SMALL THINGS

Lena Hanzel via her blog here

Speaking of small things, I have put together a little range of charm necklaces that are all about the small things in life. 

Those things that make it all worthwhile, like taking a walk along a beach & collecting shells, pottering in the garden on a sunny day, making something with your own hands, peddling up a ferocious hill on your bike & then sailing down the other side, or just sharing a pot of tea with a dear friend.

Check them out at A COLLECTION OF SMALL THINGS

SOMETHING FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

via my pinterest page here

NO WORDS NEEDED

SOMETHING I MADE

I've been working on some small containers that disguise jewellery pieces. This one is made out of brass that I hand raised, which is not an easy feat, cause brass isn't really the go to metal for hand raising. Traditionally the metals to use are silver, copper or guilding metal. Brass is a lot harder to work,  but the finish suits me, so I was up for the challenge.

I can hear you asking the question, what is hand raising? Well I basically cut a large circle of brass and formed it using hammer strokes over wooden and metal stakes. It's lots of hammering and heating of the metal as it gets harder from the hammering, hitting it with the hammer, heating, etc, etc, until the the flat piece of metal is formed into the dish shape I want. Then I hammered three little feet on the bottom. The flat lid comes off to reveal the dish and the red resin top is actually a neckpiece that can be worn. 

I have another three pieces in brass that I am finishing off and then I will be experimenting with other materials for the containers. I will share those pieces with you as they leave my bench.

I hope that all is well with you dear reader and that you are finding some time in your life for creativity. 

'Contained Adornment' Sylvia Nevistic, 2013

Brass, silver, gold plate, resin 

"WITHOUT THE DOING, DREAMING IS USELESS"

Some people are ideas people, you know the ones, the people that come up with so many ideas but never seem to stick to one thing. I have to admit that I do like to 'think out loud', so tend to talk about my ideas with friends and family and not always follow them through. But, there is a reason for this, there are BRILLIANT and AVERAGE ideas that flow through my brain constantly, so I write down the average ones, and make a plan and schedule time to see those BRILLIANT ones through until the end, regardless of the outcome. 

As time passes, those AVERAGE ideas can turn into BRILLIANT ones and the hard work starts all over again. There are so many people out there writing about how to turn your passion into a living. You can read all these points of view all day while you procrastinate on how you will actually make it happen. We say this to our children at school all the time "stay on task". Start with something and consistently work towards a goal. Set tasks for yourself and do them, tick them off the list and before you know it, with lots of HARD WORK you will have turned an idea into your own reality. Hard work is the key to it all, don't you think dear reader? 

Rilla Alexander via 99u

WORD ON THE STREET - LEMEL

Not long ago I watched an episode of Sesame Street with my two and half year old niece and really enjoyed the segment "word on the street". The particular word for that day was 'ticklish', Iona loved watching Grover ask people on the street what ticklish was and in the end everyone jumped on Grover and tickled him until he couldn't take it anymore.

Anyway, I thought I would start doing a 'word on the street' for my blog related to words makers use. So, if you are a maker of any sort like a woodworker, ceramicist, silversmith or tinkerer of any kind and use terminology that is specific to your craft, then drop me a line and I'll include it on this blog. 

So, to todays 'word on the street' - lemel. What is lemel you may ask? Well it's simply all the metal dust and shavings that are created from filing, sawing and finishing metal. These bits end up in the tray of a jeweller's bench. The reason why it is so important to have a tray or something similar to collect all this stuff is because it is pretty precious. Silver and gold lemel can be sent together with scrap pieces of precious metal back to the metal merchants to get refined and melted down to create more sheets of metal. 

I sweep up my lemel on a regular basis and pop it into a container or jar. I try to keep various metals I use separate and label each container accordingly and when I have a few kilograms of scrap and lemel I send it off to get refined. 

So, dear reader, that's the lowdown on what lemel is. Hope your day is proving to be a good one. Until next time, cheerio and have fun making.

IT'S A TRAP!

via here

JULIE BLYFIELD - SECOND NATURE

'Soft impression'; 'Coiled leaf' & 'Spiral (b)' brooches, 2013 / silver

'Golden heart-leaf' vessel and brooch, 2013 / bi-metal 22k gold, blackened silver

'Folded Leaf' neckpiece, 2012 / sterling silver

'Three lidded containers', 2013 / silver (sold separately)

'Leaf stack' vessel, 2013 / blackened silver

'Black fossil' neckpiece, 2013 / blackened silver, wax

'Concealed'; 'Trapped leaf'; 'Cluster' & 'Spiral (a)' brooches / blackened silver, 

enamel paint, wax

'Heart-leaf' & 'Fossil-like' brooches, 2013 / silver

All images from Gallery Funaki 

One of my favourite jewellers Julie Blyfield has a great exhibition on at the moment called 'second nature'. The show runs until 2nd March and I will be sure to make my way to Melbourne town to check it out. 

This exhibition got me thinking, when you do anything over and over again in your life how eventually it becomes second nature. That repetition can be both monotonous and meditative, that is the joy of being a maker. How can monotony be joyful I hear you ask. Well the joy is not instant, it comes from the sense of achievement at the end of it all. After all those years of working with the same materials, tools and equipment, doing the same tasks, you suddenly realise that you can pretty much make whatever you can conjure up in your head and do it well. 

I always urge any student I teach to be patient, to concentrate on the task at hand, keep practicing on the mundane, filing, cutting, soldering, etc. When you can do these tasks well, then worry about the design.  

I look at a lot of handmade jewellery and objects, and see both terribly made and extremely well executed work. Sometimes the junk far outweighs the good stuff which is a real shame. I would urge any new makers to take your time, make, make and make some more before you let the world see what you are making. There is something to be said for experience, look at the makers that you admire, I can guarantee that their skills and techniques did not become second nature over night. Slow and steady dear reader. 

SLOW AND STEADY

image via here

I have recently started riding my push bike again, after a long hiatus. I have been riding around my local lake, Lake Wendouree. I was thinking while I was riding in agony (my rear end feeling like it had gone through 5 rounds in the ring with Ali), and the lycra clad riders speeding past, how important it is to just keep peddling. No matter how much pain you are in or how many people are zooming past you in life, you just need to keep at your own pace, moving forward, no stopping, go down in gear if you have to, but just keep peddling. 

That old saying "slow and steady wins the race" is a mighty one, although I don't really like the race bit so much. I know that I have to keep reminding myself that whatever I am working on will get done, with or without the sleepless nights and chest pains. Making small incremental changes works better for me than making all mighty big ones. 

A lot of people don't like talking about how hard it is to make a living from what you love. It certainly has its upsides, but it's no easy 'ride' either. When you work for someone else, you can go to work, do your job and get a pay cheque at the end of it all. But, when you run your own business it is very hard to switch off, cause you might spend a great deal of time creating something that doesn't sell well or you don't get paid straight away for a job you do for someone, or you spend a whole day on a task that has to be done, but doesn't pay for itself, the income stream is sporadic to say the least. 

I think it is great that people out there in this beautiful world of ours are trying their hand at generating an income from a passion, because I would have it no other way. What I wish to say to all those out there who are feeling like they are peddling so hard to get up that hill and want to give up, don't,  just tell your brain to move those legs ever so slowly and keep the momentum going because eventually you will make it up that hill and the ride down will make it all worthwhile. 

Happy riding dear reader! 

RESIN JEWELLERY MADE EASY

If you are looking to get into making jewellery with resin this year then you ought to check out my e-book. It's chock o' block full of info about how to use epoxy resin to make some pretty nifty pieces of resin jewellery. There are heaps of colour photos, tips and I have even added a list of suppliers (Australia, UK and USA) at the back so you can buy your gear and get making. 

Click on the resin jewellery book on the right hand side of the blog to have a sneak peak and invest in a great making resource. I even show you how to make the neckpiece featured above. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR - TIME FOR CREATIVITY

A brand new year has begun and I thought it apt to share this fabulous talk by John Cleese on creativity. Thanks to Ben for the heads-up on this one. 

Give yourself some time this year to get creative. Go for a walk, listen to music, sketch, daydream, tinker, play, hammer, paint, renovate, take note of what is happening around you, ignore what is happening around you, cut and paste, enjoy your own company, hang out with other creatives, get off your phone, iPad, computer or other electronic devises and pick up a pencil and a notebook and regularly jot down stuff...just give yourself some TIME....and the rest will take care of itself...

Happy New Year dear reader, may this year bring you good health and time to foster that creative being within. 

THAT TIME OF YEAR

image via Monday Special

Immer wenn du meinst,
es geht nicht mehr,
kommt von irgendwo
ein Lichtlein her,
dass du es noch einmal
wieder zwingst
und von Sonnenschein
und Freude singst,
leichter trägst des Alltags
harte Last
und wieder Kraft un Mut
und Glauben hast. 

HOW TO MAKE A BANGLE MOULD

I have just made a little video on how to make a bangle mould. These kinds of moulds which are called a variety of names from a one part mould to an open mould are by far the simplest moulds to make. I have used an RTV silicone to make it. RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanising which in plain terms just means that the silicone will cure at room temperature, it doesn't require any additional heat to cure. You just add a catalyst which comes with the silicone, mix in well and pour. 

So, now that I have shown you how easy it is to make a bangle mould you probably want to know how to cast resin into it. Go click on the link for my e-book Schmook Books > Resin : Jewellery on the right hand side of my blog or here to get all the information you will need and more. 

You can use this technique to make moulds for anything that has a flat base and no major undercuts. Undercuts are features on a master pattern that prevents the piece to be removed straight out of a mould easily. When you have undercuts you will need to make a more complicated 2 or even 3 part mould which is a whole other kettle of fish. I might show you how to do that one day, but until then, go and have some fun with this one!

CLOSER TO HOME - FOR UWE

Just cause...

A little closer to the homeland, but not the era. 

Schwarzwald traditional dress 1900

image from here

MALCOLM KIRK - MAN AS ART - NEW GUINEA

All images copyright Malcolm Kirk and via his official website 

Text via Malcolm Kirk's website: "MAN AS ART: NEW GUINEA, Malcolm Kirk's large-format hardcover book, documenting the islanders’ visually stunning tribal body decorations and carved masks, was the culmination of 13-years of travel in that area of the South Pacific. It was first published in 1981 in the USA, the UK, France, Germany and Italy, and subsequently reprinted in a smaller, redesigned paperback edition. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, referring to the hardcover version, wrote that she considered it "one of the most beautiful books I have seen in my life.""

GOLDEN FLEECE - GIOVANNI CORVAJA

source: Adrian Sassoon

Giovanni Corvaja, a tremendously talented metalsmith, just rocks my world. His work is truly one of a kind and exquisite. These works are a "multitude of fibres forming a fur-like surface". They are made of special alloys using gold and platinum and are technically brilliant! 

I am missing making a little at the moment, I haven't had much time to sit at the bench, but I have been very happy all the same. I have been spending a bit of time at the Art Gallery of Ballarat facilitating workshops as part of the Capturing Flora Exhibition. It has been a joy to be part of these workshops. The students have all been Primary aged kids and have blown me away with their artworks. 

I have also just completed my two e-books. So in the next week or so, I am getting them sorted to be listed on my blog and website. I am so proud of these books, they have been a labour of love and a lot of hard labour and I am truly excited to reveal them shortly. 

Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you what these e-books are about, well I have created two books about the medium epoxy resin;

RESIN:JEWELLERY and RESIN:HOME. 

Both books include a lowdown on what epoxy resin is, how to measure, mix, pour and create with it. 

The e-books also include original projects that are sure to get you creating. As well as making new pieces, the home book provides you with plenty of ideas on re-purposing second hand goods into treasures for your home. 

If you want to keep updated with what I am up to with the books, teaching and anything else, just subscribe to my blog. You won't get any unsolicited emails from me, just a real time blog post straight to your inbox. 

Well dear reader, I am off to get a good nights sleep, talk to you soon. 

HAVING A GO

A present from one of my students today - thank you Meika

Well what a big day today, but very rewarding. I spent the day facilitating workshops at the Art Gallery of Ballarat as part of the "Capturing Flora" exhibition. I helped out over 100 Prep and Grade 1 students with printing techniques using gum leaves. What a joy it is to see a child create, I get such a buzz from working with young people. They continue to surprise me with their insights into life and their willingness to just have a go. 

This desire to just have a go has been my mantra for a long while. To be part of something instead of being a consumer of it gets the good vibes flowing; like education. If you feel that you want to pass on what you know to others, then you really don't have any excuse not to. Especially these days; the internet has made it very easy to do this. 

So, I am, and have been for what seems like forever, writing a couple of e-books. I will divulge more as they are nearing completion. It has been a massive learning curb, lots of ups and so many downs. I am doing the lot; from writing, taking the photos and doing the layout. It certainly isn't an easy task, but there is a great sense of achievement as each page is done. 

Each day is set aside for this work, I am barely making a living, but just feel like this is where I need to be at the moment. Besides, money is over-rated, when you don't have much, you just learn to make do with what you have and get on with things. 

Anyway dear reader, I wish you all the very best for the weekend ahead, whatever you may get up to. 

A WONDERFUL WOMAN - RUTH ASAWA

"Art is for everybody," according to Asawa. "It is not something that you should have to go to the museums in order to see and enjoy. When I work on big projects, such as a fountain, I like to include people who haven't yet developed their creative side — people yearning to let their creativity out. I like designing projects that make people feel safe, not afraid to get involved." 

via the Ruth Asawa website here

Ruth Asawa's fabulous sculptures made from crocheted wire are meticulously created, one loop at a time. I am in awe and drawn to artists that are process driven and take time (a lot of time) to create their work. An artist's story (or any person's story for that matter) is equally important and of interest to me. 

Ruth was 16 years old when, together with her family was sent to an internment camp on the United States West Coast. There were many of these camps dotted around the globe during World War II, we had some here in Australia. These camps were set up to house people that descended from "enemy countries" such as Germany, Italy and in Ruth Asawa's case, Japan; to protect a country's security during the war. (I'm not even going to get into how much this upsets me). 

Anyway, I'll continue...

Ruth lived in a horse stable for six months and during that time she started to draw and paint together with professional artists that were also living in the camp. During this time, she found something that changed her life in a very deep way. And, we are very blessed that she did.  

The bulbous forms that hang mostly from the ceiling remind me of Ernst Haeckel's sketches of Radiolaria. 

All images are from the fabulous blog Mondo Blogo.

LOVE IS ALL AROUND

A BEAUTIFUL FIND