so had to make do with a paint brush,  I like the idea and hope to have time in the near future to work with it more.

Can't seem to get beyond simple

 I spend way too much time on Pinterest.  I have three earring boards so far, polymer and non-polymer. You would think that unique designs would rub off on me.  But. ohhh noooooo!  When I sit down to make earrings, all I can do is put some beads on head pins and call it an earring.  I even sweat over which beads to use .... it can take me 15-20 minutes to find a configuration that is pleasing to me and it is just plain simple.   Fancy and creative .... that seems to elude me for the present.
    I want to expand beyond that, so I am going to be taking an earring class from Bea Grob tomorrow at ArtWorks in Edmonds.  Bea is a wonderful artist from Switzerland who is friends with Meredith Arnold (another well know mixed media artist from this neck of the woods).  Bea will be using Pardo Translucent, which I am very excited to finally break down and use.  She had some of her earrings with her at Clay Camp, and they are DIFFERENT than what I usually make.   Maybe something will rub off .... crossing fingers and wishing very hard....

These are some of the earrings that I made recently, mostly using the beads I made at clay camp.

Translucent clay. textured then highlighted with Pan Pastel Chalks. Kinda look a bit like glass.

Wonky beads made into earrings.  You can't tell from the pix, but the pink beads are bigger than the other two bead sets.

Clay was textured by rolling on a texture mat.  Beads on top were highlighted with chalk. The bottom beads were highlighted with Inka Gold Pewter colored paste.

Textured beads are colored with chalks. After baking, I used tinted Kato Liquid Clay to antique and give it a shiny gloss.  The brown bead was  created from a Sutton Slice veneer.  The light green was pearl clay tinted with ink.  Just used scrapes from my table .... no clay is ever wasted!

My favorite beads from clay camp were the green disc beads.  I really like how they turned out. The blue beads were made from the Rustic Bead Tut by Ginger Allman. The pink are simply textured with an old button, then highlighted with chalks.

During my picture taking session, I had help from a different source than usual. She was just fascinated by the dangles.

The Mighty Quinn looking to attack my earring prop.

Clay Day

  Our guild has a quarterly Clay Day and I finally got to attend one.  Usually I have to work till midnight the night before and just can't get up early enough to make the 30 or so mile drive  worthwhile.  I actually had a 3 day weekend made the most of it.  Saw the new Wizard of Oz movie (midnight showing opening night - stories of Oz were always my favorite books as a child and that love still continues).  Saturday was spent making beads and talking with friends at Third Place Books. Afterwards, I got to visit with my kitties (pardon ...not "mine" anymore... now part of the  Maria et al family) in their new home. They certainly did not take long to move it and make it their own.  Running around like they owned the place.

    Clay Day was very inspiring.  Maria was working with translucent clay, so I got out the inks and colored a some clay too.  I had a new "skinny" border texture sheet that I used to get the crosshatched look.

Not Antiqued

Antiqued

 I decided to play a bit with controlled marbling (a la Lynda Mosely).  When I got done and looked at the veneer, I was not all that pleased with it. To tell the truth, I was trying to do it from memory and think I missed a step or two. Rather than wad up the clay for bead guts, I sliced it into strips and made beads.  I found a rolled cane in my tool box (heavens ... I don't even REMEMBER making it ... wonder how old it is?)  I reduced and added slices to the striped veneer just for fun.  I really like the final look of these beads.

Colors used: Wasabi, Fuchsia, Ecru and white/

When I got home, there was more experimenting to do.  I had some tinted translucent clay left over ... humm, wonder what will happen if I marble it and use it as a veneer.  As you can see, it is really hard to see any variation in color between the different tinted clays.

Found a different bulls eye cane to use for detail

The tints show up a bit better in these longer beads

I am not giving up on this idea. I have a weekend coming up and more experimentation to do.  

If I am not playing with the kittens that is!  Only two left but they are sooo adorable, and such a distraction.

I hope that Tofur keeps his blue eyes.

Zinger waiting patiently for the door to open.

Studio Time the 2nd

Maybe today the pictures will behave and go where I want them to.

I recently got Christi Friesen's latest book, Flourish.  It was a long wait, but well worth it.  It is chalked full of ideas and inspiration.  One of the techniques she wrote about was dissolving chalk in a glaze to achieve a faux ceramic look.  I tried it on simple beads, not too bad.  Next time I will add more chalk to the mixture as I had to put on 3 coats to get them this dark.  I want to explore this idea more.

I had a bit of left over transluscent clay I had tinted with ink.  I rolled the clay in glitter before baking.  

 One of the ideas I got from Pinterest (Love, love, love Pinterest)  is a Mokume Gane technique called Hidden Magic.  I gave it a try and, of course, had to incorporate the resulting veneer into beads.  I used yellow and green for my base colors, making several passes through the PM to smooth out the veneer.  I did learn that it is best to start out with a stamp that has a very tight design, since each PM pass thins it out more.  I like the result ... now just to figure out what to do with them.

 And of course, I had to spend time with the kitties. Most of them will be leaving for new homes soon and I will be missing them so much.  I have to love them when they are here. I hope Opuson and I have done a good job domesticating them ... there is not a one of them that does not come running and trying to scoot into the house the second the door is open.  Momma cat is even letting us pet her and seems to have lost a lot of her shyness around us.
 

Please let me in ... I am sooo cute and want to love you.

They are quickly outgrowing their basket, but don't
want to sleep anywhere else. We have set up other
places, but they like it here best.

Oh goodie, the human climbing post is back!

Back to my roots - Polymer that is

Finally, some polymer earrings to share with you.
I have been busy making earrings for the upcoming Artisan's Show in Edmonds next month, and slowing working on the massive beaded necklace project.  I am over half done with it, adding a few beads a day.  I remember a friend once told me that shovel by shovel full, she could move a mountain. This is the friend who is gluing seed beads to a door ( I blogged about her in August) so she knows about patience.  Me, I am not so patient ....
   Most of the earrings I have been making are not polymer.  I am trying to use up some of my stash in the hope that I can make more space for working with metal clay.  I have the kiln I won just sitting there, waiting for me, calling to me .... and I have no space to work in.  Mean hubbie won't let me expand outside my studio .... he actually gets upset when he wants to come to bed and finds me in it surrounded by my beads and findings, frantically trying to get get in "just one more pair, dear" before lights out.  Imagine the nerve of him!  Womans' gotta create and I NEED space....lots and lots of space ..... must have more rooooommmm

   Opps, back to earth, girl.
  I wanted to show a few of my latest.

Love Apple

This is my newest favorite pair of earrings, made with some of the tinted translucent from my huge necklace project.  Love the color.

  Remember a while back when Artybecca (Rebecca Watkins in real life) posted a tut on flickr and actually caused me to SAND my beads.... well, I finally got around to making them into Earrings.  When I first posted my beads on Flickr, Rebecca actually commented that they reminded her of bongo drums (hence the names I have given the earrings).

Babbaloo

Lucy... I'm home!

And finally, just in time for Halloween....

Pumpkin Spice

What have I got myself into?!?

I saw a necklace in last month's (August 2012) issue of Bead Design Studio that I absolutely fell in love with.  It kinda surprised me, as I am not usually attracted to this type of necklace, but there ya go.  I am not one to argue with inspiration when it strikes ... BUT I am really wondering if I bit off a little more than I can chew.  The original necklace has 90-95 larger glass beads in it.  They are the most yummy colors and I thought to myself, if I don't have glass, I will use Polymer, of course.
  But how to get those colors?  A few experiments later, I found if I mixed small portions of clay  with translucent, I could achieve colors that were similar.  There is still a long way to go, I am working on getting all the beads made.... but here is a peak at what I have been doing.  Will post the finished piece when (if??) I finish.  I esp love the deep sparkly look that is achieved when mixing a pearlized clay into translucent.  Yum!

I LOVE the look of these beads and plan to work more with
Translucent clay when this project is finished.

 Because I am so wrapped up in making these translucent beads, my 52 earring project is suffering.  If only I did not have that darn J.O.B. getting in the way ... but it does pay the bills and allow me to create...
   As I result, I whipped up a month's worth of earings in one afternoon (sorry.... only one using polymer).

Polymer colored with inks and
mica powders, surrounded by
an abalone ring

Kitty Queen.  Earrings made from the
adorable kitty beads I picked up at
the NWBS show last weekend.

The nights are getting chilly...  here
are my "Prelude to Winter" earrings.

I titled these "Disc Believe" in
homage to Terry Prachett's
Disc world Series