Sunday, June 29, 2014

Fringe Earrings

I took a bunch of parts to the Gallery the other day.  These fringe earrings are so pretty and hard to keep in stock.


Cut up a bunch of little sterling sticks, pound the hell out of them. Make a bunch of nice round circles, fuse and hammer them.


Curl the ends so they attach to the circles.  But wait, it's not that easy.  Then you have to tweak each one so the little fringey things hang just right.


And then you file each end so it's nice and rounded. Add some ear wires.

Then you polish them in the tumbler and put them back up on the website for sale,

YAY!

Here's the two different versions -



Peace


Rocked

My Dad had a stroke.  He's been the rock my sister and I have swirled around all these years, always steady and sturdy, always there for counsel and to dispense good advice.  Of course, we don't always listen to him, what child does?


His incredible strength of will kicked in and he's actually home and motoring around pretty darn well. This is when you find out who your friends really are. I'm so grateful for the kindness and warmth I received last week.

Yesterday we went on an adventure, driving way up Highway 20 and down another six miles to the little hamlet of Washington, then three miles more out into the woods, following the South Yuba to a beautiful pool to water so clear and so cool and so clean it's just unbelieveable. We floated around, drank up the peace, watched a water snake poking along the edge and then drove back to the Five Mile House for an outside dinner.  I let the water wash the stress away and left feeling still and strong inside.

Peace to you and yours.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Tough guy translations for artists...

Peter Maslow, an artist in New York speaks fluent tough guy. In a recent exchange on Facebook he kindly translated some of our artist statements.

Sheila Cameron - 

Like what am I gonna say? You wanna know something, just ask. I won't bite even if you're wondering if it matches your sofa.

 hey, if yuz fuggin friended me maybe we'z could tawk about it. know wut ah mean? fuck's da colah uh ya sofa n shit - like we'z could work in mauve - wutevah. for a small fee anything's fuggin possible. got it, douche?

And one for me - 

 "Look, it's not my problem that you can buy these same earrings at Target for 10 bucks. Do you think Target can match your jewelry to your concealed carry purse? And no, I do not sell my handmade links so you can put together some jewelry of your own to sell at the local bar."

 fuggin eahs up, asshole. it ain't mah fuggin shit dat yuz cain't bah deez fuggin shit-earins ovah Tahget fer a tennuh. yuz figah Tahget can matchum shits witchyuz concealed pocketed shitz? and no doan fuggin boddah me witchyuz bullshit, i doan sell dis handsmade shitz sos yuz can glom it and gag it ovah yuz shithole local. fuck you think dis is?

Thank you Peter, you made my day!

Peace

Friday, June 13, 2014

Hoops

I'm in the middle of a slight obsession with hoops, namely how to construct them.

I like them big.  I like them shiny.  I like them to fit comfortably in my ears.


The first pair are the all time simple style, bend a length of wire.  However, the biggest wire most women can fit through their ear piercing is about 18 gauge and that's pushing it.  The majority favor 20 gauge and some even need 22 gauge.  (Remember wire get bigger as the number get smaller.)

So the ones on the right are limited in size.  The ones on the left are 12 gauge, which hammers to a really nice, substantial hoop.  I used a piece of 20 gauge to make the attachment.

I probably need to tell you that I don't want to solder on a fitting.  I hate soldering.  I suck at soldering. I go through great lengths to avoid it.  I can solder.  I choose not to.  So these have to work without soldering.


These great big ones are waiting for their engineered wire clasp.  Then they are probably sold already. I'm going to make more than one pair I think.

Back to the studio.

Peace

Friday, June 06, 2014

State of the Mind Address

I think I write more when I'm experiencing mental turmoil.  When things are humming along smoothly I feel like there isn't anything to say. Which can make these pages look like a crazy woman lives here.

Well, that's probably true, no matter what, but it's a good crazy.  Sort of like, yes, it's 105 degrees, but it's a dry heat.

I'd say right now I'm smack dab in the middle of awesome.

The pups are happy if a bit furry, blowing their coats all over the place. Nothing a trip to the groomer can't fix.

The kitty girl is enjoying her California retirement home, catting about the house and yard, sternly giving Bode what for when he gets into her space.  You should see the confusion on his face when she decides she's had enough.

My work is going so well, selling both at the gallery and on the website, plus some great custom work. Yesterday I fired up the kiln and worked on some enamel, which I find quite like meditation, slowly, deliberately building colors, focus on the process only. Don't forget the safety glasses when the door is open, sift the colors, balance the pieces on the trivets, into the heat, out to cool.  There is this incredible point when the enamel is built up just enough, the colors attain their full possibility and the feel of the piece tells you it's done and ready for some refinement and to be wearable. I need to come up with a better color management system. I know there are colors I love down at the bottom of the pile but where are they and how do they actually work with other colors? I do have sample/test pieces but they aren't always on the container.

Being home enriches and sustains me in so many ways. My life here is centered around the outdoors. We spend great amounts of time on the deck, meals at the table, relaxing conversations and cuddles on the couch. It's so good to have this perfect space.

Dreams and goals...which there always are in abundance. But often I live right here in this moment, breathing the pine scented air, feeling the breeze stroke my skin, hearing the hummingbirds twitter and the water fountain splash.

Living is so good, so sweet...opening myself to the possibilities that await, grounding myself in the reality of now, dreaming a tapestry of beautiful things.

Peaceful, grateful, thankful, abundant, loving...