beeanddew

Radical Jewelry Makeover Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:02:00 +0000

Finally…. my post about the Radical Jewelry Makeover.

It happened here October 2011. It was primarily an exercise in awareness, and the message of EthicalMetalsmiths.org is very important - so let's start there. I'm going to keep it simple.

Here is a satellite pic of Santa Fe from Google:

Santa Fe, New Mexico

For those of you who know the town, this pic is basically the entire place. Rodeo Road and the Interstate skirting the south side, Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive are the main arteries north/south, St. Michael's Drive cuts through the middle, and then the ancient part of town, the Plaza, and DeVargas Mall up there at the top. Santa Fe is larger than this, if you count Las Campanas, Eldorado, and the Community College and newer developments to the southwest - but this is the bulk of Santa Fe. This is the area where most of the population carries out their lives.

Now this is a satellite pic of the largest gold mine in South America:

Yanacocha Mine in Peru

Please note the scale in both pics. I put pink boxes around the scale in each pic. They're the same scale.

In other words, most of Santa Fe would fit inside the Yanacocha Gold Mine. (and it's only the 4th largest in the world).

Are you stunned?

I was.

Maybe a little naive of me, but the idea that if someone found gold near my home and would conceivably dig a pit the size of the town in order to get at it…

when, to quote wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold)...

"One estimate is that 85% of all the gold ever mined is still available in the world's easily recoverable stocks…" (my bold)

I'm stunned.

Which is exactly the idea behind the Radical Jewelry Makeover project.

To point out that we can mine our own homes and see what can be reused instead of tortured out of the earth.

How much of that 85% is sitting in your jewelry box, never worn?

Gold and other precious metals can be easily recycled. And mining for new metals is badly done. I'm not going to go deeply into the politics of it - there are better sources available to prove the point (and I haven't even mentioned the human damage - the mercury, the cyanide, the child labor, the actual human torture that occurs) :

The BBC

Reuters

Wikipedia about the Potosi Mine

Travel Agent Central (!?!?!)

Democracy Now

Wikipedia about the Yanacocha Mine

PBS/Frontline

60 Minutes

and of course,

Ethical Metalsmiths

Do your research, before you buy precious metals (or gems), as either a consumer or a maker. Find out where it came from.

Let's remember the real cost.

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Ok, rant over.

Part II will address the creative transformation the Radical Jewelry Makeover initiated for me....

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BankofAmerica might have a soul

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:57:00 +0000

I've been struggling with my mortgage.

Like many, the bottom fell out of the market here, and I went "underwater". The payments for my home, which is a small townhouse, became onerous.

I tried reaching BankofAmerica by phone, but 3 "customer service reps" at the call center turned out to be not helpful.

Neither were the ten or more Federal Express packets I kept getting, all asking for the same information, and all generating no action other than yet another "customer service rep" assigned to help me, or yet another Federal Express packet.

The Federal Express and other mail packets were truly, truly ridiculous.

Then I got an email encouraging me to go to an event they were having in Albuquerque, which is about 55 miles south.

I was cranky about it, but I made the appointment, and I went.

And boy-o-boy, am I glad I did!

I had to go twice, but part of that was my fault; I didn't have all my financial information collated properly.

Other than that, the experience was stellar. First an orientation, then a meeting with a budget counselor, then a meeting with a home loan specialist. In between all these meetings, there was pleasant staff to conduct me from place to place, or to answer questions. Literally, I think they would have held my hand if I'd asked them to - they were that nice. They had two pleasant waiting areas set up, coffee - they were showing Disney films in one room. I had to go and do some work; so I ended up in the hotel lobby, but the BofA staff took my cell number and called me when they were ready for me.

There was some waiting. I taught myself two crochet stitches (more about that later!) while I was waiting, in addition to doing my job in the lobby.

But when I left, I was finally hopeful that my home was secure. I am self-employed, so the paperwork was a little bit more complicated. But I am fortunate - there was one woman who had no income at all; I could hear her tell her story as she met with someone behind me. There was nothing they could do for her. The family that came in during orientation with the toddlers broke my heart.

The staff helped me fill out the paperwork, made it official and complete, told me what else I needed to bring, and then delivered my paperwork directly to an underwriter who could decide whether I was eligible for help or not while I waited.

I am eligible, and they have since followed through. My mortgage should be modified successfully. I won't have to move - crucial, since it is not just my home, but also my place of business.

Whoever it is who set up this event - a vice-president? Whoever it is did an EXCELLENT job! It was streamlined, it was cohesive. Every staff member was pleasant and helpful. The process was very clearly thought through, very clearly articulated, and someone paid attention to all the details.

The staff was great. They helped people. They wanted to help people. They were trained to help people, and it seemed like it was important to them. They helped me, a lot.

Before I went, after all the phone calls and those stupid packets, I was thinking, "I will never do business with BankofAmerica again." Now, I will be happy to do business with them.

Someone, high up in charge at BankofAmerica made this a priority, spent the money, designed this program, flew in a bunch of specialists from out-of-state, and kept them focused on the goal.

In the process, s/he/they remembered the humanity involved, and generated some very good karma for themselves.

I heartily say "Thank you!"

Seriously, if you or someone you know needs help, click this link and GO:

http://homeloanhelp.bankofamerica.com/en/events.html

Ok. Back to work!

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Polymer Clay backfill technique... and Kabbalah

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:51:00 +0000

So, a few hours of research and work, and voila! Success!

It's not so cheesy anymore! (Well, it's a little cheesy in this photo, but once I have the other elements attached...)

Obviously I have a long way to go, to get the technique perfected. But this was real progress! I used a much thicker pin to make the lines this time. I filled in the holes with a purple and the lines with black, using the backfill technique that is described very well here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh2RcVqrYNQ

Thank you VERY VERY MUCH PolymerClayStudio! That set of videos is very helpful!

As I was working on it, I remembered something - I think I was confusing two of Jeff's techniques. There was this one, where you use the ball stylus to backfill, and then another one where you cut out holes to see the color underneath. In any case, I recommend his classes. The thing I learned the most, and which I haven't perfected yet, is refinement. So, if no other reason than to see how a master does it, get into a workshop of his if you can.

And then practice...

I'm going to put it aside for a day or so. There are two more pieces left - the finial on top, and the stand. I have beginnings of them in my mind, but I want to pause a bit, let them stew a little longer. I also remembered another technique Jeff taught, and I want to think about incorporating that, and using it to link all the components together. But I'll let that be a surprise...

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While I was in the library last time, I picked up a book by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner called "Kabbalah a love story". I don't know why I picked it up, I just did. I don't even remember what it was near, why I was in that aisle of the library.

It's very lovely! Here's a quote:

For both to love and to find God, you must annihilate your self. If you still hold on to your self, then it isn't love.

Interesting. I am coincidentally also reading Robert Thurman's "Inner Revolution", which I thought was a history of Buddhism, but it's actually an explanation of Buddhism. And Kabbalah and Buddhism seem similar. So next, I'll have to see what Joseph Campbell had to say about it all...

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Practice makes perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Things were going well, and then my inexperience with polymer clay showed its ugly side...

It's not terrible. What you can't see is the two places where I broke it. Luckily polymer clay is a forgiving medium, and I was able to repair them - and lesson learned about thin sheets left hanging out where my thumb might be inclined to put pressure.

The lines in the middle section are supposed to mimic the lines of the wire underneath. But there aren't enough of them, and they are not thick enough. In addition, although I had paid attention to Jeff when he demonstrated the backfill technique - oh my goodness! it seemed so simple! - my attempt at it was disastrous! I'm not sure what I did wrong, but it was very difficult to get the excess clay off the surface where I didn't want it.

I think either my surface wasn't smooth enough - Jeffrey has very smooth veneers - or my clay is way too old and dry. In any case, the only way I got it as clean as it is now is by massive amounts of sanding. And I don't like sanding, especially massive amounts of wet sanding. And to me, any amount of wet sanding is excessive.

The thought did occur to me, during the sanding process, this might be really preparing me for enamel, because there is wet sanding done in that process as well.

Anyway, the solution is reasonably easy - just do that layer again. Practice makes perfect. I found a method using mineral oil, to make the clay more pasty, and also to help clean. And I will make the veneer smoother, if I can.

I also had a surprise once I made the holes in the top. Those holes are supposed to be showing the lovely purple that's underneath. As you can see, it doesn't really show, I need a bigger... what's that thing called... stylus? ball point poker thingy! ... and consequently, it looks like swiss cheese! (I also didn't notice until I took the photo a few moments ago that the yellow color is practically the same color as the wall.)

That is also easily fixable - I'm just going to practice the backfill technique and fill all those holes in with purple.

As I always say about art, it always sucks in the middle. And like I said the other day, the only option is to keep going :)

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just keep going

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:38:00 +0000

I'm having one of those days where I get overwhelmed. When this happens, I shut down and have to focus on a simple thought, to get rid of the feeling that I might implode. Today's simple thought is,

"Just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going."

I made good progress on the pod over the weekend. I made a stand, so now it's a little more "plantlike." I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on the final colors. I spent HOURS trying to make an ivory/ecru out of the polymer clay I had on hand - and finally ended up with a fairly nice tan. But now I have lots of muddy grey unsuccessful clay lumps that I guess will be used as structure for other things. The way I'm going to decorate the stand is also morphing in my head into a jewelry idea...

Just what I need! Another jewelry idea!

I also have played a lot with finial ideas, but I'm still in the play stage.

I worked on making buttons. Hmmm, now I can't remember where this idea came from, originally - to make buttons. I've been carrying it around in my brain for quite some time. The last few days though, it seems I can't lie down and "doze" or I will have 2 or more ideas for buttons arrive fully formed in my head.

"Dozing" for me is that time just before or usually just after sleep where my thoughts aren't verbal, they are visual, and very free. I get a lot of inspiration and ideas during this "dreamtime".

Anyway, I had this idea for a kind of "tribal" button, big (2 inches square), and the scarf I will knit to go with it - a simple shawl, draped around the shoulders. As the idea has rattled around a little, the concept of the shawl and how the button can be used has changed.

But that happens. My brain (all our brains?) is like a rock tumbler. Put something in there, and let it tumble around a bit, you're never quite certain what will come out the longer you leave it bouncing around.

And yes, I ought to keep a journal by the bed (or wherever I am napping), and write these inspirations down, but I don't. I should. If you have seen the series art:21 <--- this link is to a segment on the artist Richard Serra, and around 6:30 in the piece he talks about how he draws, and the purpose of it, of journaling, sketching, for him. It's good stuff, that series. You can see four seasons of the show at www.hulu.com.

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The great thing about being an artist

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:32:00 +0000

I have this wonderful book called "Work as a Spiritual Practice," by Lewis Richmond. I have read it through at least once - I have also bought it once, lost it, and had to buy it again - it's that good. Mostly I keep it around and pick it up, and read a page, and put it down, and pick it up again later.

He writes:

An eminent artist once said, "The great thing about being an artist is that for your whole life you know what your work is."

Which is true. I guess. Once I am working, I am focused, engaged, absorbed. There is also the decision to be an artist - which, at least in my case, wasn't exactly a decision as much as a fact, like breathing or eating. I don't feel like it was a choice, as much as a recognition that I am not happy or as involved in anything else I do with as much completion as when I am making art. It just "is". That mountain is over there, the sky is blue, and I am an artist.

But there still is a lot of uncertainty, especially when I'm not in the act of creating, but when I'm thinking about creating. What shall I make? Can I make it? Will it come out okay? What will other people think?

The most recurring question is "What if I do this?" So many this-es to try!

But all that (ok, most of it) fades away when the hands start moving and the mind connects with the object in front of me.

I wish I knew who that "eminent artist" is - even google doesn't seem to know.

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Paperclips, SuperGlue, and spit!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

This is what I've been working on...

I was fortunate enough to take a workshop with Jeffrey Lloyd Dever last autumn. It was a great deal of fun, and he taught us all the wonderful things you can do with paperclips, spit, SuperGlue, and polymer clay! This is a piece I started in that class, and I was determined that I would finish it. Here it is, in progress, fresh out of the oven. I have about 1, 2, ... at least two more layers to put on, maybe more, and then there are two elements to be made to go on the top and bottom....

I'm a little bit in love with this technique I developed - at least I've never seen it before. I was very unhappy with the uneven shape that existed after I wirewrapped the original structure. I was trying to get fancy, and make something different than a point. Silly me. Instead of getting something organic and elegant, I got something kind of amateurish and lumpy. And, I ran out of the black wire we were using.

So, I decided to EMBRACE the lumps! I closed off the top with a layer of SuperSculpey, and then made a bunch of little balls and glued/baked those onto the layer, and then put another layer, the purple layer on top, and got this delightful bumps and lumps (inTENtional lumps!) which looked exactly as I had imagined they would, like seeds in a pod, waiting to burst. These will be covered with yet another layer, and I'll have a design in the final, nice, smooth layer, so that this lovely purple I mixed will peek through.

I have been working in polymer clay, mainly because of this class, and also because I just can't afford to work in silver at the moment - as of this writing it's $29.01 an ounce, up from $16 an ounce a year or so ago. I can't work in bulk at that price. It's not just the silver, but the casting, the molds, all that has to be paid for on top of cost of the silver. So I'm enjoying polymer clay - the color, and the ease of being able to do everything myself. I miss silver though, and metal. I'm going to be working on things that I can set in copper with silver bezels. I see this polymer clay work as a precursor to working in enamel, someday.

Here's a view of the structure that Jeffrey taught us how to make in that workshop (seriously - SuperGlue and paperclips!) I highly highly recommend him as a teacher - he's a wonderful fellow, his wife is delightful too, and he's very generous with advice and suggestions. Look him up on facebook! He is scheduled to teach in France, but anywhere you can find him, it is money and time wellspent, very enjoyable.

I also am glad that I am starting work with polymer clay with a project that is rather large! I am not proficient in the clay, but this one project is teaching me a lot about the possibilities of the clay, and how to work with it. So far I've learned about baking, color mixing, how to glue bits together, and yesterday I took my pasta machine apart, cleaned it, and put it back together.

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tiny houses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:44:00 +0000

I really like the idea of tiny houses, and if you haven't heard, there's a movement to downsize our living spaces. I can understand doing that - for everything except the art studio, which does seem to be ever-expanding.

I mean, I just upgraded from the small bedroom to the big bedroom last May. How could I possibly need more work surfaces already?! But I do.

At any rate, here is a nice blog I came across, and I really like this entry. There is something idyllic and comforting about not having a lot of stuff, and about being able to roam freely yet still be at home.

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Recipe for Success - so simple, even I can cook it!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:08:00 +0000

I was stumbling around the internet on Saturday, and I came across this idea and illustration, which is such a simple and elegant expression of what one needs to bee and dew... I always overthink so much! This is really clear.

Hmmm, I also really like the idea of putting up a video of work on youtube.

So, rolling up my sleeves now! Thanks!

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Gather ye rosebuds

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:46:00 +0000

This silver flower was sent to me last Christmas. I had a friend, and she was great - she was very kind to me at Christmas, and then she was great when I had to have surgery last spring.

This flower was on a series of presents; she sent me a big box, two Christmases ago. I really liked this flower, and another ornament, Christmas bulbs, that she put on it. I really appreciated the gesture. It made me feel warm in a cold, dark season.

Then, one day, about six months later, poof. Words were spoken, and she was gone.

This flower just sort of appeared at my feet as I was wandering around the house, getting ready for a New Year. Cleaning, trying to clear up some clutter, putting away laundry, wiping away dust and grime that accumulated, and I was walking out of the art studio and there it was, lying on the floor. I don't know where it came from - I must have shifted something and it fell out.

But there it was.

I really like this flower. It's just a shiny thing, but its form is nice, it is soft and pliant. And I think it was sent to me with the best intentions.

It reminds me, once again, nothing is permanent. Friendships, most of them, are like flowers - they blossom with great beauty, and then they fade.

Be grateful, and cherish them while they grow.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying;

And this same flower that smiles today,

Tomorrow will be dying.

Poem by Robert Herrick.

2012. Here we come :)

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New Year - goodbye to 2011, hello 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

"Once I was beset by anxiety. I couldn't tell right from left or orient myself. I could have cried out with terror at being lost. But I pushed the fear away - by studying the sky, determining where the moon would come out, where the sun would appear in the morning. I saw myself in relationship to the stars. I began weeping, and I knew that I was all right.

"That is the way I make use of geometry today. The miracle is that I am able to do it, by geometry."

-Louise Bourgeois
New York, 1977
(her work)

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May we all find our geometry, our moon, our sun, and each other, and know we're all right in 2012.

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Not so fast...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Over on the bg site I frequent, they are already shouting "HNY!" Happy new year, in case you can't figure it out :)

But... It's December 27th. There are 4 days left. Inside my head, I am screaming, "Nooooooo, waaaaiiiitttttt! It's going too fast!"

2011 was a hard year. It was hard, financially. I'm just not very good with money, and the recession hasn't helped.

It was hard, personally, emotionally. I took some risks and they have paid off, my life is richer for them. But there were also some losses and disappointments, which I took very hard. I keep looking at my heart charm and seeing that little heart, ripped open (see Shambhala) and trying to remember that's how it is supposed to be.

It was hard, healthwise - but not really. I'm fine! A little anxiety as frosting on top of the already-overstuffed anxiety layer cake - but I'm fine! Except for the bills... Too low levels of thyroid medication, as it turns out, didn't help much either. But I'm fine now! Almost.

And it was hard, creatively. Or rather... it was very rich creatively, almost too rich. I have way more ideas than I have time, and this year it wasn't just my own natural procrastination that got in my way.

When I did make time for it, it was very fruitful. The Radical Jewelry Makeover was RAD, a tremendous blessing, a very healthy kick in the pants. I need to write my thoughts about it, for it changed my creativity and thinking profoundly, and I want to complete that writing before the year is out... 2011, SLOW DOWN!!!

Overall, my creativity was fruitful and fitful, lots of stops and starts.

2011 was just so full of clutter.

Here's hoping that 2012 is more fruit than fits!

But please, please - can we wait until Saturday before we begin?! I'd like to get through this year in one piece first...

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It is

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:36:00 +0000

It is perfect to exist...

It is Perfect to Exist...

Try to exist today. Somehow.

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Perfection

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:10:00 +0000

In class a week or so ago, the teacher said, "Nature is perfect."

That phrase stuck with me - is nature perfect? With storms and falling leaves and cycles and death?

Is that perfection?

A few nights ago playing backgammon with a group of friends, someone was shellshocked by a diagnosis she had heard about - a person back East who was vital and in "perfect health" who started experiencing a problem... which turned out to be Stage 4 cancer. My friend kept repeating, "How can the body betray you that way?"

I related the "nature is perfect" phrase, trying to bring her comfort. "Nature is perfect." Meaning, it's not a betrayal, it's how it is. Looking back, I'm not sure how very comforting that is...

In any case, my opponent, a nice and usually quiet man, pipes up,

"To exist is perfect."

........

I am working on prayer wheels, beads, recycled jewelry, and myself.

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rafting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:52:00 +0000

I woke up yesterday with the image in my mind of a wobbly raft out on the ocean. I thought, perhaps meditation is the raft that keeps us afloat.

Then I thought, perhaps meditation is supposed to help us get rid of the raft, help us be in the ocean, one with it, one with life with all its saltiness, endless horizon, the overwhelming reality. Learn to float.

I don't know.

I'm going to start reading Shambhala again.

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I'm back...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:08:00 +0000

and being creative again! woo hoo!

I had a bit of a cancer scare. I went for an annual physical, and my doctor found that my thyroid was enlarged, and all the test results kept coming back indeterminate. Given that my mother died of cancer when she was five years older than I am now, there was a lot of anxiety, and a lot of emotion, and not much room for creativity. I realize now, I should have made room for it.

Along the way we also discovered I have an abnormal EKG, so that was a concern. More anxiety. It turns out that it is "abnormal" the way a head of red hair is "abnormal" - meaning just rare, not dangerous. My heart is good to go.

After six weeks of testing, I finally had the thyroid out. The surgery itself was quite easy, and I am now fully recovered. Well, almost fully, there are still some calcium issues, but we are hoping they will resolve on their own.

And the final word is - no cancer. There never was cancer! It was just lumpy and large, and the surgeon took it out simply because it was so lumpy, it would be difficult to track in the future.

No cancer, and significantly in debt due to medical expenses.

In the midst of all this, I also moved my studio, taking the smaller guest bedroom to sleep in, and moving all my creative stuff into the larger bedroom to work in. I had been thinking about moving for a while, but it seemed overwhelming and I wasn't sure I would like it. Someone came to help me, so the overwhelming part was diminished (thank you!), and I like this new art studio very much! There is so much space, and light. I now have different work surfaces available so I am not constantly moving one project aside and putting one set of tools away, in order to work on something else while waiting for the first thing to dry or cure or pickle.

However, I have spent several weeks not able to find anything! My methodology, I'm afraid, is a little bit cluttered. I think it requires clutter, to a certain extent. I'm a bit of a sifter when I am working. I need to see things, rearrange them - bead colors lined up next to each other for example. So I take out 30 tubes of beads and move them around. Then there are 27 tubes of beads lying around, after I have picked the 3 I need and start to work. At least now, I have the space to let them lie around for a while, I don't have to immediately put them away.

Because all the things were moved, I would be looking for one certain thing, and it was in a new place in a new room. It has taken several weeks for me to adjust my thought process about where that one tool that I KNOW IS AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE might be.

I work mostly in the center of the room, and have all my creative inspiration and tools and intriguing STUFF I have collected orbiting around me. I am the sun, and they are my satellites, and sometimes I finish something and it shoots out like a comet into the universe! The air conditioner is in, the cats come in and sit in this one area of sunshine, which luckily is out of my way when I'm working, so I'm not rolling over tails with the chair anymore. I should take a picture of the room, it's wonderful.

I finished my school project, a version of a prayer wheel based on the Tibetan tradition. I am very pleased with it, as a prototype. It will serve as inspiration for something else, eventually. But now I am back working on seeds. The prayer wheel incorporated seeds. Then with sterling silver becoming so ridiculously expensive, I started working in polymer clay. I had signed up to take an enameling class, and was looking forward to working with color this summer, but the teacher bailed and the class was cancelled. I am getting my color fix from the clay instead. Inspired by the watermelons of summer and their seeds, I have made a set of beads, and am working on ways to mount them for earrings. That is today's project, I hope to have them on etsy by this weekend. I need to start creating and selling, to help with these bills.

I want to get back to the wax carving again soon. I need to make a butterfly to commemorate the thyroid experience, and I have a feather idea....

It is SOOOOOOOOOOOO good to be creating again!

Creating causes and conditions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Spring is springing!

I'd like to say that there is a lightness in my step, but that is not really true. Some business troubles, some emotional issues, some health concerns, the fighting in the Middle East, the tragedies in Japan...

Causes and conditions. I wonder if it is correct to think of them as opportunities. In these times, it is very difficult. I am not sure. I am just barely scratching the surface of the Lam Rim in my classes and in my life. Much of it remains a profound mystery to me.

But recently, as I sat in class on the pillow on the floor, the copied text laid out in front of me, and listening to my... (teacher? is that what I call him? We have no formal relationship, he is just there when I show up!)

... listening to my teacher... He was talking about causes and conditions, we are reading Lama Tsongkhapa's commentary and it is so analytical and straightforward - for this reason I enjoy it immensely! The clarity! I hadn't really understood that there is a point to being a Buddhist - this is going to sound silly and naive, but it's true. I had thought it was a viewpoint, but there wasn't necessarily a direction.

But there IS a direction. There is a GOAL. There is a TASK at hand. It is very, very clear. There is something to DO.

Or, as I like to think, something to DEW...

See, this is where the name "beeanddew" came from. One day, 3 or so years ago, I was feeling overwhelmed (as I frequently am) and I needed to calm down. I set the mission for myself, that all I needed was to be and do. Nothing else was required. I am enough, as is. Being springtime, like this time of year, and gazing out the window at the joyous greenery, the buzzing of the insects and the song of the birds, that transformed into "beeanddew".

In any case, I have been searching for a clearer direction for my artistic life, and I was sitting on the pillow, lounging really, my head in my hands, looking up at Don over his little table with the yellow flower prettily sitting there. We had been talking about causes and conditions as described by Lama Tsongkhapa - Don makes this material so accessible! - and then somehow, someone asked about the Buddha. I think the question was if one who reaches Buddhahood (Buddhaness? hahaha) is subject to causes and conditions.

I don't remember the answer. Because listening to Don give the answer, I heard the phrase "creating causes and conditions". There came an image in my mind to go with this phrase, and Don's words, something about the Buddha is in that place where positive causes and conditions can be constantly generated. Something like that.

To be honest, I'm not sure this is right, in terms of the Dharma and Tibetan belief system. But what came to me out of it was an idea of what my artistic life could be like, could accomplish.

I have been working with the ideas of seeds for a long time now. I am currently working, in class, on a prayer wheel, similar to the Tibetan prayer wheel, but with an emphasis for sowing the seeds of creativity. Each time the copper wheel is spun, thoughts of support and positive energy towards creativity - my own and everybody's - are released into the air to float around the world.

Committing to that idea, having my artwork pursue these principles, those of working towards creating the causes and conditions for creativity itself, and the Dharma in general - that's the direction that came to me. Applying myself to furthering the causes and conditions necessary for positivity and creativity through my artwork. Each piece a spinning prayer offered to the world.

That's what I'm going to dew.

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Olive Oyl Zapatos de Terciopelos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:01:00 +0000

This is Olive:

She is feral. You will never see her. She only likes me.

Today I was sitting in the chair in one room, and I heard her start crying in the other room, as she sometimes does. All I had to do was lean forward, look out the doorway and say her name. She looked over, brightened like the sun as if she hadn't seen me in weeks, and tail up dashed over to jump into my lap.

Oh, that look she gave me. She is my Valentine.

Google Art Project

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:15:00 +0000

I noticed in the NY Times a critique about the Google Art Project. When I go on vacation, I try to plan my adventures around what painter I am interested in or what museum have I not been to, or not been to recently. (Philadelphia and Duchamp is next!)

I am enraptured now with this painting of Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh. The project allows me to do digitally what I long to do in person with a great painting, which is to get up very close, poke around a little with my eyes (and yes, I do long to touch it with my fingers! but I won't!) to see the artist's hand and mind at work. Look at Joseph's eyes - the remarkable shapes of the lids, that pinky-orange outline. Compare the bluegreen of the irises to the deep blue in his beard and mustache. How is it that the background looks so natural, unfractured? Is that the canvas I see on the cheekbones? I could spend hours looking for where the paint is transparent and where it is impasto... Oh, and the greens, the greens. What genius.

Van Gogh's work is full, very full and rich. I have a watercolor sitting on my easel right now, based on a pinecone, and it is looking a little forlorn. It needs more, I need to fill it up!

Thanks for this, google :)

New Year, New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:40:00 +0000

The school year has begun, and I am building a version of a Tibetan prayer wheel for the class project. I am reinterpreting the idea of a prayer wheel, using western influences. I have settled on the form - I have not yet settled on the content. I was thinking of incorporating some Interfaith references, but then my teacher suggested I continue working on my seed theme from last semester. I haven't decided yet.

My friend Carlos brought his iPad to class to show us - very snazzy! - and told me that my rowboat had been featured on the college website. You can see it here. The prototype is now on sale at etsy.com

And... I had a fantastic time at the 3rd New Mexico State Backgammon Championship. I have become a little bit obsessed with the game, and to have the privilege of sitting at the boards of some very nice people, and some master players, was very fun! I think I'll try to enter and play a tournament soon.

Plus, now there are all these ideas for backgammon jewelry floating around in my head.

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Jack's Rowboat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:41:00 +0000

I listed the prototype of the rowboat for sale at etsy.com today. I stated in the description that I had a number of associations with it, and that I would write them here:

As I wrote in the description, the morning at 3am I woke up and had this powerful vision in my head. A little rowboat, heading out into the ocean. It was too far out to sea for him to hear me calling to him from the shore. I started making the rowboat the next day.

A separate association, there is a lovely old song, maybe Irish?, called "The Water is Wide" - here is a lovely version by James Taylor. Part of the lyrics say,

"Build me a boat,

that can carry two,

and both shall row,

my love and I..."

Around the time of Hurricane Katrina, there was a... what would one call it? A story? A fable? I'm not sure. But it goes like this (this is how I remember it, it may be different in its original form):

A storm is coming. A man's neighbor knocks at his door, "I have a car, let's go." The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me." The neighbor leaves without him.

The storm arrives, and the city is flooded. Rescue workers come in a small boat, knock at the door, "We have a boat, let's go." The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me." The boat leaves without him.

The flooding worsens, and the man climbs to his roof to escape the waters. A helicopter arrives, and the rescue workers shout down, "Grab the rope, let's go." The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me." The helicopter leaves without him.

The man drowns. He stands before God. "God, please, I was counting on you to take care of me."

God replies, "I sent you a car, a boat, a helicopter - what more did you want?"

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A Ramble from White to Whitney

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:52:00 +0000

So, just when I write a post about fashion and white coming back as a trend, I see this column by Linda Yablonsky in the NY Times entitled "Damn White". This actually covers a topic I was thinking about at the time I was writing about fashion.

My art studio setup is atrocious. I have far too much clutter, and not enough room to function efficiently. Most artists have too much stuff. The real problem is the size of the room. It is the spare bedroom, and it is small. In order to switch from wax carving to metal finishing, for example, I have to put an entire set of tools away and pull another set of tools out. Sterling silver charms and wax carving do not mix - one is supposed to keep the work areas clean. It is very difficult to do in a small space.

I was at... class? practice? at the Tibetan meditation center last night, which is located at the Second Street Studios here in Santa Fe. My mind wandered - it counts as meditation if I see my mind wandering, right? I hope so - towards two topics while I was in their space. The first was the color of their walls. They moved in recently, perhaps a year ago, and the main space has altars and this wonderful Tibetan artwork, and the background color is a delicious saffron yellow. We were talking about dependent arising, and the teacher was using a flower on his desk as an example. A lovely little daisy, and it too was the same sort of saffron yellow, slightly paler, maybe less orange. I wondered in my mental wanderings if that yellow had any sort of symbolic significance, as it seemed to be present in the paintings and fabrics also.

Back to white... I also remembered that white has a spiritual significance, because that space is chilly. I have taken to wearing a scarf - but I almost, accidentally, pulled out a white scarf to wear last night. Then I remembered, a white scarf may not be appropriate, since this is a token? talisman? gift? that the Dalai Lama hands out.

Haha, this made me laugh - I went searching for a picture of the Dalai Lama with a white scarf, and the first one I see is with Arnold Schwarznegger. I wonder if there is a certain white for scarves the Dalai Lama prefers?

My mind also wanders to using that space as a studio. From what I have heard, quite a few artists and creative types live and work in the Second Street complex. It would make a wonderful studio, the windows and the rooms are large. There is lots of space for cabinets and tables and work areas. I imagined a wax carving station over there, and a polishing station over there, and rows and rows of cabinets to hide away the clutter. Or, at least to put the clutter away once in a while, I always seem to be working in clutter. And multiple simultaneous projects. There's a painting leaning up waiting to dry in one spot, piles of inspiration from magazines in another, the silver charm carving of the moment on the jewelers bench....

This column in the New York Times talks about what color white to view art in. It is also important to know what color white to create in. One of my first art teachers, Brett Barker, advised me to use a grayish white when I moved into this house. I look at it now, it is fairly neutral, but perhaps a bit yellow more than grey. I can't even remember if I painted it, or if it was this color. It hasn't distracted me or thrown off my color sense, though.

The column "Damn White" agrees - gray would be better. Some white is so blinding, and the light streaming in the studio, especially when combined with a snowfall, makes this room a little too bright sometimes. The Denver Art Museum has some of their art hanging in rooms that are painted in the rich jewel tones that I love. Ooooh, they have a bamboo exhibit - I might have to try to get to Denver.

That article covers an art exhibit I would like to see. That looks very interesting. I just finished a "treasury" at etsy.com about tiny things, and here is a selection of tiny things at the Whitney. Be sure to look at the Whitney site to get a sense of the size of Charles LeDray's work.

Well, this post is quite the ramble - I hope you enjoy it!

Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:48:00 +0000

It is awards season again. As much as I no longer pay attention to the movies and television shows that seem to come and go like gossamer clouds, I do enjoy looking at the fashion of the red carpet the day after. I was delighted to see that this year, jewel tones are back! My favorite!

I had read in Vogue that bright colors against whites are the trends for the season. As a jewelry designer, this pleases me a lot. I always imagine my pieces against a white shirt. Katherine Hepburn's style is a favorite of mine - a crisp white collar, long flowy pants.

And I like to imagine my jewelry as the pop of color or organic shape to complete the outfit. But then, who needs jewelry when you have a face like that?

________

011111

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:02:00 +0000

I saw the date yesterday, and thought it might be auspicious, so set to work - finally! - opening my shop on etsy....

Etsy
beeanddew

The photography, as I have expressed before, was a painful process. But the sun was shining brightly, and once I came up with a "scenario", a style, it went very well. I am pleased with the results. What I did was open up a book - in this case, Julia Cameron's The Vein of Gold - and stood it up, holding the pages open with rubber bands, and then used a knitting needle across the top to hang my work from. So, the book pages are the backdrop. I had a bit of trouble with some of my pieces, the camera would focus on the words behind the piece instead of the piece itself, but overall, it was very successful. I am quite pleased with myself, and looking forward to the adventure.

I really like having the book as a background. When I started thinking about opening a crafts business, I thought about doing bookmarks exclusively. I love books, and my mother was a librarian. I may still do bookmarks, even though books themselves are becoming obsolete. I think we will always have books. In any case, as something to set my photographs apart and distinguish my style, and as I am starting to think about branding, it is nice to have books included.

I do not yet have any of my silver work up for sale. I took a small break over the holidays, and now as I approach my work I have found myself very attracted to the colors and varieties of beads. Also, I made a few gifts from beads for Christmas, which were very successful. But I am heading back to seeds soon, and beads will be incorporated in that. I am also thinking a lot about future projects, and how to make components that can be used with beads.

Oh! Over the holidays I received two requests for commissions! A pendant to commemorate an engagement (there are some lovely romantic fellows out there, ladies!) and a cross for a friend for her teenage son. It's very exciting. I am wrestling as well, in part based on one of the commissions, about which class I should take this semester.

And... I am now studying lam rim, going further into Tibetan Buddhism after taking the meditation class. I would love to talk more about it, but I have only had one class, and although I am very intrigued, I have to admit that I am puzzled. I am starting the class in the middle, and the text is very dense. But the teacher is wonderful, so I am sure I will learn.

________

Grab your brooms! Happy New Year 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 19:07:00 +0000

The past week has been frigid and overcast. This morning, I awoke early, and was greeted a few minutes later by a beautiful sunrise. Some rosy pink tinges on a few remaining wispy clouds, surrounded by the brilliant blue New Mexico sky. Storms and grey all blown off to other lands.

It's garbage day, and while playing backgammon online with a new Italian friend who was already anticipating his New Year's Eve festivities in Naples, I heard the sounds of our morning, the recycling truck pounding away at the glass and plastic bins. So, I was too late to be a responsible recycler again in 2010, but off I went to put on my boots and take out the trash.

It is still bitterly cold, and the garage door opener cannot manage to haul the door up all the way. I stood there a few moments, pushing the button, up down up down, and at least I got it far enough that my car could squeeze out. I looked out onto the bright snow, and became obsessed with the idea of cleaning the garage floor.

First I took the trash out - lucky me, the trash truck had not come! So, the last of this year's detritus waits for the dump, and I thought about it going to live for years, perhaps thousands of years, with the muck that couldn't be recycled. I will try to be more thoughtful about that in the days to come. Then I shuffled over the icy drive of stones back to my house, and I turned the car on, and pulled it out, so I could sweep.

All kinds of dirt on that cement. Old wrappers, old spiders, old stencils from an art project with my Little, old shreds of whatever. Bits of broken eco lightbulbs from when the hazardous waste recycling tipped over. Even fragments from last year - I collect glass Christmas ornaments in the shapes of foods, and while I didn't put up a tree this year, I did last year. I remembered that the box containing my set of golden walnuts had slipped open, and one had fallen out and shattered. It was hollow, and it was odd to look at the molded smooth shapes of the shell from the inside with its jagged edges. There were still broken bits of gold walnut amidst the dust and the grime scattered across the floor.

It has been far too long, since I have swept out the old. Today is a great time to start again. My toes and my fingers were frozen from the biting of the cold, but I set to work. There was the broom, propped in the garage corner, part of its bristles missing from when I cut them off to try a casting experiment, which failed. But the broom has plenty of bristles left, so swish swish swish, all the dirt and past and sharp edged bits are pushed easily into a pile. The sweeping reminds me of the artist, Daniel Brush, who makes sweeping with a broom a part of his artistic routine. A trip inside the house for a dustpan and a paperbag, so the glass doesn't cut the garbageman - and I think about the garbageman and how cold his hands must be on a day like today. My hands warm up from the work, maybe his hands warm up, too.

There is more dirt than I expected, most of it grime, dust, and sand that nature has driven in through cracks in the walls and the door. In the piles, I find gum wrappers and weird bits of hard plastic of unknown origin and then I find a penny, and then I find a second! And I welcome them as a harbinger, to becoming one of two this coming year.

Not long ago, I wrote a letter to someone. In it, I warned to be careful of what is created. We all create things - we are human, we create things all the time. The warning was about creating something by omission. Something new is always coming along, and if we decide to do something, or not to do something, that creates something new whether we intend it to or not. It is the way of the world - a new year, a new moon, a new obstacle, a new wish, always. It is life. But, by deciding not to do something, or even by not deciding, we may unintentionally create something we don't want.

These piles of dirt and dust were something I created. I didn't put the dust there, but I hadn't shoo'd it out, either. And that's fine, I am not judging myself, and now they are gone. As I look forward into this New Year, I want to remember to carry my broom with me, sweep away the old, and create the new, with intention and not by omission.

Let's grab our brooms! Let's poke around in the dusty corners, get rid of the cobwebs, and create something new for ourselves! And this time next year, we'll be looking back once again. Much will be the same, and much will be different and new. Here's hoping that the same and the new will all be for the good, our best intentions worked on and worked out and realized, and that we enjoyed the journey that we start now - ready or not! - and again! - to create for ourselves.

Happy New Year!