What's Flowing at the Bench

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since my last post.  My Bead Soup Partner has probably given up on me.  You've all probably given up on me.  These last couple months have been a kind of hibernation for me, when I've not been working on the Whidbey Open Studio Tour.  However, I think I'm waking up.

Bead Soup Package

Two weeks ago I took a marriage of metals class at The Ranch in Snohomish.  That really got my creative juices flowing.  Lynette Andreasen was the instructor.  You should really take a look at her work.  She flew in from Arizona to teach one of the best classes I've ever taken.  It was really exciting to work with a teacher who was willing to share so much information so freely.  I learned a ton.  My fear of the saw has been lifted and I'm hoping to utilize it much more in my work.  And Keum Boo is no longer a mystery, nor is it difficult.  I have muscled through trying to teach myself so many techniques on my own only to learn later that it is so much easier to share in the experience with like minded creatives and an instructor.  It's really worth the money!  Plus, it can really get you out of a creative funk.

Weeks ago, I met up with a potential customer who asked me to make her a pinkie ring.  The design has been a bit of a challenge because of its three dimensional design nature, coupled with a bunch of tiny details.  I mention this because this is one of those things I think about when I go into hibernation mode - or maybe it sends me into hibernation mode.  I don't really know.  It feels like I'm not doing anything, but I'm thinking, thinking and more thinking.  I made a few sketches right after meeting with her, but coming up with a way to make them feasible was the challenge.  Some of the designs lent themselves to sheet metal construction, but then I was stumped as to how to make the three dimensional part.  Marrying something three dimensional out of metal clay and something flat with fine details out of sheet metal seemed to be the best choice, but a bit beyond my skill level at this point.  And I'm telling you all of this for a point.  The point is, I was overthinking it! 

I spent more than a month just thinking about the pinkie ring design instead of just playing with it.  I had a few diversions along the way, like my spiritual alchemy pendant that I made for my Empowering Women group that meets once a month.  I had that one in my head for a couple of months and just had to get it out.  So, in the expanse of one week, I made three prototypes of the pinkie ring and 10 spiritual alchemy pendants.  I'm hoping I'm on a roll, because it was feeling like the well had gone dry.

Pinkie Ring Tops