Behind the Scenes

The Magic Moment of Fusing (without melting everything!)

I recently took an online art history course in Ancient Jewelry through the Penn Museum. The instructor Dr. Jane Hickman showed tons of gorgeous granulation jewelry from antiquity (along with filigree that’s really also granulation because it’s fused to a base sheet). As she was endeavoring to explain to the non metalsmiths in the course…

Behind the Scenes / Filigree / Inspiration / Russian Filigree / Travel

Forged, from the Mists of the Mountains

When I was trading skills with my friend Rauni Higson in Wales this past December, the wonderful women from Little Metal Foxes asked me back for Tool Tip Tuesdays, this time to help Rauni give a studio tour. It’s a chance to see her incredible work up close in a relaxed setting. Enjoy! If you’ve…

Behind the Scenes / Eastern Repousse / Filigree / Granulation / Inspiration / Online Courses / Processes / Teaching

4000 miles, Millions of ideas, and Gallons of Tea

In an unprecedented move of playfulness and exploration, I flew to the UK in early December and delved into all things metal, mud, and fun. One of the better ‘Coronabonuses’ of the last 4 years was the many airline credits and thousands of points my husband and I had racked up in our limited travel…

Behind the Scenes / Illumination / Inspiration

Shining a Light on Delight

One of the things I most cherish about where I live is the closeness of an exceptional zoo. Although walking it became problematic for me for a number of years (it’s literally uphill both ways), I was thrilled to visit recently without much pain, to see the beautiful animal lanterns at “Illuminights at the Zoo,”…

Behind the Scenes / Inspiration / Online Courses / Russian Filigree / Workshops

Filigree’s Beautiful Lace + Wildly Forged Silver

It’s been yet another tough week, here on planet Earth. Frankly, I have been grateful to be living indoors with adequate water and, occasionally, heat. Last week our not-very-old-furnace tripped the carbon monoxide detector when I wasn’t in the house, but my son and husband were. Still, there was electricity to power that alarm to…

Behind the Scenes / Inspiration

A Hammer’s Heartbeat

A smith’s hammer drops a rhythm like a heartbeat. Whether the light tap of a chasing hammer or the heavy ring of a forging hammer, the steady sound syncs, one blow at a time to propel the metal where we want it to move, just as, one beat at a time, our hearts propel our…

Behind the Scenes / Current Projects / Eastern Repousse / Inspiration

Art’s Nap Room: Balancing Work in Progress

As artists, we often find ourselves caught in an eternal flip-flop between states of motivation and states of overwhelm. Having lots of ideas is a sign of healthy creativity. Keeping multiple projects in-progress prevents boredom. Unfortunately, there can be a tipping point when that creative motivation spins out into burn-out or paralysis, and our work…