Tattered Saints

No More Tangled Up In Blue...

Getting There...

I'm getting there with the purge and reorganization.  Sort of.  I've cleaned up a cabinet and some drawers and have one bag of trash so far.  I've found a couple of things that I was looking high and low for awhile back.  Also came across several forgotten, half finished or never started projects.   It's going to be an ongoing, time consuming issue I'm sure. 

I got some of the enameling supplies I ordered.  I got a huge box of enamels in sample packets.  I think there are like 169 of them.  One box is still in transit.  There are two different boxes, one being opaque and one being transparent.  Probably more enamel than I will ever use.  I get carried away, sometimes.   I also got some copper, but it's thinner than I thought it would be so I don't know if I'll be happy with it or not.  I should've ordered 18g and I ordered 24g instead.  Again, my best excuse is getting carried away and not thinking before I buy something.  I need to stop doing that...

The brass piece that I enameled seems to be fine.  I tried dropping it on the table a few times and it didn't crack or chip or break.  I think that's a good sign.  Here it is on a chain...

The ID bracelet thing is also finished...

I solemnly swear that I will start to make pieces in other colors besides blue. 

Time for tea, then back to work...

Another One Gone...

Another week has come and gone.  Where does the time go?  I can't get half of the things done that I want to do. 

I spent some time this morning messing about with my enameling kiln.  I can't find the round copper blanks that I bought when I was taking the enameling class.  They have disappeared into thin air.  I did find a bunch of brass blanks that I had forgotten about so I did some searching on GOOGLE to see if it's possible to enamel brass.  It's a very good question that still has no definite answer.  One website says YES, you CAN and another says NO, you CAN'T and the one that says YES, you CAN does not bother to say how.  Lovely.  So helpful.  I decided to give it a try.  The correct answer does actually seem to be yes, you can and no, you can't.  I did three coats on the first side of the blank and  it looked perfect.  Then, I flipped it over and did a coat on the other side.  When I looked at the first side, it had melted and was totally screwed up.  I ended up leaving the side with one thin coat alone, and I redid the first side and it turned out kind of neat.  Now, I have no idea if at some point the enamel will crack or pop off of the blank or if it will be okay.  I was taught that you have to do the same number of coats on each side and that you have to do the backside first.  Not sure why.  I don't find that it matters which side is the front and which side is the back and as for three coats for each side...well, I don't know if I believe that that matters either.  Anyway, here is the brass enameled blank...this would be the side that melted and I added more enamel and re-fired it:

It looks really cool, but as I said I have no idea if it will be okay or not.  To sum up...I need to go order some copper blanks. 

Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend. 

Ta.

 

How It's Going...

The purge and reorganization has not been all it should be...probably why I end up doing these things again and again.  In all honesty, there hasn't been any "purge" at all and only a little reorganization.  I did clean things up here and there, but that isn't really much of a long term solution. 

Just so you don't wonder what in the Sam Hill I have been doing though, I did paint a new sign.  It's going to hang over the entrance to my studio:

And I also painted the old wooden box I mentioned a few posts back.  No picture of that yet.

I also messed around with my kiln and found that it takes a looong time for it to heat up, unlike my glass fusing kiln.  I worked on a piece, but messed it up somehow, so will have to fix it.  I need to order more copper blanks.  I had some round pieces but can't find them anywhere.  I also worked on the ring we're making in metalsmithing class.  I brought it home and finished it.  It was not fun.  I hope we do something else in that class besides setting stones. 

I was thinking about bringing my kiln up to the third floor studio annex but I don't have a good, sturdy table to put it on up there and I guess it would be kind of dumb to have one kiln in the house and one in the carriage house studio.  Duh. 

I'm always thinking, planning, plotting and revising those plans and plots.  Stay tuned...

 P.S.  I also FINALLY listed my giant dolly on eBay.  No bids yet, but there are a few watchers. 

Monoprinting...

I've spent a few minutes here and there messing around with my GELLI printing plate.  I bought it months ago, but hadn't had time to do much with it.  It's fun and a bit messy and endlessly fascinating.  I want to get some blank cardstock with envelopes and make some cards.  Here are a few examples:

My birthday yesterday was good.  I got a bunch of phone calls from friends and relatives and a few well-wishes on Facebook.  My birthday present to myself has been shipped!!  And since  CLAY-KING is located in South Carolina, it shouldn't take long to get here.   The only problem is that the enamel and other tools that I ordered from another website are out of stock so I won't have what I need when the kiln arrives.  Boo Hiss.  I'll have to order some enamel elsewhere to tide me over until the main supply arrives.  

I'm off to make good use of the day.  Hopefully.

Ta. 

You Say It's Your Birthday...

Well, it's my birthday too!  Another year older...woo hoo!  I've decided I'm going to go ahead and order an enameling kiln today.  For my birthday.  Because I want one.  Because I deserve one...well, I do!  After all the blood, sweat and tears I put into this house...It's small compensation, as far as I'm concerned.  Other than that, I'm not sure what I'll do today.  I have the metalsmithing class this afternoon.  And speaking of metalsmithing...this is the finished copper cuff bracelet:

There were some bumps along the way. I didn't have the right kind of copper sheets.  I didn't have the right kind of wire.  Rather than using a hole punch, I used a drill press for the holes.  Shaping it was difficult.  I've never really made anything like this before and if I make another one, there are a few things I would do differently.  I could really use a bracelet mandrel if I'm going to make metal bracelets in the future. 

Anyway, time to start the day and hope it's a good one.

Cheers.

 

Faux Mercury Glass...

I kept busy yesterday with a couple of projects.  I fixed a curtain that I had messed up last week.  It was too long for the kitchen window, and I got in a big hurry to just get it done and ended up having to take it down, rip out the seam and cut some off the bottom and re-hem it.  It never pays to try to do something like that in a rush, so says ME,  the expert on these matters.  I also worked on the copper cuff bracelets I mentioned yesterday and that did not go as planned either.  I hope to finish at least one of them today, but it may not end up the way I had planned.  Such is life.  Over the weekend, I did a quick and easy project with an inexpensive (cheap) glass jar.  I used a can of Krylon Looking Glass spray paint (which was NOT cheap) and sprayed the glass jar and lid.  Then I sprayed a mixture of half water, half vinegar on the jar and dabbed it off with a paper towel.  The end result looks something like mercury glass:

It was easy, quick and fun. 

Today, I plan to work on that copper cuff a bit more (pictures to follow) and I have some videos to watch from my online class.  Then, I might work on a new painted sign.  I want one that says "We're All Mad Here" with possibly a Cheshire Cat grin somewhere on it. 

Happy Tuesday to one and all.

 

Metalwork...

Good morning...had a busy and somewhat productive weekend.  I came to the realization that putting my kilns in the garage in order to make more room in the studio might not be the bestest idea I've ever had...I worked in the garage a bit yesterday on a couple of metal pieces and BOY, was it HOT!  It isn't even summer yet.  I think my MASTER PLAN needs some tweaking.

I'll be working on these later today:

Two cuff bracelets made out of copper. 

Happy Monday to all...

 

 

Beeswax Love...

I finished the canvas mentioned in the previous post and also another one.  They've been coated with beeswax and turned out great.  I love using old photos in my art.  I have gobs and gobs of old photographs...I can't seem to resist buying them whenever I see a box or a photo album full...I guess I kind of feel sorry for them...who were they?  How did their photos end up in an antique shop or going to the highest bidder at an auction?  Why didn't anyone care enough to keep them?  So, I collect them and display them in my studio and give them new life in my art.  I call them "The Lost Faces". 

 

I plan to make more and then create a display in the studio.  I'll have to scoot out to get a few more of those chunky canvases, though. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

It's Artsy Time Again...

Finally.  No more company for awhile, and I'm finally able to work on some projects.  I found a couple of very cool old boxes while out antique shopping last week and I just couldn't resist painting one with chalk paint and adding a French typography bit to one side.  The opposite side has a stenciled fleur de lys.  I still have to wax it, and paint the inside of the box but I'm liking it very much.  I also did a collage on a 5x5 chunky canvas and I have another one to work on tomorrow.  The one I did today will get a coat of beeswax before I call it finished.

 

 So, to sum up...I'm finally creating art again and could not be happier.  I'm also taking three classes...two online and one (advanced metalsmithing) here in town...it starts Wednesday. 

Things go much smoother when I'm happy.  When I'm unhappy, I tend to spread it around. 

Toodle pip.