03.09.20 Tourist for a Day

This is the photo in my blog banner.  It is a collection of zircons from the Hall of Gems at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

I took it in the summer of 2013 (before I ever thought seriously about taking jewelry making classes) on a family vacation to Washington DC. I grew up in the DC suburbs, our family had a membership to the Smithsonian - and went often - this became my favorite exhibit more than 40 years ago.

In front of Calder's "Obus"

We were back in DC in February - it was a weekend of wall to wall family events - except for a few hours on our first day there...so, we hopped on the Metro and headed out to be tourists!

We started at the National Gallery of Art - also a favorite - especially the contemporary art in the East Wing. Not only did I see Calder's sculptures and mobiles, but there is a new Ellsworth Kelly installation in the foyer.

Ellsworth Kelly at NGA

While my own work tends to be much less abstract - I have always loved the incredible use of vibrant color by both of these artists.  I could (and have) spend hours in the museum's light filled atrium just meditating on the objects around me.

NGA Degas Art Mug

After soaking up some culture, grabbing lunch, and this fabulous new mug (link in the photo caption if you want one too) - we headed over to the Museum of Natural History...because a Smithsonian visit is not complete without a trip through the gems.

I spent a couple of hours meandering through the halls filled with rough and finished stone specimens...but it was different from my previous experiences...this time I was looking at the gems and minerals as a jeweler. 

Cross section of Spectrolite

I could identify things by sight - without first looking at the information labels - and as I walked through, I was thinking about the various pieces I had made using the stones in the glass cases.

It sounds silly, but I was almost giddy when I realized how much more meaningful it felt to come back to this place with new knowledge.



I decided to take photos - a lot of photos - of the various stones I have used in my work, and I created an album on Facebook.  Over time, my plan is to add photos of my jewelry made with these minerals and gems in the comments under the pictures from the museum.

I loved this turquoise grouping (of course I did) - especially the piece showing the bright blue in the matrix, which I use in so many pieces.



I knew when I started taking classes at Creative Side that I would learn new things, but I continue to be surprised at how much knowledge I've acquired - about myself, the creative process, and the world around me - beyond what I expected.

Thanks as always for joining me on the journey.

Until next time.

02.08.16 Thunder and Lightning

When I first saw this stone I had two thoughts...first, that I HAD TO have it; and second that it made me think of a Texas thunderstorm.  The shape is a perfect raindrop, and the color really is like the dark gray of a storm with flashes of lightning.

With that in mind, this piece sort of named itself - I called it - "Thunder and Lightning".  I was anxious to get into the studio with the stone and get started...

The benefit of going to open studio one or twice a week - every week - is that doing things over and over makes you better.  Sawing is one of those things.  I don't know anyone who likes to do it - but I am finding it to be one of the most valuable skills in my repertoire...now if only I could break fewer sawblades...

My best sawing effort to date - I was especially pleased with how my lightning bolt and bezel turned out, and at this point I was planning to list this pendant in my Etsy store, then a couple of things happened...we lost David Bowie and Alan Rickman...and somehow I just couldn't let go of this one.

As I continued to work on the pendant (it took three open studio sessions to complete) I thought a lot about both of these great British artists, and the impact they had on the lives of my generation, on that of my children.

Photo credit: Brian Duffy

Not only did David Bowie create amazing art - he made it safe, even cool, to be different.  His personas were gender fluid and ever changing; in his personal life he married a woman of color and was a devoted husband, father and mentor.

Alan Rickman, in his role as Severus Snape, brought the dark heart of the Harry Potter books to life on the screen.  I remember driving carpools full of middle school girls around as they sang "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape...Dumbledoor!" until I thought my ears would fall off.  Rickman gave Snape humanity - and taught us all that you can't judge a book, or a wizard, by it's outward appearance.

Photo credit: Harry Potter Wiki

I guess I could have put the pendant up for sale (so far there's only one piece in my Etsy store), and made my thoughts part of the story I told in the listing - but instead - I'm keeping it as a reminder that not only is there beauty in the things we see when they are finished...but there is value in the process, in being different...and in weathering the storm.













Until next time.

06.15.15 So nice, I bought it twice.

Photo credit: Sundance Catalog

As I have previously confessed, I have a habit of wearing the same jewelry and clothing over and over again...my mom uniform is made up of the same Lands' End cardigans, striped shirts and LL Bean capris in pretty much every color available.  I do it with shoes - I have multiple pairs of the same shoes in different colors, and occasionally, I double up on pieces of jewelry.

One of my favorite Austin jewelry artists is Laura Gibson, who sells her jewelry on Etsy under the name Metalsgirl. I met Laura at the very first Cherrywood Art Fair, in 2003, and I think either my daughter or I have purchased something from her every year since.

Photo credit: finntastic2006 on Etsy

This past December, she had her Seven necklaces on display and I fell in love with the labradorite version.  The stones are a beautiful, opalescent grey - and I knew they would go with lots of earrings (these two pairs are just a couple of them) and outfits I already owned.

Labradorite and turquoise
versions of the Seven necklace

Sure enough, I do love the necklace, so I asked Laura about another one in turquoise.  As it happened she was in New York City when I first contacted her, and promised to find the perfect color for my necklace.  She did, and like her other pieces, I've been enjoying it since its arrival. 

Of course the beauty of handmade is that even when I order the same item from the same jeweler, they are unique - and that makes them all the more special.

This month Laura has embarked on a month long project to create a new piece of jewelry every day in June.  Not only is she creating amazing new one of a kind items - that you can buy in her nifty Etsy store - she's donating the proceeds to Blue Dog Rescue; just look for the items labeled "30 Day Challenge".  She's only halfway through - and I don't know if I can resist for the rest of June.

Until next time.