This torch is the first butane torch which seems to have been designed with jewelrymaking in mind.  It has a larger reservoir which claims to provide as much as 90 minutes of burn time.  The best part of this torch though is the ability to adjust the flame to a larger bushier flame.  I soldered 4 complete bezels yesterday and my new torch performed beautifully.

Once I finish filing and drilling holes, I can switch to some polymer clay work.  I love being able to switch between the two.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I am really excited about the new ventilation system I put in at my soldering table.  One of the really nifty things about taking a Rio Grande Education In Motion class, like the Microfold Texture class I took at Bead & Button, is that you get to try out lots of exciting tools from the catalog.  The item that most intrigued me in the class was the ventilation system they had set up at the soldering stations.

(click to enlarge)

It’s a dual filter system designed for fume extraction at a soldering station.  It is fitted with a “Loc-line” hose which is flexible, but will stay where you aim it.  The shorter section at the front of the base unit is a noise dampener which works beautifully to bring the fan noise down to a reasonable level.  It’s a powerful unit and without the dampener, it sounds like an industrial fan.

My basement studio doesn’t have any windows and it was more than time for me to install some kind of ventilation system.  I don’t do tons of soldering here, but I do enough that I needed to address the issue.  What I like about this system is that it is portable.  If I rearrange the studio, I can move it to a new spot.  When we eventually move again, it goes with me.  It’s quite powerful and with the noise dampener, quiet enough that I can still hear my ipod playing (ok, blaring) in the background.  And I am pretty happy that installing it didn’t require cutting a hole in a wall.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

As a mom and someone who is married to a person who naturally much neater than I am, I have learned to keep the general household clutter from getting too out of hand.  The studio, however, is another matter entirely.  It’s way too easy to just pick up a pile of books or magazines etc. in the main living areas of the house and dump it in the studio.  Out of sight and out of mind.

Two things have contributed to making the mess worse than usual.  First of all, I really haven’t spent much solid working time in the studio in months and months.  But the really big mess factor comes from having gone on three different art related trips in the last 6 months that focused on three different disciplines:  polymer clay, metalwork and beading.  So each time I packed for an event, I grabbed a whole bunch of different supplies and each time I returned I just dumped things in various piles around my work area.

My studio is pretty spacious so the mess might not seem too bad in these pictures.  The fact is that I have stuff piled on every available surface.  That means no room to work at all.  Something needs to be done.  It’s going to require time and really loud music.

I’ve had a lot of ideas I’d like to play around with both in metal and polymer clay, and I am hoping that I can clear away enough space to get working again.  Both girls are away at camp (one working and one just being a carefree camper) and I should be taking advantage of the kid-free days.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Location: Los Angeles CA

Website: S L Savarick Studio

Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space? Yes

Where is it located? In what is supposed to be the dining area of my apartment. I also use the kitchen area for soldering and curing the polymer in the oven.

Is it a large or small space? pretty small at 9.5′ X 9.5′

What medium(s) do you work in? Polymer, Metal and Cast Resin 

Do you have a separate area for each? no

What one word would you use to describe your studio? Efficient.

What do you think is the best features of your studio? the layout makes great use of the space. The windows provide good ventilation and   I  like the way that the room, even though it is in the center of our home, still feels like it is its own space.

What would you change if you could? A larger space would be nice.

Can you share an organizational tip? Because the space is so small I only keep the supplies that I use most out in the studio. I store most of my supplies in Sterilite bins in a walk in closet that is about 20 feet from the studio. Grouping the supplies in bins makes it easy to pull out what I need and then put it back after I use it.

Describe the usual state of your work table? organized for the most part.

Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall? Both. I sit between 2 work tables, one faces toward a wall the other face into the room but there is just about 18″ before the next wall of book shelves.

What’s one drawback of your studio/artistic space? It’s a bit cramped. I share it with my husband as it functions as our office too.

Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)? I have a goat scull hung on the wall if that counts as a mascot. he is missing half of one of his horns. I hung him up to remind me that even though things are not always symmetrical and perfect they still can be beautiful.

Do you have an idea wall or inspiration board? no but I keep sketchbooks and idea journals close by. I also have a slideshow of inspirational images running as my screensaver on the computer all the time.

Do you listen to music in your studio? Absolutely! All the time.  What kind? Everything from Classical and Opera to Rap and Punk rock. MY musical taste is VERY wide. I love that I can make a playlist that fits my mood or the work that I am doing at the time. I also like to listen to NPR as I work.

Do you display your own work in your studio? just pieces I am working on

What’s one quirk or unusual feature of your studio? The windows open up into an alley way, so the view is a brick wall. but they provide great cross ventilation.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

He was such a character, full of charm and bluster and life.  When he was first hospitalized a few weeks ago, my husband and I found him in the Medical Intensive Care unit, flirting with the nurses like he was just there for a social visit.  He always loved to strike up conversations with strangers, and he collected friends and admirers from all around.

I had the privilege of working for him in the family business after I graduated from college.  While I always loved and admired my dad, working for him allowed me to appreciate him, and the depth of his intelligence, in a whole new way.  He loved the company he founded and work was a passion for him.  He had a truly analytical mind and could easily sort out a variety of solutions to a business problem.  I remember coming to him about some trivial issue I’d encountered, all indignant that he didn’t understand my perspective, only to find that he’d fully examined that viewpoint and rejected it in favor of a more appropriate solution.  I’d been thinking he was the narrow minded one only to discover that he had a much broader perspective than I had.

Some of my fondest memories of him are from family vacations:

Early mornings at the lake in Maine, with Dad shouting “Everybody up for a pre-breakfast swim!”

Numerous walks along the beach in the Bahamas.  I especially liked it when we’d splash along in the shallow water singing silly songs.  “H, a, double r, i, g, a, n spells Harrigan”

Playing ping pong with a bunch of other families at a ski lodge in Vermont and his Texan friend Davy, yelling out to him “”Wooly, get your navel to the grass!”

Standing behind his chair rubbing his temples.

Watching him joking around and singing with a barber on the street in Italy even though my dad didn’t speak a word of Italian.

His face whenever he talked about my mother.

Rest in peace William George Andrew West.  Give Mother a kiss for me.  We love you both.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

This is the third class I’ve taken with Sherry over the years.  She is a generous, wonderful teacher and person.  It says a lot about the quality of her teaching that the majority of the students in our class today had taken other classes with her previously.

Here’s a look at what I have finished so far on my cuff.  It’s slow going because the majority of the beads are size 15 seed beads.  The finished bracelet features some interesting techniques new to me:  cut away areas and tonal patterns Sherry calls “cross hatching”.  The centerpiece is a beautiful borosillicate cab by Robert Jennick.

Tonight was the Meet The Teachers reception.

Every teacher has a table to display their work, and many of the teachers also sell kits.  It can be a crazy buying frenzy.  I strolled the aisles but there weren’t any beading kits that called out my name.  Ihad a good time looking around though, and it was great to say “hi” to Marla Frankenberg, Julie Picarello, and Barbara McGuire among others.

Marla and her daughter:

Julie P:

I tried to buy a pendant from Julie, but she only had a few pieces of work out for display.  Apparently I was the fourth or fifth person who wanted to buy that particular pendant.  I missed getting a piece of Julie’s work at Synergy too.  One of these days I’ll be able to buy something from her!

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

This is an especially sweet victory for Diane because her entry “Big Bead - Chinese Cinnabar” has been over 5 years in the making.

Second place went to Kathy Shield Dummer for “My Mothership Connection”.

Third place finisher was Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg for “Dreams in Kabela”.

There were only 6 finalist entries in the polymer clay category this year.  Congratulations also go to the other finalists:  Janice Abarbenel

Christelle Van Lingen

and Luidmyla Heggland.

Unless I completely run out of energy, I’ll be posting later about my day.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

My class today was “Microfold Textures” with Jack Berry, sponsored by Rio Grande.  Their classes are great because they bring jeweler’s benches fully stocked with all the tools and supplies.  All you have to bring is a pen and pad.

It was a really fun day.  Jack Berry is a great teacher, very thorough and an altogether delightful person to be around.  We used an industrial tube wringer and/or a microfold brake to crimp sheets of copper or silver and then refined the textures with pliers and punches.

The earrings I made are strictly based on the suggested pattern.  My attempts to play around with some variations weren’t too successful.  It’s something I want to explore some more when I get home.

Tomorrow I’ve got a beading class and the Meet the Teachers reception in the evening.

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

My plane arrived too late tonight for any pictures, but I will try to keep you updated through the blog while I’m here.

Meanwhile here are a couple of pictures of some recent new pendants I brought with me:

©2009 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.