4AM sketches

Installation idea--

With the space we may have for the show, the floor/pedestal is very limited so i was trying to think of a way to make the wall space more interesting. I found these antique frames and i'd like to include them somehow.

For part of the zebra bra story, i wanted to include an element of lace so i spent a lot of time piercing this pattern out but people weren't feeling it.

back in the studio

Finally back at school after the snow break, it took me awhile to get back into motivation after feeling pretty down about my work. I met with a classmate and the new grad student for additional design review. It helped to get some feedback from different people and talk things through. This week has gone by so fast. i didn't get as much physical work done because we had some problems with the gallery space and trying to arrange something for our show.

New piece: my personal goal for this piece was to make it more complex than previous ceramic pieces

[will hold a fragment of an antique ceramic duck figurine]

[thinking through the hinge]

[still thinking through mechanism]

[STILL thinking through it, double checking]

[hooray it works!]

2010 blizzard

SNOW pictures before ROUND 2 :

I haven't been to the studio in almost a week. These pictures were taken 2 days ago and last night/today we got round 2 of snow. It looks like i'll never get back to school. For the first time in the 4 1/2 years i've been at Towson U, they've closed more than 2 days. If they are open friday i doubt i'll even be able to get my car out to make the hour commute. This is ridiculous. I planned my semester outline with no room to spare and so far i've lost a whole week of work!! I'm freaking out. Maybe it's part cabin fever, sickness, etc but i feel like i'm not going to be able to finish my honors collection in time for the show.

I am not a quitter and i hate to think i cannot finish something i started but it's looking pretty bleak. Plus, very little positive feedback and being told someone could do it better, can push a person to quit even faster. i tried to keep a positive attitude and work everyday but it seemed to do very little. i'll see what happens by the time i get back to the studio (whenever that may be) but it's not looking good.

practice practice practice

Today's goals: weld steel chain.

Sounds simple and i've done it many times, i've been told it i do it too much sometimes. i cannot help it, i absolutely love the idea of steel as jewelry and the rustic look it has. When we talk about our style/ aesthetic/ brand, i think for myself- the color red, steel, old, imperfections made beautiful, aged, somewhat complex, usually with a korean influence.

I think i've strayed away from the qualities my work has usually shown in my honors work. I've been overhwhelmed with the concept that i've lost myself alittle bit. I think that's why I welded my favorite traditional korean pattern over and over during winter break. I should have been working on my Honors collection but i needed to make something so true to myself. i need to re-evaluate my honors work and try to insert more of myself, after all, they are my take on the stories and its qualities, and i am the maker.

Back to my original purpose of this entry--
practice makes for better work. I wouldn't say perfect because there is always room for improvement and more learning. I see it in my bezels and chains. Even with todays work with the chains, they have gotten neater and more uniform as the day went on. To get my desired shape for the links i taped 2 chopsticks together rather than wrap the steel around a dowel rod and then hammer after welding. AND sawing the links apart makes the welds soo much cleaner than using the bolt cutters.

Experiment with cutting/melting sheet steel:

Continue steel handheld object:

-pierce lace pattern

PROGRESS REPORTS
I've been using my blog as a way to document my work this semester. I've always tried to do this but i usually forgot or for some reason or another stopped for long periods of time. I am REALLY going to try to stay on track this time. It's my final semester and it's important to take a look at my time management. Last semester i didn't produce as much as i should have for Honors. True i had other classes, other collections but bottom line, I'm very disappointed in myself for not having more at the final critique. By keeping up with my documentation/ work log, i can focus on what i'm doing and what i need to do.
One thing that really helped me with my time management was working for other artists. They sell their work on Etsy and it's been a great experience. I love working for jewelry artists because i'm doing what i love, i get paid for it, and it's awesome practice. I've become a lot faster at certain techniques.

week 2
zebra bra story progress


-knuckles soldered
-1st hinge of the semester!!

Week 2

zebra bra story

-weld pressed, steel forms to border and interior framing

-experiment with welding tube onto steel forms/ creating simple hinge

-start forming lollipop locket maquette

week 2:

Zebra bra story progress

[inspiration images]

"one of my girlfriends bought me a zebra print push-up bra... She had taken out the pad from the right cup, so that the bra would automatically even out my ta-tas! It was mostly given as a gag gift, and all my girlfriends and I had a good chuckle about it. The bra no longer fits and it certainly has seen better days, but I've hung onto it. My friend and I no longer talk, but I often wonder what she would think if she knew I had kept the bra all this time. Whether she knows it or not, telling people about my lopsidedness was a huge step for me towards self-acceptance."

[die formed steel- padding insert shape]

[welding hand held object]

[welded steel, padding insert shape with pierced zebra pattern]

Week 2: Zebra Bra story

-bronze lockets

[etched and pressed plates]

[etched, pressed, cut]

[1 pair soldered together, cut, ready for hinge]