Winter

Winter had come!! Here is my studio covered in snow. This is the first real snow we have had  in really long time. The studio is great once I get it warmed up. With the wood stove and a hot cup of something, it is very cozy. My only problem is that I often forget that I need to add wood to the fire and only remember when I start to get cold. I hope that everyone had a great holidays and has a safe and happy New Year.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!!! I am hopping that everyone has a joyful and wonderful Holiday Season!!! Thank you to all of my wonderful readers.

Finished some Commisions

I just finished a couple of piece yesterday in the studio. A friend ordered a couple of pieces to be made, they came out great. I can not post any photos, I don't want to ruin the surprise. Happy holidays everyone!!!!

Necklace - Finally

Here is the necklace that I made the other day. It is spectacular!!! It is sterling silver that I have oxidized. The top stone is a 10x8mm tourmaline that I have had for about eight years. The bottom in Quinn's hair from his first hair cut. I use the lens of a pair of old glasses to protect it. It hangs from a sterling silver cable. It looks amazing. I was wearing all day yesterday and got some great feedback.
I am so glad that I got to use the tourmaline on such special piece. Not only is it my favorite stone it just happens to one of the birthstones for October. Perfect!!!
I can not wait to work on more of these. I want to expand on these and hopefully do some custom pieces for others. I would be happy to make various piece for people, they would supply the hair.
I am so excited by this!!

Fabulous day in the studio

Today I had a fabulous day in the studio. I have no pictures to share :(  I was so into what I was doing that I completely forgot to take any pictures. I was working on a couple custom pieces for Christmas and a piece for myself. It came out great. When I have better light I will take a picture and share. I am so excited about!! And to top it all off it was a beautiful day out today!

Opening of Call and Response

This past Friday night Steve and I went to the opening of the exhibition of Call and Response at ArtsWorcester. It was a great opening. There was some really amazing work there. Please go check it out. It is in both galleries (upstairs and downstairs). It was a great turnout. We got to meet and talk to a lot of great people.

Statement for Call and Response

As I looked at the pieces from Africa and thought about it, there was no one piece that stuck out in my mind. My thoughts went to the continent as a whole. There are wars and bloodshed and the people are torn. There are sides to be taken and enemies are made. The heartache of war, the clash of people, government, and the lack of help and medicine.
It was this thought that led me to think of Africa as torn. In my piece I put two “tares” in to it, and then behind the tares I used granulation to represent the people.

Lava beads

This past week I bought these great lava beads. I love them, I can not wait to use them in a project. I have been looking at getting some of these for awhile, but with shipping and the cost they seemed to much of a cost just to see if I like them. I got these at a great price at a local bead shop. I was so excited. I got them at Chevere a place to bead. The owner Pat is great, check out their face book page at www.facebook.com/cheveretheplacetobead  Thanks Pat these are fabulous!

Call and Response - Done

Here is the piece for the Call and Response show at ArtsWorcester. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I love it and not to mention that it looks fabulous on. It has four hollow forms, three silver and one copper. It hangs from a thick rubber cord. I will be writing a statement about the piece and posting when I am done. Steve and I will be dropping off our pieces for this show tomorrow as we are tearing done our Co-Habitat show. :( I hope you all had a chance to see.

Necklace in progress

The above is the necklace that II am working on for the ArtsWorcester exhibit Call and Response. I am very excited about this. The necklace is going to be amazing. There are going to be three sterling silver hollow forms and one cooper hollow form. The top two will have a cut out to look as if it has been ripped open, with granulation under it. Everything will be giving a high polish. When I started thinking about the inspiration pieces and of Africa as a whole I was most inspired of the place as a whole and how it is a place torn apart. I can not wait to share the completed piece and have it in the exhibition.

Cyber Monday

Today is cyber Monday. And for all of you looking for a deal today use coupon code CYBERMON at my etsy store to receive 25% off. That is today only of course. Happy shopping everyone!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for and I would like to share a couple of things that I am thankful for. First of I am most thankful for is my family, and for our friends. They have been there for it all. I am thankful that everyone is in good health and I am also thankful for my art as it keeps me centered and sane. I am thankful for all the amazing people that support my work and for all of my readers. Thank you all. I hope that everyone is having a fabulous day with family and friends.

An amazing article

Melissa Macdonald, my student from this summer wrote the most amazing article about Steve and I, and our show Co-Habitat. She has started a blog and that is where the article is. Her new blog is called Melissas Gotta Say you really must check it out and read the article. Again Thank you so Melissa.

Holiday Sale

It is that time of year again. The holidays are upon us. Time to shop! Please use code HOLIDAY20 for 20% off is my etsy store. Happy shopping!!

Sprout #6

Here is Sprout #6!! I love it!! It looks a amazing. What a ring. And it is so comfortable to wear the only think that you have to watch out for are the sprouts. If you hit a wall they will bend and they will caught in your hair. I know that I have pulled out my hair (literally) from wearing jewelry. Well worth it of course. This is a show piece. And what a show piece.

Call and Response

Yesterday I was in my studio(finally) and was working out a new piece for the Call and Response exhibit that will be at ArtsWorcester next month. It is a show that is inspired by some great artifacts from Africa that are on loan from the Fitchburg Art Museum. And inspired I am. I have created what I think is a great sample piece of the larger one that I am planning on putting in the show. I am planning on making a whole new series based on this. I am so excited by this. Should be interested to find out more about the show or to be involved in the show please check out ArtsWorcester.

Co-Habitat Opening

This past Friday was the opening of  Steve's and mine exhibition at ArtsWorcester. It was amazing! The top picture is a group of people at the show and the bottom is of Steve and Me. We had a blast and it was great to see all the hard work everyone did come together. It looked amazing and all the stress was worth it. Thank you to everyone who came out and to ArtsWorcester and of course to Steve. I met so many great people and it was great to see so much of my work on display. And it was great to see all of Steve's work in one place. If you have not seen the show yet please do.

Setting up Co-Habitat

Yesterday, Steve and I set up our exhibition at ArtsWorcester. We set up the show with the help of Kevin Bird. It was very exciting and tiring. It looks amazing I can not wait for the opening tomorrow night 6-8pm. I hope that you all can come. We are so excited!!!

Superstorm Sandy

I hope that everyone is ok. I know most of the coast took a very hard hit. Thankfully here  is all ok. We had no damage at our house or at our studios.
The storm has delayed our install of our show. So now is Major crunch time. Steve and I will be very busy putting it all up and doing the finishing touches, probably up till the opening. It opens this Friday 6-8.

Displays

These are the displays that Steve made for my work. Are they not fabulous? He did an amazing job. They will have plexiglass fronts. Thank you baby. On Monday we will be installing the show in Worcester, this is very exciting. The opening is Nov. 2 6-8pm. For more info visit Arts Worcester

Gettting Ready for Co-Habitat

The last few days I have been going through all of my jewelry and organizing how it will be displayed. This is much more difficult then I had thought. Grouping it and making sure it all looks good. Of course it could all change once I am at Arts Worcester setting up. It it fast approaching. I can not wait on one hand and I am nervous on the other. It is going to look amazing by the way. 

Uxbridge Free Public Library Exhibition

Steve and I have been invited to host an exhibition at the Uxbridge Free Public Library. it will be held during the month of March. This is very exciting. There will be an opening reception followed by an artist talk. The date for the opening and talk have yet to be determined. Keeping checking here and at www.uxbridgelibrary.org for updates and more info.

Worcester Center for Crafts

Yesterday I was at the Worcester Center for Crafts. It was great, I am now adjunct faculty and will start teaching in the January session. This is very exciting.

The metals studio (above) looks great. It was great to be there again. I was very sad to hear that they no longer have a wood studio.

You can find out more about the craft center at www.worcester.edu/WCC

A bandaw, a necklace, a pair of earrings

Yesterday, Steve fixed up the new/old band saw in my studio. Now I cut wood easily for the wood stove and who know what I will use it for.
Also made a new necklace from the pebbles and puddles series and new earrings with the 1/2 dome hollow form with my favorite letter texture, and these amazing green fresh water pearls with small black tourmaline's. I love these!!!!

Co-Habitat: The Studio Works of Steve Butler and Liesl Carlson

Co-Habitat, an exhibition of artworks by Steve Butler and Liesl Carlson, opens November 2 and will run through November 30, 2012. Inspired by the modern movement in furniture design and the New England winter landscapes, the artists of Co-Habitat give new life to old materials and create delicate textures on seemingly unyielding pieces of silver.  Various pieces of furniture and jewelry, expressing the connection of their materials to nature, will be displayed.

The opening reception for this exhibit will take place at the Aurora Gallery on Friday, November 2, between 6-8 PM in conjunction with These Four Walls, an open member exhibit of photography, in the lower gallery.  These exhibits and their opening celebrations are free and open to the public.

More information can be found at Arts Worcester .

This is so exciting. Steve and I are so looking forward to the exhibition. It is going to be amazing. 

Celebration of Quinn

I have been working on this project(s) for quite a long time. The above picture is the first that is in the works. It is in celebration of my son Quinn. In the photo is his hair from his first hair cut. I have been holding on to it till I figured out how I wanted to do these. I will be placing his hair under glass the will be bezel set. The rest is not quite figured out. I want this to be perfect. I plan on using both of his birthstone in the piece (all I have to do is buy them) and I also want to put in some dinosaur bone. He has loved dinosaurs forever, he knows them all.
I was inspired to do these projects from traditional memorial ring and jewelry. I was reading Rings Jewelry of power and loyalty by Diana Scarisbrick before Quinn was even born. And of course after he was born it all started to come together in my mind. It has been a slow process. Memorial jewelry has been around for centuries. I am very excited by my celebration project.

In the works

I have been working on a lot of projects all at once. It keeps my mind going but at the same time I kinda feel like i don't get a lot done, although I am. The top picture is my bench, as you can see there is a lot of pieces and drawings on there. I also have my bezel pin (the wood with the masking tape on it held by a spring clamp). I love my bezel pin, it is a great way to work on bezels. It holds the stone still while you are working and forming the bezel wire. It is like an extra hand. The bottom picture is the wall in from of my bench. It has various projects tacked to it. They are waiting for... well lots of things. Some are almost done but I can not make up my mind of how I want to finish it. Or waiting for me to have money to buy some stones. It will all come together. I am hoping to have the wall emptied by the exhibition. Here's hoping.

Sending in my scrap

I am getting ready to send in all my scrap. I have prepped it by melting it down into large pieces. I love sending in my scrap it always feels like free money. And I love being able to buy a lot of new materials. I had a lot of fun melting it all down. I love to watch as the metal goes from a solid form to liquid one. It is always amazing to see lots of small pieces become one large one.

New pendant

I had just finished this pendant a few minutes ago.  I love this one. It reminds pebble in a creek bed, all glistening with the water running over them. This is a great lightweight piece that would be great for everyday wear. I have it hanging on a 18 inch black rubber cord. It would look just as great hanging from a silver chain.
I also finished a couple of repairs today and I have a couple more to go. All in all a good day.

Labor Day

Yesterday was a great day.  I managed to get some work done and Quinn was able to get some painting done. I am amazed by his painting. He has a fabulous use of colors and his story's that go with each one are incredible. It was fantastic to work in there with him. I am working on a couple if piece from my pebbles collection. I had time to draw two and cut out one yesterday while Quinn was painting. I love that he has his own bench in my studio and love to go in there and paint. It was so nice for the two of us to listen to music and work.

Yard Sale Finds

Over the weekend my mother was at a yard sale and found these great beads for me. I find it amazing what can be found at yard sales. I love going to them. Some of these are really interesting. Thanks Mom.

Working

Here I am working away. I believe that I was working on bracelet. Last week I have some problems with my tank for my torch. It was leaking had to replace. I am hoping to get more time in the studio soon. As Steve and I have our exhibition at ArtsWorcester it is called Co-Habitat.  It will take place at ArtsWorcester November 2-30 2012. The opening is November 2nd 6-8. This is very exciting and I am hoping to have some new work. Hope to see you there.

Repairs and Modifications

I am working on a few projects. The ones above are a couple modifications and a repair. The bracelet I made for a client and she want to be tight on her wrist so it does not spin. So I will be making it with a clasp, as she requested. I think that it will look amazing. I just have to decide what clasp. And the two pairs of earrings, one I am doing a repair on as the ear wire snapped off and the other "button" earrings were clips and I am turning them into post earrings. Again they will be fabulous. They are great earrings very light with a beautiful design on them. After I get these done then I have one more commission to finish, then I am hoping to get some new work done for the ArtWorcester exhibition that Steve and I are having. Some very exciting things to come!!!

Glowing Remarks

One of my students from this past weekend wrote a post of here blog. It was overly glowing, thank you Melissa. It means a great deal to me to know that my students learn and have a great time. I love sharing what I know. Here is a link to Melissa's blog and what she had to say about our class.
http://zappendipity.blogspot.com/

Bangle and Rings workshop

This past weekend I held a Bangles and Rings workshop in my studio. Melissa and Rachel were amazing.As you can see from the photos how hard they worked. They came with having no experience and walked away with three bangles and 1 bezel set ring each. That is so incredible I could not believe how much they picked up in such a short time. Thank ladies it was a load of fun teaching you.

Meeting another Jeweler

This past week I got a chance to meet and befriend a fellow jeweler. It was great, and they are local!! It was amazing to meet another like minded person here. Mark Horenstien is an amazing craftsmen who works in gold and also does lapidary work. Above are some the raw stone that he let me chose from, and not only that but he is going to let me use and learn his lapidary equipment. I am overjoyed but this. He was so generous and this opportunity to be in his space and to get to know another jeweler is fabulous. I can not wait to get started. Thank you so much Mark!!

Studio Improvements

I have a couple of students coming to take a workshop this weekend. Bangles Rings and Things. It is going to be a blast. I am very excited. So Steve has been working very hard putting some improvements in the studio for me. We have air conditioning. Wha ho!!! And he built and installed a new two person bench for me. It looks amazing. Thank you so much Steve. Love you.

A Finished Project and a New One

The top two photos are a pendant that I just finished. The top stone is a labradorite and the bottom hollow for has this light lovely textured that I created using the rolling mill and burlap, of all things. It is a fabulous texture. The bottom two pictures are of a project that I have started today. The top hollow will have a high polish like a mirror. The bottom pieces will all dangle and move. I am unsure if these are the pieces that I will be using. So far there are fresh water pearls, black onyx, citrine, and of course a few more hollow forms with textures. I am liking the idea of the movement and the layering, I think that this will look amazing when it is finished. I am hoping to get in tomorrow morning to work on it. I think that I will hang it from a double strand of black rubber cord. Any thoughts?

My bench and the heat

Here are a couple of projects in the works and my bench. I miss being in my studio. But with all this heat and having no air condtioning it makes way to hot with the torch and bieing in a small space. Next is looking like it will drop to in the 80's so hopefully I will be able to get in there to work without melting and risking heat stroke.