Simply Strung

My friend Sara chose this bracelet from my inventory to give her sister for Christmas. Mary and Sara both have very small wrists, so today I resized/restrung it for her. It has a commercially made lobster clasp & ring connection made of rose gold plated copper. I hand formed the little copper spiral dangle.

handcrafted hammered copper closure

with glass and metal beads . Finished this bracelet today. I did have the bead design all  laid out on the bead board last night so I was ready to start stringing first thing this morning. It feels really good to finally be productive in the studio again. 

Bracelet 12142011

Here is the newest bracelet, just finished yesterday.

This is just a quicky documentation photo.

Setting up the photo booth on the dining room table.

Boy have I ever lost track of time

I just double checked the date I posted the bracelet documentation photos, it's been a year !!! 12/13/2010 is the date on that BLOG entry. In yesterday's post I said that I had made all those bracelets in the spring, then realized two of the gift bracelets and one of the sold ones were Christmas presents !! I did, however make 2 pair of earrings in the spring, again, they were gifts. Let's see, does that mean I need a deadline to produce work? I hope not, that usually stifles my creativity.

This morning, as I walked past my work table on the way to the coffee maker, I was happy to see the work in progress. I am a very visual person and during the day I can think about what to do next. Probably won't be able to work on it today, though. Church first, then lunch out with church friends, then a Christmas Concert at 3. Maybe tonight I'll have enough energy left to sit in my TV watching chair and wire wrap a bead or two. We'll see.

Beading Again

Finally I am back to work in my home studio. It seems like forever since I've been able to sit and work at my jeweler's bench.  I made about 8 or 10 bracelets last spring (two I sold, 2 I gave as gifts to friends) and I now have determined they all need to be remade. I like them all, they have "my voice" from the standpoint of color and composition, but nothing that I feel sets them distinctly apart from what any other bead artist might do. Simple bead stringing isn't enough to make them notable and recognizable as my work.  So that's my new challenge to myself.  I have spent considerable time in self-study the last 6 months with books and videos and am ready to move forward.

Playing with Pearls & Copper

A little tin to foster big ideas

bracelet documentation

these are quick photos taken inside the Plainfield Art League Gallery with natural lighting

What to do with all those beads?

I began making art jewelry many years ago and it was fun. When I began to make and sell my collage boxes the wearable art slowly began to take a back seat. I collected beads and most anything metallic for use in those boxes. Recently ready to move on to a new phase in my art, I have learned some metalsmith skills, fused glass techniques, and now some cold connection methods. Since I love to wear bracelets that seemed like a good place to begin using some of the elements in my collection.  Making a wearable piece of original art jewelry, supple and easy to fasten, has been my focus the last few months.
Now I need to master the art of photographing this first collection.  

JEWELRY ARTS: WIRE TWISTS / LINKS and CHARM BRACELET

This class introduces the beginner jewelry student to the basic wire twist link that is a building block for most jewelry art assemblage. Students will learn how to make a collection of links and dangle components using head pins, eye pins and straight wire and then proceed to learn how to connect them for earrings, bracelets and necklaces or choose to make a charm bracelet.  Regardless of your choice this class will offer the repetition needed to gain skill at professional looking wire wrapping. Projects may include one-of-a-kind lampwork beads, Bali silver beads, charms and Swarovski crystals (purchased separately). The bead obsessed will enjoy this class since we put a heavy dose of design strategy into our beading classes that will take students beyond the "cookie cutter" approach and challenges each participant to create their own wearable art.

I’ve signed up for 4 classes between now and the end of the year. This is the next one on Friday, Nov. 5th. I need lots of practice to perfect my wire wrapping skills, this seems like a good chance to have some fun at the same time.

TLD Design Center and Gallery

KAREN ROHRER

Geneva Cultural Arts Commission

recently sponsored the Emerging Artist Air Fair held with the Geneva Art Fair in Geneva, IL

Karen Rohrer, exhibited as an Emerging Artist

She won an Honorable Mention award for her jewelry.

Karen has been a student of several disciplines at TLD Designs for some time and has recently determined to concentrate on jewelry making

Congratulations, Karen !!!