New Work from the Beading Yoda

By: ornamento.blog
Art, beading, beads, Bracelets, Jewelry Studio, Studio Tour, , , Leave a Comment on New Work from the Beading Yoda

I dropped in on my friend and neighbor Jeri Schatz (AKA Beading Yoda) to show her the rings I have been making and to get some tips and constructive criticism.   (Jeri studied goldsmithing at the Kulicke-Stark Academy in New York and served an apprenticeship there before she moved to Philadelphia and began beading.)  After we were finished, I asked her t what she was working on, and she took down to beading central so I could see for myself.

 

BeadingTable

The Beading Table

BeadedBeads

Beaded Beads

Bracelets

Bracelets

DuoandRAW

Super Duos combined with seed beads

Multi-layered Geometric Bracelet

Hands

 

InProgress

New  necklace design

 

LacyBracelet

A geometric bracelet that moves wonderfully when you wear it.

Sampling

Geometric, Herringbone, and Peyote

Sampling2

More bracelets with Super Duo beads, triangles, bars and seed beads.

There’s Many a Slip ‘Twixt the Mug and the Lip

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Ceramics, mugs, pottery, , Leave a Comment on There’s Many a Slip ‘Twixt the Mug and the Lip

 

Isn’t that the old artistic dilemma?  You have a vision and you can’t quite realize it.  But for me, the fun is in the exploration.   I experimented with handle shapes and tried mixing Mason Stains into  Amaco Velvet Underglazes to enhance the colors of the surface decoration.

The mugs are glazed with a clear satin glaze on the outside and a white glaze on the inside.  I like the way the colors turned out.  The handles are another matter. Some of them look great but are not comfortable to use.   Other handles look awkward but are extremely comfortable in the hand.  Unless your handle is tried and true, there’s no way of knowing how the mug will feel until it’s fired and filled with its first serving of Java or tea.   But experimenting is all part of the fun.

 

Has Spring Finally Sprung?

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Flowers, Photography, Urban Gardening, , , Leave a Comment on Has Spring Finally Sprung?

It certainly looked like it in my neighborhood.  I took these pictures today on the walk home from the pottery studio.

 

And here’s one of the cacti from Bob’s garden.    I know it looks like a bunch of deflated balloons now, but its cactus pads will be stiff as soldiers come summer.

cactus

 

I have been busy making mugs and  I’ll post a few pictures in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here are some of my favorite pieces from the Fleisher Student Show.

The Wopperjawed Pot

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Ceramics, Fleisher Art Memorial, pottery, , , , 2 Comments on The Wopperjawed Pot

Woppy Jawed,  Wapper Jawed,  Whopperjawed,  Whomperjawed.  What do these words mean?    Something that’s askew.  Crooked.  Not straight.  Uneven, even.  And they all apply to my work.  I come from the measure three times and cut for the rest of the day school of crafting.  I wonder how I ever managed to make two quilts.  I used to fret about my crooked lines and uneven seams.  But as I got older, I got smarter.  Or maybe wiser (in the Equus africanus asinus sense, of course).  I embraced my flaws, including my wopperjawdiddidity. (I made up that word in case you’re wondering.)    Hence the Wopperjawed Pot.    The  Wopperjawed Pot is about 12 inches tall and is hand-built of white earthenware using the tarpaper technique.  I used colored underglazes,  stains, and chalks for the surface decoration.  Everything is covered with a clear matte glaze.  It took third place in ceramics in the Fleisher Art Memorial Student Show (the 120th annual!) and was the inspiration for the menorah.  Which is also wopperjawed.   Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 

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