Christy Klug

I've seen Christy Klug at a couple craft shows and I really like the piercing out that she does. I like the negative spaces that she creates. I also like the scribbling pattern she does on the middle piece. I realize more and more how much I like pierced work and I don't really do it that much..? I should more.

Miel-Margarita Paredes

I saw Miel-Margarita Paredes at Acc in Searchlight. Her work has to do with mounting animals on walls as trophies and the idea of breding animals for certain things. I really like the work, and I find the ideas behind it really interesting. Read her artist statement.

India: Historical Research

These are pages from the book on India that I got from the library.

These are brides. This page is from the section on Marriage jewelry. Nose rings are typical, thoguh certainly not the only piece of jewelry worn for the ceromony.

These two pages contain enameling work. Often, the enamel work is either foral or figure based. These images are foral based b/c that's what I wanted to include in my project.

I'm making a nosering based on my research. It is a piece of marriage jewelry. I want the front of the piece to be fairly traditional. I chased and repoussed shapes to be stones on the front. I enameld them to look like coral, topaz, and an emerald, all of which were common in India. I also enemeld a foral pattern in between the stones. Currently I'm working on some actually sotne settings for the front. The back is etched with an abstracted pattern of a couple symbols. I find it really interesting that the dowry is the only thing that the bride is legally allowed to own once married, and am trying to play off that idea.

Sorry if the pictures are hard to see. It's the best I could do.

Inventory of Skills

• Pop-up Technology
• Piercing
• Sweat-solder
• Joint-solder
• Filing
• Sanding
• Satin Finish
• Scratch Finish
• Dapping
• Rivets
• Chains
• Roll mill
  
• Solder inlay
• Lamination inlay
• Etching
• HAmmer Texture
• Scribe Texture
• Chasing and Repousse
• Flanges
• Scoring and Bending
• Fabrication
• Enameling
• Stencil
• Sgraffito
• Basse Taille
• Champleve
• Graphite Pencil
• Electroforming
• Welding 2D and 3D
• Hard wax carving
• Sheet wax fabrication
• Felting
• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Stained Glass

Creative Process

I feel like right now, I'm really still learning what I do to generate ideas. In the past I have made lists of words and that has helped. The word maps do to. Both really help me to get waht I'm thinking about out and in front of me. I tend to try and store tons of information in my head, which is good for some things, but not usually for this. Just writing them helps me to organize my thoughts on the subject.
I also find that I really need to be focused on what I'm thinking baout. I need to set aside time to just sit and think about it and relax and that's when I'll start to generate ideas. When I force myself to. Sometimes it'll be when I'm in bed trying to go to sleep, but I can't because there's a lot on my mind, or sometimes I'll be in the shower. It's just whenever I can make myself focus.

Design 21

http://www.design21sdn.com/

This is a social design network. Looks pretty cool. They have a ring taht you can buy where 19% of the proceeds go to the charity of your choice. And 2% goes to children in post-conflict countries.

Blood diamonds

Really the lack of knowledge I had on this topic was appalling. I really didn't know much about this at all. So I started with the websites on the project sheet.
Everything I've learned about it has been so awful. As jewelers, we will play an interesting role. I have no idea if I'll work with stones much, but if I do, it's really important to be aware of this issue. I can't believe that people are supporting blood diamonds by working with them. I understand that b/c comsumers aren't aware or don't care, this isn't a demand to change. But I don't understnad how established people in the business could not be aware. If they would stop supporting this, it could be stopped. At some level, it needs to be stopped. And there are more consumers than jewelers, so it seems potentailly easiler to make then aware and get them to stop. But if people are aware and are buying them anyways, then I just don't know what can be done.
I really don't know what direction I'm going to take this project. I feel like there's just so much to learn about it still. I got the Hollywood movie and will watch it soon and I'm excited to see the documentary on Thursday. I really just want to find out more and wrap my head around it a little bit more.