Forged Iron Necklace

Originally uploaded by leonfangs

I have yet to blog about a forged piece, and that is probably because I don’t know much about forging nor do I know anyone who makes forged jewelry. But I stumbled across this piece and many other really exciting pieces by Leonfang on Flickr and it sure made me want to learn and see more.

I love the fluidity of these pieces and the naturalistic inspiration for her work.

Pictured here is one of her experiments on everyday objets such as steel washers and wire from the hardware store.

She has hit the nail right on the head with this one.  The jewelry saw is really the most important tool if you are doing any metal work and using it is simultaneously simple and quite hard.  Practice is the key.  It is easy to learn to make cuts, but take time to really look at your lines. Are your cuts straight verticals or do they meet your guideline at the top of the metal and seem to stray away to the left or right at the bottom?  Mine always did at first.

Follow Helen’s instructions and you will be well on your way to mastering this.   I can’t stress a few things enough:

- Keep a light touch, no pushing into the metal with the blade, just an easy up and down motion

- Blades break all the time, just buy them in big quantities and realize that at least for the start you will break lots.

-Keep you blade completely vertical all the time to aid in getting straight lines.

- And use something to lubricate the blade – I just keep a chunk of beeswax nearby and run my blade through it every once in a while

Have fun!

In their two locations they hold many classes for all ages in Clay, Metal, Glass and Fiber.  This season hold in store very interesting classes and workshops in metal topics such as: Structural Bead Weaving, Fold Forming and Natural Forms in Metal, Colors on Metal, Handmade Felt and Metal in Jewelry and Alternative Materials in Jewelry to name a few, aside from more basics such as Beginning Metal Design and Enameling.

They have an entire page full of great jewelrymaking tips lfrom making interesting findings like the Clover leaf Toggle to how to make your own flex shaft stand to resin jewelry ring to fused glass and SO much more!

If you have taken one of her repousse classes or do this specific style of repousse, you are encouraged to submit images.  There is no entry fee. Artists, whose work(s) are accepted will be given full credit with their images and will be given one free copy of the DVD when it becomes available.
Deadline to submit images: August 10, 2009
Notification of acceptance: October 1, 2009

For more information, check the website or email Victoria directly. Good luck!

• How did you start doing jewelry (or bead making) as a business? 
  After creating a sculpture of a woman bound by forks, University of South Carolina’s art professor Fran Gardner (Perry) suggested during a critique that I incorporate this sculpture into a shrine in order to make it more special.  The gallery owner and director, Christina Chastain agreed and pointed me in the direction of personal shrines.  My shrines became smaller and smaller until they were almost wearable.  I started putting chains and beads on the shrines in order to create necklaces so people could carry their personal shrines with them.  My style has evolved into incorporating found objects, vintage items and artistic elements as well as creating the shrines.  I find that each object that I come across has a supernatural energy within it that is secretly telling a story that only I can hear.

• Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
  My first piece of jewelry was created out of a fork and art glass.  I bent and twisted the fork.  Then, I added the art glass using a two-part epoxy.  The final touch to my project were chains and beads so it could be worn. 
• You are stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take 5 things to make jewelry with-what would you take?
  Wire, dremel with a really small drill bit, steel block, pliers set, dremel reinforced cutting wheel – I could use the other stuff on the island to help me make jewelry.
• What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven’t yet?
  Wow.  There is so much that I need to learn!  I would like to learn more about etching metal.  I’m afraid of chemicals because I have a toddler around so I’ve not dabbled in the etching yet. I would also like to learn how to fuse glass.

• What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry?
  I am a freelance graphic designer.  I also paint and create mixed media art pieces.  I’m a board member for the Artisan’s Center and Galleries in Lancaster, South Carolina.

More about Madame Teasley:
I am from Savannah, Georgia, which has allowed me to grow up exposed to all areas of the arts.  My husband Michael and children, Erin – 12 and Joel 4 – are the most wonderful inspirations that a gal can have.  I live in the Metrolina region outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.  My formal education is in Computer Information Systems and Computer Science.  Art has always been a solace for me in order to escape from the hectic world of IT.  I can be found on Etsy at http://madameteasley.etsy.com and my constantly under construction web site is http://www.oncepossessedstudios.com.  You can also keep up with my ramblings at http://madameteasley.blogspot.com.

Today’s Artist Mini-Interview is wth my new friend Deryn Mentock.  Deryn is an extremely talented mixed media artist and her work is outstanding, as you can tell by the teaser photo.

How did you start doing jewelry (or bead making) as a business? 
I finally decided that I needed to find a way to pay for my passion!  Much more than that though, I found a personal, spiritual voice, expressed through my jewelry.  It’s important to me to share that.

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
Probably, the first piece of jewelry I ever attempted to make was a beaded headband, created on a beading loom when I was in Camp Fire girls.  I think I got about one inch completed.  Needless to say, that type of beading isn’t my thing!  I also remember a lovely, colorful telephone wire ring made in CFG.  I wish I had that ring today!
 
You are stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take 5 things to make jewelry with-what would you take?
Well, I’d have to have an endless supply of wire, of course.  Also, pliers, nippers, a hammer and…sheesh, I can’t decide on the fifth thing…can I have a laptop with internet? One of my favorite tv shows is Gilligan’s Island so I know a lot about island survival.  I could probably use a rock as a bench block, make  beading thread from palm fibers and beads from rocks and shells then I’d…oh, do I have to be stuck on a desert island???
 
What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven’t yet?
I’d like to learn lampwork bead making.  That would open up a whole world of new supplies, equipment, tools…possibilities.
 
What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry?
I love creating collage, artist’s books and artist trading cards.  But, when I’m not doing any of that, my favorite thing is camping with my guys.
 
All about Deryn:

Deryn Mentock has been passionate about art, especially jewelry design, for as long as she can remember.  Her designs mingle unique, worn and well-loved finds, religious pieces and faceted, semi-precious stones as well as one-of-a-kind handmade elements, combined in unexpected ways. She prefers the look and feel of vintage, unusual and found objects and delights in blending these treasures into her work.  Each composition, infused with color and texture, reveals an intuitive message of faith conveyed through the artist’s hands.
 
She enjoys teaching nationally and is a design team member for Susan Lenart Kazmer’s “Objects and Elements.”  Her artwork has been featured in several books including “Mixed Emulsions” by Angela Cartwright, “Exhibition 36” by Susan Tuttle  and, most recently, “Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media” by LK Ludwig.  You can also find her work in many articles and publications, including Step by Step Wire Jewelry, Belle Armoire Jewelry, Belle Armoire, Art Doll Quarterly, Stampington’s Gallery, Correspondence Art and Stampington’s book Artist Trading Cards. 

You can see more of  Deryn’s work at her blog; http://somethingsublime.typepad.com and her online store; http://mocknet.etsy.com.   She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Creative Souls.

Thank you so much Deryn for the interview!

 Art Jewelers Susan Lenart Kazmer and her business partner Linda Larsen ; owners of Objects and Elements webstore,  have been busy the last few months.  They’ve been updating the store with all kinds of unique goodies you won’t find anywhere else  like Ancient Roman Glass beads,  antique African   Dougan, unique bezel settings and cast bronze Ammonites . 

I’m a big fan of ICE resin  and it’s what I use in my jewelry work.  You can buy that online at the Objects & Elements store  .  There is also lots of unique  bezels,  fibers,  resin molds and tools for your art jewelry making needs.

In addition to searching out great jewelrymaking supplies, they have just revealed a new blog and a new Objects and Elements Design Team. 

The Objects and Elements blog has just gone live and will soon have lots of content such as  jewelry by Susan Lenart Kazmer and Linda Larsen, design team jewelry inspirations, updates on new store items,  guest artist features, reader challenges and more. You don’t want to miss out on any of the fun, so be sure to add the RSS feed to your blog links or add to bloglines or Google Reader

I am extremely happy to announce that I am on the Objects and Elements Design team. The other Design Team members are:  Jen Cushman, Deryn Mentock, Kristen Robinson, and Jane Salley .  In the coming weeks, you’ll be able to see the design teams creations on the new Objects and Elements Blog.  The team wil be creating some lovely projects using the amazing supplies from the Objects & Elements store, along with various found objects, beads, wire, etc… to inspire you to create your own unique jewelry.

If you are unfamiliar with Susan and her work, please check out her amazing  jewelry work, check out her blog , get her book “Making Connection” or  look at her workshop schedule  to take a class with her.

Allison Norfleet Bruenger is a  jewelry designer who has started up “For the Love of Creativity” , a weekly creative challenge blog.

For the challenge, she is creating 1 to 3 new pieces per week then posting them on the blog.  Allison says ” This has been a great way to keep my creativity up and to connect with other artist and art lovers alike.”   I agree, I think its a fantastic idea. I must tell you,  her mixed media jewelry is gorgeous and that is another source of inspiration for the blog readers.

Please have a look at her creativity challenge blog and let her know what you think.  I’m sure you’ll be as wowed by it as I am.  Maybe it will inspire others to start their own creative challenges as well!

Started by charming Amber Dawn, International Charm day is a day to make, wear,enjoy, share, buy and giveaway charms. Check out the International Charm Day blog for a TON of charm inspiration,tutorials,  links to blogs having charm giveaways and lots more!

Some of the swaps and giveaways you could participate in are:

Julee Herrmann (recently interviewed on CraftGossip!)is hosting a charm swap on her blog,

Life Goes On is giving away 2 charms to lucky commenters.

Tracy from Magic Lantern Musings in Canada is giving away a very colorful charm to one lucky blog reader.

 

Don’t miss out on your chance to be a STAR!!!

The deadline is soon approaching for Bead Star jewelry competition, last day to enter is May 1, 2009. The grand prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Bead Fest Santa Fe 2010 and $1000 shopping spree from Fire Mountain Gems!!! Who WOULDN’t want to enter with a prize like this!!!

Check out the fun YouTube.com video slideshow of the 2008 winners. Its the first time they’ve been shown outside of the magazine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAfXtM8ej0g

The editors of Bead Star, Stringing, and Beadwork magazines will select the top 20 finalists among submissions in each of nine design element categories:Crystals, Seed Beads, Glass, Pearls, Stones, Metals, Plastics, Designs Under $25, and Designs with a Heart.   Then enthusiasts around the world will be able to log on to BeadStar.com May 15-30, 2009, and cast their votes for their
favorite designs among the finalists.  Check out the Bead Star website for full details and how to enter. Best of luck to you all!

Another great gift idea for the jewelrymaker is a class, especially one they can take whatever time of the day they want at home online. You’ll find some great classes at Beaducation!

The newest classes are Gail Crosman-Moore’s Felted Treasure Pouch and Felted Acorn Earrings, which are both stunningly gorgeous!  There are lots more great wirework, beadwork and metalwork classes up for you to choose from as well. They have a great shop of supplies too!

In addition, they have some great freebie classes too!  Kate Richbourg’s Annealing Metal and Sawing Metal (both FREE) are the two newest ones, so check them out and learn new ways to work with metal.