Bas Bouman. Necklace: mix-up 2007. Walnut, deer-paw, brass. From the collection 'Matter of Belief'
My ancestors
tdoor section of walmart is always busy and almost every friends' house i've been in have had at least one deer head mounted on the wall. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. My house doesn't but i'd like to have one when i get my own house one day. 
othing is really wasted. I think it's neat how we use everything like hunters did hundreds of years ago.
INTO THE WILD and the beginning of Spring really got me thinking about nature and how much we take it's beauty for granted. I try to get out in it as much as I can but I still get caught up in work, homework, etc. Busy life is no excuse not to take 15 minutes to take a walk or sit outside. I think everyone could benefit from it and maybe even get some inspiration. I had to take some kind of break during this weekend. I ended up working till 11-1230am (with breaks) Saturday! I'll admit, I didn't get much homework done this weekend but that's how life is sometimes. I'm fascinated about the animals, plants... everything but who isn't? Even though I try to enjoy some fishing or a walk, i still have a running mind about all the busy life things, proje
cts, work, laundry, etc. I wish I could just forget about it all for a few minutes but taking breaks like this does help. Breath in that fresh air. ahhh. [ps- i'm probably the only asian redneck girl you'll ever meet around here]
I just bought the soundtrack to INTO THE WILD, most of the songs are by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. I think it's going to have pretty mellow music. I need to stop this habit of buying soundtracks if I like the movie. I'll post more about it once i've listened to it a good amount.
1:02am: I am still awake due to the mocha latte i had a few hours ago. I should probably get some rest since i work 11-11 tomorrow but what the heck, i'm addicted to blogging now.
It also got me thinking about the goodness of people and that even though there's some pretty messed up shit that happens, there will always be good people out there. Little things can mean the world to another person. Small nice gestures make a difference. Like those commercials where the good deeds have a waterfall effect. I think it's a Liberty commercial or something but someone does something so small like hold a door open for someone and it does have an effect. 
I know everyone is wondering what a "Gotcha" day is but it's really simple, it's the day my parents got me. =) 
In an earlier post today I talked about the African elephants in Sierra Leone.
The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire 
I've watched BLOOD DIAMOND at least 6 times today (without then with the commentary on) while cutting and measuring steel wire for my pendants and brooches. I thought that if I cut and laid out the pieces at home, it would save me critical time in the studio. This process took a lot longer than I thought because it's been an all day event with only about 8 pendants done. Of course i took food breaks but other than that i've spent the day sitting on the living room floor with all my steel stuff spread out. I hammered the steel wire straight then measured out each piece, laid it out to make sure it looked good, then wrapped the pieces in paper envelopes so i can just pour the pieces out, place on the bricks and weld in the studio. My mom is pissed about the mess but it's okay. 
diamond. They were walking towards some hills in the background where there were a few elephants in the distance. The director said that they weren't CG. They had gotten a report about some elephants in the area so they decided to shoot at that location. During the civil war that left thousands of humans dead or mutilated, nature took a hit too. The elephant population was in the thousands before the war but after it was slashed down to only hundreds. They had been pushed out of Sierra Leone especially but after the war they starting migrating back. So it was a real treat for the director to hear about them. Elephants would be a nice symbol for the project because a strong animal like the elephant was pushed out and died but are making a recovery. It's like they are forgiving people and are trying to make peace, just like the african people are trying to do after the war.
When searching the internet, I came across some images that really caught my eye.
"Would you tell me, please, 
[PENDANT DESIGN] 
Yesterday I spent the day in the studio, investing and welding. I went in at 10:15am then all of a sudden I looked up at the clock and it said 5pm! Time flies in the studio.
"Whatever craft you decide to pursue, it should be something you love to do regularly, maybe even every day." -CRAFT INC
ated when I would burn through the wire, make unstable T-joints, or use way too much stick feed. Ask anyone in my class, I would cuss like a sailor! Nothing seemed to work for me. Luckily, my dog projects turned out okay for my first projects. Plus, it was a subject that is really close to my heart! 
THE BABIES ARE HERE!
After reading CRAFT INC there was an interview with PORT2PORT Press- Letterpress stationary. Maria Vettese was from Portland, Maine and Anika Colvin from Townsend, Washington started a photography blog in 3 years ago.The blog became a big hit with photography admirers becoming fans everyday. Maria started her own stationary business and with an already set customer base from her blog. It just goes to show how online communities can be a huge help. Over her blog she became friends with Natalie Tweedie and collaborated on card designs but have never met in person. 
I ordered CRAFT INC by Meg Mateo Ilasco from amazon last week and have been reading it every spare moment i can get. Last night i read the bulk of it and procrastinated going to bed. I think everyone who was ever interested in starting their own craft business should read it, or maybe all the art major seniors. It covers everything from getting inspiration, having confidence, the steps to take, legal actions, to marketing your product. I think it's really helpful to really get an idea of what owning your own business is all about. It's not as easy as some people make to be but it's also not impossible. I didn't know anything about things like loans and the legal structure. I liked how she incorporated interviews with several artists/business owners. Plus they were from a variety of specialities. It costs $16.95 but it's worth every penny. It's the kind of book that you will want to have close at hand for years. I've already highlighted and underlined many parts. She gives great advice in a fun way and it is in no way, a boring read. You won't want to put it down if you're really interested in this stuff like I am. "Some people will like your product and some people won't, but the most important thing is that YOU like it." She doesn't make it all sunshine and rainbows but gives you a taste of reality but is still super encouraging. It's also the kind of book that you can't just read over once. She also has a BLOG so check it out! 
So, here it is! The inspiration of my latest project. The tiles found at the Paecke temples in South Korea was what i based my Special Topics project on. I had done sketches of of designs I found on everything from clothing, pottery, architecture, etc. I worked on a variety of things for my project but nothing really spoke to me. I tried piercing out a pattern out of copper but it was just okay. Then I worked on some embroidery pieces during the drive down and back home from GA. I had at least 20 hours invested into it. It turned out nice but one i started working on the frame for it, I got bored. I wasn't excited about the finished product. When I get frustrated with something I usually just throw it away completely and work on something totally different. I started welding as a way to relieve the stress of the project. I had to do all these other things for it but decided to just weld. It's a horrible habit. I went back to a simpler design from temple tiles. I welded it flat as a 2d design which was a alittle new to me since last semester i worked 3d for my dog sculpture. It came out really big and sort of looked like coaster (that might be a cool idea for later) but i didn't want a coaster for my project. So i started bending and shaping the wire. I loved the way it popped. The design became even nicer but it was still 
pretty big. First thought that came to mind was a brooch but i didn't know how to do a pinback. Luckily I had friends around the studio that knew how to do it. It's a rough pin back but it gets the job done (and it was my 1st!). This whole thing is just starting point. I feel like the more i weld, the more patterns I try, and the more pin backs i do, the better i will get. I really loved how the brooch came out and set on the body. Plus the people around me seemed to like it too. It's always such a boost when you have your classmate's support behind your ideas!! Maybe people in my hometown wouldn't wear such a big brooch but the people in the art world would, especially people at SNAG or ACC. Although it's big, it's not flashy, the black wire and open spaces i think gives it a contemporary and simple look. I even dared to make a smaller one with my enemy, thin wire. This one i went for a more intricate design. This one i wanted to make a pocket shape in the middle so i could shove red fabric inside.After i finished it, i didn't like it as much as i had hoped. People around me thought it was nice but i wanted to throw it away. The welds weren't as nice as i would have liked and the design didn't work for me. Pissed off i went for another one. This time even smaller and i went back to my original design with just a few changes. This one came out the best. It was simpler and delicate (but still strong). I finished it by knotting red thread around it for the chain to touch on the embroidery ideas i had before. I think any color I found in the hanboks (traditional dress) would be nice in other necklaces i make. Together they are a bit flashy but alone with the black steel is a nice contrast. When presenting the neckla
ce in class one of the suggestions I got was to make an actual loop for the thread so it looked more purposeful. I thought about it and i'll try it in some of my other pieces but i thought it would take away from the original design. I had tried that idea in the other one but it looked too busy. So, at dinner before the lecture i thought another smaller knot right about the pendant would keep it place plus look nice. I tried a small, cute knot that looked so delicate but it worked. The knot really isn't delicate at all because i used several pieces of quilting thread. I love the finished product.
[jo, lizzy, rebecca, me, annie, liz, amy, megan]
