Free Ride?

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Who says there’s no such thing as a free ride? Last week before the last of the puppies went to his new home, he was playing with the puppy we are keeping. Our puppy was sitting on a towel and the other little guy had the towel in his mouth pulling it across the laundry room floor. Since puppies don’t know about taking turns, it looked like a free ride to me.

This little episode made me start to wonder about the “free ride” phrase. I believe we get many free rides in our lifetime, but perhaps we just don’t see them as such. For example, someone held a shower at my home several weeks ago. It’s one of the few times when I’ve been able to literally sit in the back row, since I didn’t know the guests, and just enjoy myself. I didn’t have to be the life of the party or the charming hostess. It was a real treat. I think it was a free ride! I was able to ride on the bride’s veil tails and remember my own shower some 42 years ago. I also got to listen to whispers from other women about their own special times. It made me wonder if the back seat promises more enjoyment and meaning than the front. Is that where you have to be for a free ride? I think I shall try it again.

When a friend shows me a new wire or torch technique or someone at a design meet up shares an idea, is that a free ride?  They don’t ask for anything in return and I don’t have to contribute if I gave all my creativity at the office. Most of the  designers with whom I spend time are totally unselfish and share things for the sheer joy of it . . . a free ride.

. . . and the puppies? It’s blue bliss around here since we now have just the one pup we are keeping. While I was blue to see the other six leave for new homes, I feel blissful about their placements. Now I can have my laundry room back and things will begin to return to normal . . . whatever that is.

Keep your eyes out for that “free ride”. Perhaps you’ve had one recently and just didn’t recognize it. If you can’t find one, why not give one?

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Too Young?

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You’re never too young (or old) to pick up a hammer. I was privileged to stay with my  grandson for several days while his parents were out of town. On occasion, I would try to sneak in a little hammering on wire that I had configured while he was napping. Such a good little child . . . he wanted to help. Although I tried to interest him in his little toy hammer which had bells and whistles, he wanted mine. I was amazed that this 1 year old could wield the hammer and strike the bench block. I was, however, careful to keep my toes and fingers out of the way. He’s a strong little guy! I think his favorite part was the sound of the ping when the hammer met the block. Do you think we have a future designer or construction worker here? I think we just have a little boy who wants to do everything!

It makes me think how much fun we all have when we try different things. The wire work group with which I meet once a month tried etching and it was fun. I enjoyed this process, but was not fully captivated by it and realized that I can try something new without having to go “whole hog” into the endeavor. This is a phenomenon I’ve seldom experienced. I usually go overboard.  I looked around the room during our meet up and saw totally absorbed women working on their etching and seemingly not worrying about anything else. It resembled the concentration and joy I saw on my grandson’s face when he made the hammer go “ping”. Do you think we could market this to psychiatrists as “Creativity, the healthy way to improve your outlook”?

The pictures herein show some of the pieces I’ve done lately to “improve my outlook”. The first is a double strand of very rough cut turquoise and agate.

The next is a sterling silver wave adorned with cherry quartz, amethyst and pearls.

The third piece is made of shell with some spiney oyster and magnesite.

I’m definitely hoping for spring weather with the latter two pieces. I find that the boutiques are bulging with new spring clothes, so it’s time to think about pastel jewelry. All three of the pieces were new combination for me and another creative avenue. We don’t have to try something totally new to be creatively happy. It you can’t get to a brand new experience, just do a little juggling with the one you are currently tackling. I used to tell my gifted/creative students that if they were bored, it was their fault. They have to bring something to the learning experience. I think my grandson brought a great big hammer!

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Bowling

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

How many pieces of jewelry can you make while “watching” the Super Bowl? Today was Super Bowl Sunday and the game watching from my favorite chair presented a good opportunity to get some stringing completed. I shouldn’t actually say I watched the game. It’s more that I listened to the game and looked up at the appropriate times. I must say this provided quite an earful stemming from the television noise and the cheers or the opposite thereof from my spouse. Included in the sounds were the three adult dogs who chorused the announcement of a skunk in the yard and the little yelps of the seven puppies who heard their mom barking outdoors. Need I say that focusing on the jewelry was a challenge?

Thankfully, several things did come together as shown in the photos herein. All the necklaces have earrings, but the pictures of a couple didn’t work out. I believe that all the major bead components for these pieces were purchased from Turquoise Magpie.

The stones/colors for all these necklaces were selected with Spring in mind. The boutiques are already filling with fashions for warmer weather and the clothes beg for these lighter colored accessories.

Seeing a warmer than Texas setting on television for the Super Bowl helped me think about Spring and realize there is hope for brighter, more pleasant weather ahead. I’m thinking that designers need some special video, lighting or music to jump ahead to the next season while still physically stuck in the current one. I guess the Super Bowl “watching” helped me get there.

I hope your team won and that even if you are not a Saints fan, you will cheer with me for the city that came back. Having lived in Louisiana for nine years and hearing first hand from those who survived Katrina, I can only find joy in this win for the city of New Orleans and the whole Gulf region.

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What Makes an Artist?

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Have you ever been called or called yourself an artist? I recall my shock the first time I was in a store that sells my designs and the owner told a customer that the “artist” for the particular piece of jewelry was in the store today. I turned to look for her and found “the artist” in the mirror. I didn’t look like “the artist”, but who else could the store owner mean?

In my masters and PhD work, I studied many artists, particularly investigating their creative thinking. At that time, I don’t recall seeing any bios that resembled my own. For example, Julia Cameron discusses artists in her book, Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity. “Artists have stared out of windows and into their souls for a very long time. It is something in the staring-out that enables us to do the looking-in.”  I don’t recall ever really taking the time to stare out and then look in. I could say that LIFE got in the way of this, but I believe the true artist carves out time for this introspective endeavor.

Wikipedia defines artists stating “the definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art.” Webster further explains that an artist is (1) a person who works in, or is skilled in the techniques of, any of the fine arts, . . . (2) a person who does anything very well, with imagination and a feeling for form, effect, etc. . . . “ Both these descriptions make an artist more common than I suspected.

Unfortunately, only the second Webster definition, included imagination (creativity) which I believe is essential to the artist. Are artists those who perfectly replicate what they have seen created by others, found in nature, etc. or is an artist that person who imagines something unique or creates a true variation on something that already exists? I choose to believe that creative thinking is an essential component to artistry. I remember using the Torrance Visual Creativity Test to in the evaluation of several adults. One young woman was a painting major at a reputable college, but her creativity test indicated little visual imagination. I didn’t discuss her score, but learned later that she had changed majors to business. (quite a big switch). At that time, I wondered if we might save some art majors a good deal of unhappy college hours if they investigated their own creativity at an early stage or if the colleges, at the least, provided training in creative thinking.

You do not need to find fame to be an artist. That’s certainly apparent by those who commit to their art by doing as the artist for my books used to do. For many years, he slept on a pallet in his cold warehouse studio, earned money by baking bread for a bakery at night, and painted during the day. Luckily, he has now found sufficient success for a more comfortable life.

If you don’t need fame, do you need recognition to be an artist? Again, I would say no. I think a true artist solely requires appreciation from within. If so, the old “believe in yourself” statement holds true. Many of us, however, do require the appreciation of others to continue our art work. I would certainly have ceased to create new designs if my early pieces had not been appreciated. I feel it is very difficult to create in an arena of naysayers. 

What elements might it take to be a true artist? On the practical side, skill and technique developed through patient practice would certainly head the list. The less tangible elements of creativity, vision and fortitude weight strongly among those other needed qualities. If I chose these elements and wanted to work toward being more of an artist, I find that I need to go back to skill and technique. My creativity and drive have pushed me into production and now I notice minimal flaws in construction. If I want to “be” an artist under my definition, I need more skill practice. (If this was music, I’d be saying I need to practice more scales and arpeggios!) This skill practice also requires a critical eye, the kind that doesn’t accept “almost perfect”.

The difficulty will be in conducting skill practice while wanting to forge ahead with production. I need a healthy balance between the two and will try to keep from tipping the scale. Perhaps this will allow the “artist within” to emerge.

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Using the Right Tools

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I started beading ten years ago and remember spending considerable time searching for an appropriate way to store, yet have available, the many beads in my stash. At that time I had no idea that my hobby would eventually require so many different tools. While stringing beads requires several tools, working with wire and metal in jewelry design takes many more. Today, I spent most of the day rearranging my studio and realized just how many great tools I’ve acquired. Most of these came my way as a result of generous gifts from my family and friends. (Thanks!)

I’m not a big tool buyer. I try to make do with what I have, but have learned several lessons lately about how having the correct tools can make things easier. This, of course, doesn’t just apply to making jewelry, but to many other things.

For example, yesterday I visited my mother at the nursing home., I meant to take my good scissors because she has been considering having me cut her hair since before Christmas. I put it off by saying, “Let’s wait and ask your granddaughter.” This seemed to be a good idea and it worked well until after the holidays and everyone, including her granddaughter, went home. I had my nerve up to cut her hair this week, but forgot to take the needed tool – my sharp scissors. When I told Mamaw, she announced that SHE had scissors. “But Mother,” I said, “ those are for paper”. “Well, I don’t want to be butchered up,” she replied. To show her that they wouldn’t work, I took her scissors and whacked through the nearest thing I could find – a Kleenex. Unfortunately, the scissors worked great and we took on the task of cutting her hair with the old pair of scissors meant for paper. Now grey hair is not the same texture as a Kleenex, but by the time I thought of that, I was worn down and resigned to my task.

We started with a towel around her shoulders to catch the falling hair. She couldn’t see how much the towel was catching, but she could see the tiny pieces of hair that kept falling on her sweatshirt and so she kept wiggling as she flicked them off. Eventually, we removed the sweatshirt, but that didn’t help much. I hooked up her hairdryer and used it to blow the hair off of her, but she insisted that it was “too hot.” She hollered once when I got the comb hung in her earring and we had to stop to remove them. We stopped again to remove her hearing aids since she was sure I was going to cut them and another time to move her glasses (I thought this might help if I got the hair a little crooked, but it didn’t help at all. That woman has great eyes for spotting uneven hair whether or not she’s wearing her glasses.)

A couple of times I thought I was finished, but when she looked in the mirror, she found places that needed more whacking. She was sure one side was longer than the other and I was unable to convince her that her head was just leaning. When I thought I was finished, she still complained about her fly away hair, full of electricity due to the full-blast heating of the room. Thinking I could cure it, I used hair spray and announced her complete. Then she took the comb and, of course, when she ran it through her hair, it flew away again. Eventually, we agreed that we would stop for the day realizing we could always cut a bit more since she had her own scissors. I donned my coat to leave only to see her looking in the mirror and pointing to her neck. Yes, I had left a little long hair that was now showing. I whacked it off and exited quickly.

With the right “tool”, I’m sure I could have done a better job cutting my mother’s hair, but we might not have had such an interesting time. Part of the problem was not the tool, but rather my lack of expertise in cutting hair. I guess you can have the best tools in the world, but without technique and practice, you can’t be an expert.

While I don’t plan to become an expert at cutting hair, this Mamaw episode does bring light upon my wire work. I have good tools, and creative designs, yet much of my work still looks quite amateur. Those great Lindstrom tools that I bought just can’t do it all by themselves. So I guess I’ll keep asking questions of my expert friends and keep practicing. I used to try to teach my highly creative students that they couldn’t get by on just great ideas. They had to learn how to bring them to fruition and that takes practice. Now I need to practice what I used to preach.

As for my wire and metal work, I believe there is hope.  Besides, now if I need to really find out how my designs look or whether the wires are even, I’m just going to ask Mamaw, with or without her glasses.

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Curves

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

I went out looking for curves yesterday, hoping to cure a case of cabin fever. The local book store seemed the perfect start for the hunt and it didn’t disappoint. First, I grabbed the latest bead and wire magazines, a cup of coffee (yes I donated money for this free cup) and then I headed for the books.

The word curves, of course, has numerous connotations and since this is the famous week of fat following the Christmas gorging, I went straight to the books on exercise. Wow, those before and after pictures were outstanding. I want to see that in my mirror! Then I read what a few of the exercise programs entailed. hmm . . . There must be some other meaning for curves.

Moving on, I unashamedly sat at a table with a stack of magazines and didn’t worry as store employees walked by. They know that I will probably end up purchasing one of those magazines as I did yesterday. Unfortunately for my cash reserve, it was the most expensive, $14.95 magazine. But I REALLY needed it!

Thankfully, the bead and wire magazines, unlike those books containing before and after curve pictures, brought me back to reality. With pen in hand, I captured several curves to try in new jewelry designs. While I usually solely examine the illustrations found in the magazines, I did read an intriguing tip for shaping wire bracelets. The author suggested freezing a small juice can and then forming and hammering the bracelet on the can.

Last night, I made a couple of wire bracelet armatures and this morning I hunted a juice can. While there were none in my pantry, the tomato paste can appeared to be an appropriate size and I hammered my bracelet on it. The can approach didn’t help much with front of the bracelet since it was too rounded, yet, it was somewhat useful in forming the back of bracelets. You may note from the second photo that the can is dented. This occurred easily since the tomato paste was not frozen. I will try it another time with a different, frozen can.

Until I decide to purchase a suitable bracelet mandrel, the frozen can initially appears to be a viable option for curving the back of the bracelets.

The last picture shown here is of a curvy armature conjured as a result of yesterday’s hunt. While I didn’t see this design in anything yesterday, it spawned as a result of actively looking for cures. This bracelet is interesting looking on the wrist and I’m debating about embellishment for the piece. At any rate, these “curves” were much more easily accomplished than the curves found in that before and after exercise book. Perhaps I’ll just write a before and after jewelry design book called “No Sweat Curves.”

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New Year’s NOT Resolutions

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Today is the day people think about their New Year’s resolutions, those things they are going to do better in 2010. These resolutions are really a good idea since conjuring them causes us to think about self improvement. They also help many health food gurus, fitness specialists and diet clubs. Book stores love them because many flock in to pick up the latest self-help editions.

Most New Year’s resolutions are positive. For example, they might include things like this year, I’m going to . . . speak kindly even when I’m angry. . . walk the dogs every day . . . call friends more often . . well, you get the picture and could probably fill in a litany of your own ideas. Here’s the problem with these resolutions. I don’t keep them and then I feel worse than I did before I made them!

This year is going to be different. Let the NOT resolutions flow! (cheer, cheer) Here are a few of mine.

• I resolve NOT to worry if the dinner dishes are still on the kitchen counter at bedtime. Eating is more important than cleaning.
• I resolve NOT to feel bad when new lines appear on my aging face and new bulges appear . . . you know where. Some things in life are inevitable.
• I resolve NOT to fret when friends and customers find my house in a mess. I’m helping them feel better about their own places.
• I resolve NOT to try to keep my studio neat and tidy. Creativity does often arise out of chaos . . . if you can stand the chaos.
• I resolve NOT to iron my mother’s clothes when she tells me I let them get too wrinkled. I’ll just run them through the laundry again.
• I resolve NOT to feel bad when we run out of bread. Someone else could have gone to the store, too.

These NOT resolutions could go on, but you’re probably getting the idea. Why don’t you try a few of your own. Go ahead. Take a little pressure off. It could make for a happier 2010!

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Little Things . . .

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

. . . Mean A Lot . . . or so the song goes. I had forgotten some of the words to this piece and looked them up on the internet. That’s where I found a vocal rendition by Kitty Kallen which you can hear at the following address:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=501bwTRmkYY     Some days I might think the song a bit sappy, but today it’s a reminder to quit rushing around and try to be nice.

This song has been tuning its way around my head for about a week. I first thought of it when someone asked me to make some necklaces for little girls – little things. I enjoyed making those and then I realized that most of the jewelry pieces I’ve made lately are fairly large. Where are the little things?

With that in mind, I dove right in and designed some different pieces. First, I tried to picture the women I know who wear smaller or lighter weight necklaces. I thought about the particular style of each and went from there. I was pleased to find a heart in my drawer of turquoise and accented the necklace for it with black onyx and sterling silver. It was looking awfully traditional until I added the donut achieving an asymmetrical look.

The fossil in the next piece is an unusual gray color; therefore I used hematite and pearls with it.

In the brown necklace, I tried to get a semi-chunky look in a small, short necklace. I wanted it to be completely eclectic and that proved to be quite a chore. I didn’t have quite enough beads of any one kind and must have restrung this one five or six times.  

The fourth piece  is my favorite. Again, I wanted something that was a mixture of beads and this one also was restrung numerous times. I particularly like this little pendant and the Celtic bead that adorns it. I’ve just started trying to work with sterling silver wire and think I’m going to like it.

There’s a line in the song that says  . . .”never cared much for diamonds and pearls” . . . “little things mean a lot”. . . While the connotation has to do with sentimental demonstrations of caring such as “touch(ing) my hair as you pass my chair” and “say(ing) I look nice when I’m not” . . . , let’s hope someone likes my “little” things. In the mean time, I’m going to try to remember the small gestures I can make that will be meaningful to others.

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Cleaning: A Necessary Evil

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I hate to clean! There’s just no way around it, though; it has to be done. Whether it’s cleaning the kitchen after cooking, cleaning the house or cleaning the studio, I just don’t like it. As we can all attest, cleaning doesn’t last. Yet, ever once in a while, I decide that I just can’t stand it any longer and I plunge into the chore with great gusto. Today, was one of those days.

Today was the day I finally cleaned the inside of my car. Anyone who has ever lived on a ranch can easily tell you what the inside of the ranch vehicles look like following a few days of muddy weather. Not only was the inside dirty, the outside of the car window had been licked by several hungry cows who thought the car might be housing their food. Muddy boots, shoes and jeans certainly left their mark on the inside of the car. I could, of course, go into great detail about the yuk I cleaned up, but I’ll just let you use your imagination. Be sure to apply all your senses, including sight, touch and smell to the conjured image!

Some say that out of “yuk” may come something good and today it happened. It’s always interesting to vacuum my car because I can’t see what’s under the seats and the cleaning often finds all sorts of things. Today was no exception. I found my long lost emery board, a receipt that I needed and then something I didn’t recognize emerged. I quickly turned off the machine and see what rose from the depths of the yuk. At first, I thought the vacuum had discovered some puzzle pieces, but I was wrong. The small sack under the seat contained three little hand cut cabochons that had been missing for quite some time.

This was a great find and I’ll be using those in my work tonight.

Before putting away the vacuum cleaner, I couldn’t help but wonder if anything else of value had been in the yuk and eaten by the machine. I opened the machine’s dirt container and found a small stretchy bracelet that was intended for the nursing home bazaar and a mustard colored bead. I retrieved the bracelet, but as I held the bead in my hand, I realized it was only a berry that must have fallen from an artificial plant. Following the pleasure of finding the cabs, I decided to forego cleaning the car windows, It is, after all, a ranch vehicle and it could rain again tomorrow and wash off those cow licks.

This car cleaning made me wonder what surprises await if only I would vacuum the couch or under the beds. Hmmm . . . should I do it? No, I think more cleaning can wait. Perhaps the anticipation of more buried treasure will motivate me another day.

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Little Lights

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At dusk the other evening I drove past a yard surrounded by paper bag lanterns. This is a sure sign that Christmas is upon us. While I realize that those lights take many more sophisticated forms than they used to, such as some that use light bulbs rather than candles in the bags, they still remind me of Rudolpho Anaya’s children’s book, The Farolitos of Christmas. Anaya tells the story of an old San Juan tradition wherein some of the people dress like shepherds and enact a play showing the journey taken to visit Jesus. On the way to the church these pastores stop and sing in front of the house with the brightest lights. Although this has always been the little girl Luz’s house, one particular year, her abuelo, grandfather, is not healthy enough to chop the wood and build the fire and her father is away at war. A disappointed Luz wants to help, but can’t find an answer. Although she is too small to build a bonfire, she continues to think about the situation until one day she makes an analogical connection that guides her to a solution. The girl watches at the store while the merchant pours sugar into a brown paper bag providing the idea for building little bonfires, or lights made with bags, sugar and candles. These beautiful farolitos light the path for the Christmas celebration.

I was fortunate to meet the author, whom some may know from his adult books such as Bless Me Ultima, when I was teaching at Texas State University. I told him that I was so pleased to know the story of the little lanterns and asked how he learned about it. He laughed, saying, “I made it up.” I suppose the gift we give in writing fiction is to make others believe our stories are true. He certainly had me believing.

We simulate little lights in many ways. In our designs, certainly the bright faceted crystals sparkle to simulate light. Since I love a more natural, earthy look, one of my favorite sparkles is citrine, pictured in a double strand here. It reminds me of the color of the farolitos.

Sometimes we create our own lights. My mother had little lights sparkling in her eyes as she told me about her “date” at the nursing home and my friend sparkles when we talk about her upcoming marriage. Both of these occurrences put a little sparkle in my own smile.

Some of us buy our sparkles while others bring their own. Those that bring their own seem to pass them on as in the single candle that lights the others. Let’s just hope that in this season of tough weather, heavy traffic and busy schedules we can still “pass it own” with our own farolitos.

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