"Spacescape"

"Spacescape"  Enamel on copper- liquid enamel with sgraffito, graphite and acrylic enamels.  Setting is all sterling silver.

"Organic' Enameled Necklaces

Here are two examples of our latest in the "Organic Enamel" series.  Created on textured copper with liquid enamels, sgraffito and organic elements burned into the enamels.  

Open House and Visitors

Open Studio

We had a very successful studio open house May 23rd.  Thank you to everyone who came out to visit and support us!  The new studio is working out so well for us.  We all enjoyed the wonderful and very tasty appetizers prepared and served by our talented and hardworking cooking friend, Patty B. and our eldest daughter, Sarah.  All our jewelry and artwork was displayed beautifully with the artful eye of our youngest daughter Molly.  She never ceases to be our cheerleader and behind the scenes supporter.  Anyone who purchased a piece got to meet Molly and her husband Joe - they were our check out crew for the evening.  If you missed this one please watch your email for the the fall open house invitation and join us for fun, food and conversation!

Heralding Spring
The wrens have been singing their little hearts and souls out for a month or more.  Can't believe they can keep singing from sun up to sun down!

We have had lots of other visitors to our spring yard including a wild turkey.  It may not be unusual for some of you to see such  sight, but we live in a very busy, house after house area.  From our new covered summer porch we have been watching all kinds of birds visiting our yard.  Curt caught a picture of the red bellied woodpecker working up and down on one of our maples.  Now our yard is coming alive with all of the roses.  Hope everyone is enjoying this great Michigan spring!

red bellied woodpecker

spring hellebore in my garden

Enamel Jewelry

Love to torch fire enamel and anyone who knows me, knows I love hearts so......

Soft Summer Color Hearts

Hearts on Fire

Here are some dimensional hearts in cool summer  sky and water colors.  And some hot summer sun
colors!
I use a jeweler's saw to create a heart form cut out in plexiglass and hammer a piece of annealed copper sheet forming it to the pattern.  This makes the heart shape puff out.  After a few other steps the copper heart shape is ready to enamel.  Lots of fun to create.  Let me know what you think......

Love to All

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

All you need is love....


Hope everyone has someone to give and to receive love from today!

Jewelry Studio Open House and 212 Art Assoc. Sale

The Fritz and Friends studio Curt and I have been studying with will hold a Precious Wine and Metals Open House December 5th from 1pm to 6pm.  We will both have pieces for sale. The studio is located at 32722 Franklin Road, Franklin, MI.  Below are a new pair of sterling silver and freshwater pearl earrings that will be for sale.  The studio has lots of creative, talented artists.  There will be several pieces for sale from the Fritz and Friends staff as well as students.  Curt and I have really enjoyed studying with Leslie DiPiazzo.  I hope you can join us.

I will also have some jewelry at the 212 Art Association Sale in Saline starting Saturday, Dec. 11 and going through Saturday, Dec. 18th.  More details to come.

New necklace

A new piece created from sea glass from Orcas Island, Washington.  I really like pieces of sea glass with a little fold or lip.   I like to use that as a "cap" to hold beads or pearls, etc.  The piece is made from sterling silver and three sizes of fresh water pearls.

Black Friday

Madness of the shopping hoards!  I felt like this crow gathering pretty things for my studio "nest".  Yes, I allowed myself to be involved in visiting stores on Black Friday.  Just couldn't pass up the sales at Michael's.

The picture was taken at West Beach Resort on Orcas  Island in Puget Sound, Washington.  This beach and surrounding beaches are where a lot of my jewelry stones and sea glass are gathered.  If you ever have the chance to visit the San Juan Islands spend some time on Orcas.  Curt and I are visiting again in the early spring.  Can't wait!  Definitely no shopping hoards at this place.

Necklace for Molly

Two sterling silver pieces with fresh water pearls.  I love "beating up" the metal.  I think the forging was my favorite part of creating these pieces.  My least favorite was riveting the pearls!  My daughter Molly proudly wears the piece in the upper picture.  The other piece will be in the sale at 212 Art Association in December.  Molly encouraged me to create these pieces.  Thanks for the inspiration Molly.

Necklace made from copper and a piece of beach glass from Lake Erie one of my wonderful knitting students gave me.  I've practiced a lot on drilling glass and stone so I don't have as many mistakes as I did at one time.  Today I set up my dremel drill press for drilling.  Wow - what a difference it made to be able to lift the drill easily in and out of the holes to clear them of debris while drilling.  Wish I had done that studio trick earlier!

Earrings made of distressed copper, enamel and
fresh water pearls with mixed metal beads.  The
enameling is a lot of fun.  I revisited enameling with
Richard Salley at Artfest last March.  I used to
enamel when I was in middle school. You never know when those early experiences will resurface.
I'm looking forward to my granddaughter becoming
old enough to play with all our art stuff!

Jewelry

I finally snapped some pics of my jewelry made from sea glass
and stones Curt and I collect on our Washington State vacations.
The piece has a center shield design of hand hammered brass and copper with a copper bale.
I've been invited to join the Holiday sale at 212 Art Association in Saline so I'll have more designs to share with you.  I'll include more
info regarding the sale when I have all the details.