Melanie Schow, Author at Solamente

Show and tell: Some of my favorite (studio) things

October 7, 2019 1 Comment

Nothing inspires me more than being surrounded by color. Not surprisingly, this fact shows up in my studio and helps to support my creativity. Throughout my space, there are items that are meaningful, bright, and invite me into the space to create.

Here are some of my favorite things that inspire me in my studio.

Exhibit A: Watercolors by Kathleen Mattox

Both the framed piece and the tiny book marks are both painted by my artist friend, Kathleen Mattox of Mixed Messages in Sanger, CA. They are colorful and happy, and I love having them in my studio. The smaller collection of bookmarks were cut from works that didn’t go as planned, making them into something new. Seeing these makes me happy!

Exhibit B: Colorful ribbons

One thing to know about me is that I don’t just like giving gifts, I love making them beautiful. Wrapping presents is such a joy for me, and of course, one needs a collection of beautiful, unique ribbons for finishing touches.

Exhibit C: People who inspire me

Talk about inspiration! Mother Nature has outstanding taste in geodes and amethyst. This shelf also holds a book open to a page featuring the work of wire artist Lynne Merchant, one of my early teachers. Above it (not pictured) is a set of whispery chimes that reminds me of the intro to the song Age of Aquarius. Every time I walk by, they’re set into motion, reminding me of my first grown up theater, this musical in 1967.

Exhibit D: My lampwork bead collection

I store my lampwork beads in architects’ flat files to make everything more visible. Nothing delights me more than pulling open a shallow drawer and feasting on the color, variety, and possibility each collection holds. I like to arrange things by color—orange and pink, for example—and collect the beginnings of future projects. Any time I’m short on inspiration, this is my favorite place to go!

When I’m doing the more tedious work of running an art business (inventory or balancing the checkbook), having beauty and color around me lifts me up and keeps me going.

A juicy necklace for my next art show

September 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

Every year since 1994, Madera (CA) County Center for the Arts has hosted a juried art show centered around our region’s agriculture. This year, I’m entering a necklace called “Central Valley Slice.”

While I’m saving the full reveal for the show itself, I wanted to give you sneak peek (details about attending the show at the end)!

Inspiration

Where we live, produce is all around us. One of the most important crops grown in our area is citrus—from mandarin “Cuties” to lemons and navel oranges. All year, we watch the cycle of trees in blossom, ripening, harvest, and pruning—citrus, tangerines, nectarines, peaches, plums. We drive around and through it all the time.

Because of this, the Celebrate Agriculture show is on my mind year-round. Recently, when a beadmaker posted these citrus beads, I jumped at them, knowing immediately that I would use them for this show. I love how accurate and juicy they look!

All the juicy materials

This necklace is completely hand-forged using copper-enameled, green art wire into a lariat-hybrid design. With citrus slice art glass beads made by Olga Boiko, and the lemon tree bead by Debi Cogwell, the piece makes a beautiful whispering noise when worn. It also includes Lucite leaves, lead-free pewter bead caps and spacers, and smaller glass beads.

What I love about the Celebrate Agriculture show

It’s a fun show and dear to me. I especially love the variety of artists and mediums and seeing their interpretation of each year’s theme. It’s a friendly competition between local artists.

To participate, a jury reviews all the pieces and decides which gets into the show. Then, there a second process in which each category is judged and awarded first place, second, or honorable mention. In 2017, I received an honorable mention for one of my submissions, Night Watchmen.

Want to see the finished piece?

You can see the finished work (and those of many other talented artists) by attending the Celebrate Agriculture reception at Circle Gallery on September 12. Not local? You can also follow me on Facebook where I’ll be posting images afterward.

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No matter which way you slice it

These gorgeous beads inspired this year’s submission to the Madera County Arts Council art show, Celebrating Agriculture with the Arts. Slices of lemon and orange lampwork adorn this lariat-hybrid necklace. Here’s the inspiration for its creation!

A juicy necklace for my next art show

No time (yet) for these 4 projects

August 9, 2019 1 Comment

No matter how creative you are, there are always projects that don’t get enough attention. I was thinking about this the other day and wondered: If I had time for a project, what would I work on next?

Box of Rain

My friend Laura likes to do art that’s inspired by lyrics. Great minds as they say, my idea for one of my passion projects comes from a song by Grateful Dead.

And it’s just a box of rain, I don’t know who put it there,
Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.

And it’s just a box of rain, or a ribbon for your hair;
Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.

I got started on the piece I’ve entitled Box of Rain a while ago. I love the idea and have lots of notes and plans for how to put it all together. It’s one of those projects that got more complicated as I worked on it, then I ran out of time. If I had a day to work on a project, this would be one of them.

Halloween punk

Just looking at this collection makes my fingers twitch for the wire tools to get creating. I’ve been collecting these Halloween punk items over time and want to create jewelry, tiaras, you name it. Everything is in a black-orange-and-bone theme from the skulls, wings, and spider charms to wire in ivory, glow in the dark, and black.

Future tiaras

My desire to deign every person queen of her domain lives on. What started as a one-time project for a children’s party has turned into an official part of my creative repertoire.

As evidence, you can see this box of pre-made tulle puffs, headband, and crown wires poised for inspiration to strike.

The pig pillow

This spring, I imagined a farm-themed quilt with bright-red bandanna print and denim colors. This pillow was an homage to that idea. Last week, I finally pieced it and realized that I may not have left enough seam allowance. So there’s more jury rigging in my future before I can sew the back on and stuff it.

If I had more creative time, I’d start with these projects. What projects are sitting on the back burner of your creative hearth?

Inspiration for setting focal beads

June 16, 2019 Leave a Comment

Big beads deserve a special setting.

Have you ever struggled with setting focal beads? If you’re like me, you have at least one large, gorgeous bead tucked away that seems almost to beautiful and precious to use.

The problem with saving those special beads is that they never get the attention they deserve. In this post, I hope to inspire you to finally bring those gorgeous beads into the light by sharing some of the ways to listen to what your bead wants to become.

First, some inspiration!

Setting focal beads can be surprisingly easy when you ask the right questions. Any time I’m about to set a dramatic focal bead, I ask myself What’s the theme of this bead? In other words, what do I want to highlight and tell a story about? The bead might have a playful feeling that reminds me of blowing bubbles as a child. That image can inspire lots of creative details and use of color with accent beads and wire embellishments. Start with curiosity.

In the following examples, you can see how each bead inspires the setting and design:

I adore this bead with little birds in a row. I knew that I wanted them to be sitting in a tree, so this inspired the circular, leafy setting around it.
Bead Artist: Jessie Tesolin

This unicorn bead by Keri Fuhr reminded me of a carousel horse. While I didn’t want a literal amusement ride, my thought is a setting of whirls and swirls to convey movement.
Bead Artist: Kerri Fuhr

I love dragons, can you tell? This baby dragon has quite a personality and seemed very royal to me. Befitting a prince, I gave him a formal and ornate setting.
Bead Artist: Kerri Fuhr

With this beautiful heron lampwork bead, the place where these birds live inspired a setting that evokes water and reeds. The setting echoes swirls of water and aquatic plants.
Bead Artist: Kerri Fuhr

This stunning collection of focal beads needed a dramatic setting that would highlight their beauty without concealing a single detail. The resulting piece, Breatplate for Ninsun, was an entry for Bead Dreams a few years ago and one of the first times I played with a really special setting.
Bead Artist: Gail Crosman Moore

BreastPlate for Ninson wire art necklace (c) Melanie Schow

This is a character bead—almost cartoon-y—and it didn’t really need anything fancy. Instead, the setting is made up of just a few accents that pull in the bright ketchup and mustard colors.
Bead Artist: Tammy Mercier

Second, a challenge and a class!

By starting with curiosity, you can create magic. If you struggle with setting focal beads or have a few languishing, I challenge you to spend some time looking at each one to see what themes or stories it brings up. How you would use your artistic skills and techniques to highlight them?

You’re invited to try setting focal beads with me! If you’re close to California, consider attending my upcoming July class at Creative Castle called Framed: A Dramatic Wire Setting.

In this one-day class, you’ll bring a focal bead you love (or buy one there) and learn how to use your skills to highlight its unique-ness and beauty. With my guidance, you’ll design a custom setting that frames and really shows off your treasure. I can show you how fun setting focal beads can be! Whether it’s stone, pictorial, or beautiful glass, you will end up with a bead that shines—and new confidence to work through your neglected stash.

See full details here!

Give your focal beads some love

Are you ready to be brave and creative setting focal beads? Open up the stash soon and discover how fun it can be to listen to your beads.

Five tips to fit creativity into your busy life

May 30, 2019 1 Comment

Too much to do, too little time to create

It was the end of a long day and my artist friend and I took turns apologizing for yawning through dinner, cross-eyed from too many days of busy-ness. Like usual, our conversation turned to the art projects we’ve been working on. Kathleen mentioned a new watercolor series she was thinking about starting.

“I wonder how I could carry color from one painting to the next?”

Suddenly, we both perked up. My favorite conversations start with, “I wonder how…” This question invites curiosity, creativity, and new possibilities to explore. Ideas were flying about color and technique. Suddenly, we were both energized as the creative possibilities bubbled up. We could hardly talk fast enough!

A colorful, complicated quilt block I completed thanks to Tip #4.

How to perk up your creativity

It gave me an idea to share with you some of the ways I bring creativity into my life when there isn’t enough time to make art. If your projects are languishing untouched, and your to-do list is long, I hope these ideas inspire you.

Tip 1: Ask artistic friends what they’ve been creating lately.

This is an enlivening topic of conversation for creative people. It opens up a world of discovery when you ask about what’s on someone’s easel or needles or workbench.

Tip 2: Talk about what you would make if you had more time.

This is the creative person’s variation on the “what would you do if you won the lottery.” Even when life intrudes, you can take your creativity to the hypothetical world where you have lots of free time and no other commitments. What would you create? What techniques or mediums would you like to experiment with?

Tip 3: Ask “I wonder what would happen if…”

In the case of Kathleen’s project, she was considering a larger question about color-blending techniques. Although her medium is watercolor, I shared about creating gradients with yarn (alternating rows of the previous color and the next color) and seed beads (increasing and decreasing percentages of colors). It gave us both a new appreciation for how widely-different media create similar visual impact. Wondering out loud is juicy!

Tip 4: Sign up for an in-person class. If there is a physical location to visit and people waiting for me, it really does make me prioritize creating. I’m nearly finished with a complicated quilt because I enrolled in a class with a friend.

Tip 5: Offer a class.

This is one way to really force yourself to create even when the stack of mail beckons. Teaching a class means creating samples and showing up in person to assist others. If you have access to space and a local following, this is a great way to get out of a rut and have fun creating. It’s an extra bonus that I often learn as much from the students as they do from me.

How do you fit creativity into your busy life?

Do you have ways to bring more creativity into your life when it’s busy? I’d love to know about it in the comment section!

Bubbles, failures, and creative squirrels

April 6, 2019 2 Comments

Following the creative process

If you’re like me, you know that being creative is a mixed blessing. The creative process sometimes takes you to unexpected places both as inspiration and distraction.

You have to follow your enthusiasm and let the creative process work its way with you. In fact, sometimes the most amazing ideas come when you’re not expecting them. However, there always seems to be something new and shiny and interesting—SQUIRREL! It grabs your attention away and prevents you from finishing the original project.

The creative muse is a mythical siren, calling you away from completing the last slow steps of that important project. Or at least, that’s how things are in my studio!

I thought it would be fun (or a good distraction) to show you what I’m in the process of creating these days.

The quilt class

I knew almost immediately that I was in over my head with the three-month quilt class I’m taking with a friend. We create a new, gorgeous squares every class, but each one is made with zillions smaller pieces – think 2 7/8″ triangles.

The finished quilt will eventually have twelve 12.5″ square pieces plus lots of “low volume” background. I’m just not that diligent! But I signed up and, fortunately, the instructor is really kind and doesn’t mind (too much) if I show up without the fabric pre-cut for class.

The other day, I was at sewing at home and got on a really wonderful roll with one square. It started to look like I’d have it finished in time to bring to class. I was so excited, that is, right before my sewing machine jammed on the final seam. Then, when I couldn’t fix it, I had to go to class without my good machine. (Note to self: Pay attention to what you sign up for.)

In the process of taking this class, I did make a wonderful discovery: foundation paper piecing. Instead of the normal measuring and cutting fabric with a ruler and cutting mat, this process uses a printed sheet of paper in which you sew simple fabric rectangles on the dotted lines, repeat, and—voilà!—you end up with a gorgeous star! How on earth did someone come up with this? Gorgeous points and perfect stars just by connecting the dots.

Although it may be a SQUIRREL!, I will not let myself feel guilty for deciding that, instead of going on with 40-piece detailed quilt squares, I just want to make squares of New York Beauty (the name of the star pattern) with paper piecing. I am choosing to celebrate the discovery!

Creating new lampwork settings

When you play with wire techniques like I do, you’re like the guy who trips and drops his peanut butter in the chocolate. In following the creative process, you make happy discoveries about what works well together, quite unexpectedly.

A while ago, I created new wire fabrication links for a soap-inspired show at Mixed Messages in Sanger, CA. “What would bubbles look like made with wire?” This question led to me creating a tiaras and necklace (sold!) that featured springs with big, wrapped loops and bubbly beads spaced in between. Soapy, bubbly, and fun!

Creating bubbly-movement was an idea, but I wasn’t sure it could be used for my other art. It seemed more like a one-time fluffy idea.

However, I was creating a setting for a new class with a pink dragon lampwork bead (more on that later) as the focal . And just then, inspiration struck! I thought it would be interesting to try using the bubbles a completely different way in this new setting. That’s so fun for me—to stumble upon a creative connection and see where it leads.

Disconnected sections of looping wire in white and silver that will be joined into a necklace

One of the steps in the creative process

The new class idea is employing all sorts of techniques I have used elsewhere. Last year when I made the wire dog house, I surrounded it with “weeds” to soften and fill in the base. Those same weeds turned into “reeds” on my lampwork heron focal. Once more, an idea used one way was translated to work in another “setting” (jewelry humor—get it?).

Fiber fury

When it comes to art-making, the truth is that most people only show off what works. But I’m happy to show you the realities too. I’m currently knitting something, and I’m hating it. This is also normal in the creative process.

The pattern called for contrasting solid colors which would then be blended to fade from one yarn to another. However, the hand-dyed yarn I chose to work with has a spattery-splotchy treatment that is just not contrasting enough. Not. At. All.

And this is the dilemma: in knitting you usually don’t have a feel for how the piece will come out until you’re hours and hours in. Unless you’ve knit it before and know the pattern well (but what’s the fun in that?). Every time you cast on, it’s a gamble.

The failed knitting project in the bag.

Now I’m so far down into the project, it’s almost painful to ask myself (but I do), “Am I going to keep going? Or am I gonna rip it?” It’s projects like these that make a new SQUIRREL! project so appealing. When I go into my stash, I find half-finished knitting projects like the one in this canvas tote three years later. Perplexed, I wonder, “What is this? What was I doing?” It failed, but I couldn’t quite let it go.

The truth of creativity is that not everything you try will work. In fact, it means being willing to try a lot of things that don’t work. You have make peace with the process (and possibility of failures) to discover what will work.

There be dragons

Recently, one of my favorite lampwork artists posted a pink dragon for sale or bid online. SQUIRREL! I love Kerri Fhur. I love pink. I love dragons. The creative muse was squealing: I want to play with the pink dragon! “Bid or buy it now? That’s gonna go. Buy it now!”

Now that project is on my bench, getting the royal “bubble” treatment before it heads off to be just one of the samples for my next new class.

So that’s a glimpse of my creative process lately. Whether your medium is fiber, fabric, paint, or clay, it’s good to remember that creating is worthwhile. Even the distractions and mistakes inherent in the creative process teach you something new!

A peek into my recent wire class

February 20, 2019 Leave a Comment

Success!

The advanced wire class I taught last month was a great success. I really enjoyed planning it and getting ready, but seeing those nine people actually use the materials was the most fun of all.

My overall goal was for participants to practice making design decisions throughout the class. I call this “artist’s mind” or “designer’s mind”. Instead of creating carbon-copies of the samples I made, I wanted each participant to make choices about what they liked or felt inclined to do based on the concepts I presented.

The advanced steps I included were multiple elements on a single wire, including “wings”, coils, eyes, and anchors some with pearl or rhinestone chain embellishments—all leading up to an abstract pendant or focal piece—but combining those elements was up to the participants.

My working sample for the wire art class

Making space for inspiration

We all remember being a kid, copying the exact tree or flower our teacher drew on the board. While that has its value, it’s the opposite of my approach for this class.

It’s a good practice for artists to try completely new things that get them out of their routine. In fact, even getting a little uncomfortable or frustrated can be useful in the creative process. Stretching your “designer’s mind” is one of the best ways to find new inspiration in your art.

This concept comes from my experience as a participant in an art master class. The instructor, NanC Meinhardt, taught us to be curious. In the process of creating a piece, she urged us to “try it” any time we found ourselves thinking, “I wonder what would happen if…” Over and over again, I’ve learned that this curiosity and open-mindedness creates space for creativity to strike.

One of a kind

One of the best parts of teaching technique—instead of a project—is that every artist gets to learn new principles that lead to unique, one-of-a-kind creations.

I thought you’d enjoy taking a peek at the variety of creations from students trying these techniques. As you’ll see, all of them are works in progress and in different stages of completion. However, if you look closely, you can see the ideas and class concepts repeated throughout.

Different metals, colors, and embellishments all spring from the same concepts! I am really proud of my students—they persevered through those moments in the process when you wonder if the “spaghetti” tangle of wires will ever take shape. I’m also grateful for Creative Castle in Newbury Park, CA for creating the space for the class to happen.

If you happen to have been in the class, I welcome you to comment below about your work and process behind it.

The gift of artist allies

January 31, 2019 Leave a Comment

Because running an art business is challenging, having artist allies is essential.

Thanks to ongoing collaboration with Sanger’s local art gallery, Mixed Messages (and owner, Kathleen Mattox), I have had the opportunity to work with Kathleen and Paul Parichan on a regular basis. They are both talented artists in their own right, but they also believe in supporting other artists too.

Right before the holidays, Paul outdid himself.

When artists boost each other

He messaged me to ask, “How would you like to have your work in a museum gift shop?”

What artist says no to that kind of opportunity? I was so grateful! Many artists work for years to get their art into the right venues.

In our conversation, I learned that Paul has a long relationship with the Fresno Art Museum. Its gift shop was being re-opened after a long absence under new direction from Michelle Ellis Pracy. As Fresno Art Museums’s (FAM) Executive Director & Chief Curator, she is also an artist ally. Her focus in the gift shop is to promote local artists.

Michelle told me, “Bring us your big show stoppers.” This was music to my ears.

Bringing my show stoppers

As a working artist, you face a dilemma every time you create. Do you make items that will sell? Or do you produce more dramatic art that uses the wide range of skills you have honed through the years? It’s often a balance of both.

This means that while I sell lots of affordable art, I also have a swirling, glittering collection of fine art pieces made from the highest quality elements (silver wire and high-end artist’s glass beads, for example). I love making them, but they’re above the price point most people are thinking when they go to a craft show.

Michelle’s encouragement got me excited to rescue these treasures from storage. After hunting through my stash, I came up with eight “show stopper” art pieces.

Here’s a sneak peek at a few:

Monarch Duet necklace (c) 2016 Melanie Schow

Morning Song

I’m really excited to be at the Fresno Art Museum’s gift shop. Michelle curated it to include many talented local artists, and I’m honored to be shown with them and in that kind of company.

Sometimes making art can seem like a solitary endeavor, but thanks to Kathleen, Paul, and Michelle, I’m reminded of the importance of a supportive art community and artist allies.

See my work at the Fresno Art Museum gift shop

Want to support local artists too? The Fresno Art Museum is re-opening on February 2 with a brand-new art installation. The gift shop is full of over-the-top local art (including several more of mine not pictured above). If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop in to take a look!

My new wire art class!

December 14, 2018 Leave a Comment

A new wire art class

For the first time in six years, I’m offering a new advanced wire art class! It will feature creative skills for working with wire including bending, embellishing, shaping, adding hanging elements, and balancing a piece. I’m very excited! Here’s the first of two samples, this one is in silver:

Designing a class is an art

Not surprisingly, the process of designing a class requires creativity too.

The name of the class is Meander. Being a lover of words, the first thing I did was look up the definition and make notes about the descriptive words. This set the tone as I wrote the class description and made a list of materials.

Artists who teach likely have two general strategies for preparing a class–a chicken and egg approach, if you will. The first way is to create a piece with a specific class in mind, taking careful notes along the way, step by step. The other approach is to create a finished piece and then think, “Hey! This would make a great class!” This is more challenging because you must reverse-engineer the creation process from memory so that students have clear instructions.

When I create art pieces, my primary focus is always to ask “is this sturdy and stable?” I hardly ever think about the order I did it in. Fortunately, for the Meander class, I did it the first way and have good notes.

New wire art skills and techniques

In the past, I’ve taught classes that feature a specific project that participants walk away with. I’m excited that this advanced class focuses exclusively on students pushing the limits of wire, embellishments, and balance. Instead of a carbon-copy, students develop their confidence in creating an original piece using the techniques discussed in the class.

Since I last taught a class, I have learned new skills from the art I’ve been making. Sometimes wire does unexpected things in the course of producing new work. I am eager to share these discoveries with students. One of the other departures in this class is the option of rhinestones – something sparkly – instead of my more usual pearls or beads (I’m more of a monochrome designer, but hey sparkles, what’s not to like?). We’ll be playing with curves where you can choose to add rhinestone chain (among other things!).

One of the signs of artistry is being able to develop your own design aesthetic and learn to trust your own sensibilities. This class will be an aesthetic challenge for participants to discover what’s pleasing to them. To answer that age-old question: “How do I know when I’m done?” For all these reasons, I can’t wait to teach the class in January!

Learn more about my newest wire art class!

Want to see a second sample piece in copper and read about the class? Visit Creative Castle’s websit e.

Opening a treasure chest

November 16, 2018 1 Comment

The other day, I opened a box of treasures and everything inside was my own work!

Like a lot of artists, I’m most productive when I have a deadline. Art shows in particular motivate me to think creatively and often put me into that flow state where I hardly know I’m creating—present, focused, and enjoying myself.

Working for that deadline, I don’t stop until I’m done. I don’t take photos. My other tasks fall off the radar. All my energy is focused on finishing my art pieces and delivering them in enough time for the show.

That’s why opening this box was such a surprise. As I marveled at its contents, I kept wondering, Did I make all this?

I did! Last year, I showed my work at a local gallery where the shows, deadlines, and new themes kept me hopping. When I requested last year’s pieces back, I opened the box and could hardly remember making it. So much fun stuff!

Best of all, this means I have extra goodies to bring to a holiday boutique this Sunday—along with new pieces too. If you happen to be in southern California and didn’t get the email invitation, please let me know!

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