The Three Muses - a glaze journey...

This is my newest tile design and it tells quite a tale. Pour yourself a cup and I'll tell you... 

And so it begins. 

Here is my new Three Muses tile - the original sketch and the first copy pressed from my mold. It was a long time getting to this state... designing, sculpting, casting in plaster, curing. I was thrilled to have it in my hands. Definitely my most complex tile to date - especially since I do not often do (human) figures. 

I have Lesley and Caroline to thank for the inspiration. In a truly "Scenius" way, a conversation we three had started all this. We were discussing felting, and wool, and curly locks, and gabbing a bit as you do. Someone, Lesley I think, names the thread Three Wise Women. A little cheeky, and a little accurate as we were each other's go-to for feedback and advice. 

I swear this image popped into my head fully formed. 

Please note: thumb for scale! All you are about to see takes place in a tile maybe 6 x 7". 

And then it went further. Three wise women. Three Graces of Classical myth, three Muses. Suddenly Burne-Jones and Rossetti and the Pre-Raphealite painters were there too clamoring for attention. Long Waterhouse style dresses to hide the body (not cheating; just simplifying) and evoke an era of art history? Done. Lets go all the way and inscribe the tile with the motto associated with the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood! ( In for a penny... ) The motto is "Ars Longa, Vita brevis" which translates to "Art is long, life is short". 

Animal familiars? Three witches? My 2 dogs naturally and Lesley's cat Cleo. A hare for Caroline? Sure! The two of them had recently met up for a hare themed exhibit in the UK and I was desperately jealous. You KNOW how I feel about hares. Oh and should I mention that the hairstyles are loosely inspired by we three? I know - it seems over the top. But it felt right to me. They DO need hairstyles, after all. 

So I recently glazed the first two of these tiles. Why only 2? Well... They are very complex. I wanted to share the process here in a photo essay of sorts. This IS how I glaze all of my ceramic tiles - this one is just many more small parts.. 

1. Stain the entire tile with black (or dark) underglaze. Looks a wreck until you sponge it back. I like the added depth it gives the relief and it prevents any glaring white areas if a spot is accidentally left unglazed. 

Trust is needed here. 

2. Glaze the background ares. I like to work "back to front". This is either underglaze or glaze depending on my planned treatment of the frame. Three coats in and around. 

I think they look good already! SO excited. 

3. Three coats of peachy underglaze on faces and hands. 

Dark dark blue used to stain crevices on this version. 

4. Base color of hair - 3 coats. Sometimes 2 if my underglazes are thick. 

Even working 2 at once there are many variations. Truly one of a kind results. 

5. Accents in hair. Highlights and low lights. 

Aiming for auburn in the middle. We shall see. 

6. First dress: green glaze - 3 coats. 

7. Secong dress - dark blue glaze - 3 coats. 

8. Third dress - turquoise glaze - 3 coats. I selected this analogous palette for the first tile because I knew these glazes and colors worked together, chemically and visually. 

They look so "bleh" at this stage. These are glazes I have used and trusted for 20 years though!

9. Paint the hare and cat in underglazes, with details. ( Sorry Cleo - your marking will have to wait.)

Feeling a little disappointed with detail in these two animals. Then I remind myself they are like the size of a quarter! 

10. Paint the dogs in underglazes. Include shadowing and highlights. Yes, they look like my dogs. What else did you expect? 

OK that was fun! 

Doggy details. Oscar in black and white. Zoey in fawn and brown. 

11. Glaze the background - 3 coats! And edges of tile. In this case I used a transparent grey; since the center area had an underglaze color on it the tile will read ad having a 2 toned background. ( Different tile as can see. I did say I did 2 at a time) AND glaze the center figures sash! 

Yes - different dogs. Simplifying a little and mirroring the cat and rabbit's colors. 

12. Very carefully paint 3 coats of clear glaze to all areas that are underglaze only. This will seal them, give them a gloss finish matching the other glazes and make them durable. 

This is tedious and my least favorite part. 

13. Fire the tile in the kiln. These are low-fired glazes and fire to ^04 at app. 1850 degrees F. 

Ta-Da! And yes - this one already sold. My husband told a return customer this story and it was a done deal! 

I couldn't be happier! I wish I could accurately tell you how LONG it took to do the 2 tiles pictured here in this photo essay. I will keep track next time. I like this palette - I think a tile this "busy" needs harmonious colors to read well without dramatic contrast - so it doesn't compete with itself. I do look forward to trying other palettes on the next few.

Thanks for staying until the end... I am proud of and deeply invested in my work, the details, the layers of meaning that may never be evident to the casual viewer. This new design means quite a bit to me and I am happy to share the backstory with you!

Art Field Trip: the ACC show in Baltimore (Part 2)

The ACC show Baltimore - Part 2. 

Having studied metals in college, and having set it aside for so many years... I am drawn to jewelry work in metals and am stepping back into metals one step at a time. This year at the ACC show there were so many people, so many amazing pieces I wanted to share with you, I have continued this post! Please take a look, I hope you are inspired and amazed. 

Christina Goodman: 

"I compose and paint the miniatures using references from a collection of art books as well as museum visits. I am particularly drawn to the landscapes and details in paintings by Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto, Dosso Dossi and Jan Van Eyck.  To produce the miniature images, I use very fine brushes, good lighting and a magnifier. I use acrylic paint as it dries quickly and allows me to work on a small scale.

The frame designs for the one of a kind polyptychs and tabernacles are also based on Renaissance styles. I design and build the frames with wood using miniature moldings and a centuries old water gilding technique. The result is well worth the labor-intensive process. In the end, I hope to capture the luminosity of Renaissance painting in miniature."

I have no words. I had to take my glasses OFF to see better. The paintings alone are stunning... but these images are LARGER than life size. Classical, breath taking. 

all images (C) Christina Goodman

Eldreth Designs:
"Eldreth Designs was established in 2011 and is an extention of my family's pottery business, Eldreth Pottery www.eldrethpottery.com.

When I started working with my family in 2006, it was not only important for me to keep the business within the family but also to contribute something unique to the company. All designs are my original designs. With the help of my Dad, we have created a unique line of production and one of a kind jewelry.  We incorporate porcelain tiles with fine metal mountings. All of the designs are original designs and we produce them at our workshop in Oxford, PA."

Ceramics and metal? Clay in jewelry? Well, we are speaking my language... and Eldreth pottery is relatively local to my area. I was excited to see this new line of work as the next generation branches out from the pottery's traditional salt glazed ware.  The two lines show the contrast of more modern streamlined house and tree icons vs the organic painterly tree portraits. The painterly pendants were reversible - color on one side, black and white on the reverse. 

All images (C) Eldreth Designs

Eric Silva: 
"My jewelry is about self-examination; revealing pieces of myself through artistic creations. I draw my inspiration from the often overlooked simplicity of beauty found in the ordinary."

Such gorgeous materials - I was captivated by the antler. Hand carved, ethically sourced, light weight, fantastic textures, and very melodious when hung in a grouping. 

All images (C) Eric Silva

Logan Louis:
As a solo working artist, I collect and cast specimens from nature. These organic objects become my raw materials. The leaves that I find on the ground... I take these leaves, prepare them, and burn them out, creating a mold into which I then cast sterling silver or gold, so that the end product is solid metal.

I know - more organic pieces. This is what calls to me. I loved the collage element in these pieces. Color inserts, segments stitched or riveted together. There were some simple, others very ornate, but stunning regardless.

All images (C) Logan Louis

If you get a chance to attend one of the ACC Craft shows - by all means go!

Countdown to Bead Fest!

Today is Monday the 17th. I depart for Bead Fest in 3 days, and a few miscellaneous hours. Set up on Thursday - with a stint as airport shuttle. Then Friday we can let the wild rumpus start!  (Thank you Mr. Sendak for that one.) 

My glaze fort. Please note coffee aka elixir of life; and Netflix on iPad. Currently binge watching West Wing. 

In the last few weeks I have been spending most time in the Glaze cave aka basement studio, where I barricade myself in with jars of glaze and underglaze. And I paint, and I paint. My pieces are so detailed, and involve multiple layers of glaze. Base coat, shadows, highlights... as if I was painting in watercolors. Then a coat of clear glaze over the underglaze colors. I love that each piece is individual and unique...

I have new designs this year that I have added to my Mythic Nature line of ceramic pendants. All the favorites will be in attendance at Bead Fest, and there are new orcas - thanks to Lindsay, barn owls, sleeping foxes, and the Mermaid of Zennor. A Cornish folktale, her inspiration is carved in wood on a church pew. (St. Senara's Church in Zennor UK)

 I currently have a small kiln at home, and larger kilns to use at the studio where I teach. All my pendants are fired at home in my workhorse! (Olympic doll kiln). Its not large, but I love that I can fire it fast and frequently!

Approximately 50 pendants in a load, each suspended on a hook, from a bar of the bead tree... 

 Then there is the polymer. And the resin. Oh my! 

All the polymer is still in progress. Theres a lot to do in three days... 

So as of this writing - its pricing and sorting time!

Mythic Nature pendants fresh from my little kiln.

Look what has arrived! I will have a selection of treasures from Lesley Watt with me (and her) at Bead Fest!

Lesley's loot teaser pix! 

If you are in need - here is a discounted admission coupon! Stop by Artisan's Alley and say Hello! 

Hey, pssst Fill in my name as the "Referring vendor" ok? Thanks. 

Sharpening the saw...

Nope, not my jeweler's saw, although it's been getting a workout.

Sawing, sawing, sawing and more sawing.

One of my goals for this year was to take a drawing class. I've always believed I'm talentless in the drawing arena, but some of my AJE team members convinced me that drawing - which includes the process of learning to see things differently - is really a learned skill. So with their encouragement, I decided to take the plunge. Sort of.

Instead of a drawing class, I decided to take a beginning painting class with our Roadhouse Arts acrylics instructor, the very talented Stephanie Davis. Best of all, my husband Nick is taking it with me too, so we get some creative time in the midst of of a very busy season of our lives.

It's been an interesting process over several weeks. As has been the case for centuries, beginning painters learn by copying work done by other, more experienced painters.

One of my favorite artists, JMW Turner, started out copying old masters before he found his own style.
(photo source)

But before we could get to the "good" stuff, we spent an entire class (and in my case a number of hours of homework afterwards) creating color charts. The idea was to introduce us to the basic concepts of color theory and then give us a chance to experiment with some of them. It was also a crash course in color mixing, learning all about the colors in our respective palettes. I honestly found this exercise fascinating.

Among other things, I learned that a little bit of Phthalo Blue (with Green Shade) goes a very, very long way.

With that under our belts, we set out to find still lifes that appealed to us. I chose this pretty mixed media piece by Maria Pace-Wynters.

Blue Poppy Garden 2, a mixed media piece by Maria Pace-Wynters
(photo source)

Stephanie told us that for our versions, we were only allowed to use two analogous colors and whatever secondary colors they create. And she also told me to simplify the background, which was a relief, because this gorgeous background is far beyond my ability to duplicate.

It doesn't come close to the original - and as you can see, it's also not finished. I am in awe of the other students in the class, most of whom are able to finish their pieces in less than three hours. I am not one of them. Hopefully I'll get to finish it once my BeadFest adventure is over - I want to do a little more with the background, and I can't get the color right for the little chysanthemum in the corner. But it was a fascinating exercise into how to "see" differently and how to establish an effective communication between my brain and my hands so that I can recreate what I'm seeing.

I did much better with my second project, although it is also not finished. The assignment was to take a simple two-subject still life and recreate it in different colorways to evoke four different emotions: happy, somber, calm, and sweet. I picked this simple, cheerful still life by Pam Van London:

[photo source]

In some ways, this project was more successful - I started with "happy" because the original was so bright and cheerful, and I think my pears actually look like pears. But in other ways, this project was extremely stressful - making color choices for the other moods was very hard, and you can see how far I've gotten with it.

Learning to create "volume" was eye-opening. I've very proud of the fact that my pears actually look a little like fat, round pears!!

Again, other students in the room whipped through the assignment and left with mostly completed pieces. I ended the evening feeling half proud (round pears for the win!) and half disgusted (they're only colors, for heaven's sake!) which probably means I was overthinking the whole thing.

Because of the work I'm having to do to get ready for BeadFest, I'm going to miss the rest of the classes this time around - but I'm planning to take the workshop when it's offered again in the fall. The introduction to color theory has been fascinating, even though I'm at the place where it's still more mystery than edifcation at the moment, and I am very encouraged by the (admittedly intermittent) ability to look at something and evaluate it with an eye towards replicating it. As someone without a formal art education, this has been kind of a big deal. (Plus: according to my bio, I have "an emerging interest in mixed media" and I am loving playing around with color combinations. I might even revive a bead colorway project I dreamed up a few years ago!)

Already, I've been able to put some of that newfound sensitivity to color to good use. I resolved a couple of layout issues for recent advertising pieces that was heavily influenced by incompatible colors, and I solved a design issue on a recent jewelry piece that turned out to be related to the color of an accent stone I was trying to use. I may have eventually gotten to the same place without knowing why or how, but being able to be more intentional in that process was a win.

So I'm sharpening my "creative saw" with pursuits that have nothing to do with my main focus of metalsmithing and jewelry-making, and already I'm liking how it's sparking new thoughts and new ways of looking at what I do. How about you? What are you doing to keep your creative saw sharp?

Until next time -

Behind the Scenes in Leather Feather Land

Hello again dear bead loving friends! Welcome to Leather Feather Land… er… I mean my little corner of the world: Tree Wings Studio!

Today you find me buried under a heap of hundreds of leather feathers in progress! Yeah, I'm that crazy… I can't stop making them!

I can't remember if I've said it before now, but last year I finally stepped into the realm of wholesaling and these particular feathers are a result of that. Funny how just a couple years ago, I was pretty sure I'd never do wholesale and now here I am! I know wholesaling is not for everyone and there are some who wonder why I'm taking this path. It can be such a hard strain on an artisan to do so much of the same thing over and over and over and over… and over. Not to mention the potential cut in pay. For me, there was a lot of planning involved, numbers crunched again and again, long chats with friends and family, and of course, input from the lovely ladies of AJE. And now, I have to say I'm really happy I made the decision to go for it—it's hard work, yes, but it's all part of getting me closer to my dream job: making what I love full time.

One day I promise to share a bit more about how and why I decided wholesale was right for me, but for today, I'm giving myself a little break from thinking and am giving you a tour of my studio mess instead… I hope you enjoy it!

For these big orders, I pull out my biggest table to keep this mess separated from my regular mess so I'm not over crowded when I go to work on the regular stuff. It's actually half a Ping-Pong table… it would be the whole Ping-Pong table if it would fit!

I love making tools and whatnot to make my job easier! Each of my feather designs has a series of stencils I made to ensure patterns are consistent.

Each feather starts with a stenciled layout and then every single detail is "drawn" on carefully by hand with my wood burner.

I always have a few design inspirations nearby and while my hands are busily working away, my mind muses on new ideas. During coffee breaks, I'll sometimes do a little experimenting too. That's actually one thing I really love about large orders—the work becomes very methodical when you've got hundreds of the same thing to make and there's so much time to think!

I like to break things up a bit, to keep it from getting too dull—especially when I'm working extra long hours. I'll divide my work into smaller batches and rotate between them throughout the day so I'm only doing the same thing for a couple hours max. Nothing worse than a bored artist! It also helps prevent hand cramps.

And blisters—wow yeah! Even the most calloused, over worked, outdoor loving (oops, I forgot my gloves!), horse petting, bead making hands can get blisters if you don't take a break! And then there was the time I got poison ivy… okay, I'll stop with all the details!

It's many hours of work before I can begin painting the feathers, but it's always a happy moment when I start mixing and applying layers of color!

Painting remains my very favorite part of whatever I make! There's something so magical in the way that color brings life to a creation.

Still lots more feathers to go—and now, it's time for me to get back to work! I hope you had fun joining me in my studio today!

Wishing you all a wonderfully creative weekend!

Rebekah Payne
Tree Wings Studio

Blog: treewingsstudio.com

Shop: treewingsstudio.etsy.com