Thanks Papaw!

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On Memorial Day we are reminded of the thousands of military men and women who perished for our freedom. I was touched this morning by the Today Show’s story about young widows of military men who have banded together to help one another and make the most of their now solitary lives.

I am among the lucky ones. I haven’t lost a family member through military service even though my father, grandfather and uncles all served on foreign shores. All of them came home whole. We were blessed. So today I honor my father for his service in the army. He fought in World War II and the Korean Affair, but he never spoke about either. There were no war stories and there was no mention of what he saw or felt. I was left to wonder.

I know he was among those enlisted men who was commissioned during the war and I’ve heard my mother talk of how difficult it was for him to adapt to the change from “one of the guys” to leading the guys. I also know that he learned to cook while in the army; yet her never discussed the difficulties or the true significance of his time. I never even knew how he managed to come home one night from a foreign town wearing the wooden shoes that eventually set on our fireplace mantel instead of his army boots! I’ll bet that would have made a fine story.

At the end of active duty, my dad remained in the reserves and each summer he spent his vacation with other reservists during two weeks of hot summer camp. I don’t even know what he did there other than sweat!

In 2000 when my dad knew he had little time left on this earth, he asked my husband to fetch an old shoe box from his closet. The box held a military belt with a leather holster inscribed with U S. The holster contained a well kept Colt revolver that I had never seen before. My dad told us that he carried this in war time and that his father carried it in World War I. Now it hangs in our locked gun case as an ominous reminder of what was and what remains today. We are a country that fights to protect humanity and continues to sacrifice for the common good.

I now believe that my dad kept his stories to himself for many reasons. In particular, he did not seek sympathy or admiration for what he had done. He just did what most other young men did during that day and time so long ago. I also believe that to talk is to remember and he didn’t want to relive those desperate war days. He simply went on with life and left them behind as best he could. He must have dealt quietly with his own hell of memories and perhaps it’s best that I never knew what he experienced.

Thanks Papaw. I miss you.

family, Philosophy 4 comments

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Filed under: Necklaces, Philosophy, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

No, I’m not practicing a witch chant; I’m just continuing my work on the double wire series. You may recall seeing some of these necklaces in a post several entries back. I continue to be fascinated by the myriad of possibilities that exist with this basic design. That’s the “Double, Double” part.

Then there is the toil. Each time I pull out a long piece of wire and double it back, I get excited about what may develop; yet, I toil over how to get just the right balance in the wire armature and the beads. The necklace on the right looks a bit off, but I turned it too much in the photo and it is actually OK in person. I would have taken another photo, but this one found a home yesterday. Part of the toil comes as a result of needing to think of both sides at once. I’ve learned I can’t just do whatever I want with one side of the wire and hope I’ll be able to do something appropriately balanced with the other. It just hasn’t worked that way. Yes, I know I should probably draw the design before I start, but I’m a hands-on designer, not a pencil artist.

A significant part of the toil is determining how many beads to use. Originally, I planned to use many more beads on these armatures. I had an unfinished double wire necklace with me one day while visiting a boutique and wanted to get the owner’s take on the armature shape. She liked it, but didn’t want any more beads on it. She appreciated the simplicity. In other words, she helped me see that less can be more.

Finally, as the title suggests, there’s the trouble part. This occurs when the boutique client calls to request another double wire necklace “just like” the one I sold her last week. “Sure,” I say while wondering what in the world I sold her last week. I often feel like quite the dim wit as a client carefully describes the pieces she wants replicated and I have no recollection of what she’s talking about. Obviously, I must do a better job of taking photos of EVERYTHING. I just haven’t been that disciplined. Yesterday, I went to a gift shop that sells my work and took a photo of the display. It should help me remember a number of the pieces that found a home there. By the way, this store, called Paper Bear, is in San Marcos, Texas. Visit this unique place if you have a chance. 

I apologize for the poor photo on the left, but wanted you to see just how different these double wire pieces can be. This one seems to resemble a cat.

I guess my conclusion from all this “double, double, toil and trouble” is that it will continue for me. In the sports arena, that would probably be stated as “no pain, no gain.” Maybe for designers we could say “no play, no pay.” If we don’t play around with our designs (or toil), they will be the same old thing and may not sell. I, for one, am going to continue to play, take lots of pictures and hope for the best.

Necklaces, Philosophy, Wire Work comment

Upcycled Cans

Filed under: Earrings, Metal Work, Uncategorized | Back to: Homepage

Designing with cans, reminds me of my childhood. In my small town neighborhood in Medford, Oklahoma,  there were no fences; so the backyards sprawled from one to the next without interruption. All ages and sizes of children often played “kick the can” at dusk and I remember that it was great fun. Have you ever played? We actually did not use drink cans, but usually had something larger. I learned quickly that you really should pay attention to the condition of the can. Since I played barefoot, if I kicked a rusted can on a rough point, I came home with a bleeding foot. Yet, this did not deter me from playing again and again. I don’t remember the rules of the game, but it had something to do with running and hiding while someone else counted. Then as the person looked for the hiders, one of us could sneak up and kick the can. Then it all started again. Occasionally, I hid so well that when I finally came out everyone else had gone home. Bummer!

The earrings pictured here are made from Coke, Sprite and V-8 cans.   I appreciate that these are lightweight enough to be cut with paper cutters designed for scrapbooking. I’ve found that it is important to use the flattest parts of the can in order to get them into the cutter. Thus far, I’ve been riveting the can pieces onto copper discs, but feel there are many other possibilities.

The earrings on the left seem appropriate for Memorial Day weekend or the Fourth of July. Although the beads appear purple in the photo they are actually blue.

The colors on the V-8 can are more subdued and don’t show up as well on copper discs as shown below.  If I wasn’t so cheap, I would try them on sterling silver. But, I AM SO cheap!

I haven’t yet put the earwires in the pair on the right. I think they might also make interesting necklace charms or small pendants.

I’ll continue to play with cans a bit more and especially want to layer several flowers on one disc. I think there are numerous possibilities for some fun summer pieces.

As for any other “play” with these, I’m afraid my days of “kick the can” are over. Now, the freedom I found playing this game is slower paced, but comes from creative expression.

Earrings, Metal Work, Uncategorized 2 comments

It’s a Wrap

Filed under: Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

An expert friend kindly helped me learn a few variations on the wire wraps I use for cabochons. Below are a few that I’ve completed. The first shows a nice moonstone cabachon purchased from Magpie Gemstones (www.magpiegemstones.com) You might like to know that this great online bead vendor is offering a $200 shopping spree to some lucky person. You can get the details at the following link: http://www.magpiegemstones.com/spree.html  Check it out.

   Below is what I believe is a jasper cabachon. I’ve had it a long time and am debating what it is. You can see the wrap better in the second photo. This piece is in my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/74560684/copper-wire-wrapped-cabachon?ref=pr_shop

I also got this great turquoise cab shown below from the aforementioned vendor. I looked at it on the workbench for several months before deciding what to do with it. Then I wrapped it several different times. This piece is currently in my etsy shop. ( http://www.etsy.com/listing/74554455/turquoise-cabachon-necklace)

The piece below features a titanium plated drusy agate, also from Magpie Gemstones. I wrapped it with sterling silver since it was designed as an anniversary pendant. I’m happy to report that the recipient thought her husband made a good selection.

I completed numerous other wraps, but they were not fit for viewing. As with any new skill, they require practice, practice, practice. I’ve been doing a wrap or two every day before initiating the day’s design production work. I find that when one of my skills is lacking, I lose a great deal of technique if I don’t work on it a bit each day. My other skills that are more refined don’t require this. Here’s hoping I can get cab wrapping to that stage fairly soon.

I’ve done some design research on wraps by looking at the work of others online. I see many beautiful pieces wrapped intricately with tiny wire. Although I like these, they’re not my style. I want to keep a more organic look. I think we each have to find and stick to our own niche.

I find that it’s a big conundrum to determine what to do with a wrapped cab when it’s finished. Should I put it on a neck wire, handmade chain, leather cord or something else? I’m beginning to wonder if I should plan that final look before starting the wrapping. That bears consideration. Let’s just hope that as my wraps improve, that last decision will become easier to make.

Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work 2 comments

Design Stages

Filed under: Creativity, family, Philosophy | Back to: Homepage

I’ve taken a bit of a break from writing while my family has been visiting. Although I would enjoy showing you pictures of everyone, my grandson was really the only willing subject. He and I thought we might offer you suggestions for steps in the design process.

Incubation: This stage requires relaxation and tension release. It is, of course, important to be free from restraints so that ideas can flow.

This stage may require some action that says “it’s OK to dream and think out of the box. Sometimes it helps to get into a new thinking position while you ponder possibilities. This highly divergent activity could mean you look at supplies or tools from a totally new angle as demonstrated in the photo above.

Marketing Research: This is a much more convergent and structured stage in the design process. It can require serious computer research while you determine if your idea has already been done and/or whether it is feasible.

You will want to be comfortably dressed while conducting this stage.

Practice: You may need to refine a technique or skills before starting your new design. Hammering, for example is a good skill to practice. When practicing, it is often wise to practice the same skill with various types of materials. In this case, my grandson worked with both large head nails and smaller rivets.

Try to keep from being distracted by other interesting things while practicing for your design. This can be a BIG problem!

Production: Once you are satisfied that your skills are perfected, it’s time to start creating your design. Guard against obstacles or personal issues that may get in the way of your work.

You will want to be well rested and free from hunger.

Unfortunately, by the time my grandson reached the completion of this stage, it was time for him to go home.  Yet, we know the production stage of design development holds promise and look forward to this two-year old joining in the creative process again soon.

Creativity, family, Philosophy 4 comments

Mother’s Day – The Nursing Home Experience

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This is the pictorial explanation of the title. If you don’t want to look at old women, you should probably skip this entry.

Mamaw’s nursing home had a Mother’s Day party. All the “inmates” (Mamaw’s term) who are mothers were rolled down to the dining room for a celebration. My mother didn’t really think she wanted to go . . . but WE WENT! We tried to be fashionably late and some of the ladies had gobbled their snacks before we got there. Sometimes good food is hard to get in the nursing home.

Of course I wanted to get pictures of my mother, but at first there was little cooperation. When I asked for a smile, she gave me the face in the first photo.

We were offered punch, little finger sandwiches and cupcakes, but Mamaw ate very little. She just kept asking “who are all these STRANGE people?” I attempted to explain that they were relatives of mothers, but she continued to comment about their strangeness until I finally had to put the kibosh on her. I believe that when you are hard of hearing, you tend to talk loudly in crowds. That’s the benefit of the doubt I’m offering her. It seemed that she had more to say about the more rotund females among the strange people than about anyone else. I really wanted to keep that quiet!

I managed to get a photo of Mamaw with her favorite volunteer. This kind woman visits several times a week and also teaches a Sunday School class at the home. We really appreciate all her caring and her work. The best volunteers seem to be those who do not have a loved one at the nursing home. Jealousy often arises in the resident whose “people” are trying to help others. I must be careful. After all, I’m told; I’m not their daughter.

Another volunteer was kind enough to snap a couple of photos of Mamaw and me. I told Mamaw to try and look like she liked me and I think she did a good job. I guess you can tell from the photos that this great woman, my mother, might just be feistier than I am! I really glad she’s my mom!

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Foldforming

Filed under: Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Techniques, Torch Work | Back to: Homepage

The term in today’s title may not be familiar to you. As I think about possible meanings, I realize there could be several connotations if we consider a literal interpretation of foldforming. Here are a few of the definitions taken from Karen’s dictionary of unknown terms:

1. the folds formed by a garment from being pressed into a suitcase;

2. folds that appear on a face mainly in the later years of life (more commonly known as lines);

3. the formed folding of the human body resulting from an imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned;  .  .  .

We could keep going with those incorrect definitions, but the truth is that foldforming refers to procedures used on metal to create a variety of forms. I’ve been interested in this for several years and finally purchased Charles Lewton-Brain’s book Foldforming. I appreciate the author’s commentary regarding how foldforming can help a practitioner better understand the manner in which metal adapts to folding, hammering, annealing, etc. I’m attempting to work through the book slowly and learn technique as opposed to rushing ahead to just make something new. This particular book is good for my exercise since the author’s goal is teaching technique and I don’t feel that his emphasis is on how to make specific pieces of jewelry. Perhaps due to this, the book hasn’t always gotten the best practitioner reviews.

The procedures in foldforming largely involve folding the metal, hammering the fold and then annealing it with a torch. Then the fold is usually opened creating a line or ridge in the metal. You can see three different line folds in the above pendant.

The second pendant sports a line fold in the center, but I positioned the ridge of the fold in the back. Hammering the edges of the metal produced its expansion and the rippled effect shown in the photo.

Several people have commented that this one looks like a lily pad. I guess I need to go out and search for a little frog bead for the center.

Thus far my foldforming pieces have not received rave reviews. Rather than becoming discouraged, I have admonished myself to remember that I’m learning technique at this point. I believe that it may take a while to make this my own, but don’t dismay – I’ll get there!

By the way, if you are doing any foldforming, here’s hoping it’s all in metal!

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Double Wire Series

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Have you ever noticed how some design ideas are addictive? Working with double wire necklaces has become that way for me lately. The chaos necklaces let to other double wire designs and one piece seems to lead to the next. Double wire refers to the manner in which these designs initiate. I use one long piece of wire and double it over at each end to form the portion that either goes around as a neck wire or attaches to a chain. You can observe this at the top right and left of the piece below.

The joyous part of the design comes in deciding what to do with the extra wire. Should it curve up or down? Where should it cross? I’m trying to do something different on each one.

Once the armature is complete, it has been challenging to figure out where the beads should be placed. I wore the piece in the first picture to a bead show yesterday and asked several other artists what they would change on the piece. A synthesis of their comments with my own opinion yielded several changes to the piece last night. One of the reasons I enjoy working with wire is that you can make changes to a piece without having to completely start over.

Another challenge is that since the armature starts the same way each time, I have to be diligent enough to take the wire in a different direction and create something new. You wouldn’t want me to get in a rut, would you?

The piece above initiated a giggle when I turned it upside down and a bow legged something or other appeared. Dr. Torrance, educational creativity giant, encouraged us to look at things from different perspectives before deciding on a problem solution. I also try  to remember and turn my wire designs various directions before making a final design selection.

My other challenge remains the need to look at these armatures and NOT see something other than a design. The second piece does, of course, bear some resemblance to a flying creature, but I was determined to resist turning it into a butterfly. Although replicas of nature can be quite nice, they can also be limiting.

I’ll continue with this double wire series and need to see what might hatch with it in terms of earrings. Now that could be a real conundrum!

By the way, I just finished another article for Magpie Gemstones. This one pertains to ways to add a patina to copper. If you have interest, you can find it at www.magpiegemstones.com/copper_patina.html

Articles, Creativity, Metal Work, Necklaces, Wire Work 2 comments