jewelry t.v.!

Can you believe GGS is a spotlight artist on Jewelry Television? This appearance has been brewing for a couple of months, negotiating time frames for filming in the studio and deciding which pieces to showcase. The whole process of going on t.v. is fairly interesting, a little stressful, but that's to be expected. I was a little nervous about talking on live t.v. but it turned out to be easier than I expected. One of the most nerve wracking things was doing my makeup! They instructed me to use a darker pallette, since the lights tend to wash people out. I felt a little like a drag queen, since I rarely wear makeup and even then its just a bit of eyeliner. The heat under the lights was startling, not to mention the numerous cameras. Looking into the right camera at the right time took some practice, but I think I did o.k. I dreaded going on the show, but it turned out to be a fun experiance. As soon as I get a copy of the segment I'll put it on you tube.

Here's a still screen of Greg demonstrating a bronze casting, that jtv used on the show. He cleaned the studio for almost a week in preparation of the camera crew! I think the video looks great! I told them that Greg was way more comfortable in front of the camera and far more photogenic, but they wanted me to talk (which I thought was surprising, since I've been told I have a sort of dry personality). Anyway, we really enjoyed working with all the lovely folks from j.t.v. and I especially enjoyed the tour of the huge warehouse filled with beads and gemstones!

summer afternoons

I love this picture of Azalea and Max! He has to copy everything big sister does. Its pretty cute. Good thing she's a really good example and is very loving to him.

This little boy sure knows how to get into things. Note the impish grin as he pauses before chasing Suni with a stick. Unfortunately, he still puts everything in his mouth and if its attached to something, he uses brute force to make it palateable. Sigh. We have to watch him like a hawk.

We went to the Greenville Zoo yesterday and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon strolling through the exhibits. We love zoos, its fun to sit and draw the animals, or if your like Azalea, pretending to be one. Yesterday, red pandas were the favorite creature, so Greg picked up a foam mask at the gift shop and she wore it for the rest of the afternoon. Max absolutely loves it when she pretends to be an animal! Its sweet to watch. I can hardly believe the summer is half over. I find myself longing to be outside, playing with the kids, hanging out with friends and enjoying our mild weather. It has been really difficult to get back into work mode. My things to do list keeps getting longer and longer. I haven't even really felt like making anything. This streak of slacking will end, I'll force myself to design, or carve or string up the awaiting projects and feel productive.

Art Fest!

Good news! The classes I proposed to teach at Art Fest were accepted! I worked on the proposals for a month, making samples, writing descriptions and photographing the pieces. I enjoyed the process, but it was a little stressful wondering if the workshops would be chosen.

Art Fest is an annual retreat that takes place at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA in the spring. People travel from all over the world to attend the workshops taught by well known artists and craftsmen from a variety of fields. The workshops range in skill levels and techniques, but focus on new ideas. You don't have to be talented, or professional - just willing to learn and to enjoy the company of other creative people. I attended as a student a few years ago and had an amazing time! I met lots of wonderful people and really loved the location, a beautiful small town 40 miles north of Seattle, nestled right on the Puget Sound. The other, perhaps best thing, about Art Fest, is the encouraging enviroment to experiment with new materials and ideas. Its very nourishing to the spirit to just play, with no expectations to make great art, or sellable products, which can be stressful and limiting.

I'm extremely pleased to teach again at this prestigious event! I am also very happy that my brother Andrew will be assisting my workshops! We work very well together and I think folks will be happy to have both of us there sharing information. I am so looking forward to Art Fest this year!

Wonder Cabinet Butterflies

Create beautiful little butterfly creatures to place into wonder cabinets, incorporate into charming mobiles or sew into lovely dolls. This workshop will cover a wide variety of useful techniques: basic sculpting, raised effects on paper and wire, molding polymer and quick painting finishes. Many supplies will be provided, especially the more unusual ones like interference paints and polymer mediums. Various molds will also be available.

I am very excited to teach this workshop at Art Fest 2012! These little lovelies are really enchanting! I filled a shadowbox with a variety of them and displayed them along with my other butterfly specimens and they look pretty realistic at first glance. Observant folks always do a double take and lean in for a closer look, which always pleases me. These are so much fun to make and delightful to decorate with. I think they would also make beautiful ornament gifts. Join Andrew and I for this charming workshop this spring at Art Fest!

Whimsical Wings

Make luminous and lightweight wings for pendants, earrings, mobiles, sculptures and dolls in this experimental workshop. Expand your technical repertoire with these useful techniques: decorative wire working, coloring resin, attaching and painting acetate films and using interference pigments. Students will create a variety of wing shapes, starting with simple leaf-like pieces, advancing to more ornate wrapped pendants and layered pieces with painted embellishments.

I am delighted to present this workshop at Art Fest 2012! I really enjoyed creating the samples and found they were quite addictive to make (in fact, I just finished another batch a few hours ago). They are a variation or advanced version of my project 'Woodland Wings' from my book 'Enchanted Adornments', which may be the most popular project in the book. Try out this fun and addictive project with Andrew and I this spring at Art Fest!

Resin Reliquaries

Beautiful and unusual reliquaries are easy and fun to make with a few readily available supplies and a simple method. Create ornate frames or tiny wonder cabinets with a variety of finishes and textures, imbedded with sparkling stones and fragile botanicals. This workshop will cover a good variety of useful and spontaneous techniques: simple carving, resin basics (tinting, imbedding, pouring, finishing) and paint finishes.

This is one of the workshops I will be teaching at Art Fest 2012! These little frames/boxes are fun to create and are surprisingly simple in their construction. Interestingly, I developed this technique as a teenager, when funds and supplies were extremely limited! I guess that old adage 'necessity is the mother of invention' is proven true once again. Join Andrew and I for this useful and fun workshop this spring!