The creative process (4): so many projects, so little time . . .

While I would have liked to have spent most of my weekend at the workbench, I decided to tackle the considerable job of cleaning up and organizing the workshop after five months of neglect . . . it took most of my time, fancy that. 

When I finally sat down at the workbench for some creative time, I found I could not concentrate on projects at hand . . . on Thursday I bought two tiny Moleskine journals on a whim at the checkout at Borders . . . and I'm just dying to make little copper journal covers for them.

Then there is this project:

I found the Mimosa seed pod in Baja, and over the last few months have been messing about with a design that incorporates a single pearl, an iridescent green and gold beetle from Kenya, and a richly patinaed copper background . . . it's not quite right yet, but I like the fabricated / fused silver branches.

And then while at Ace Hardware I found brass channel wire - prefect for quick, inexpensive bead bracelets. I envision this one with all black beads (wonderful Arizona black jade) with a single red one . . .

And so I messed about with a lot of little things, but in the end didn't finish anything . . .

So many projects. It's wonderful, but sometimes I wish there were 40 hours per day . . .

Beautiful patterns in nature ~ scales

Not everyone thinks snakes are beautiful, but to me they are. It's snake season here in the Sonoran Desert, so it means being a little more careful where one puts feet or hands. But when you chance upon a rattlesnake hunting, like this one, coiled near the bird feeders, it is a chance to appreciate the beautful colors and patterns in their skin, rendering them nearly invisible in the pebbly ground.

The creative process (3): keeping organized, keeping track

I tend to have a lot of projects going at once, and with hundreds of pieces of inventory (from gemstones to beads to found objects to silver, copper, and gold), I had to develop a way to keep the chaos at bay and yet still allow for my creative process to flow . . .

Developed over several years of full-time jewelry-making (with inventories for online sales, 6 galleries, and several craft shows), this system is based on using my own Desert Rose notepads (5 x 7") and slightly larger plastic bags from a jeweler's supply store.

When working on a project (or an idea, still in the 'bits and pieces' phase), I sketch the basic idea, dimensions, and materials on a piece of the notepaper. If a commercial project, I'll include the prices of the components and where I got them, so I can source them again; a tally of the final cost is simple and helps me to figure out wholesale or retail pricing. The piece above is a great example: a cheap cabachon ($5) because it seems to have a 'flaw' - but I saw it as nopportunity to pair with a perfectly shaped droplet of fire agate that will look like it 'dripped' out of the agate . . . ('GG' as the source is Galarneau's Gems; Jerry Galarneau is my favorite cab maker if I am not able to make my own.)

In between projects I place all the parts in the bag (usually in smaller bags, to protect stones and metal) and store in a tall baker's rack on wheels - the shelves are huge baking sheets; each shelf holds 50 or more bags and there is room for 15 shelves, though I use many  of them for bead and found object storage as well.

Finally, I file finished projects in a three-ring binder with a photo of the piece, so I have a record system that makes repeat projects much easier.

Copper Fire Series - New Forged Fire Bracelets

When I set aside the found-object copper bracelet (or necklace) project, I decided to try out an idea I'd had a while back using copper wire and scrap silver.

I cut 6" lengths of 10-gauge copper wire and took them out to my old railroad tie anvil, where I used a large hammer to forge their ends to tapered paddles, then a jeweler's ball-peen hammer to dimple and mar the surface all over.

Back at the bench, I filed and finished the ends, then got out my jar of silver scrap and chose pieces of wire and bezel strip to wrap around the copper. On goes the torch, and I heated the copper and silver to the point where the silver started to flow and fuse with the copper. Off with the heat and tossed the piece into cold water.

It was a slaggy blackened mess at first, but with some careful work with sanding blocks and detailed work with manicurists' foam-files (with three different grades of abrasive and polishing surfaces), and the colors begin to glow - deep red, bright silver and gold, deep black, and rich copper. 

A few bends on the bracelet mandrel, some Krylon clear satin, and we have a beautiful forged-fire bracelet that has a very organic feel.

These will be going up for sale in a few weeks, after I create an inventory.

Reward system - a cheetah-heart T-shirt

This past Friday I had to finish up some pretty complicated - and very un-fun - accounting for a client, so I promised myself if I got through it, I would work on a fun project that had been humming around the back of my mind for weeks . . . an 'altered couture' T-shirt using cheetah-print fabric left over from my Land Cruiser center console and visor covers.

I found this bright green T at my favorite thrift shop for $1 and set about copying Amy Tangerine's wonderfully simple reverse applique process to add some whimsy to a simple T (the idea came from the spring issue of Altered Couture magazine).

One hour, a needle and some embroidery floss, scissors, and some beads, and I have a cheetah-heart T-shirt reward for hard work.

The creative process (2): found object bracelet

Earlier in May I wrote about my creative process, and used as an example a collection of found objects (weathered copper and stones from a beach on the Sea of Cortez).

After sitting on my workbench for five months, I finally set about working them into a piece of jewelry today.

The second step for me (after playing with my piles of objects for days or weeks or months, until an idea 'gels') is to lay out all the bits and see if my idea will result - practically - into jewelry.

I wrote about how I envisioned the flat stones and copper as a linked bracelet, so that's what I set out to do. I sealed the copper with satin Krylon clear, to keep it from reacting when in contact with skin (salts and perspiration would cause an adverse reaction, both to the jewelry and to the skin).

I laid out the found stones (flat pieces of shale, in lavender and terra cotta colors) with the copper and started playing with the colors. Musing on shapes, textures, and colors, I then went to my considerable stash of stones and objects and started pulling out other pieces that might work well to add to the storyline: rainbow hematite, amber, amethyst, opal, iolite, copper, and a piece of blue-green glass.

Happy with the colors, I then started cutting out the copper into pieces I thought would work for bracelet links. It is very brittle, so the saw didn't work very well - it worked better to carefully snip with tin snips. 

All joins will have to be 'cold' (without a torch or solder, since that would destroy the copper patina), so I marked where I will rivet or use miniature bolts to connect the layers. I like the look, colors, and textures . . . but I began to worry about the fragility of the pieces. The copper is very brittle, and the stones might not stand up well to the abuse a bracelet must withstand.

So I started considering making it a necklace . . . I mused on a metal chain, then started playing with cord and ribbon - I thought the contrast might be nice with the rough stones and patinaed copper. 

At this point, I started another project, since I want to mull this one over a bit before continuing . . . 

Cream-white: the color of Sonoran Desert summer

As we move into full summer, the colors become bleached . . .

Saguaro cactus blossom

Soaptree yucca flower stalk

Seed pods of pincushion flower (Chaenactis)

Deer skulls and antlers