julie lake

I love New York. I love Cocktail Rings.

2012-02-01T17:15:00.001-08:00

Two things I love have conspired for Valentine's Day.

Now until February 14th, I'm offering the Tangent Cocktail Ring at 50% off.

Why?!

I'm going to New York in March!

.....maybe that only makes sense to me.

Available in my Etsy Shop and on Smashing Darling.

New Jewelry

2012-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

Two new pairs of earrings. One organic & edgy, the other sleek & modern.

Field Notes

2012-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

Latest work... Thinking about less thinking. Taking three dimensional notes of the possibilities from limited materials and limited processes. Material: Small Gauge Stainless Steel Wire
Process: TIG
Some detail shots...
This series of 15 panels was shown at an opening last December at gallery space here in Taos. I'll post a link to individual shots of the entire series soon.

One must have a mind of winter.

2011-10-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

The first snow fell on Taos a few nights ago. They were giant snowflakes, and driving through it made me feel like I was on the Enterprise at warp speed. Then I woke up the next morning to the sugar coated mountains. Even with all the beauty that the season brings to Taos, I usually have a sense of dread about the impending weight of winter. But, to my surprise, not this time. Even though finances continue to be a struggle as I insist on maintaining my self-employment status, I think I may have the ball rolling in so many different directions that the future is going to catch me in a net of semi-security, and I'm speaking much more far-reaching than just the greenbacks. That's serious progress.
One thing that I think has enabled this is my submission to my ADD mind. Can't focus on one thing? OK, then do more than one thing.

Above is the new Dragee Ring. I used to make these out of silver but finally figured out how to do them in stainless... which is really my material of choice. They are so much stronger than the silver ones, and the finish is so incredibly reflective; they almost look like liquid metal.

I also finished the knife that I started over 3 years ago.....if this knife could talk. It has the deceptive appearance of simplicity, which is an influence of my father's design sensibilities and a trademark of his work. In reality, there are aspects of this knife, mostly the stair-step hilt, that other knifemakers haven't attempted. It is an integral design, which means that all the steel has been machined from one solid piece.... the blade, hilt and tang are all the same piece of damasteel. We did a slight etch only on the blade to bring out the twist damascus pattern. The handle is ancient hippo ivory and the screws were handmade from 14k gold. I'm taking it to a knife show in San Diego at the end of this month. Progress posts of the knife are here... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Also, the large welding projects continue. This is a progress shot of just one of the sections of a 30' x 4' steel deck that I've been building. Since this shot was taken, the pieces have been hoisted 20+ feet into the air and attached to the house. I'll post more pics when it nears completion.

More projects to follow in the next post... whenever that may be.

The Knife Sheath Kninja

2011-10-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday in the shop of Kristian Moore, who owns a leather store here in Taos called Letherwerks. The knife needed a sheath, and Kristian was the man for the job.

I took a lot of progress shots and listed some of the steps below. Now, what is important to note is that his workshop is at the far end of his store, and while working on the sheath, he was also working on a wholesale order AND waiting on the hundred plus customers that wandered in and out of the place. All this with me hovering over him with the camera and asking a million stupid questions. I thought this was pretty amazing, considering I have to work very hard at not going ballistic if someone breaks MY concentration.

OK, sheath making......
(click on the images to enlarge)
First he outlined the knife on paper and made a template.

The template was placed on the leather and cut out.

After the belt loop was trimmed, sewing holes were punched and the inside of the sheath was carved out so the knife would rub against the stitches. The end of the loop was tacked, then sewn into place.

A leather spacer was cut and tacked into the inside edge of the sheath. This is to accommodate the knife's thickness. Then, sewing holes were punched around the perimeter.

Sewing with a lock stitch. Fancy.

Finishing off the rough edges, forming and dying.

Look, a knife sheath! How 'bout them apples?!
Now, plenty of steps were left out, but you get the idea. By the way, for those of you who have never been into a leather shop, I have to tell you the smell is intoxicating and will absolutely leave you swooning. Oh, and yet again, I say to you, Art School... shame on you for not teaching me any of the cool stuff like this. Thank you, Kristian!!

Trunk Show at The Harwood Museum

2011-06-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Featured artist in the Harwood Museum Store July 9-31.
Reception on Saturday the 9th at High Noon!

The Update

2011-06-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

For those that follow my blog it must be really irritating. Months and months without a peep, then a burst of activity and posts. Well, welcome to my world - a field of rabbit holes where I scramble around, crawling in and out of cognitive tunnels.... of which, only one contains the fortitude to create blog posts.

Well, here I am
for the moment.

So, this is what's been going on the last few months....

As of the beginning of February, I entered into full time self-employment. I jumped into it with absolutely no savings, so I quickly discovered the very fine line between self- and un- employment. I also came to understand why the word 'hunger' is used to denote both an empty stomach and motivation.

In March, I found myself in other people's workshops doing a lot of welding. After working on such a small scale for so long, I really didn't think I could pull off some of the stuff I did. I welded caps onto a stainless steel tank. A seriously nerve racking job, because it had to hold water - the weld couldn't have any pitting or melt through. I also welded up this steel stand for a heavy machine....
I also found myself in the shop of the amazing duo, Christian Ristow and Christina Sporrong. There I had a bit of a hand in helping out with Christian's 'Fledgling', which made its way to the Coachella music festival and to Maker Faire. Here's an excerpt and image from Christian's blog...

Fledgling is a large mechanical bird, made from Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and Aluminum. It is modeled loosely on raptors, or birds of prey (eagles, hawks, and falcons). One person at a time, from the general public, is permitted to ascend the staircase up the tail-feathers and climb into the ribcage. In the ribcage is a seat and a pair of bicycle pedals. By pedaling, the operator sets in motion a set of gears, sprockets, chains, and cranks which cause the wings to open and close. There is a wing mechanism and a separate shoulder mechanism such that the motion of the wings is very close to the real motion of a bird.
I was honored to be part of such an amazing project.

Buuuuuut, this last month or so it has been all about my own work. As you can see in the previous posts, I've been communing with the titanium. The look is much more 'tekkie' and substantial than my more delicate stainless pieces, so it has widened the scope of my work.

It was really time to expand a bit, because on July 9th I have a trunk show at the Harwood Museum here in Taos and will be the featured artist in the gift shop for the month! My focus is pretty much consumed by this for now, but I do have another big welding project coming up and some very exciting goings on in the knifemaking realm, too... but more about that later....

See you next time I'm in the hole.

More with titanium.

2011-06-03T12:58:00.001-07:00

Finally! New Work....

2011-06-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

First off... TITANIUM

...and new variations on the Tensegrity necklace and the Sputnik Sweetheart earrings

I'm also working on a Simple Series, because that's what they are... clean, modern... simple in the best way. This is the first I've posted. I'm offering pieces in this series at a discounted price through the month of June.

Factory

2011-03-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

via
'Factory' is a very good word, and when I picture a factory in my mind, it looks exactly like this.

Just look at how happy they are....

Sessility

2011-02-19T15:21:00.001-08:00

These are the first in a series of wall panels that I've been working on. Composed of 3-dimensional stainless steel forms on a wood base.

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Living with it.

2011-02-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

A few pictures my friend, Tom, took of the area around where I live in Taos and a project we worked on.

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New

2011-02-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

Decca Earrings
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Design Inspiration

2011-02-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Creative Mornings, run by Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swissmiss, are these amazing and inspiring A.M. lectures that people can attend before heading into work. I'd love to drive down from the mountains, take a red-eye flight to New York and actually be at one of these. Until then, I have to settle for watching them online.

Design Matters is a podcast where Debbie Millman interviews designers and artists. There are some serious gems in here.

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Succinctly complicated

2011-02-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

robo-rainbow from mudlevel on Vimeo.

Via Core77

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Thanks!

2010-12-07T09:44:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Ash & Kimmy over at GreenEyed.com for a fabulous feature on their website!

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Not Just Jewelry, Anymore

2010-10-27T13:31:00.001-07:00

Mod Cocktail Picks
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Thank you Jenn Ski!

2010-07-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Above is the work of the amazing, modernist designer Jenn Ski. I'm surely flattered for this post about my work on her blog.

You have to check out Jenn Ski for her work, but also if you want to incite the deepest envy within yourself when you see the posts about her retro, modernist home. Kills me.
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Tune in Tokyo!

2010-07-02T11:42:00.001-07:00

Sputnik Sweetheart stud earrings.
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More new work... and more to come

2010-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Lilt Earrings
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Two New Chains

2010-06-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

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A little more hippie than I want to admit to being, but to hell with it...

2010-05-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

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Little Something New

2010-03-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Tout Petit. Little stud earrings, available here and here.
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Where have I been???? .....slingin' sake at Hiro Hobo!

2010-03-14T13:15:00.001-07:00

It has been over a year since I last posted anything, because I had a bit of a gear switch in my focus. In February 2009, my friend Sheila Guzman, chef and restaurant owner, decided to close down her little lunch cafe and start a transformation. She enlisted my help, and together we spent a month redesigning the space and menus. Working within a tight budget, we also built all the new furnishings and design elements ourselves.

The restaurant opened in March 2009, and we've been enjoying a surprise cult success and devote following of local patrons along with a few tourists that happen upon us. The place is so small (six tables and six seats at the bar), and we often have a line out the door.

I posted a few images. Disclaimer.... I'm not good at photographing rooms!!

Here's HIRO HOBO......
The sake bar. I was lucky to gain some sake experience while living in Portland, Oregon, and then broadened my knowledge base for this endeavor. The restaurant is based off the Japanese Izakaya style, which places an emphasis on drinking with your meal. Turns out, drinking makes food more fun.

Other than the seating at the bar, we also built this raised platform with traditional style seating.
You might notice the bandanna/handkerchiefs that are used as napkins. It's Taos, New Mexico.... you gotta have a bit of cowboy in there! Oh, and those photographs in the background are the work of Zoe Zimmerman.

Back toward the exposed kitchen. People love watching Sheila cook. I think there should be an admission charge.

In the tiny sun room. The chairs and their upholstery were something already in place and an element that we had to work with. It's interesting how limitations can actually contribute to the originality of a place. The bright blue ended up making the space feel more playful and funky.

This was my personal favorite shining accomplishment. The final design was achieved by hashing around my initial ideas with my friend Anne Bujold when she came to visit. Then, the finer details were tweaked with Sheila's help.
This is the display of all the sakes we carry. It's comprised of empty bottles hanging from brass chain under an illuminated panel. The really cool thing about it is that the bottles are also arranged from right to left in accordance to their dryness or sweetness, and up and down in relation to their quality/price. It's a great visual reference for the printed sake list!

All designs copyright Outlaws&Heroes LLC, Sheila Guzman, Julie Lake.

Now I have to get back into the swing of making some of my own work!
Recently listed for sale here and here, the Tensegrity Necklace.

The land of milk and honey

2009-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

..... That's what the pilot called Portland as the plane landed.

I headed back to Oregon for a very quick and hectic trip for my younger sister's wedding. The ceremony was actually in Astoria which is a couple hours west of Portland at the mouth of the Columbia river.

I was in Portland for only a few hours and spent it running to Powell's Books, getting french macarons at Pix Patisserie, and hitting the infamous Albina Press for a dreamy cappuccino breve and a couple pounds of Stumptown coffee beans to take back to Taos. Portland was in its usual gray and dreary state. But, see, the 8 months of rain per year has made for a great city life..... fabulous restaurants, the buzziest of all coffees, more bars than even a 19th century french poet could tackle, bookstores, and an incredible contemporary art scene (everyone is either an artist, musician, writer, or a bike builder..... and they all work in the service industry for an actual living).

I have lived in and then left Portland twice, and I can say it was because of the weather or the uber-hipdom... but, admittedly, it may have had more to do with certain boys. I would like to think I'm the wiser for it.

OK, I love Toas... the sunny yet volatile weather and the friendly yet volatile people... but somehow I must figure out how to get back to Portland regularly.

For those that have never been there, I highly recommend visiting. On a drizzly night, go have a couple cocktails in the Low Brow lounge then walk over the steel bridge into NE. Be sure to stop half way over the bridge, look down at the river and wait for the mallet of sentimental existentialism to smack you square in the back of the head. You will find yourself compelled to smoke Nate Sherman's, wear pants that are slightly too short, and live like you will forever be 23.

Sevruga Rings.... and a note on blogging

2009-02-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

These stainless steel Sevruga Rings are now in my shops (here and here). They are constructed similar to my Nonpareil and Dragée rings, but since they are stainless instead of silver, I'm able to offer them at a more widely affordable price.

As for the huge gaps in my blog..... what can I say.... It's the same reason I was never able to keep a diary. I read something that I previously wrote and just think - ugh, why did I write that... what was I thinking.... that sounds pretentious... yada yada. I also think since my move so many things have changed that I'm not sure where my blog bearings are.

Publicly posting your business for others to snoop around in is a bit bizarre. Don't get me wrong, I love snooping around blogs myself. But, I draw the line at the blog - Twitter, Myspace and Facebook pretty much freak me out.

Since it does seem that posting here keeps me much more rooted in my work, I am going to try harder. Plus, I really hate it when I regularly check someone's blog and there are no updates.

A Three Month Move

2008-11-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

.... which should have taken three weeks. But, I'm settled in now... kind of. I'll have some pics of my new workspace in the next post - maybe some new work, too....

On the Move

2008-08-05T09:06:00.001-07:00

I have moved a lot in my adult life..... often for no good reason but restlessness. I've moved to places sight unseen, hoping to unwrap a place like a present. As you can imagine, this often backfires. That's fine. I've found that I realize what I want or where I want to be by figuring out what I definitely don't want. The South just wasn't my cup of tea, neither was southern California. The Pacific Northwest was uber-hip and a lot of fun, but I couldn't keep up anymore... plus the rain made me want to hide in a corner. I grew up in the Midwest, but got out of there just in time to not end up in jail or as a meth head with a dozen kids. I never pulled the Uhaul into the Northeast - it just seems like a "nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there" kind of place (I could be very wrong about this one, but I've run out of the energy to disprove it).

But, one place has stood out against all the others. It's the only place that ever felt like home.

Anyway, I'm going to stop typing now - before my latent hippie side comes out. I'm working on an inventory of my most popular items, but will cut off any custom orders by the 12th. I should be back up and rolling by the second week of September. I rented a great place on 5 acres - it's a full living unit above a workspace.... there's a creek and a barn and 220 wiring in the workshop..... dreamy.

Thanks Savannah Magazine

2008-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

...... for featuring my work in the All Things Handmade article of the July issue.

New look

2008-06-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Smashing Darling had a makeover - have a look!

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On the Side

2008-05-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, I had to show this recent side project - it's this address plaque, which you can read about here, on the Fog and Thistle blog.
The typeface is called Dalliance, and I love the way the space inside the 6 and 0 lean to the left. I used to be big into book arts, so I still have a bit of a type fetish.

The back of the plaque is an old silverplate tray that I sandblasted down to the brass base then oxidized. The numbers were hand-pierced and mounted onto the tray. I also made a little tube vase that is attached to the back and included these stainless steel flowers. The stake was also handmade and welded from steel tube, rod and plate. The only things that weren't handmade or repurposed where the screws and the spade piece that is sunk into the ground to hold the stake - thanks to Lowe's for that.

One Down

2008-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

May is a big month for me. It's the one year anniversary of my first blog entry and my first Etsy listing. Although I have been producing and selling work since I left school, It was only until last year that I made it my full time occupation. I decided that I didn't even want to work part time - I needed to know what it felt like to survive solely off my own work.
The most difficult issue has been my self-discipline. I have a phenomenal work ethic... but only when it comes to working for others. I guess most of us are conditioned to please an employer, but it's a different story when we have to set our own rules and hours. I have gotten much better - but, it's still tough.

I did have a lot of help getting things off the ground. By far, Nate provided the rock of support. But, I also owe a huge amount of gratitude to the people that bought my work, especially the repeat customers. Online selling platforms like Etsy and Smashing Darling have given me more independence than I could ever imagine. People I have never met have supported me with their compliments and encouragement - one very awesome lady even sent me her left over metal from art school (a gift that I am yet to figure out how to properly thank her for).

Together with online and private sales, wholesale orders, and side projects, I have survived the first year. It has meant substantially less going out to eat, no vacations, long nights, clothes and shoes that are falling apart, and constantly crossing my fingers that my car or health won't give out. With all of that, it's still worth it.

I'm not saying that I won't ever go back to work for someone - hell, I can make triple what I make now just waiting tables! Anyway, this all kind of sounds like an acceptance speech for an award, so I'm going to shut up and get back to work.

Oh, by the way, that's Mr Machine up there. I've had him since I was very little - he's my mentor.

I Know!!

2008-05-19T11:42:00.001-07:00

......that it has been a very long time since my last post. But, now I have some good stuff to tell!

First - This last Sunday was the Savannah Open Studio tour. It was stressful getting the place together, especially since my workspace is also my home. But, I was looking forward to seeing some faces from the last tour and meeting some new ones.

This was a little eye candy for my window. Candy buttons used as braille to display a quote.

I tried to set up an area for folks to hang out and look at my work. I left the rest of the place pretty much in its messy working state

These stains are actually welded steel "sculptures" that I started on a couple years ago.

Lately, I've been revisiting and expanding on this work. I love the idea of a sculpture fitting into and almost blending with its environment. For me, something sitting on a pedestal or hanging on a wall instantly becomes unapproachable.

One thing I really love about open studios is putting out the experiments and old work.... things you don't worry about people handling. I have boxes of this little pieces. I did mostly put out older stuff - I have to privately covet the newer experiments for a while before I am comfortable with displaying them.

Of course, there has to be a display for the jewelry.

But, this was the most exciting discovery while setting up for the open studio! A couple nights before the tour, Nate and I were brainstorming display ideas for my rings. I had been making these large sphere shapes from stainless wire, and Nate pointed out that since these shapes also had a bit of spring tension that I could simply slip the rings over them. The rings caused the forms to compress into these beautiful shapes. Now, I'm seeing fodder for not only display ideas but also drawings, prints, and sculptures. I'm very lucky to have this kind of dialog with a friend - I'm serious, sometimes between the two of us, Nate and I become a super power. Well, at least after a couple cocktails we think so.

I'll post tomorrow about another recent project........

Getting Sharper - Part 3

2008-04-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry about taking so long with the last knife post. I'm back - well, I've been back for about a week. I had to hit the ground running with orders that were placed while I was away. This was pretty tough considering my flight craziness.... not only did a freak tornado hit downtown Atlanta the day I flew out to Oregon (grounding flights for most of the day), but on my return Delta canceled a slew of flights for some sort of rewiring. Of course, my luggage got lost, too. Up until this last trip, I really loved being in airports... I'm over that now.

The flights weren't the only delay.....
The knife isn't done. The steel needed to be heat treated, but my dad's kiln went bizerk. So, here's the knife, mostly finished, awaiting heat treat and handle material.

I couldn't settle for a plain knife, so we came up with this stepped guard idea. I think it turned out nice - a little art deco, maybe? You can also see the patterning of the damascus - made by forging two types of stainless together.
My trip there went by so quickly, and I wish that I could have taken the time to see old friends. But, now I have an excuse to get back there soon to finish this up.

Oh, I also worked on a little surprise project. I just had to take the opportunity to use the lathe to make some rings! More on that later.

Getting Sharper - Part 2

2008-03-23T22:49:00.001-07:00

What I'm making is called an "integral" knife. It is one solid, machined piece of steel to which the handle material is attached. Often, the guard of the knife is a separate piece, which is soldered in place. An integral knife means a lot of time on the milling machine.... more about that below.

First, the steel has to be machined flat and the template is then scribed around.

Now, this is definitely something I'm not used to. A half a day was spent making something to help make the knife. I had to make a jig to hold the knife steel in place while it is being milled. This separate piece of steel had to be machined flat, drilled, and tapped..... honestly, a little irritating to spend the time on, but I definitely came to appreciate having it!

On the milling machine.....
I love this machine.
I really wanted to get more experience using it, and the integral design meant there would be a lot of time spent here.

It is kind of like a drill press with a movable table underneath it... or better yet, it is like a router for metal - only the cutting tool stays in place, and the material moves underneath. The table is controlled by an x-axis handle and a y-axis handle, which you have to use simultaneously. I have my right hand turning one handle and my left turning the other ... it's a lot like patting your head and rubbing your belly. Using a milling machine means having to know about the different types of cutting tools, how to sharpen them (I've been practicing sharpening drill bits and cutters), and wrapping your head around conventional vs. climb milling. It's a lot, and I've been having some moments of serious frustration. But, the results are incredible.

Oh, I don't know if you can tell that I have my apron tied all the way up around my neck. These little, blue-hot chips of metal fly off this thing - and, as my dad says, they hurt enough to make you curse your mother (it's been an onslaught of these types of aphorisms all week long).

Most of the machining is finished..... now, I have a lot of hand sanding to get all the cutter marks out.

Getting Sharper

2008-03-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm here in Oregon, and I certainly do not miss these rainy, gray skies. As I was telling you about in this post, I flew out here to make - of all things - a knife.
I just wanted to check in with a few initial progress shots.

This was the process to make a template for the knife.....

Getting the design figured out

Transferring to a template material

Rough cut on the bandsaw

Finishing on a belt grinder

Template finished.

Ok, so these steps weren't incredibly exciting... for me to do or for you to look at. I'll try to get some action shots for the next post!

Workshop (of sorts)

2008-03-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to the day that I can attend a workshop at Haystack or Penland... but until then, I will have to devise my own little classes. So, in about a week, I will be heading to Oregon to learn some skills from pops Lake. Yep... I'm going to be in my dad's workshop for about two weeks. The end result will, hopefully, look something like a knife.
I'm pretty proud of my dad. He has been making handmade folding knives for over 30 years, plus he designs and patents knives and mechanisms for manufactured knife companies. He has managed to be completely self employed most of his working life.

There are two schools of knifemaking. One involves a lot of forging. Think of swords or daggers - heating, hammering... very physical. Then there is a more mechanical approach - referred to as "stock removal" ....Milling machines, lathes, close tolerances and precision. Since my dad is a folding knifemaker, with all its mechanisms, he uses the later.

He had me cutting out parts on the bandsaw when I was 9 and turning out parts on the lathe when I was 14. I actually made a miniature knife when I was in middle school, but, honestly, he did most of the work. There is a wealth of knowledge that I would be an idiot to miss out on, and making a knife will be much more about the process and the tools involved instead of the end result.

I am going to be documenting and posting my progress, so stay tuned!

2008-02-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

18kt is definitely one of those blogs that I have to check every day. A jeweler herself living in Barcelona, Marta Sanchez features a wide array of work by metalsmiths and jewelers... good stuff to check out. So, I was certainly flattered to find out that she put my work up a couple of days ago - thanks, Marta!

Something New

2008-02-17T09:38:00.001-08:00

A couple of new earrings that I've been working on........

..... the Forest for the Trees

2008-02-08T08:12:00.001-08:00

...... a little ode to ADHD, OCD, and all the other pyschiatric acronyms that could possibly diagnose why I cannot - and never have been able to - focus. I can't seem to clean up after myself like most other grown-ups, am a horrid procrastinator, and have a hard time with the final steps of a project. There is a terrible empty feeling with every piece of work once it is completed..... thus, I seem to prolong packaging things up.So, I spend a lot of time doing things that make absolutely no sense... lack profitability.... and clutter my workspace and my head. But, I seem to think they are important on some level I have yet to grasp.

This is a picture of just two of the scores of mutilated bars of soap that have experienced the wrath of me and a pair of tweezers.

Is It Still Granulation??

2008-01-11T08:49:00.001-08:00

So, the traditional process of granulation usually involves fine silver or gold sheet and tiny balls of the metal. Through a careful heating of the metal to within a few degrees of its melting temperature, the metals fuse together creating a beautifully embellished surface. It is very difficult to get the metals to fuse without having a complete melt down.

I studied metalsmithing in college, but with all of the processes I did learn, I never learned how to weld. But, a couple of years ago, I signed up for a welding class at a community college. We covered torch, ARC, and (my favorite) TIG welding. Although my goal was to learn how to work BIG, I found myself trying to see how small I could actually weld. Then I started taking in my scrap silver to see what would happen. My instructor was great - and is on the list of the best teachers I've ever had. He never said "you can't do that" or "that won't work" - he just let me try anything.

Anyway, pretty much by sheer will, I figured out how to granulate sterling silver using an electrical current. This process uses no solder, and instead of a number of balls being fused at once, I can only affix one at a time. But, this also allows me to not only fuse them onto the base piece, but also stacked on top of each other.

Here are some progress shots....

This is me balancing one ball on top of another. My lips shrink to half their normal size when I'm really concentrating.

Then, I have to brace my hand holding the torch just the perfect distance above what I want to fuse. That little needle looking piece (sticking out of the pink thingy) is called the tungsten - It is what directs the electrical current.

Then I weld this way.....

....and that way......

....and then that way again...
I have to be careful not to get the silver too hot or else it will completely melt into the base, yet getting it hot enough to form a bond. I have to hit each ball with the current many times at many different angles, and hopefully it works. I think that each individual ball takes me anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes just to affix it to the ring........ plus I have to make the rings, make all the balls ....... and the rings have dozens of balls... so you do the math.

But for some strange reason, I really love this process. It is tedious, meditative, frustrating, and rewarding - all in a pretty equal, chaotic balance.
I hope what results shows that.

Tagged ( ...a while ago)

2008-01-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

Quite a while ago, I was tagged by Lynette Andreasen to list five random things about myself. I put off responding, because I never know how to do this sort of thing without sounding rehearsed or pretentious - I would be terrible at writing a singles' ad for myself.

Anyway, five random things about me.......

#1 This is my favorite cup.

#2 I am suspicious of highly motivated people.

#3 I am a high school drop-out.

#4 I live in my workspace. Actually, I live in a shared workspace with my partner, a dog and a cat. I have always romanticized the idea of live/work spaces. While they might be ideal for a painter, they can be problematic for any sort of metal or woodwork. It does force a person to work often, though. I like to refer to home as "the garage."

#5 I'm really into TED talks right now... some of my favorites so far are Phillippe Starck, Larry Lessig, Alan Russell, and - you have to see this one by Rives.

Done.
I'm supposed to tag 5 other people, but since I'm doing this a few months late, I'm going to have to look around to make sure I'm not tagging someone that already has been......

Showing & Resolving

2007-12-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

I hope anyone living around Portland, Oregon will make it to the "Touching Warms the Art" show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. The show runs January 19 - March 23, and you'll get to touch and try on the foamie rings made by yours truly along with the work of some other great metalsmith/jewelers.

I've continued making these rings and coming up with a pretty nifty (in my opinion) packaging made from the same spray foam insulation with which I make the rings. I am going to be selling some of them exclusively on Smashing Darling for now (maybe a few in the future on Etsy) and making them in an edition of 52 - that's one a week for the entirety of the next year.

No matter where I am... how busy, tired, burnt out, or uninspired....

......a foamie will be made - every week - that's my New Year's resolution!

Look for the first ones to be posted in my shop on S.D. around the middle of January.

Soon - I promise!

2007-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be posting again very soon. I can't wait for the new year and new projects!! Check back in a week or so - I will have many things to tell........

How did I miss it??

2007-10-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the girls over at Smashing Darling, I was made aware of my Pantaloon Earrings being in the Stylehive blog's "10 earrings for every budget"

CRAZY!

I'm very flattered, mind you, but having something I made in the same context as the word "budget" makes me feel a bit strange... on many levels. The folks at Stylehive definitely did a little head trick with the comparative prices of the pieces - I guess it's all in the name.

Something New

2007-10-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

As For Business

2007-09-28T07:49:00.001-07:00

This actually is pretty exciting. I will be participating in the Poppytalk Handmade Market. It is an online showcase of 75 emerging designers/artists which was founded and curated by the author of the blog Poppytalk. So, for the month of October my jewelry will be alongside some other amazing work - I've already noticed Skinnny Laminx, Megan Auman, Colleen Baran, and I'm sure there'll be plenty more.

What Becomes

2007-09-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

I have always feared doing any sort of production work. I worried that it would be too much focus on a specific set of work and that it is easy to get caught up in valuing the work by numbers of sales and customer response.

And that which I feared occurred. This month, seven months into starting my production line, I found myself focused on my sales.... focused on how many people were interested in my work, how many views, or if anyone has made any comments on my blog, or if I was on any front pages... or whatever. And I was well aware of my obsessiveness about these things.

This morning, I knew I needed to post something here - after not posting anything for over a month. I really didn't think I had anything interesting to say. It's been all business... just not interesting.

I grabbed the camera and started walking around the studio. I ended up here. This is the welding table, and the dark area is where I always work.

Each mark indicates a weld that I've made. As I stared, I realized how many thousands of spots there were. That, although the work made here has been sent out to customers, I am left with the evidence of that work. Tiny melted spots of metal - bits of gold, silver and steel fused on the surface. So much information, and really, a work in itself.

I could just make these spots on a piece of metal. But this holds the history of something other than itself - kind of like a book. And these marks will continue to accumulate the more work I do.

I have found something to obsess about the accumulation of other than sales and views.

-

Submission

2007-08-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've been working on pieces to submit for a show at The Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, OR called Touching Warms the Art - it is a play on the warning "TOUCHING HARMS THE ART" that often accompanies art jewelry in a gallery or museum. The idea is to have work made from non-precious materials using non-precious processes. The work will actually be handled by the viewers and will remain, as a donation, in the museum's collection for further educating viewers about the art jewelry medium.
Rebecca Scheer, one of the curators, made this statement in an article in Metalsmith magazine which prompted the idea for this show.....

"...imagine if each of the studio jewelers created
a non-precious piece for visitors to handle. Could we
professionals even achieve such working freedom? Does
it devalue what we do? Painstaking craft and hand-worked
detail may be the forte of the craft artist. Nevertheless,
these values generate preciousness, ultimately dividing
the masses from experiencing the pleasures of “real”
studio jewelry first-hand."

My submissions were these rings made of spray foam insulation and steel binding wire. I first played around with these materials about 5 years ago when I was without a workshop and was looking for alternative ways of creating. I purchased these items at a hardware store for about $8.
For the submitted work, the only tools I used were a pair of wire snips, pliers, and a piece of round dowel to form the rings. Additionally, I only allowed myself one day to make the work.

Whether my work gets accepted or not, this project re-reminded me of the creative potential that comes from working outside our traditional media.

Too much/Not enough

2007-07-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

I got into this little debate last night with my partner. He thinks that I go overboard on the packaging for my jewelry. But I think that the packaging is almost as important as the work itself.

Maybe I am more interested in sculpture and installation than jewelry. I'm always trying to find ways to let the jewelry exist as much off the body as on.

I make these altered tart tins to go with the rings, and these little stands to go with the earrings
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Then there is this (which started the debate).

A customer bought this necklace - which I coveted a bit too long and really didn't want to see go.

I liked letting the piece cascade into the cup of my hand. It would create this beautiful flower form.

So, when it came time to mail it off, I instead took three extra days to make this

it is a chrome plated brass soap box from an old travel grooming kit. I chased and repoussed the top to create a bowl for the necklace to rest in. Then I sandblasted it, polished the edges, and finished the inside with some vintage upholstery fabric.

o.k. -so, he might have a point with going overboard. People may just want a piece of jewelry - not some big to do. Why do I spend the extra time? Maybe it has something to do with insecurity - that the work itself isn't good enough. Or maybe, just making jewelry doesn't seem like enough.
Or maybe, I'm just analyzing it a little too much.

Hoping for something to happen

2007-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been doing a lot of experimenting with materials - often adding them to pieces of jewelry.

A lot of not so goods....
then there was this.....

Lip Reading

2007-06-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of images of a project that I've been working on for about a year. It's fuse-welded silver and gold braille on found stainless steel spoons. I'm still working on the details of the text.... Plan is that it will end up as an entire wall (or table, or drawer) of spoons.

Thank you

2007-06-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

I owe a big thanks to those that came through the studio today. I was amazed at how strangers were generous with their support and feedback.
I think that Nate and I had a different set-up than the other artists. We have A LOT of tools and not much space to display work, so we widdled down what we showed to our most recent (past two months) work. Since it was a studio tour, we wanted to show what a metalsmith's and woodworker's (along with all the other mediums we work with) workspace is like, not focusing solely on the pieces that are the end result. Some people were still a little intimidated by the equipment... the first thing guests saw walking in the door was a big ol' drill press.

Here's the studio, ready to be seen....

....and the wretched before picture that I posted a couple weeks ago

Nate's layer light......

My little display wall.....

Progress?

2007-06-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

So this studio tour is two short days away, and it will certainly be a miracle if Nate and I are ready for it.
But maybe I'll surprise myself. Because if this.......

ends up looking like this......

.....then maybe this studio thing will turn out ok.

This is what happened

2007-05-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

So many exciting things happening!!! My pod earrings just got featured next to some awesome work on the very cool what blog!

Shop

2007-05-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just starting selling my work on Smashing Darling!!! Of course, Etsy is awesome, and I love it dearly, but Smashing only sells work by independent fashion designers.

Anyway, there are some FABULOUS designers on S.D., and I'm so excited to be selling alongside them! Check out my shop here.

Something Old

2007-05-25T09:49:00.001-07:00

This is a sign I made about two years ago for a friend who was opening up a bar. Word is that he is leaving the place, and someone else is taking over... so sad.
When I made this my workshop was in the basement of my sister's house. I sat on the floor and pounded in over 1000 faceted upholstery tacks into wood to create the letters. Anyway, it was meant to be lit so it could glitter at night - but the owners of the building never did it.

Sometimes I hate letting my work go out into the big bad world.

Something New

2007-05-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

I welded up these earrings yesterday. It took me a couple of days to figure out how to make them, yet they turned out looking so simple and clean. The welding tip I used was so tiny that I could barely see what I was doing.

Starting Out

2007-05-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I would start this blog with the reality of it. This is the workspace - wrecked, as it normally is. I am severely janitorially challenged. But, this has to change for a few reasons.

#1 I just put in my notice at work, because I cannot bear to serve another person a scrap of food or drop of liquor.
#2 I do not have another job, only the Etsy site - which I've only sold two pieces from.
#3 In two very short weeks strangers will be walking through this place on Open Studio Sunday

The Big Clean.