Book Review: The Art of Enameling by Linda Darty

I received "The Art of Enameling: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration" by Linda Darty last year and pulled it out last night in preparation for firing up my new kiln. My husband is also interested in working on a couple of projects, but has no experience with enameling, so we looked it over together. It seemed every time he asked a question, Darty had it answered in the next section.

The Art of Enameling is chock full of images: instructional, historical, and inspirational. The top of many pages include pictures of contemporary works that supplement the instructional text nicely and the "Historical Highlights" are welcome interruptions. Instructions for beginners are clear, concise and accompanied with helpful pictures that cover topics such as types of enamels, preparing a kiln, selecting metal, applying enamel, firing enamel and more.

In addition to the more well known enameling techniques such as sifting, Cloisonne and Champleve, Darty also includes several methods for experimentation including Raku, Sgraffito, foldforming, and Plique-a-jour. For those enamelists that might need a more structured layout or a review on fabrication/setting enamels, the book also includes several start to finish projects in the back.

I can't wait to get the kiln going today and the experimentation started!

Featured Artists: 2Roses

I met John and Corliss of 2Roses when I was lucky enough to become a member of Etsy Metal earlier this year. 2Roses is constantly producing stunning jewelry that often incorporates surprising materials, experimentation, and humor. Not only do they know their stuff when it comes to creating art objects, they always seem to make the time to offer up a little perspective when it comes to business in the art world, which is great because sometimes I take things a bit too seriously. Here are some of my favorites from their Etsy Metal featured member Q&A:

What pieces are you most proud of?

We don’t think of our work in that way. Each piece is an expression, an idea, which takes on a life of its own. Some are humorous, others serious, or political, or deeply personal. Even so, the pieces are imbued with different meanings by the people who own them. We recognize that we are not in control of how our pieces evolve once they arrive in the bigger world. We also recognize that ideas have consequences, and that is the power of art.

What direction do you see your work going in next? 

We continue to explore and experiment within the framework of functional ornament. The real medium that we work with is the intangible space between the wearer and observer of our work.  

Do you collect anything? If so, do you display your collections?

We collect everything. We are a big one-way sieve passing through the universe. 

What is your most prized possession?

Each other.

 Read the complete interview at the Etsy Metal blog.

EM Project Runway Challenge: Can't We All Just Get Along

 This week for the Etsy Metal Project Runway Challenge we were asked to incorporate pattern and texture in our pieces. I've always been interested in using repetition of form to create texture and depth, so this week was a lot of fun.

Copper Necklace

The Project Runway Challenge:
The designers were divided into two groups of five. They were given the opportunity to create their own unique textiles and asked to create a cohesive collection.

For Our Etsy Metal Translation:
Since this challenge was about pattern and textile, our challenge is to incorporate those into a piece. Do it however you like, etching, roller printing, drawing, or just fabricate a piece that forms a pattern or texture. Make it work!

Copper Necklace

Torn

Torn, Brass

I created this piece for the most recent Etsy Metal Book Club Challenge. The book was "The Curious Case of Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It took me a good while before I was able to get past the first couple of pages, which may have had something to do with the play rehearsals that were taking place downstairs from the apartment I was staying in for a few weeks, but once I settled in there seemed to be a subtle rhythm that moved the story along. I was also very impressed with the way the author built tension. Much different that the suspense novels I'm used to, Stevenson used the concern and speculation of a friend to slowly develop the plot and create tension.  

Torn, Brass

For this piece I went with 14 gauge Brass and juxtaposed a smooth polished surface with one that is cracked a marred in an attempt to create a representation of the continual struggle we all have to choose the right thing, especially when "right" is such a subjective concept. 

EM Project Runway Challenge: Go Big or Go Home

Every week Members of Etsy Metal take on a new challenge that parallels the challenges on Project Runway. This week (week three) the designers on Project Runway were asked to design a piece for a model on stilts for the first ever outdoor runway show. The Etsy Metal Translation is to make it BIG, over the top, larger and crazier than you would normally do, but still trying to keep it wearable and fashionable.

 

 I usually feel like my work is on the larger side to begin with so I was a little stumped at first on how to go bigger and still hold on to my aesthetic. I decided to go with a hammered copper piece joined with balled wire rivets. I'm pleased with the way the negative space creates a lighter feel in a larger form. Although the piece seems big, I feel like I could have gone even bigger! Maybe I will.

The Etsy Metal Project Runway Challenges are open to the public. You can find out more about the challenges and join in the fun by checking out the Etsy Metal Blog!

What's New: Fun with Foldforming

 I've fallen for fold forming! Ever since I started experimenting with origami I come into the studio and all I want to do is fire up the torch and beat on some metal. Add to that a bit of forging and balling wire and I might go missing for days. Here's a peak at what I've been working on.

Book Club Challenge: "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons, is one of my all time favorite sci-fi reads. When it was chosen as the most recent book for the Etsy Metal book club I was super excited to read it for the second time. I went back and forth about the piece for a long time and actually ended up reading all four books in the series again before I finally decided.

Hyperion is filled with mystery from the Prologue all the way through, and for me the most intriguing part was the juxtaposition of Christianity and the Church of Final Atonement. Both are fringe religions at the start of Hyperion and both are presented as equally preposterous, the first being outdated product of an antiquated society and the second focused around "The Lord of Pain", better known as the Shrike, and viewed by the general population as a barbarous cult that sends it's pilgrims to certain doom.

Atonement Brooch: Sterling Silver, Copper, Garnet

Hyperion recalls the tales of the seven pilgrims of the final Shrike Pilgrimage. Each tale tells of the connection the pilgrim has with the Shrike and the planet Hyperion. The Shrike is first mentioned in the Prologue as the Consul remembers "screams in the night and the hundred-faceted, ruby blood gaze of the Shrike itself". As the pilgrims tell their tales a clearer picture of the form and brutality of the Shrike slowly develops with "metal blades protruding from [it's] forehead, four wrists, oddly jointed elbows, knees, armored back and thorax." The reader is never presented with a clear explanation or solid connection between the events that have unfolded in the pilgrims lives and the motivations or intentions of this creature, this "Lord of Pain".

When Sol Weintrob takes his child, who suffers from an illness that has her aging backward, to the priests of the Church of Final Atonement and asks for guidance in having her be "made well" the bishop states that Sol is speaking of physical well being and that "[The Church of Final Atonement] is the final arbiter of spiritual salvation".

Atonement Brooch: Sterling Silver, Copper, Garnet

What is the Shrike? Should we fear it or revere it? Either way, I hope my piece does the Shrike a bit of justice. For a look at what the other Etsy Metal book club members came up with please follow the Etsy Metal Blog or Become Friends with Etsy Metal on Facebook. The book club post will be up next week! 

It's all about the process: Etsy Metal Charm Swap 8

So excited that I was lucky enough to sign up for Etsy Metal's 8th charm swap! What's a charm swap? The best thing ever! 20 Etsy Metal members sign up to make 22 charms each. One complete charm bracelet is sold through the Etsy Metal shop with part of the proceeds going to a youth organization, one of each of the charms goes into the shop as well, and each participant gets a fabulously wonderful charm bracelet. For a look at some of the previous charm swaps go to the Etsy Metal Blog and search for "Charm Swap". While you're there make sure to follow the blog, sign up for the news letter, or make friends with Etsy Metal on Facebook for Charm Swap 8 updates and tons of other cool info.

I decided to fashion my charms after some rings I made early this year for Ring a Week (I know, I know, totally dropped the ball on that one). I really enjoyed using origami techniques with foldforming and everyone knows I'm hooked on the red patina.

I started several weeks ago folding some strips of copper:

 

Today I cut the folded strips into cabs:

 

And then gave a few of them a red patina:

I'm really excited about how they're coming out. Stay tuned for more progress!

Etsy Metal Blog Carnival: Creative Space

This months Etsy Metal blog carnival is all about our studio spaces!

Bench

 I love artist studios. Each one is as different as the artists themselves.  Like a fingerprint or a psychological evaluation, the artists studio reflects the personality of the creator. My studio is where I go to get messy, to experiment and make mistakes, a space where anything goes and every mistake or breakthrough seems to come at just the right time and leads in just the right direction. Don't get me wrong, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. I can often be heard muttering or cursing, sometimes under my breath and other times at the top of my lungs. But somehow even the mistakes seem to belong tossed among the heaps of tools and materials that accumulate with every project (See last post for a clear illustration on this!).

Soldering Area

The world slows down when I'm working in the studio. There are times where my internal voice is lulled into a quiet and meditative hum and the pieces seem to effortlessly fall into place with the rhythms of sanding or hammering. My studio is one of the most personal aspects of my life and yet it is one that I love to share and experience with others. Somehow the space transcends the boundaries of what I regard as private and allows conversations to begin through my process and my work.

Office Nook

Friends and Family

 My studio, being an extension of myself and the things I value most, is filled with mementos. Photographs, ticket stubs, souvenirs and artwork adorn the walls, bulletin boards, and shelving. At times the spaces are crowded in so tight I imagine there is no way I'll be able fit one more thing and then I tuck another treasure into place. Every few months I rearrange the items, dust them off and remember why they are there in the first place. Inspiration, life is full of it.

Treasures and Mementos

This particular space is especially personal because I was able to design and build the bench and soldering area myself. I'd never really taken on a woodworking project before, and it's not quite level or trimmed perfectly, but it's mine and it works. The remainder of the furnishings are hand me downs and cast offs; the cabinets were discarded from a laundry room, the desk was a gift from my step-dad when I first moved out, a bakers rack from a friend who was pairing down her studio space, shelving that came with our house but didn't quite work for us. It's a hodge podge of organizational methods that attempts to keep the clutter at bay and it's absolutely perfect.

Brand New Bench!

Interested in the studio spaces of other Etsy Metal members? Keep on reading!

 Rebecca Bogan - http://www.AdobeSol.com/blog
Shirlee Grund - http://lichenandlychee.com/blog/ 
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Scott http://esdesignsjewelry.com/blog
Cynthia Del Giudice http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com
Michele Grady http://www.michelegradydesigns.blogspot.com
Erin Austin - http://metalmusing.blogspot.com/
Nodeform - http://nodeform.blogspot.com/
Evelyn Markasky -- http://markasky.blogspot.com/
Kathryn Cole - http://www.kathryncolejewelry.blogspot.com
2Roses - http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com
Lauren Anabela Beaudoin/Creative Dexterity - http://creativedexterity.com/Blog/main.html

The Sunday Search for Inspiration: Finding My Bench

Apologies for not having blogged in a while. This is probably why:

Not sure what you're looking at? Somewhere under there is my bench. It seems like the state of my bench and the state of my life in general are pretty much in sync. It was a hectic week or two and things just began piling up and up and soon, in retaliation or out of fatigue, I began to rebel by not picking up a single thing and spending WAY too much time in front of the TV with my new favorite group of wacky characters on Community.

So this weekend I spent some time setting the universe right and I expect that my creativity and productivity will benefit greatly from the result:

I knew it was under there! I even had the time to cut and arrange some flowers from the garden. Amazing what one can accomplish after a much needed break.

Etsy Metal Blog Carnival: From my Sketchbook

This months Etsy Metal Blog Carnival has us all sharing some pages from our sketch books! I love thumbing through sketch books. It's like a window into someone's artistic process.

Sometimes I sketch just to sketch. I start without a plan and see where it takes me. I usually start with a line or a movement that I repeat over and over until something starts to take form. These alien plant forms emerged in that way and I have revisited them many times over. I'm not sure that the forms will find their way into my jewelry work, but it's nice to have something to work on when I'm taking a break from creating with metal.

Sometimes I sit down with a specific project in mind. For the Etsy Metal charm bracelet to raise money for Japan, I knew I wanted to work with flowers because they are so important in Japanese culture so I mapped out some one by one inch squares and started brainstorming. I ended up going with the first sketch for the flower form and refined it a bit to the right.  I'm pretty pleased with the way they came out.

Find out how other Member of Etsy Metal use their sketch books:

Nodeform http://nodeform.blogspot.com/
Michele Grady http://www.michelegradydesigns.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Scott http://esdesignsjewelry.com/blog
Su Trindle http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/
Evelyn Markasky http://markasky.blogspot.com/
ArtigianoJewelBox: http://www.artigianojewelbox.com/category/blog
Rebecca Bogan - http://www.AdobeSol.com/blog 
Shirlee Grund - http://lichenandlychee.com/blog/ 
2Roses - http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com 
Beth Cyr - http://www.bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
kate jones http://www.katejonesdesign.blogspot.com

Featured Artist: Lorena Angulo

I first came across Lorena Angulo's work through the Ring a Day project and was immediately drawn to her amazing use of texture, detail, and color. Her pieces often explore cultural themes related to her heritage and feature many iconic forms such as hearts, skulls, flowers and birds. I am always stunned by the incredible presence that small jewelry objects can have. Lorena's work is both intimate and powerful.

Flaming Heart

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Lorena Angulo and I was born in Mexico where I grew up surrounded by wonderful folk art and jewelry from the Native Indians of a lot of states. My biggest influence while I was a very small child was when I lived in Chiapas, Mexico; this magical state has filled my heart with wonderful memories.

I always loved to create and I have been a self taught artist since I was young. I decided to study Mass Communications and lost for a little while my passion for art and creating. It was until I moved to live to the USA that I started to missed my culture and traditions a lot and in 2006 my sweet husband told me I need it to follow my heart and find my wings again. This was the year I started to take silversmithing classes at Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, Texas. This was the year also that I was introduced to a very new material called PMC (precious metal clay.)

  

Describe your work in one sentence

Artisan Jewelry with Soul! 

What pieces are you most proud of?

This is a hard question for me because a lot of my pieces are very close to my heart. If I have to choose a couple of them it will be my first “Milagro Heart” I made and it was also my first piece published, my “Arbol de Vida” (tree of life) and a commission piece I was honored to make for Corliss and John Rose; “Corliss Calavera”.

What are you favorite materials to work with?

Metal clays (Pure Silver, Bronze and Copper) but I also enjoyed fabricating with sterling, copper and brass. In reality I am always in the look out of new materials to play with and my list can get very long!

Lately I have been playing with Creative paper clay and Craft Porcelain.

LOVE CATRINA

What direction do you see your work going in?

I want to be able to show my work in more places and be able to tell my story in every piece I make. I want to be in more galleries and be able to create wholesale collections but keep on creating my one of a kind work that I love so much.

Who or what is your biggest artistic influence?

My biggest artistic influence is my culture and traditions. My country and all the wonderful memories I have are always present in my work. I admired the work by native artisans.

If you could have your work critiqued by another artist who would it be and why?

Robert Ebendorf. I met him when he came to teach at Southwest School of Art here in San Antonio and I will always remember my experience with him forever. He is an incredible artist and his wonderful spirit can be seen in his work.

I have a big respect for him and his work and I am very sure that taking his class gave me a different perspective in how to transform my work and be able to tell a story in a new way.

What is the best advice you've ever been given?

Follow your heart!

Never compare yourself with others because everybody is unique and your work has to represent what you are.

ARBOL DE VIDA

If you could add one tool to your collection what would it be?

A rolling Mill!!!!!!

I will have so much fun with it!

What do you listen to in the studio?

I usually listen to Latin Music from romantic to dance music. I love to have good energy when I work and if I can sing and dance (if it is possible) I will do it!

What is your most prized possession?

My Family.

My husband and kids.

Do you collect anything? If so, do you display your collections?

I collect Folk Art, mostly from Mexico. I have all my folk art pieces display around my house.

Arbol

How do you spend most of your free time?

Going out with my family. We all enjoyed a lot going to small towns around the city where we can listen to wonderful live music; eat great food and visit galleries and antique shops.

What do you wish you were doing with your free time?

Spend the time with my kids is what I love to do with my free time.

If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

Racism and compassion.

I am so sad to see how people can be so rude to each other. Some people and kids do not realize how hurtful their words are sometimes. We need to have more tolerance and be kind to each other.

Corliss-Calavera

Where can we see your work?

http://www.lorenaangulo.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenaangulo/sets/

http://blog.lorenaangulo.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LorenaAnguloJewelry

I will be in Gruene, Texas in September for the Texas Metals Arts

http://www.texasmetalarts.com/index.html

What's New: Humboldt Arts Festival

HAF Main Stage

This weekend (May 14th and 15th) is the Humboldt Art Festival (HAF) and if last year is any indication it's sure to be a great time! This is the second year I'll be a the fair with the North Coast Metal Arts Guild and we are really excited to unveil our new banner, displays and of course our new work.

NCMAG 2010

The line up for the fair includes over 30 performers on four stages including sambAmore, Strix Vega, Company of African Dance Arcata , New World Ballet, Performers from Dell Arte, Karmaja Tribal Belly Dance, the Humboldt Hip Hop Tour, and many more. The HAF hosts 6 galleries, an outdoor sculpture garden, beer garden, art demonstrations, and 18 fine art/artisan vendors. Check out the HAF website for the complete line up and maps. If you are in the area come out and support our vibrant local arts community!

The Sunday Search for Inspiration: Mom

1983

She fed and clothed me when I was small, nursed me when I was sick or injured, supported every crazy idea I ever had, even when I'm sure she had to work at biting her tongue. She showed me what love is, encouraged me to question the world around me, and brought creativity into my life whenever possible. She taught me how to treat people and how to treat myself. She's my mother, and I continue to look to her for inspiration, encouragement, and guidance today. Thanks mom for all you've done and continue to do!

2010

What's New: Events and RAW for Japan

Tonight is the I heart Indie (Fashion) event at Origin Design Lab in Eureka, CA. Come by and meet many of the designers that make Origin special. The first 30 people through the door will receive a swag bag packed with handmade items by the designers. 426 3rd street, 6-9 pm (click on the picture for more info).

Tonight is also the opening of the Ring a Day show at Punch Gallery in Seattle, 5-8pm. The show features 365 rings from 65 artists who participated in the Ring A Day challenge last year. I was lucky enough to have 7 rings chosen for the show! If you followed RAD and have a chance to make it to Seattle I am sure you will not be disappointed. A huge congratulations to all of the artists involved and a big thank you to the judges and team who made the show happen.

And finally, several of the artists participating in Ring a Week have created rings to benefit Japan. Visit the RAW challenge group on Flickr for more information. Here are a couple of my favorites!

Lorena Angulo

Adobe Sol

Sunday Search for Inspiration: Fiber, Brancusi, and Fold Forming

When I was a child I had this strange compulsion to touch the clothes in department stores as I walked by. Didn't matter if I liked the style, fabric, or pattern, I just had to touch it. Then, I would have to touch the same fabric or a very similar fabric with the opposite hand. Thankfully, I seem to be beyond this compulsion these days, but when I'm in a fabric or yarn store, I am definitely hands on. This week, Erin House and I covered a wall in fabric for the North Coast Metal Arts Guilds upcoming craft fair. We were going to go with a black canvas, but ended up with a fun pattern that will work well with the brown table cloths and green rug the guild already uses.

The real challenge with design in any medium is creating contrasting and complementary forms, layers and palletes that bring depth and movement to a piece or a room or a craft fair booth.  For jewelry, texture and surface detail can be employed to create the layers and dimension in a piece. For me, texture and surface detail is something I've always struggled with in my work. I think I often viewed the unmarred surface as symbolic for perfection, and there is much to be said for the mirror finish and simplification of form, just look at Brancusi's "Bird in Space".  Brancusi's simplified form evokes not the literal form of a bird, but the perfection that is a bird in flight: sleek, smooth, free.

Brancusi's Bird in Space

Marring a perfectly smooth and shiny piece of metal was often difficult for me and the hesitation could be seen in the texture I laid down. Fold Forming is certainly helping me move past the hesitation, as is the new texturing hammer I recently added to my collection.  Hesitation in fold forming only leads to folds that are not as crisp as one might like and hesitation with a texturing hammer often ends in patterns that are disconnected.  I'm no surface detail master by any means, but my work is beginning to move in a direction that embraces a multitude of textures and layers that better describe the natural forms I enjoy working with and encourage the same tactile experience as that of fabric.

My Little Friend

Shrimp

Featured Artist: Becky Grant

Becky Grant is an amazing ceramic and jewelry artist living in Humboldt County. I met Becky while taking jewelry courses at Humboldt State. She had a lot of energy and always brought creative ideas to the discussions and critiques. But it wasn't until she presented her portfolio that I began to understand the breadth of her creativity and artistic skill. Whenever I see one of her ceramic pieces I am blown away by the detail and life that she brings to her work.

 1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Petrolia with my husband and two of my sons on 40 acres.
My oldest son is gone to college. We have 29 goats, 3 cats, 1 emu
and a puppy named Oscar. The hundred year old hay barn in the
middle of our land is now my husbands woodshop and my studio.

2. Describe your work in one sentence.
How about a sentence for each medium?
Ceramic sculpture: My love for all that is cast-off or time worn is
reflected in the aesthetic of figurative pieces which are usually
autobiographical or referencing my alter-egos.
Metal: My spontaneous working style results in simple, and often
whimsical pieces.

3. What pieces are you most proud of?
In my third semester of Small Metals and Jewelry at HSU I made a
hollow-form ring that had the tiniest hinge and latch on a lid that
opened to a compartment holding a writing surface. Within the lid,
another compartment with a hinged door held miniature pencils. I
never got a good photo of it but whenever I looked at I couldn’t
believe I made something so tiny and precious and complicated and
even clever. I was very proud of it but still decided to trade it for a
gorgeous ceramic abalone shell made by Malia Landis that I will be
using as a basin sink in one of the bathrooms in the house we’re
restoring.

4. What are your favorite materials to work with?
Low-fire clay, silver

5. What direction do you see your work going in?
Both mediums should become more involved as I make more time
for them as I settle into routines at home and my kids get older. I’ve
been a mom for my entire adult life so I’ve always had to rush to
finish projects. Just having more time influences my work heavily
because I can either work more elaborately and detailed, and I can
also refine and perfect it as well.

6. Who or what is your biggest artistic influence?
How can I choose one of the many artists that I love- Beatrice Wood
(for her ceramic and the jewelry she wore); Janis Mars Wunderlichallowing
her motherhood to inspire rather than inhibit; Louise
Bourgeoise for her guts; Kris Patzlaff for teaching me how to really
work hard; Keith Schneider for keeping it real and spontaneous; My
Husband for being methodical and constantly perfecting his craft.
Sorry- can’t choose just one.

7. If you could have your work critiqued by another artist who
would it be and why? 
Ceramics: It would be a group of women at
the same time- Gerrit Grimm, Lisa Clague, Margaret Keelan, Janis
Wunderlich, and Chris Antemann. Okay- if I had a one-on-one I
guess any one of these women would be great too- sorry I’m really
indecisive. It would be fun to have you critique my jewelry, Erin!

8. What is the best advice you've ever been given?
I’ve been going to a really great Alexander Technique instructor and she’s been
talking quite a bit about not reacting and just allowing thoughts to
happen and see what comes of that- even with my art. I think it’s
going to take me to new places and is excellent advice for me
because I over-think most every situation.

9. If you could add one tool to your collection what would it be?
Oohh- sorry- indecisive here as well. A rolling mill for metal; a slab
roller for ceramics (and possibly to use for print-making as well)
and a sand-blaster for both.

10. What do you listen to in the studio?
Books usually. Lots of
books- all different genres but mostly I love historical fiction.

11. What is your most prized possession? 
The Yellow House! It’s the
1888 Carpenter’s Gothic Revival we’re restoring, and it’s absolutely
a dream come true. I drove past it for about seven years at least
once a week before we were able to buy it. I sometimes get a bit
panicked that it will burn down, or there will be a huge earthquake
that flattens it before we’ve even finished. I hate to feel so
possessive but my heart just melts when I cross the footbridge over
the babbling creek and climb the hill and it just seems to be waiting
patiently for us to mend its broken parts. We’ve recently restored
two of the original casement windows and I almost cried when I first
opened and closed them and they worked like new. The views are
gorgeous from every window but they seem especially lovely
through the old wavy glass with fresh paint on the windowsills. See-
I’m obsessed with it!

12. Do you collect anything? If so, do you display your collections?
Okay- I’ll have to keep this to a minimum too so I’ll just list my
most favorites: old buttons, vintage suitcases (which are great to
hold my antique dolls and vintage fabric collections) antique jars
and bottles (most of them were found digging in old dumps in
Petrolia and around the house we’re restoring), beach glass (which I
like to store in the old jars) and art books. I have a few small
displays but since we’re living in a little cabin while we restore our
house we don’t have much space for collection display but I look
forward to using these collections in the house when it’s finished.

13. How do you spend most of your free time? 
Since I have a job (I’ve managed CounterPunch.org for 13 years), my art is in my free
time but my other free time I use to work on the 1888 farmhouse
we’re restoring. It hasn’t been lived in since 1972 and although
we’ve done the big projects such as putting a new foundation under
it and a new roof on top we’ve still got lots to do in between. Since
my husband is a woodworker and restoration is his passion and I
wanted an old house to restore since I was a young girl it works out
perfectly- now I just need a bit more patience.

14. What do you wish you were doing with your free time?
It’s hard to put off opportunities to show and sell art so I like to keep up
with that. I do like to slack-line too and love to SUP so I hope I can
do that often this summer.

15. If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?
I have some close friends and family with cancer- I’d love to see a
cure for that. I would also like to level the playing field for the little
people by spreading out the wealth that’s so concentrated amongst
such a small minority, while the majority are hardly making ends
meet.

16. Where can we see your work?
I have a show at the California Ceramics Conference this
weekend in Davis and a piece in the California Clay Competition
there as well (The Artery, 207 G Street, Davis, CA 95616).
You can find some pieces on my etsy site- gypsygyrl
and this summer I’ll be in the HSU First Street Gallery in the Summer
Alumni Exhibition.