Asian art jewelry - Harn museum of art

Spring is in the air!  Part of what I've been working on for the past few weeks have been more than just scrabble tile jewelry.  I've been working on custom scrabble tile jewelry for the Harn Museum of Art's Asian art exhibit (with its own wing!) which will be opening this weekend.









These images were supplied to me by the curators at the Harn and I digitally enhanced them to reproduce onto scrabble tiles finished with a dome of resin.

The pendants will be available for purchase beginning this Friday (March 30, 2012), in the museum's gift store. 

See the buddha pendants in the bottom of the picture of left?  There was a neat little story about him and his recent 'medical procedures'. 

To learn more about the Harn Museum of Art and their new Asian Art Exhibit, become a fan of the Harn Museum on Facebook.

New resin project

What happens when you hoard stuff without knowing what you're going to do with it, only to find it years later and have the perfect idea?

Pure.  Dumb.  Luck.

I found this stash of bottle caps that I have had so long I can't even remember why I started saving them to begin with.  Ah, another lovely way to capture resin.

I amaze myself sometimes.

So here they are.  A lonely pile of bottle caps.  They thought their days of being fun and interesting were over.

So this part was the biggest problem.  How to get those little plastic inserts out of the caps?  Otherwise, the papers wouldn't lie flat.

The answer:  industrial strength acetone.  Let it soak for a few minutes, then pull out with tweezers (which I was worried about putting through my hand at some point).

Here they are now -- nice and clean.  Some of them got scratched getting the plastic out, but it's no big deal.  It will be covered up by the paper.

I put cute paper in the bottle caps and sealed them like I do the scrabble pendants.

So what are these going to be?  You'll just have to wait.  :)  That will be another forthcoming blog post.

Asking for an art donation

Phew!  Glad to be back from my Las Vegas trip.  (Home is always a good place to be.)  I've got some pictures from the trip to post for tomorrow, but in the meantime, this is an article I wrote while I was away about how to ask an artist for an art donation.  I get many requests from worthy charities and non profits for art donations. The requests are usually for pieces for a silent auction, raffle, or door prize. Since I get so many, I cannot say yes to everyone.  (Honestly, I don't know another artist that isn't in the same boat.)  Whether you are planning on asking me or another artist you know for a donation, these are 10 tips to help you when asking for an art donation. (P.S.  Number 8 in this list goes a long way with me.)

1. Approach an artist or gallery you have a good relationship with. This could be that you are a regular customer or regularly interact via social media or live events. 

2. Approach someone that has strong feelings about the charity or non profit group you are raising funds for. For example, I feel very strongly about children's charities in my area.  I make it a point to regularly donate to them.

3. Know that artists and galleries get MANY requests for donations. This may even be a good way to lead into your request: "You must get lots of requests to donate your beautiful paintings. Our organization would be grateful if you would at least consider making a donation for our annual fundraiser."

4. Write your request to an actual person! Research the gallery and/or artist to find an actual contact person versus sending your request to "To Whom It May Concern". 

5. Share what the artist and/or gallery can expect to receive in return for their donation. Are you going to feature the art and/or the artist in a brochure or catalog about the event? Will the artist's work be shown with their name and photograph? Are you asking the artist or a gallery representative to make a personal appearance?

6. A little flattery goes a long way (but be sincere!) Get to know the gallery or artist and their art first before you ask for a donation. It will be much easier for you to talk about their art and why you find it a good fit for your charity event.

7. Consider asking if the artwork is available for purchase at the wholesale price (since you are asking on behalf of a charity). While artists and galleries may balk at giving up art outright, they may consider selling it to the charity at a discount. 

8. Don't forget to follow up with a handwritten thank you on a nice card or stationery. Not a postcard. Not an email. Not a "thank you" buried somewhere on your website. A thoughtful, handwritten thank you goes a long way in getting the artist or gallery to make a donation again. 

9. Know that some of the artists and galleries are going to say no (and remind yourself this is okay). It might be the artists doesn't have any inventory to spare or can't afford the donation. Regardless, thank him or her for their time and ask if it's okay for you to contact them in the future. 

10. Lastly, do not tell the artists what they can or can't do in terms of how this donation relates to their tax situation. Donating art is a tricky situation; recommend the artist or gallery consult their financial adviser for advice on this matter.

It's spring (in Florida anyway)

I realize there are still some people digging out from underneath snow banks, but it's spring here in Gainesville, Florida. I'm enjoying all the pretty flowers, shrubs and trees in my yard, that are doing well IN SPITE of anything I do (or don't do).



These are a couple of the Hawthornes in front of my house.  They get the white flowers in the spring and just have the green leaves the rest of the year.











I love the fuschia (did I spell that right) pink on the azaleas.  This year, they're blooming in waves.  One year I was lucky that they all bloomed at once in front of my house.  Wow!











This is more of an orange pink flower on the azaleas on the side of the house.  Still pretty nice, but I like the other pink color better.









The orange blossoms are out on my orange tree.  You truly can't appreciate these without having the opportunity to smell them.  Too bad we don't have "smell-o-vision" yet.

A close up of the orange blossoms.  I had to dodge the bumble bees to get the picture.  They like them too.



As much as I love these, I miss that I don't get to have tulips.  I've heard that I can have them by putting the bulbs in the freezer then planting, but green thumb I AM NOT.  In fact if there was a "plants rights" organization, I would be on their most wanted list.

So what are you most looking forward to see this spring?

Noche de Gala silent auction donation

I get many requests during the year for me to donate my jewelry for the benefit of charity.  While these charities are very worthwhile, I have to say no to  many requests simply because I cannot afford to give away that much jewelry.  I do, however, have several charities I feel strongly about, and I make a point to support them with their endeavors.

One such charity is the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation.  This foundation was founded by Sebastian's parents after he died of a medication overdose at the young age of three.  His parents have turned their tragedy into a quest to have a children's hospital in Gainesville, Florida.  I am completely amazed by their resolve into making their son's death a chance to improve medical options for children in the north Florida area.  As a parent of a son who has required intensive pediatric care, including three surgeries, I feel very strongly about supporting their endeavor.

Color enhanced coral, sterling silver, bronze, green aventurine

This coming Saturday evening is their annual event and fundraiser, Noche de Gala.  I have donated one of my coral bracelets (shown left) to their silent auction.  The bracelet normally retails for $250.  Many other artists and businesses from this area have donated items as well.  Pre event bids are open for all the items.  Even if you're not local, you can still find many pieces of beautiful artwork to buy knowing that the proceeds will go to help many children.  My hope is that once again, they will have a successful evening that will bring them even closer to seeing their son's memory impact thousands of children.

My visit to McIntyre Stained Glass Studio and Art Gallery.

One of the art galleries that sells my jewelry locally is McIntyre Stained Glass Studio and Art Gallery.  I have known artists and owners Mike and Mary McIntyre for several years.  They are very talented in of themselves and are great to work with from an artist's standpoint.  I dropped off some new jewelry the other day and thought I would take a few pictures while I was there to share with blog readers.

Their space is divided into two areas.  The back half of the store is their studio space.  This is where they cut and assemble their stained glass pieces.

I am always impressed with how organized and clean their studio space is.  Their glass pieces are always organized and they have everything within easy reach.

I have never taken a stained glass making class, but can appreciate the work that goes into creating a piece.  This is one of their commissions in progress.

The front half of the store is the gallery space.  They pride themselves with only displaying and selling art from local artists.










My youngest son happened to be with me as I was making my jewelry delivery.  Much to my amazement, he was not interested at all in touching anything.  Phew!

While it's a small store space, everything is displayed very tastefully.  Shoppers should not have the feeling of being overwhelmed with all the art.

These are some of my new scrabble tile resin pendants in their display case. 

I try to have a varied jewelry assortment there so patrons looking for a unique jewelry gift can have a variety to pick from.











Of course they have their own finished stained glass pieces as well.  They also have an assortment of sizes and styles of stained glass available.











Their shop is open six days a week and other times by appointment.  They are also a regular participant of the Uptown Art Hop.

For anyone interested in stained glass making classes, they do teach from their studio.  I don't know the specifics, but Mike and Mary will be happy to help you get registered.

Getting resin jewelry ready for sale

I'm happy to say that as I've been getting ready for the Thornebrook Art Festival this week, I've also had the opportunity to ship out some sale jewelry. Customers have come to know that this is the only time of year I put my jewelry on sale and pounce on it with some zeal!  I did a post earlier in the summer on how I package jewelry to ship to customers.  In case you're wondering what happens once you place an order, you can see I carefully inspect and package the resin jewelry before I box it up to ship.

I put the finishing touches on some resin scrabble tile pendants and wanted to share some pictures.

These are finished pendants on a tray.  The resin has completely cured.  (Almost looks like a tray of cookies -- to me anyway)

A close up of the pendants.  A little hodge podge of all the retro, and art deco designs I have ready right now.

I'm applying the silver tone bails with a high quality acrylic adhesive.  I "eyeball" where the bail goes and place it on the pendant. 

I leave them for several hours to completely dry before moving them.

Once they're completely dry, I stack them in "recycled" storage boxes.  I place them in one layer at a time with wax paper in between.










I will have some pictures next week of me getting my booth ready for art festivals.  I hope to see you this weekend, but if not, mark your calendars for the first weekend in November for the Downtown Festival and Art show!

Handmade jewelry on sale

We're almost to the Thornebrook Art Festival!  I'm preparing jewelry for my annual sale in conjunction with the show.  All my sale jewelry is the end of a series, when I'm just down to the last few.  There are no seconds or imperfects.  I've photographed the first batch and have them shown here:

Vintage cabochons in sterling silver.  Approximately 7/8 inches wide.

Normally $75 each, will be $25








I have a few of my infamous vintage cabochon pendants and earrings left.  The pendants are approximately 1 inch wide and the wire earrings 3/4 of an inch.

They are normally $18 and $30, respectively, but will be marked down to $5.

Melon coral and hematite (left) and pink coral and unakite (right).

Normally $75, will be $20.

Copper (top left), sterling silver (top right) and 14K gold fill (bottom).  All with a hammered texture.

Normally $18, $32 and $40 respectively.  Will be $10, $20 and $25.












Textured/patterned sterling silver with 14K gold fill accents.

Normally $30, will be $15










Sterling silver beads with nugold accents.

Normally $40, will be $10














Dichroic glass bezel set in sterling silver.

Normally $60, will be $10.














Patterned brass earrings, oxidized to highlight the detail.

Approximately 1 cm wide.  Normally $15, will be $5







Pearl hanging from a sterling silver loop.  (These have been some of my best sellers).

Normally $28, will be $10.

Sterling silver abstract designs.

Normally $25, will be $10











If you see something here you would like to purchase, please contact me.  I will be happy to take a credit card over the phone and hold your order for pick up at the show.  I am also happy to ship items via U.S. postal mail.  Shipping prices is $3 for the first item or $6 for two or more items.

Jewelry making class pictures

Last night, I taught my forged metal bracelet class for the first time at Gifts of Avalon.  This was a brand new class, which is tough for me sometimes because I never know if people are going to want to come and learn a new technique or not.  (The woman at the far left in this picture, Claudia is actually responsible for pushing me to come up with new classes!  Her partner in crime, Judy, couldn't make last night's class).

This was a large class of seven students.  Sometimes they can get a little crazy for me as I try to make sure everyone is being tended to, but this class had some great chemistry and they were really focused!  I wish I could play a sound track for this class.  They all had to hammer bracelets and it sounded just like what I'm guessing it does in Santa's workshop during the month of December.  Lots of dinging and hammering!

I wanted to share the finished projects everyone got done.  Most of the class had no metalsmithing or jewelry making experience, but everyone had a new bracelet in under three hours (some even a little faster)!  This bracelet is made from sterling silver.  Chris, one of my class regulars, gave a shiny, mirror, polish.

These bracelets were done by Rebeccah (below) and Christine (right).  They made both of their bracelets from copper.  I showed them how to finish their bracelets by applying heat with a torch.  They got some beautiful pinks, blues, and touch of gold color on their bracelets.

Chuck was my only guy in the class.  He was kind enough to come and make his wife a bracelet.  (Is that dreamy or what??).  Chuck finished his bracelet with a matte finish using steel wool and liver of sulfur to highlight the details.

Remember Claudia from earlier in the post?  This is her bracelet.  She said was HOOKED on making these and wanted to make one for her daughter.  We also talked about what she wants to me to teach next.  *wink*

JoAnn also took the class but managed to sneak away before I could get her bracelet photographed.  (Probably was so good she didn't want to put me to shame.)

 The last two bracelets are from Trude  (copper one on the left) and Susan (sterling silver one on the right).  Both turned out great and Trude completely amazed me by putting her own flair to her bracelet.  (By the way, Trude is one of the shop owners and is always happy to help customers.)

Wow!  It was a great night!!  There were several people on the waiting list for this class, so I will be running it again in early July.  You can contact Gifts of Avalon now to get on the waiting list.