Studio Saturday: An explanation missing work...

I know the past couple of weeks have been slim on new work, and I wanted to give you an explanation as to why it appears I have come to the creative end.

It's actually the exact opposite that happens to be true.

I have instead begun a new beginning.

It all started in the middle of May when I took a class at my local bead store where we used copper washers, mica sheets and scrapbook paper to make itty bitty dangly charms that could be used in bracelets, necklaces, whatever...

The teacher was Melissa Manley and it wasn't until I actually arrived at the class that I realized that she was the artist whose pieces I had admired in Belle Armoire.

The class was great and I learned the basics about riveting, texturing metal and how to get that earthy dark patina on copper.

I wasn't looking to do anything more than just add a little flair to the body of work that I had already created, but after seven hours of hitting things with a hammer I was hooked.

Melissa offered to take me on as a student and once a week since the beginning of June, I've been working with this very accomplished artist and we've added fire to the hammers and pressed copper and rolled brass... and etched as well.

So this is what has come out of it since then and I'm finding ways to keep the old methods that I love while simultaneously combining them with the methods that I'm falling in love with.

In this (very large) pendant, a perfect piece of Red Creek Jasper finds itself encircled in a fairy ring of tiny stones and mounted onto a heavy sheet of copper that I've sawed out, textured and antiqued.

I think what I've fallen in love with the most is the weight, the heaviness of the metal against my skin.

This one was plucked from an ancient mural in Persia. The pendant is two sheets of hammered brass that I've riveted together with spacers to leave enough room to mount a beadwoven persian tile between the layers.

I created the shape for this one as well and sawed out two sheet of brass to create the outside of the pendant.

Oh, and I made another Flaming June. This one is a tad different and all for me. I decided I needed intense rouge in my wardrobe and it happened to match a recent dress purchase.

Right now I'm just playing with copper and brass, partially afraid to play with silver because of its value but also finding myself rather enamored with the colors of antiqued and polished copper.

And also enamored with the learning. It's stretching my creativity and skills (and muscles) and I keep coming up with more and more ideas as I work. Constantly wanting to add new shapes and finishes and finding a way to seamlessly transition from metal to bead.

I hope you're learning as well this summer, trying a new skill or maybe a new color or even a new medium.

Creativity is a muscle...the more you flex, the stronger it will become.

Enjoy your weekend, enjoy the slow progression of warmer weather and I hope you find some time to be creative and create something new.

Oh, oh...and thank you for your comments on my tutorial on Wednesday. I'm so glad that it was useful to you and I hope it makes your making a little easier! :)