Internship [August]

8.29: Last Friday in August! Sherri and I finished up some things like grinding the clock faces, helped Julie with some things for the show, pack up some clocks, etc but most of the day was spent on our designs! Julie told us today that we needed to make doubles of our designs so we could take one home and one that they could keep. Luckily, there were still plenty of the scrap pieces i used for my first clock so i could get that together pretty fast. The second one has been taking a lot longer to get ready because it has a pendulum. I did end up finishing the 2nd clock but i made some mistakes but i can remember them for the double of it. For example, the ring was a touch too thin that holds the clock piece so the pendulum rubs against the wall slightly. The big question with the 2nd clock was WOULD THE PENDULUM WORK?? It was so suspenseful for ken to hang it up on the wall and test it out... but it worked! How exciting. =)

Progress on my designs: 1 clock completely done (welded, ground, sanded, sprayed)

[right/top: design 1 on welding table. center: design 1 finished]

2 clocks almost done (welded)

So... one more to go! And that one will have some changes. If i have time before we are done, i'd like to design some candle holders or a vase with the same style as my clocks.

I love my clocks and my parents love the one i brought home. I just think it's so cool to say that designed and made something like that.

[right: pieces for design 2

center: design2 after welding, testing out pendulum, not completely finished]
*you may notice that my clock designs are very similar to my earrings from last semester. I didn't mean to do it but i noticed it once it all started coming together.

Alex Pardee

I've been subscribing to Juxtapoz Art and Culture magazine for over a year now and I think it's awesome. I love the art and designs in it. One artist in particular caught my eye when I first picked it up in a book store, Alex Pardee. Just this summer I started to take a closer look into his art. His website is called eyesuckink and it's full of amazing prints, drawings, etc and a blog! I also watched a video of him speed painting and it was so cool. Everything just comes straight out of his head. Sometimes he uses a quick sketch to go off of before painting but usually he just conquers a blank wall or canvas. I 'd like to think that my painting style i similar to his but he's definitely someone i look up to. Some people think his art is disturbing or strange but i think that makes it even better. I just thought  i'd throw that name out there incase there's other people that might like him (Amy!?), he doesn't have anything to do with jewelry but i love him!

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8.26: I was all eager to get in there and work on my clock designs. First Sherri spun/ sanded some rings, while I bent rods on the press, then I finished some clock faces. After that Julie let us work on our own stuff. Dave was in today so it was important for me to get things ready for him to weld. I had the first clock all ready for him to do except I had to grind the clock face. I touched it up after it was welded but it's always easier to do the main finishing before it's put together. It maybe took Dave 5 minutes to weld it all together (he's a pro) then it was ready for touch ups. I had to grind down the weld spots, wire brush the fire scale, and get out any scratches or marks. I got it all done and it's now ready to be sprayed! =) It makes me to happy to know that I have a finished clock! i'll take pictures very soon. I also worked on the leaves for the 2nd clock. The leaves on the pendulum were too small for the press so i hammered them. I like hammering metal (i know i'm strange) I'd say it was a very productive day. After we were done Ken, Julie, Dave, Sherri, and i sat outside, drank a beer, ate chips with salsa, and talked about art. It was fun! Again, i love my internship.

INternShip [august]

8.25: I've been playing around a lot the last week with some scrap pieces of steel to try and come up with a design for my own clock, candleholder, or whatever. It's been a huge challenge for me to think SIMPLE. Every sketch i made has been complex and very gestural. I need to think less complicated, clean lines, and more like line drawings. It's killing me! I hate that feeling like everything i draw sucks. It's like a foreign language to me to think like that. It's good to push myself out of my safety zone but it's so hard! 

Sherri and I put together some post cards for an upcoming show that Julie and Ken are in. They didn't get enough cards from the gallery for their mailing list but it was all they could get out. It's coming up the weekend of the 5th in washington at the Zenth gallery? (don't quote me on that) I love seeing the things they are making for it. their one-of-a-kind works are absolutely beautiful. 

We also packed up all those ornament holders after they had been sprayed and got together 2 orders. 

After that, Sherri and I went over our sketches with Julie. Sherri came up with some really good designs that stayed really true to the Girardini's style. We talked about my sketches but i needed to simplify. So, we started cutting parts and prepping them to be welded, I actually took a bunch of scrap pieces and laid them out on a table an came up with new designs that were still close to the ones i had sketched. I came out with 2 clock designs by the end of the day. They both had the leaf design i have used for earrings at school. Once i got the parts together, i sanded and ground them. I laid them out on the table for Dave to weld tomorrow. I think it's going to be so cool to have something that i designed, actually made!! Julie gave us a lot of good advice as we started working. She knows so much about weight, what works best, shadows, etc. I think for one of my clocks we are going to try and do a curved pendulum. They've never done it but it doesn't hurt to try. I'm so excited to see my designs and Sherri's come out. =)

Get out there!

Try new things, explore, face your fears! This summer I feel like i've done so much that I normally wouldn't do. After my long time boyfriend and I broke up, my whole world changed. I didn't know who I was because I had been this person's girlfriend for 6 years. I realized that i had liked what he liked, I did what he wanted to do, and I was the person he wanted me to be. When it was over, I didn't know what to do. This was at the end of May and i thought it was going to be the worst summer. I was afraid to take my science summer classes, start my internship with people i didn't know, and be really alone for the first time but everything worked out for the best. I no longer have my dog, my hunting stuff, or the same mind set i used to. For the first time this summer I drove to the Outerbanks by myself, went to a concert at Rams head, went to artscape, explored gettysburg, went to games, hung out with old friends, stayed out to look at stars, etc. It's been great.

I have had to work a lot and study hard but it's still been a great summer that I wish wouldn't end. But i'm ready for the semester to start since i don't have anything holding me down. I can like things i couldn't before and focus on what i want. After a friend passed away this summer, you really have to do things that make you happy and not take anything for granted. I've been true to myself this summer and I think it's made me more creative. I've surrounded myself with creative people and other artists that have really inspired me.

"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do.

Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."-Ella Fitzgerald

darn foot petal

I saw Sherri posted a picture of her playing Rockband so I thought i'd post mine. It's a fabulous game and the drums are the best! So, when i'm not working at Miller's, at my internship, or in summer classes, I do somewhat have a life.

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I LOVE MY INTERNSHIP!

I'm very thankful to have my internship with Julie and Ken! They are such nice people and i'm learning so much. I feel so lucky that Jan hooked me up with Girardini Design because it feels so perfect for Sherri and I.

Internship [August]

Some more Girardini clocks that we've packaged up or worked on:

[top: easel clock

Middle:Curves clock

bottom: double circle clock] Most of their products can be found on www.artfulhome.com!

8.5: We started cutting pieces for ornament holders. The ornament holders are in the artful home catalog. They can display single or triple glass ornaments.

The rings were sanded on the inside with an attachment on the drill press and the outside was done on the belt sander. We also worked on the bases.

[left: cut rings for ornament holders. right: grinding the sides]

8.7&8.8: After the inside and outside were finished, the sides (very important) had to be finished. So we ground them with the big grinder and then the small one. It was very important to stay flat and constant all the way around.

8.13: Once Dave had welded some of the ornament holders (not on the bases yet) we could line it up on a grid, mark where holes were to be drilled with sharpie, punch the dot, then drill the holes. We also got some scrap pieces today to play around with and think of our own designs.

8.15: We talked to Julie today about merchandising, pricing, out sourcing, promoting, etc. They just finished a bed for the artful home and were taking pictures of it and a sculpture that Julie had just finished. It's so interesting to see the one-of-a-kinds and the production pieces being worked on at the same time. Julie and Ken have such good time management... something i could learn a thing or two about. =) Sherri and I also finally finished the ornament holders and started to cut new parts.

[below: final product- ornament holders]

internship [July]

7.25: Sherri and I worked on finishing the parts for the tension table vases. The curved tops were the parts that i used the plasma cutter for. Today we had to grind the pattern on them. It was really frustrating. We didn't finish them all because each one took a lot longer than we thought.
7.27:long installation day!

I went on vacation to the outerbanks for alittle less than a week which was incredible because I didn't think I'd get to see the ocean once this summer. It turned out that a lot of factors worked out for me to go. it was so nice to have a break from summer classes, work, and the internship! I needed it! Sherri got to finish the vases while I was gone.

Sorry Sherri!!

[top: vases finished and sprayed without glass tube
bottom: hanging lake vase]

8.4:Back from vacation we had a lot of work to do! Sherri cut a lot of pipe while I had to cut a bundle of rods with the cut saw. It felt like a lot of things went wrong that day or I wasn't really doing a good job. I was trying but i felt like I kept screwing up. I had a scare with the cut saw but I got over it. I did not like it at all.

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The Studio:

The studio is huge! It's a really awesome place to work. It does get very dusty and gritty in there since it's all steel. I come home from the internship so dirty and nasty! Somehow I alway end up a lot worse than Sherri. One time Ken has told me I desperately needed to shower because my face was horrible. haha! There's no way I could go out in public after working. Even though it's a dirty job, i would never choose another one. I love it! I would hate to sit at a desk, stay clean, and do something boring. I love getting messy, lifting heavy steel, and having sparks fly up next to me. It's such a thrill to work like that.

7.11: We ground today.
7.14: evil candle holders- We had to wire brush these candle holders that come as a pair and sort of look like a nest. They were sooo hard to grind! There were weld marks that were impossible to reach with our tools! Sherri and I got so frustrated. We did the best we could and after they were sprayed they looked really good. I love the design! I want them!

Girardini Design

6.30: Today we cleaned A LOT of steel rods!! It takes forever to clean them with alcohol and a scotch brite pad. It actually hurts your arm after awhile! All the work we do at our internship is really hard on the body. We can only do a few hours of work a day because it's such hard physical work. My back, arms, and neck have not stopped hurting all summer. I feel like such a wimp but I seriously can only work for the most 4 hours. It's pathetic i know but we aren't used to it. Julie and Ken are champs.

We also learned how to sand rings a different way. Sometimes Julie and Ken each have their own certain ways of doing things and we just have to figure out what we are more comfortable with. Julie is more of the finisher while Ken does a lot of patina stuff.

[right: hundreds of freshly cut, uncleaned rods]

Packing and shipping is another step that I tend to forget. It's so important to package your work up properly or it will arrive to the customers damaged and not it's best. We learned how to bubble wrap some of the pieces and how the clocks include a pack of clock arms, a pendulum, and batteries.

[left:packaging room/storage area]

7.2: Today Julie and Ken were gone to do an installation so luckily Dave was there so we could still come in. We couldn't really use any machines so we finished packing up anything we could. I like how everything is organized and things are kept stocked up incase they get a large order. It's so important to be organized and keep things on record!

7.9: We ground cut parts with the large grinder and then the small. The large grinder is used to get the main scratches and cut marks out then the small is to leave a nice uniform finish.

I forget the date but one day when Sherri had to work, I got to use the plasma cutter! It was so awesome. It's like a laser gun that you free had cut with. I practiced cutting shapes freehand like hearts and curves but I used a jig for the parts so they'd all be the same. I was so nervous i'd mess up that I made Dave show me a couple times. The trick was to move with your whole body and bend your legs instead of just pulling your arms. You are more steady if you turn your entire body. It was such a cool experience. There were sparks everywhere!

[below: Sherri and Julie]

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6.24: Sherri and I finally finished grinding those bars! It takes a lot longer to finish those then you would think because the top and bottom have to look really good and the sides also have to be finished. Since Sherri and I are kind of perfectionists when it comes to some things, we re-did the bars several times. If you get one scratch or the lines are very straight then you have to grind the whole thing again.
[left: BAC clock. The bars on the top and bottom are the ones we had to grind the last couple days]

We also sanded the ends of some of the rods we cut the other day. The ones that had been sanded and cleaned could then be bent. Julie gave us an intro to the hydraulic press. They have made most of their own jigs too. We got to bend a few of the rods too.

Meet Dave!
Toward the end of the day we got a little welding intro as well. Dave comes in a few times a week to weld for the Girardinis. He's another talented artist who works with steel. I heard about him at the ACC when i was working with Biba, i thought it was cool to hear about an artist who lived in the same small town as me! His work is sweet and I think it's a little more my style than the Girardinis. I tend to work more complex and I have a hard time staying simple. Their style is very zen and calming which is nothing like me (remember my blood diamond project). So anyway, Dave showed us how to tack weld with a TIG welder. It was so sweet. I actually was scared of it and didn't use enough force. I was told to go for it more! I did get a little better with it. Dave was a great teacher.

6.25: We learned how to use another wire brush grinder for wall scones/vases but it's a lot bigger and it's mounted to a work bench. It was so hard to do! The edges kept catching and it throw you around. It was so scary at first! Sherri and I kept switching from that and sanding/grinding pendulums for the asia wall clocks. Sherri did more of the wire brushing because she was a little more comfortable with it than me. Thanks Sherri! I liked doing the pendulums for some reason. They were fun for me.

[left: luma bloom vase]

6.27: Julie and Ken have a lot of familiar machines and one was the tumbler. We unloaded and loaded it with pieces for the floral vase stand. Then, Dave welded the table top clocks so we had a lot of finishing to do! We also got to weld a little bit more. Sherri and i actually stayed over our normal time to do some extra welding. welding helmets with pink flames would be so awesome to have.

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6.13: We finished wire brushing the fire scale off the weld spots of the asia wall clocks. Julie and Ken introduced us to the drop saw where you can cut tubes. You have to set it up, press a button and it cuts, then once it drops you have to reset the tube and reset it. It's a huge machine and it was kind of scary that day but you get used to it. It's good to have something to do while it cuts because it takes awhile but you ahve to constantly reset it. We also learned how to use the cut saw. We cut rods which later had to be cleaned with alcohol. To degrease the steel, we use scotch brite pads and soak them in 91% rubbing alcohol.

[right:(top) We use these carts because there's so many pieces that it helps keep us organized with what we've done and what needs to be done next]
[(bottom) drop saw]

6.18: We worked on grinding bars for a table top clock. It's a decorative finish so it's so important to be uniform and exact. We tried our hardest and i think we did a pretty good job. It's harder to do because you use a bigger grinder that takes both hands. After that day my hands felt like jelly.

6.23: Another day of cutting parts and grinding the bars. The rods that we cut with the cut saw had to be sanded on the belt sander. We also got to sample some cupcakes that Julie made for Ken's 50th birthday. They were chocolate with a hint of chile spice? I was a bit nervous to try it but they were delicious!! My internship couldn't get better... metal and cupcakes? Aren't you jealous?

INTERNSHIP [June]

I'll admit that i'm not the most organized person... okay, so i'm a messy slob. I honestly have been keeping notes on my internship on random pieces of paper, napkins, etc and a lot of them I have lost. I do remember what i've done but the dates may not be so exact. I'll do my best with the scribbles I have and my memory.

Sherri and I started our internship at Girardini Design on June 10th. Julie and Ken are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. I think they are absolutely driven, creative people who make beautiful art. We are so lucky to be working with them!

[Left:Asia wall clock]

[center: Ken's sculpture in front of the studio]


1st day: Sherri and I had an introduction to the studio and went over objectives. We talked about safety equipment and went over some basics. We even started to wire brush burn marks off of the asia wall clocks. We also attempted to finish the copper clock faces with the same tool but with a different head, but we kind of failed. It was our first try and it was so hard to keep our hands steady, and keep everything looking uniform. I felt bad that we messed a few copper disks up but Julie was totally cool about it.
[right: wire brush grinder]

major procrastinator

So, this is my first entry in a LONG time. I used to blog all the time, i was actually addicted to it but i have been in way over my head this summer. What happened to the relaxing, lazy, no cares summer that I used to have?? I loved those summers but I wouldn't trade any of them for the summer i've had this year. So much has changed in my life these past few months. It's been a roller coaster of emotions and events but overall it was all worth it.
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