santa fe was awesome! the weather was beautiful, almost hot, the girls and i had a wonderful time with patty, our hotel was amazing, and... best of all... i learned how to rivet!
this is my first piece using my new skill.
the "it all comes back around" necklace,
with a beautiful rose cut labradorite.
see those sweet little rivets?
i love the new added dimension.
i've wanted to learn how to do cold connections for a while now. for some reason i've been intimidated. i think the precise-ness of it, the exact nature of it made me nervous. the way everything has to line up just right. (you may have noticed that my work isn't very exact.) but i am so very excited to now know how to do it. i am on my way to put this piece in the shop now.
the "beadfest" was just that. there were a LOT of beautiful beads.
the girls had such a great time,
and we love patty so much.
my workshop was awesome.
i haven't taken a metal-smithing class since high school.
this here is my very first rivet:
this was our hotel, amazing. (have i mentioned how much i love hotwire.com?)
this is the loretto chapel that the hotel is named for.
do you know the decemberists' song grace cathedral hill?
"i paid 25 cents to light a little white candle." well, the girls and i did that, but it was 50 cents.
the chapel is known for its miraculous staircase. it really was amazing, so beautiful! it apparently defies the laws of physics.
the santa fe children's museum is fabulous.
and, last but not least, this is a pendant i made in my class. i am very happy about the skills i learned, but not very attached to the finished product. in the center there is a cutout of a piece of turkish money, set under a sheet of mica. if you feel yourself drawn towards it, leave a comment telling me why and it's yours. also please leave your e-mail address. (in the event that more than one of you like it, i will put your names in a hat and draw.)
Why don't you like this piece? I really do like it. I'm a fan of contrasting shapes/materials. I have a necklace that is a silver square suspended from a piece of leather. And the Wildflower necklace from you? Creamy, smooth stone and sharp metal petals. They kind of yin and yang to me. Balance :)
ReplyDeleteCongrads on liking the workshop, isn't it great when you get to hang with people like yourself. I understand your hesitation about riveting I also feel this way I don't know why for goodness sake if we can solder this should be a piece of cake, but I am also a little scared of it. I think for me its the precise issue too, I do draw out my designs but kind of fly by the seat of my pants attitude, that it's just fine to change direction if I want to on a creation. I haven't done much riveting in fact the thing that freaked me the most was how did I keep the little rivet in until a friend said duh nancy just tape it and there was the okay moment stupid huh? The piece is great I love the center makes me think of mokumegame actually loved it you did a great job especially for a first piece. you go girl , Heck yeah if that piece needs a home just send it my way! haha keep up the great work. nancy4133@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteSanta Fe is one of my favorite places. I used to go there every year for Indian Market. There are so many awesome galleries. And I love that church and staircase.
ReplyDeleteYour workshop piece is awesome. I can't believe you don't like it. I'm drawn to it for the movement I see around the circle with the rivets. There's a nice feeling of balance as well. I would feel honored to own it! Looks like it's going to be a drawing :)
redpot@comcast.net
well, thanks you guys! i knew that just because i didn't particularly like it it didn't mean that nobody would. i suppose there will be a drawing after all...
ReplyDeleteclimberchic, i am glad you like it!
nancy, so have you tried rivets yet? it turns out they are not as scary as i thought. if you'd like some tips that i learned in my class, just let me know!
sue, thank you so very much for sharing that story. i believe the staircase was featured on unsolved mysteries?
and carlene, yes, i do love santa fe. i will actually be back there next month to see the felice brothers! yay!
oh-oh. am i too late to say i like the pendant? the mix of metals. the rivets. the square within the circle. the NUMBER of rivets around the circle: my favourite number.
ReplyDeletelovely new pieces from silversparrow!
xx