What being an Artist Means to Me

I really don't remember a time when I wasn't an artist. I do remember how hard it was for me to say I was an artist. I'm not sure if it was a confidence thing or if I thought people would laugh at me and not believe me or a part of me didn't think I was good enough. Now I can tell anyone and everyone or is it the purple hair that tells them? Being an artist and being creative is everything to me. It is me.

I am trained as a graphic artist BUT I can paint, draw, design, make jewelry, make anything in clay, metalwork, fused glass, stained glass, copper enamel, lampwork, encaustics (painting), mixed media, woodwork, lettering, make paper, woodcut and if I haven't done it yet I want to! If I did it once and liked it I may do it again or I've gotten it out of my system and don't need to do it anymore.

Being an artist can take you places without leaving the studio. If I stopped making art I would be not living.

My most recent painting is a Blue Line painting in memory of my brother-in-law. 

Acrylics 36"x24".

Mixed Media Fish

Wood, paint, nails, soda cans

 

Ceramic Necklace

Freeform Picasso-esque Cramic Buttons

Tabletop Totem

Ceramic, copper coils

Life is...
Mixed Media, encaustics, paper, metal 4'x8' plywood.

Pears
Oil on canvas

Abstract Eye
Acrylic on paper

Art Bead Scene December Monthly Challenge Sponsor

Our Wonderful sponsors for the Art Bead Scene December Monthly Challenge.
We will have 2 Lucky Winners this Month!

Creative Impressions In Clay

Tari Sasser of Creative Impressions In Clay creates ceramic buttons along with jewelry components and jewelry. Primarily an Art Button Artist, Tari custom makes pendants and earrings. Any button can be a pendant! High temperature wire is fired into the clay.

Creative Impressions In Clay is located in Liberty Township, Ohio
(the burbs of Cincinnati).

Tari is donating Necklace, Earring and Toggle Clasp (shown above) valued at $64.50.

Visit Tari on Facebook, Blog, Pinterest and Website.

: : :

Glass Bead Art

Maryse Fritsch-Thillens of Glass Bead Art makes beautiful lampworked glass beads.  She has been making glass beads since 2003 in her basement studio. All beads are lovingly made and annealed overnight. Great additions for your bead stash!!
Glass Bead Art is located in Luxembourg.

Maryse is donating a $50 gift certificate to her Etsy Shop.

December, the month to give. Maryse is also offering 15% off in her Etsy Shop for our ABS readers till the end of December!! How cool is that!!!
Use code: ARTBEADSCENE2015

Visit Maryse at her blog, Etsy Shop and Facebook.

: : :

Submit photos of your wonderful Jewelry creations using one or more Art Beads here.

Submit photos of your wonderful Bead creations here.

Paris by Marguerite Zorach has many different elements that can be used for inspiration: architecture, linear design, cityscapes, squares, shades of blue, orange and pink.

We can't wait to see where your creativity takes you with the art for this months challenge! 

**IMPORTANT** Please remember to put DEC ABS in the title or tag of your submission(s).  Pinterest doesn't keep Pins in the order they are posted.

Provide us with the artist of the Art Beads used and we always love to know all the materials you used. 

***Art Beads MUST be used in your entry.***

ABS Editors Take February Monthly Challenge

Carved Celtic Knot Pendants

This months inspiration is "Amapolas by Edward Julius Metmold

I was testing glaze colors on these pendants from my Celtic Collection. They are from Duncan's Courtyard Collection of glazes. You get interesting lights and darks depending on how thick the glaze is applied. My favorite is the top pendant that has more of the orange rusty colors. 

The painting has a range of reds, salmon, orange, pink and a bit of brown (in the butterfly), along with the pale yellow background. 

The pendants will go in the Bead Monthly Challenge on Pinterest.

Visit all the participating editors pages.

Art Bead Scene

Humblebeads

Songbeads

Something to Do with Your Hands

ABS Editors Take the November Challenge!

Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds by Martin Johnson Heade

This month's inspiration piece for the November Challenge at Art Bead Scene isn't my cup of tea. With Heather's push I decided at the last minute to participate. 

This is the Lotus Button from my Henna Collection. Normally these are glazed with a single color.
I wanted to give a customer another option for the color she had chosen. 

This the red happens to be in the tail of the bird on the right.
I was able to participate in  the November challenge! Cool!!
I ran out of time to glaze another version which was going to be in gradated color of pink to white.

I can't wait to see what everyone else creates for this months challenge!

Please hop over to see what my fellow Editors created for the challenge.

Art Bead Scene

Rebecca Anderson – Songbeads (posting tomorrow!)

Mary Harding – Mary Harding Jewelry

Heather Powers – Humblebeads Blog

Claire Lockwood-Something to Do with Your Hands

Remember any button can be a pendant or jewelry component.

ABS Editors Take the October Monthly Challenge

5 Art Bead Scene editors took the Monthly Challenge. 

We hope you will also take the challenge with us this month!

This is my necklace using Milton Avery's painting, Autumn, as inspiration.

I used my Branch Buttons to represent the tree/branches in the painting.

The Circle Buttons & Beads along with the tiny clay beads bring color. I liked the contrast of putting two very different ceramic components in the same piece. The branches are realistic and the circles/beads are more of a modern style.

Three strands of different elements were used for interest, texture and depth. 

Autumn by Milton Avery

The color I cannot replicate in a glaze is the fuchsia. I have had so many customers request a bright pink but its just not possible. That is the one color missing in my necklace.

I wrapped the ceramic rings with brass wire and created wrapped loops. On the opposing side I wrapped the ring, strung ceramic beads onto the wire then wrapped the other side. Ceramic components were put together with jump rings. 

As you can see with the Branches any of my buttons can become jewelry components.

The tiny clay beads were strung together with memory wire. Chain is Vintaj brass.

I used another ceramic ring for the clasp. The hook for the clasp is made from twisted brass wire. The ring is attached with deer suede. I like the juxtaposition of suede with the chain/bead elements.

Please visit all the Art Bead Scene editors pages for our Challenge Blog Hop

Art Bead Scene

Humblebeads :: Heather Powers

Mary Harding Jewelry :: Mary Harding

Tesori Trovati :: Erin Prais-Hintz

Something to Do with Your Hands :: Claire Lockwood

Inside the Studio :: Creative Impressions In Clay

Welcome to Inside the Studio!

Each week one of our contributors at Art Bead Scene gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

Congratulations Ali/Rouladen! You have won a Starfish Pendant from Humblebeads. 

Please send Heather an e-mail with your information.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lotus Buttons

Happy Friday! I thought I would share my process for making buttons. 

I would show my studio but the ceiling is being repaired from a leak and its a disaster.

First I make a prototype which involves carving the design out of clay that is in the leather hard stage. I use many different tools and brushes to get the design ready to mold, making sure there are no undercuts. The clay would not release from the mold if there are undercuts. 

A plaster mold is made of the prototype. In this example I used a paper bowl to pour the mold. Tacky glue is used to glue the prototype to the bottom of the bowl to prevent it from floating. This one is off center and looks like it may have floated a little. Patience...let the glue dry :)

Customers order their button style(s) and hole or loop configuration. I can put as many hole or loops as you would like. Have it your way!

They are left to dry.

When the buttons dry it is referred as bone dry stage or Greenware. At this stage I sand the backs, clean and smooth all edges and holes. You don't want anything sharp that may scratch/cut anyone or pull your clothing. 

Some underglazes are applied to the greenware.

 Bisque fired buttons. Nice and smooth. You can rub them on your clothing without snagging, the same can't be said for my hands. 

I sign all my buttons and add my website. It gets a little tricky on the tiny buttons.

All buttons can become a pendant or jewelry component. 

Assortment of buttons with loops and holes. The dragonfly button in the picture is slightly curved for a bracelet component.

It's up to how you will be using your buttons: No Holes, Shank, 2 Holes, 4 Holes, 1 Hole-Top, 2 Holes-Top&Bottom, 1 Loop-Top, 2 Loops-Top&Bottom, 2 Loops-Left&Right, 1 Loop Top/3Bottom, etc.

Same goes for beads, holes or loops!

Special orders don't upset us!

My Question is: 

What do you do when your bead/button table isn't calling your name?
Mine is buried at the moment.

Leave your answer to the question in the comments at Art Bead Scene

and you could win a $10 Gift Certificate.

Have a great day!!

Feeling Sassy as usual!

Tari Sasser

Creative Impressions In Clay

Inside the Studio :: Creative Impressions In Clay

Welcome to Inside the Studio!

Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

Congratulations Deb Fortin! You have won a a pair of hand formed ceramic birds from Mary Harding. Please send Mary an e-mail with your information.

_______________________________________________________________________

Update 5/11/14

Totem is finished!

 I have an obsession.

It started about a year ago. I can't remember exactly how it started but it did and I love it! I have Pinterest Board filled with examples I have studied, admired and built my own in my head.

What is this obsession you ask? Totems!! They are wonderful!!

They can be as perfect or imperfect, tall or short, random or tell a story. They mean freedom to me. No rules, just make different elements and stack them. No right or wrong, unstack and re-stack till it looks as you feel it should.

It has taken me till this week to actually make one. I don't have a finished product picture but I can show you my elements (bisque fired) and how I think I'm going to stack them.

I'm not sure everything that has been going on in my head that it has taken me so long to do this...studio was such a mess I couldn't get to the table...my main excuse. I was feeling down at the beginning of the week missing my daughter and grandchildren who are in Norway plus too many job rejections. I forced myself to start on a totem. screaming at myself in my head, "do something, you always feel better when you create." The studio clean up started a couple weeks ago.

A bag of clay and Pharrell Williams "Happy" playing loudly, I began.

It was wonderful and freeing! I can't believe I waited this long. I was actually excited about something again.

This one is for my mom for Mothers Day. She collects chickens. Funny thing about moms we accept most things our kids make.

She gets to be the recipient of my first totem.

Clean up in Aisle 9! The first chicken had an explosive personality and couldn't take the heat in the kiln.

 The quickly made replacement chicken. Still needs to be bisque fired.

All of my elements.

My first stacking. After seeing the photo I wanted to change it. 

Ignore the wooden piece. I don't have my center rod yet, so I used a child's stacking toy as the base :)

Second stack. Besides being to be glazed and desperately needing color, I feel like it needs more spacers. I may have to throw in recycled materials.

Update...

Here are some of the elements I underglazed today to give you an idea of the totem with colors.

Update...5/10/14 :: 5pm

All the pieces with underglazes. Now to dip them all in clear glaze and fire them!
Fun, fun, fun!!!

My Question is: 

Is there something you are obsessed with?