Featured Artist on World Artisan Gems

Wow, September 1 and my interview with World Artisan Gems has been published. Wow, something new to put on my vita.

So much has been going on:

In the month of August I began preparing for Christmas shows, quilt shows, and other venues. Yeah, you are probably wondering about the the quilt shows. I am going to create quilt squares with PMC and enamel then turn them into pendants and pins. I will post them in the etsy shop after I finish the two shows I am doing this month.

At the end of August I became a Rio Rewards Certified PMC Instructor. Chris Darway was the Senior instructor for the class. If you ever get a chance please visit his site, pmctoolandsupply.com and check the links to his gallery. He was an excellent instructor and really made us push the envelope.

I have been invited to be the artist of the month for October 2008 at the yahoo groups metal clay forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MetalClay I am still trying to decide which piece will be showcased. I am leaning towards the Angel's Rest pin that I used in the WAG interview.

In between all the jewelry happenings, we got the college sophomore back to school. Should be an interesting year as he will be living in the frat house. My 35th high school reunion is coming up the first of October. Was it really 35 years ago? It doesn't feel like it at all.

There are a few projects running in the background like a Trunk Show in January/February in Kitty Hawk, NC. I am working on a series of Goddess necklaces that will be auctioned off to support a production of the Vagina Monologues. My friends and associates are in the process of helping me develop a catalogue. So it would appear that I am going to be very busy between now and March. I just love it when plans start to come together.

Here is just one of the Goddess necklaces and of course it is mine...

This beautiful lampwork glass goddess was created by Nicole Valentine. I love her work. You can find her on etsy at: NValentineStudio.etsy.com and here on blogger at: nvalentine.blogspot.com She is a very talented lampwork glass artist.

Hope September is a great month for all...

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th to everyone!!!

Have a sparkling good time.

I have spent the major part of the week photographing and adding lots of new pieces in my etsy store. I wish I enjoyed this part of the jewelry making as much as I enjoy the creative part. I will be the first to acknowledge that cameras and I DO NOT jive at all. It has been great having the college kid home because I just hand him the camera and he takes a lot of the pictures. However, when he returns to school in August I will be on my own again. I have come to the conclusion that the LCD screen on my first generation Nikon Coolpix is just to small. Also, it is ridiculous for me with tri-focals try to focus on such a small screen. I have been looking at a few of the new generation Coolpix and am floored that they are bigger and cheaper than my original. Such is the way with electronics.

Back to the studio...

YART SALE

Please stop by the etsy store and check out my YART sale.

Happy Sum-Sum-Summer Time

Sue

What is Precious Metal Clay and Why should you Care?

From the PMC Guild site (see link):
"Precious Metal Clay, PMC, is an exciting material developed and patented in the 1990s by Mitsubishi Materials of Japan. Microscopic particles of silver are mixed with a moist binder to create a material that has the feel and working properties of modeling clay. Using simple tools, objects are easily given shape, texture, and character. After air-drying, the objects are heated to temperatures approaching the melting point of the metal, where the particles fuse together to make a dense, fully metallic object. Fired PMC work can be polished, soldered, enameled, and enjoyed like any other silver item. PMC is available in three different versions of silver and in a 22k gold alloy.

Who is using PMC? Jewelers, certainly, who immediately appreciate the ability to achieve effects that would either be time consuming or impossible through traditional methods. Ceramists and polymer clay artists naturally gravitate to PMC too, as do dollmakers, beadmakers, and artists who work with glass. PMC spans all ages, with advocates as young as grade school and as mature as... well, very mature."

AND.... this is my point, PMC offers artists who have strength and flexibility issues with their hands another medium to work in that offers a similar joy of working in metal but also is challenging enough to keep the creative juices flowing.

Please visit the guild to read more about PMC. Then rush right out and support your local PMC artists.

Hello and Welcome to my blog spot

Hi All,

Bear with me as I venture down the blogging path. This is a new experience for me as well as for the collective "you".

I was pointed to blogspot by fellow etsyer's. It seems to be a nice way to attract attention to our stores.

Please feel free to comment on my jewelry. Critique is very important to my growth as an "Art" Jewelry artisan.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sue Lawrence-Nester, Artisan