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!

Bead Fest 2015 - our views

Bead Fest 2015 was spectacular. Beads, buddies, buying, bartering with artist friends in trade.

The day after.

Those of us that were there are a bit hungover from the bead bounty, and sit fondling our loot, planning, imagining... But let me take a few minutes to regale you with images from the weekend! Thanks to all my AJE team members for the pictures, this post is a team effort! 

Sue sends in the group shot from our annual AJE dinner! Sorry that Francesca had to miss due to a snafu with class kits... 

Jenny:  1. the view from the "inside"... 2. Meeting AJE reader and friends Melissa Trudger in from Australia! 3. Vintage treasures from my neighbor Echo Artworks. 4. Harry Boardman - artist and sometimes "bead slave" to Heather at HMB  Studio. 

Diana: 1-2. Class sample from chainmaille daisy class- and classmate Sue. 3. Finally meeting Francesca! 4. Photo ops with friends and AJE readers!

Francesca: 1. First class, all serious. 2. Last class, true colors. 3. Rockhounds and metal smiths - R. Salley, Francesca, G. Wilson. 4-5. students at work! 

Linda: 1. Anne of Gardanne Beads. 2. Michelle McCarthy and her ceramic beads. Linda and me at my booth.

Lesley: 1-2. Assisting Cooky Schock in the Braided wire bangle class, Sandi V. at work. 3. The delightful Mak of Maku Raku. 4. Wire bangles from Cooky's class. 5. Maku Raku treasures. 6. Cooky at work. 

Saturday night's all right for bead friends! 

Now I'm off to unload the car, and look at my loot! Have a great Monday...

Freeform Friday: Girl's Bead night

Welcome to Girl's Bead Night! 

Razz is one of the girls; door greeter, carrot eater.

When Kim's email hits my inbox, I get that feeling of optimistic excitement.  "M has travel, lets have a Bead night..." What started out as convenience - to meet at Kim's when her husband was traveling for work,  has gone from habit to tradition. (We DO entertain the idea of meeting at each other's houses as well. But Kim is a fantastic hostess, and our tradition stands for now.)

Then the emails circulate as to time and food. Girl's Bead Night is on!

We are, in no particular order, a chemical engineer, an accountant, an entomologist/ceramicist, an artist/photographer, and an artist/educator. Between us we also garden, sew, scrapbook, tackle home renovations, travel the world, ride elephants....

Sangria. Stir fry. veggies. Life is good. 

We start with dinner, and a beverage and a chance to get caught up. Tales of travel, updates on family members - old and new! Anecdotes of crazy dog antics - there are 5 dogs between us all, and Razz in residence... and then we settle in - taking over the dining room as Kim's teen boys ignore us in favor of TV and sports. (an appropriate reaction.)

Kim - bracelets started AND finished. 

Bonnie - peyote with 11's & cubes, conquered the diagrams! 

Marsha - creating clasps, work time and leisure time. 

Me - seed beads with my focals, the new obsession. And they travel well! 

Lisa was working on her laptop, always has her eye on a cool composition. 

That face! 

I of course, ran this post by these women, and post with their approval. We discussed GBN as it was the first time all 5 of us had been together in months. It's a chance to share ideas and have fun, naturally. It's a respite from accounting, or teenager drama at home. A chance to talk to adults, not cats and small children. GBN provides a reason why you have to pack up that languishing project to work on and finish, or make time to bead, amidst the busy day-to-day! It can be a welcome "respite from reality" where all the stresses and concerns are left at home, and we can relax, unwind, and feel infinitely refreshed and restored the next day.

We swap, and trade, and share; to have a group of friends dear enough to share the bead hoard! You see my point... There is often good old fashioned "show & tell". We teach each other new techniques, and share resources. Problem solving, business advice, encouragement in many forms. Between us we bring so many interests to the table - from wire wrap to bead loom... there's never a dull moment!
I am grateful to have been welcomed into this group of women, now good friends. And I treasure GBN whenever, wherever it occurs. There is an environment, an atmosphere created when like minded creative people gather that is hard to put into words. It's welcoming, and invigorating. It's safe, and comfortable, yet exciting. It's familiar, yet always new. I wish each and every one of you finds a creative community to be apart of...  To me, AJE is one such network, but there is a different magic created in person. So thank you Marsha, for inviting me. And thank you Kim, Lisa and Bonnie for making GBN what it is today! 

Until next time... 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Links: 

Kim's Etsy

Lisa's Etsy

Marsha's website

Coming full circle...

Last weekend I had the pleasure to attend the ArtBLISS retreat for the fourth time! (Four of four - I haven't missed one...) The weekend for me is a chance to replenish, renew, and feel reinvigorated. I try to select classes that will challenge me and inform my body of work. This year I was taking "Three Ring Circus" with Richard Salley and Jessica Jordan; two of the three days of ring classes if not all three. I have worked with Richard before; having met him over 10 years ago at The Shepherdess in San Diego. (Any chance I could get, actually...) and I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica online and recently, briefly, at Beadfest. I knew the weekend was going to be great - but ... 

Spinner band textured and soldered. Day 1. 

I have a tendency to drop into conversation that I studied metal smithing in art school. It was one of my areas of concentration. Like I am name dropping someone famous... while I feel that was crucial to my development as a designer, to creating my sense of self as an artist... I haven't soldered since. Yes, you read that right. 

Bezel soldering demo. Richard in motion. Day 3. 

Why not? When I learned, torches were attached to large tanks, chained to the tables in the studio. Propane. Oxy-acetalyne. I learned all the basics, and love sawing to this day. But the large tank set up wasn't applicable, or acceptable to apartment living after college. And now, 20+ years later, the technology has changed so, making the tools readily available and safe for the home studio. Where to begin? What to buy? Add to that a love of cold connections, the challenges inherent in problem solving the right way to attach and integrate pieces together. Sans glue, of course. Glue is a four letter word. So I can explain away the absence of soldering in my life. 

Enameled focal, bezel, sterling ring shank. Day 3. 

Needless to say this weekend was all about the soldering.

Bezel soldered. Ready to design and saw. Day 3. 

Test fit of enamel. Tube setting in place. Day 3. 

Day 3. Final pieces. 

The classes were a huge success. Student left with 2-3 spinner rings Friday. They were all diverse, and proudly worn. Sunday was triumphant as well - new friendships formed, assistance lent as needed... and the magic happened. Rings adorned dirty fingers, pendants planned for future necklaces.

Top row right - purple and green ring by AJE teammate Melissa Meman

I felt excited, exuberant, giddy even. I was rejoicing - strong word, I know - at being at the torch again. Becoming comfortable with this or that, remembering and accessing long filed away information. It wasn't until the ride home that it hit me even harder. (The ride home is always bittersweet and a bit sad. After a weekend of camaraderie and creating it can be deflating to head home to the mundane. Knowing you won't see these friends in person for a while...)

I got a little emotional, I will admit - to have back what I had thought was gone. Maybe it was not  gone, but not currently accessible. This may not make sense to everyone - if you recently learned _____  ( you fill in the blank ) skill and enjoy practicing it and continuing to learn - that is very different from reawakening a passion. My classmates were happy with their class, their acquired knowledge, the experience, and their pieces. SO was I - but it was deeper than that. It felt like a part of me that I had lost was returned.

But - enough philosophy! I have an order to place, and pieces to sketch... its an interesting journey. As I pick up seed beads to do a bead embroidery piece I am ordering solder and CZ's. Wishing you all a day with joyful contrasts and rejuvenation!

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

A little help from our friends...

John, Paul, Ringo and George said:
"How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna to try with a little help from my friends..."

Today was Sue's day to post, and she couldn't make it... I don't have anything really witty or inspiring to say - except that I am very grateful for this network of friends. Online friends, real live friends, old friends, new friends, far friends, near friends... ( Are you hearing Dr Seuss in your head? You should be. )

This is the inside of my kiln. The wiring, the controls, the guts and brain simultaneously. Its been broken for going on a month now. My friend Marsha has been helping me trouble shoot the problems and repair as she has the same kiln, and is generous and supportive like that. 

This is a rather goofy pix of me - loading my pendants into Marsha's kiln. Because she stepped up to loan me kiln space as I have a few deadlines and commitments looming. And she gave me coffee. 

These are the treasures unloaded from her kiln this morning. Can you see my ear to ear grin? Because all is well, pieces are ready, I will make a proper showing at my first Spring Arts festival. And I have new designs in there to show to loyal returning customers.

 So - I get by with a little help from my friends. And I am glad to help a friend if I can... 

Do tell - what tool/equipment would you be completely stuck without? What friend do you want to thank for saving the day? 

Headed back to the studio... See you Friday for my regularly scheduled post... 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com