A flowing year for my art

December 24, 2016 Leave a Comment

Celebrating a year

In some respects, this month is the most productive of the year as I prepared for holiday shows and created new art for them. In other ways, it’s a time when I reflect on the year’s accomplishments.

2016 was probably my most art-filled year in recent memory—a fact I’d love to celebrate with you. I haven’t had a year with this much artwork in a long time.

Here are my four big successes from 2016….

One: A more satisfying process for producing art

This year has been about flow and new energy. Instead of being surprised by deadlines, I planned ahead and got the dates down on my calendar. This allowed me to focus on meeting one deadline and then look ahead to what I wanted to participate in next.

What was really different is how I planned in enough time for the creative unfolding process. You can’t execute big art pieces in a day, but it sometimes still surprises me how long things take. Every project has at least one “OMG this is never going to come together” moment. With better planning, I could work on it, step away, and keep coming back until it starts to come together.

Spaciousness and time make better art and a happier, saner artist.

Two: More art pieces than in recent years

This spring, something just clicked for me when I started working on the piece below, a free-form sterling wire necklace with a lampwork blossom bead.

Then I created Breastplate for Ninsun using this same free-form style. I loved it so much, I even decided to submit it to Bead and Button.

BreastPlate for Ninson wire art necklace (c) Melanie Schow

It’s common for artists to focus on a particular color or medium for a while, creating a series of pieces that use a similar style. Once I got rolling, this new, bigger style kept flowing through the subsequent pieces of jewelry and wire embroidery.

All of the designs revolved around the theme of precipitation and water. Talk about flow!

Organized Precipitation Little Sister necklace

Organized Precipitation’s Little Sister necklace

Three: Recognition for my art

I entered Organized Precipitation (below) into Madera County Art Council’s Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts 2016 23rd Annual competition and exhibition. It won second place for the category “Water… Agriculture’s Lifeblood.” I received a Certificate of Recognition for the award from California Legislature assembly and senate with my name and title of piece and stamped with a silver emblem.

The Alliance of California Artists Open Show’s theme was Falling into Winter. I submitted The Sky is Falling, a wire embroidery piece depicting rain turning to snow. For the rain, I used glass beads, crystals, bugle beads, and wire. The snow is wire with sparkly Lucite beads in stars and shapes. I won Honorable Mention in the category of Three-Dimensional Drawing and Non-Traditional Artwork.

Four: New venues for my art

The Art Shop at Vintage Market at 601: This year, Paul Parichan created an art shop dedicated to local artists. All of the participating artists make diverse and high-quality art in a variety of media—including mixed media, ceramics, fabric pillows, wire work, paintings jewelry. I’m really honored that he invited me into this prestigious group and featured three of my artworks (Monarch Duet, Breastplate for Ninsun, the “baby sister” of Organized Precipitation).

New online shop: People have always asked if they could purchase my work online, and this year, it’s finally possible! Although, it’s on vacation mode during the holidays, my online shop will be active again in January. Here’s the link to see what’s new in my online store.

If you’re in or visiting the San Joaquin Valley, I’m also showing my work at:

Mixed Messages in Sanger, CA
The Art Shop at Vintage Market at 601 in Fresno, CA
Circle Gallery in Madera, CA

My hope is to ride the energy and success of this year into the new one. In the meantime, I’m wishing you a fruitful and flowing new year!

Clouds in my Coffee (c)2016 Melanie Schow

I don’t make art glass beads, I make them even better

October 31, 2016 Leave a Comment

Do not pass go

I’ll never forget how surprised I was the time I got turned down to show my work because the focal art glass beads in my creation were not my own.

Even though the sting has worn off over the years, this experience gave me an insight into the standards of the art world. Painters don’t make their own paint. Sculptors don’t quarry their own stone. Similarly, when wire artists use beads, frequently they are not of their own making.

Many artists, many styles

From the very beginning, it was a conscious choice to use others’ artist-quality beads in my necklaces, earrings, and sculpture. Here’s why: no on can be good at all things.

Instead, my finished pieces are different and unique as Breastplate for Ninsun, the Scaredy Cat collection, and the Morning Song rooster necklace.

BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace

Professor Specs pendant

Morning Song rooster necklace wire art jewelry

Morning Song necklace

What I love best about working with artist-quality beads is the variety. From Joy Munshower‘s animals and the art glass of Gail Crosman Moore to the whimsical cats of Kathleen O’Connor and Robin Poff‘s dragons, these gifted makers inspire the art I create.

The art of wire design

When you work with wire as I do, the artistry comes down to creating a beautiful, balanced piece using a variety of elements. Wire artistry entails knowing how many scrolls and coils create a harmonious look and also recognizing the point at which you stop adding.

Using focal beads means understanding color and choosing accent elements that highlight the theme. For example, in my pendant using Kathleen O’Connor’s Wicked Witch, I echo the fun, square-kinked tails in the wire scrolls of the drop on this pendant.

Although I have taken lampwork bead-making classes, it’s not my medium. Understanding the kind of work that goes into making fine art glass beads makes me appreciate artists that use this medium even more. If I tried to do it all myself, I’d be a beginner for a long time!

My specialty is in creating a beautiful, well engineered settings with high-end materials and choosing gorgeous color palettes that bring out the uniqueness of the focal beads that are made by other artists and by Mother Nature too.

Quirky cats as art jewelry inspiration

September 30, 2016 1 Comment

A lifetime of cats

Maybe I was destined to choose cats for my art jewelry. Ever since I named my first kitty Lilac Starlight when I was really little, unique cats have been parading through my life with tails held high.

Champ was an orange tabby from the apple farm who got increasingly nicked-up ears earning his street cred after we moved to California.
Bob came to us with a tail that didn’t work, but with the care of an attentive vet, regained full use to get into all kinds of mischief.
Young Mr. Puss became an annual fixture in our holiday card when he jumped into a photo his first year with us. Later years he did not volunteer and we had to hold him down for the photo moment with predictable flying fur.

Mr. Puss, Art Critic

In addition to their unique personalities, most of our cats have gone by two names. Upon their arrival to the ousehold, I’d come up with a moniker I liked. But as the cat grew on my husband, he’d christen it with a second name—the one that usually stuck. So CK became Bob. Bug became Mr. Puss. In any case, they never minded the extra attention.

Not exactly catless today

We have myriad dogs (our own and others’) underfoot and farm animals too, but I still love cats. My favorite thing about them is their independence, personality, and character.

Although our household is catless at the moment, I get my feline fix using the hilarious and quirky cat beads created by Kathleen O’Connor in my necklaces and pendants. Each of her characters are hilarious and unique. Like Professor Specs, for example.

And these two purr-fectly innocent (but probably mischievous) Halloween cats.

Can you see how the pink Wicked Witch cat below has a playfully square-kinked tail?

I mirror the same quirky angles in Kathleen’s art in my accent wirework and hand-forged links. And just look at those eyes! What personality!

Artistic inspiration

Kathleen is a talented artist and a great person. When I asked her how she makes these glass beads, she explained that she first lampworks the tab bead base, and then paints the scene with very fine ground glass. She sometimes fires the piece several times to add layers of color. It’s a complicated and unusual process because lampworkers usually finish a bead and then fire it once.

An exciting announcement

As of this month, my collection of necklaces and pendants featuring Kathleen O’Connor’s Scaredy Cats is on my brand new online shop. Even if there’s no Lilac Starlight, I hope you’ll take a look at all the fun, quirky cats in my life!

I didn’t get in to BeadDreams (but it’s okay)

July 18, 2016 Leave a Comment

BeadDreams excitement

The winners of the 2016 BeadDreams art show have recently been announced. Like the Olympics finals or the Golden Globes, BeadDreams is a big bead deal. Part of the Bead and Button Show, it’s sponsored by three national beading magazines. Instructors, artists, and bead aficionados attend from all over the world. If selected by the jury, artists exhibit their work among the top individuals in the field.

Even though I wasn’t juried in, it’s the first time in several years that I’ve made a submission to this show. It was exciting to participate this year—especially as I hit a new stride with my work.

Lessons learned from BeadDreams 2016

Looking back, the experience gave me some great insights.

Take everything with a grain of salt

A remarkably high level of art gets into this show, so being selected by the jury is an acknowledgement of one’s work. That said, art show juries always look for specific things. Even when your art is excellent, it might not be the jury’s taste. For me, it’s important to trust the quality of my work.

Go big

I’ve been working on a new freeform style that is more playful and expressive. The piece I submitted to Bead Dreams evolved organically from my collection of Gail Crosman Moore glass beads, Bali fine silver beads, and (of course) hand-turned springs.

Creating this piece was a really exciting process. It’s fun to use really high-end, very high quality art beads and not worry about how much it will cost at the end. My goal was to just create something over the top.

Want to see? Here it is:

BeadDreams submission 2016 BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace

My submission: Breastplate for Ninsun

Ninsun was a Sumerian deity whose name literally translated is Lady Wild Cow. She was an earth goddess: the mother of Gilgamesh, a mythical Mesopotamian king and the divine power behind the qualities the herdsmen hoped for in their cows. This name is a partly a tongue-in-cheek reference to my having recently moved to a rural location, and how my art is intertwining with our life and livestock.

To balance the weight of this dramatic setting, beads are strategically placed at the back of the piece, creating a counter balance that falls gracefully down the wearer’s back. Simple, asymmetric links relate to the setting while allowing it to be the primary focus.

Pay attention to detail (but don’t obsess)

For a competition like this, jurors view the work blown up on a screen. I do everything in my power to make all my pieces work, but for BeadDreams, it really needs to stand the test of a microscope and critical viewing.

As I started working on my piece, I was thinking about something grand and dramatic that uses higher level skills and more materials. I wanted it to be perfect, but expecting this can create more stress. You can’t think too hard or focus on the fact that what you’re making is different from your usual work.

Let go

Waiting to hear was interesting. They said they would jury our pieces in about ten days. Then, without a lot of explanation, said they weren’t going to jury it for another month. I assumed technical difficulties and was pretty good about surrendering. However, as it got closer to the to the date, I kept wondering if it got in!

Be your own judge

Juries that receive as many submissions as BeadDreams can’t give specific critique of each entry. In general, they’re looking for quality construction, quality photographs, and the quality of the artistry.

When I received word that didn’t get in, I thought about those three factors. My work is quality, but I think I have room to work on photography. Photographing art jewelry isn’t a point-and-shoot project. It’s an art form in itself. For future submissions, I know I will approach this aspect differently.

BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace – Melanie Schow

Look at the big picture

If this were a lesser show I might feel a little chagrined about not getting in, but as I look at the other artists who didn’t get in, I’m in outstanding company. There’s a lot of great stuff.

After submitting Ninsun to BeadDreams, I made a “baby sister” version with simpler components with a similar style. It has already sold from the Circle Gallery in Madera—along with the matching earrings. To me, this means my new free-form style is resonating with people. That’s exciting!

floral necklace - dimensional wirework setting 2-2016 (c) Melanie Schow

The “baby sister” to Ninsun — *sold*

Keep playing

At the moment, my goal is to keep exploring my new free-form theme and get more of my work out there. In the coming months, I’m hoping to jury in to Celebrate Agriculture with Art 2016 show and participate in a masterpiece show curated by Paul Parichan.

Stretching for BeadDreams was an exciting challenge. The way I see it, my job is to keep working at a high level and getting new work produced and out to new venues all the time. Besides, there’s always next year for more BeadDreams!

How to grow a fine art jewelry business

June 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

If only growing a fine art jewelry business were as simple as putting a seed down, covering it with soil, and keeping it watered! Growing my own art business has taken years of learning, trial and error, and loving my work enough to keep at it.

More than two decades making art has taught me some things (to put it mildly). I’d like to share a few discoveries gleaned from life experience.

Build your body of work

It can be hard to do this when juggling a busy life, but the more you make art, the better. With a variety of pieces at your disposal, you have lots of options to work with for shows, events, galleries, and your website. It’s important to have enough work to keep galleries supplied with a changing inventory. Customers and collectors are always looking to see what’s new.

Without a large enough collection of work, it’s hard to get placed in galleries, shows, or even sell things online. Because of this, it’s a priority for me to put committed studio time on my calendar. During those hours, I work on pieces for upcoming events and projects that are calling to me.

Get critiqued

Making art alone might be necessary, but there’s real value in having a resource like a mastermind or art group that meets regularly. Having the input of other artists can stretch you, provide you with honest feedback, and create opportunities to learn from what others are doing.

If you don’t have a group, I like to participate in magazine and blog art challenges that use themes. I also love looking at all the winners for ideas and comparisons. You can apply to juried art shows and events for feedback on your art.

Choose venues that are consistent with your art

In my experience, the venues you choose helps to create credibility and support for your pricing. If an event is carrying other artists whose pricing is similar to yours, chances are good you’ll do well there.

Because I have a fine art jewelry business, not every venue is a good fit. I tried street fairs and, although they were a lot of fun, only my earrings sold at events like these. The same is true for galleries. When you’re looking for placements, take a good look at the other work they’re carrying. Not every gallery wants the price point you’re in.

If you’re not finding venues near you that are a good fit, focus your efforts online and e-commerce to find your people. The online world gives you a much broader audience—whether you’re on etsy or have your own website.

Hold your head up on your pricing

Pricing is one of the very hardest things for artists. I once heard a description about why professionals get paid what they do: their income is a reflection of the time they spent learning their skills. When it comes to pricing your art, it’s not just the value of the materials. Whether you’re a surgeon or an artist, it takes time to develop and refine your skill.

People want a beautiful handmade item, but they sometimes balk at a handmade price. In the US, we get handmade things cheaply because of inexpensive labor in other countries, so we don’t always realize the level of skill we’re consuming.

Interestingly, when talented artists are new to the business side, they under-price their work—and it doesn’t sell. Buyers know that it should be priced higher as art. How can art cost that little?

I try and reflect my high-end pieces with an art price. Hold your head up and know that you’re creating art. Your art is worth a price that reflects your experience and skill.

Create a body of work in a range of price points

Once your pricing is solid, offer a range of items in your style. If people aren’t ready to make a commitment to a big, expensive piece, give them an entry into your work and style. My best impulse-item is earrings. Other artists use greeting cards and prints. The key is offering simpler pieces that involve less time and work on your part, but still spark customers’ enthusiasm.

When you do this, be sure that the lower-price items are still something you love to make. If you don’t like it or you’re not sold on it, that energy “reads” to buyers and the items won’t sell. I’ve tried strictly-based affordable, but if the energy or the interest isn’t there, the pieces (and sales) fall flat. Make all your work from love, rather than strategy.

What do you think?

These are tips based on my own experience in my fine art jewelry business. Do you make art—or buy art? What insights have you learned along the way?

A moment in the spotlight at Creative Bug .com

May 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Some of my favorite shows feature people making creative stuff happen. From baking competitions and Project Runway, to high-end Hollywood makeup, these shows are exciting because when creative people are under pressure, their talent shines.

For the first time, I got to be involved in the creation of a project like this!

I’ve got the creative bug

A few years ago, I heard about CreativeBug.com through my brother and was immediately intrigued. The company’s creator, Jeanne Lewis, wanted to create a gorgeous online resource for videos about hand-made crafting and making. Her vision was of a company that creates archival-quality videos to preserve art and craft forms that are slipping away. In the process, she also wanted to provide a living wage to artists who teach for the company to help get new generations interested in a wide variety of art forms.

It sounded exciting! They were still early in their launch when they asked for a sample video of my teaching. I did a short demo and—even after viewing my brother’s wacky video shots—they wanted me!

Lights, camera, action!

A filming crew came out to my house and did a day-long shoot to create a bio about me. Megan Read, a production assistant from Creative Bug, and the whole team made it fun. It’s amazing to realize what you see on a show isn’t what’s happening behind the scenes. There’s so much detail and so many little things to arrange. They’re top notch at what they do. I’m proud to be affiliated and represented there.

Not long after, I went to their studio to shoot four of my most popular classes. They wanted to focus on basics and techniques that give the viewer a finished project at the end of the video. Pulling from the things I’ve taught before and that sold well in bead stores, we chose the knot bead, caged class, charms, and wire linking—a great basic techniques class.

Charmed bracelet by Melanie Schow

Wire cage pendants by Melanie Schow

Making knot beads with wire

Of the four tutorials I did for Creative Bug, the knot bead is the most evocative. When I’m at shows, people will look at my handmade metal beads and ask me, “Were you angry when you made that?” (I wasn’t) or “How did you do that?” They’re really curious about all that coiled-up wire.

My knot bead idea came out of a class with Lynn Merchant when I was learning to make a whole series of different wire beads. One was called “Spider on LSD”—and we had to just make up the design. The knot bead came out of that experience.

In the video, I have a formula that shows students how to make it. Even with a step-by-step instructions, knot beads come out different every time. It tends to be very popular, and people love to wear them.

Creative Bug lives on

While I haven’t been back yet to do more than the first four segments, in the last few years Creative Bug has added more high-profile folks and expanded into many more diverse crafting projects. All of the videos are high quality, super creative, and fun to watch.

If you’re part of their online community, you can participate in the challenges they send out. If you’re like me, you can just watch the tutorials for fun without any plans to actually make the project. It’s amazing eye candy for (and by) creative people.

My twisted path to wire art jewelry

April 15, 2016 1 Comment

Budding young artist and entrepreneur

Although I have a background in the corporate world and am currently a part-time farmer, art has always been in my life. Even as a kid, I remember going to the beach with my family and making a collage with shells and pebbles. Not only did I enjoy making it, but I set it outside with a for sale sign!

My creative adventures over the years have included knitting, needlepoint, collage, and dabbling in different art mediums. I never imagined then that I’d become a wire art jewelry designer.

Getting hooked by wire art jewelry

It wasn’t until adulthood that I claimed the title of artist. It happened by happy accident when a friend wanted to learn how to wire wrap objects. As a gift, I gave her a class, and we went together.

At the end of the wire-wrapping class, she was satisfied with her finished project, but I kept going back. In fact, I kept taking classes on every possible bead-related and metal-related topic—from seed beads and soldering to wire.

Finding my artistic style

As I got deeper into the work, I started hearing about this amazing artist in bead magazines. Lynn Merchant was teaching in the San Diego area and has a rich background in jewelry design. Her many travels including visiting stone cutters in Afghanistan and other artists in far away places. Lynn uses unusual things, very large pearls, and wire in remarkably creative ways. Lynn became a primary influence for my work.

My designs spun off from the techniques and projects I was experimenting with in classes. As I learned, I started to develop my own style and confidence in making wire art jewelry.

In my corporate career at Starbucks, I was trained to teach adults, so it was a natural progression to start teaching my designs to students. From there, I dipped my toe into big shows like Bead and Button and Bead Expo which encouraged me to develop more new classes. It’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago!

Developing as an artist entrepreneur

Of course, being an artist isn’t just about techniques; it’s also about running a business. A few years later, I was found a teacher who would shape my understanding of what it meant to be an artist. NanC Meinhart, who is both a psychologist and recognized seed bead artist, leads groups of artists through a year-long master class. Rather than focusing on recreating other artists’ designs, NanC’s master class helped me find my own voice through wire.

The year my master class met NanC challenged us to take our art seriously, to build a body of work, and to develop a recognizable style. We focused on the necessary details like writing a bio, taking photos of our work, display and logistics required to enter our work in shows, pricing, and more. At the end of the year, our work was shown in a gallery in San Luis Obispo. That year, I developed an artist’s perspective instead of just making things.

Practice practice practice

One of the things that really stays with me was reading War of Art. In it, the author tells the story of two groups of artists. The first group is instructed to make as many clay pots as they can. The second group is told to make one perfect pot. In the end, it was the group that made many who created the most beautiful work. The lesson I got from that was how important it is to make a lot of things and keep at it. Even when it is a dud, or not something you’ll sell.

Today, my work is featured at several local galleries including Madera Circle Gallery and Mixed Messages in Sanger and The Brush and Easel Gallery in Fresno. This year, I’m taking an even bigger leap with my art by making it available for purchase on my website (stay tuned!).

For me, art is about finding a medium you love and then continuing to learn, practice, and take small steps toward creating work you enjoy. What you have enough interest, love, skill, and patience for—that’s your medium. Wire art is mine!

Spring Fever: Using springs in art and art jewelry

March 29, 2016 Leave a Comment

Why I love springs

Along with unique beads and jewelry-making tools, wire is one of my most important supplies.

Although I often work in sterling silver, I use springs to add color, texture, and volume to a piece. My art wire comes from Parawire, and I love their enamel over copper. Their gorgeous lighter shades are silver plate to make the colors true.

I have a tackle box full of pre-coiled springs, always at the ready. They’re fun to use just like beads, and their bendy-ness creates endless options and combinations for my art.

Using springs in art and art jewelry

Springs create the illusion of bulk without adding a lot of weight. Because wire comes in so many colors—copper, sterling, and myriad rainbow shades–you can introduce color into a piece without using beads.

You can bend them through or around a piece, or use them structurally. I sometimes use contrasting wire inside the spring for peeks of color when it is coiled.

“Iris” — wire embroidery sculpture

How to create your own springs

There are lots of ways to make springs, and the two I use both start with a mandrel. Almost any cylindrical, hard object will work, but mandrels used by lampwork artists are great; they’re sized and have finished ends. For a long time, one of my favorite mandrels was a pen. Just be sure that the mandrel ends are the same diameter or smaller—otherwise you’ll be the proud owner of a wire-wrapped object, rather than a spring.

The low-tech way is to wrap the wire by hand around a mandrel to the desired length, the same technique as making jump rings by hand.

A faster alternative to making springs is using a hand drill. You insert the mandrel, crank the handle, and the wire twists around the mandrel. Because it’s so much faster, you have to be careful of the ends so they don’t cut you. At this speed, wire can get hot, so you can protect your hands by using a polish cloth or a glove.

Starting a spring with a mandrel and hand drill

Wrapping a mandrel with a wire spring

Finished springs

Things about springs

Think before bending: Like other wire, springs are not very forgiving—especially once you put a sharp bend them. If you take your time and are patient bending them, you’ll get great results.

Shaping tips: I find that starting to shape them is hardest part. Put a wire through the core and the spring follows the curve of the core wire. To start bending a spring, bend a small tail (1.5″) of core wire at a right angle to the spring. Then hold both the end of the spring and the core wire together as your pliers begin to bend the whole coil. Take your time and it will come together.

Making adjustments: When you bend springs, they don’t always fan open nicely. If this happens, you can carefully use round nose pliers spread the spring open on the outside edge. This makes spaces along the outside curve. You can also adjust these spaces to look even and pretty.

Watch this space

I’m working on a yet-to-be-revealed piece that uses springs. Although I can’t say more about it yet, details are coming soon.

In the meantime, try out some curly wire in your work and, before you know it, you’ll have spring fever too!

Messing about with sterling wire art jewelry

February 26, 2016 2 Comments

After a rather long dry spell involving baby cows and endless paperwork (I know, don’t ask), I’m starting to make wire art jewelry again.

A new breakthrough was inspired six weeks ago while I was poking around on Pinterest. Looking at wire art jewelry, this stunning piece by Ruth Jensen of SparkFlight stopped me in my tracks. The free-form wire she uses at the center of a necklace is inspiring! I want to play with that!

In fact, I printed it out and have been dragging around that picture—along with my wire and bead trays—ever since.

Of course, there’s a fine line to walk as an artist because you don’t want to copy or reproduce someone else’s work. At the same time, magic happens when you’re putting your own spin or taste into something that inspires you—and giving credit to your inspiration.

Budding ideas

Seeing Ruth’s work brought to mind a floral lampwork bead I’ve been wanting to use for the upcoming Blossom Trail event in Sanger, CA. One afternoon, I finally sat down to start. Our springtime fruit tree festival inspires me, and the floral focal bead looks like the stone fruit blossoms we are seeing all around us.

In the early “spaghetti phase,” the long ends stick out everywhere, and you’re not really sure it will come together. As I worked, I really started to like it.

Then it sat for a while. Sometimes I have to stop or step away. Instead of forcing the completion or the design, it’s important to take time with it and visualize what it can become. It’s better to think things through since wire isn’t a super-forgiving medium. With wire, once you bend it, you’re committed.

Bursting into bloom

When I came back to the piece, I did the rest of the setting all at once. By luck, I found accent lampwork beads that compliment the focal bead. Instead of manufactured chain, I knew it needed sterling hand-forged links that refer back to the piece itself.

Here’s the finished piece:

I feel so excited to play again! Working the wire this way really feels like a something new.

Side note: I bought on ebay the focal bead and accents and cannot find the lampwork artist’s name. If you happen to know, please mention it in the comments. I’d like to give credit.

Come see!

If you’re interested in seeing or purchasing my work, this piece will be featured at Mixed Messages Art leading up to the Blossom Trail event on March 5.

Capturing Found Objects – Caged Wire Wrap

May 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Walking along the beach you find a beautiful shell or rock, it would make the perfect pendant or focal bead. How do you put it on a chain when there is no hole? Rummaging through your stash you come accross a big bead with a poorly drilled hole, you cannot get it oriented to suit your design. The last time you went to an art sale you bought the most beautiful artist marble, you would like to display it, but nothing is working.

To solve your challenges with three dimensional pieces that do not have a hole, I teach a class called Caged. This is a wire wrap technique that enables you to capture the piece in a cage of wire, then create a bail and embellish with wire coils and springs. For an elegant pendant you simply slide it on a chain; for a more complicated design, you can use it as a focal element.

I am teaching this on June 16 at one of my favorite bead stores, Creative Castle If you have not taken a class there yet, let me recommend one. Carole, the stores owner, is a gracious hostess and her store is stocked with a good variety of wire. You can use silver for this project or while you are learning, try the less expensive copper, or art wire.

In this class you will create a finished pendant, or have only a few embellishments left to complete. Instant gratification!

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