One would think that we had just discovered the wreckage of a pirate ship laden with treasures and salvaged the loot. However our means of acquiring these many treasures is much more modest! Cynthia carved the stamps and I pressed them out. Here are the bronze clay coins we pulled straight out of the kiln after a quick rinse. (They're in the tumbler now to work-harden them a bit and shine them up.) I must say that it was quite satisfying pulling the glowing coins from the black carbon, revealing what felt like an ancient treasure from a far away land.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Treasures...
One would think that we had just discovered the wreckage of a pirate ship laden with treasures and salvaged the loot. However our means of acquiring these many treasures is much more modest! Cynthia carved the stamps and I pressed them out. Here are the bronze clay coins we pulled straight out of the kiln after a quick rinse. (They're in the tumbler now to work-harden them a bit and shine them up.) I must say that it was quite satisfying pulling the glowing coins from the black carbon, revealing what felt like an ancient treasure from a far away land.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Hey, have you ever thought of doing any simple tutorials for PMC or any simple jewellery making projects??
Those are HOT.
sweet!
Ooooo, pretty!
Brilliant!
(the idea and the results)
The things you cold do with your "dabloons" lol are really endless! Awesome awesome!
Thanks everyone for your kind words! You guys are so nice.
Hey Jobee! I love sharing creativity with anyone interested. Often times, some of our long-time favorites and good customers will come to the show with their latest projects that they're working on in tote. We love to see what people are making! If the show is slow or we've got multiple people working the booth, we take great delight in working on projects with folks behind the table. However, we don't always get to do this. Sometimes the setup or the circumstances aren't conducive, but we still enjoy doing it when we can. As for teaching, Cynthia has been known to teach a little on the side. It's rare, but not improbable. She's working on a book to help share some of her techniques. It should be really helpful. As far as teaching goes for me, I LOVE IT! I just don't have the time to do it usually. I'd absolutely adore being able to make time to do it though. So if you know what you'd like to know and have a small group of people also interested, we might be able to arrange something. It all depends. Also, depending on where you are is another concern. If you're near Asheville, we could probably set something up. Or if you're near New York, I'd consider opening up my private studio, however I'm highly protective of my space, time, and privacy when I'm in New York... so you'd have to catch me on a good day. I can be fiercely hermit-like! Thanks though for taking interest and flattering me with such a request!
Ha ha ha... Oh, Jobee. I just saw on your profile that you're in the UK. If you're in the States anytime soon, my offer still stands. However, seeing as how there is an ocean between us, the best I can offer are some books and some magazines. If you look through the back issues of Stringing Magazine or look online (they've got an archive of projects), you'll see some of the pieces I've made with detailed instructions on how to make them. It's not the same as in-person instruction, but it'll give you step-by-step directions on how to make your very own pieces based on the pattern selected.
As far as PMC goes, there's a lot of resources out there that deal with the subject. Some of them, to be absolutely frank, aren't worth the paper they're printed on. I've come across several books, claiming to be one-stop-shop for information on PMC, but either leave out crucial information or give false information or potentially dangerous and hazardous advice. A good place to turn is Kate McKinnon. Her book, Structural Metal Clay is really thorough and provides safe and sound advice and instruction. She's got a way of breaking things down and showing you how to make great, sturdy pieces that are beautiful. Sherri Haab also has some really nice literature out there on PMC. Cynthia, my sister, is working on a book and it's definitely filled with a lot of useful techniques. Kelly Russell is also working on a book - it promises to be a good read as well. I'm sure that I'm leaving some books out - partially on purpose and partially because there's been a big boom in books about PMC right now and there simply isn't time enough in the day to read them all.
So, good luck with your quest for knowledge. Take everything with a grain of salt and above all else - use common sense. If someone has instructions that include burning out styrofoam cores or using various poisons to patina, they don't respect themselves and their health - let alone your's. So steer clear of those books and authors if you can.
You are more than kind and if I ever get over the pond I may just take you up on your offer! Obviously I will bring ferraro roche and nutella.
At least I am feeling a touch inspired which is something I have been seriously Lacking of late - so thank you for that!
Andrew, what about a Skype webcast as a class? You could hook up video and sound chat and hold a class from any cave, apartment or house you wish? I use Skype all the time and find it a wonderful resource. Plus Oprah likes it.
Post a Comment