Category Archives: Philosophy

The One-Handed Beader

October 24, 2011 Karen 3 Comments

This weekend I encountered a new need for problem-solving. This time it had little to do with the design work and more to do with “hand” work. But, let me start at the beginning.

We have outside pets, but rotate them, one at a time, into the house for their own special treatment. My Mother’s cat comes into the studio so that she can eat and then goes back out. The ranch is so inundated with ants that she can only get about two bites of her food on the porch before it is covered in the little varmints. After dark, when the ants are gone, the raccoons come up and take her food. They are brave little critters because even when I stand with the cat outside while she eats, the raccoons still come. I’m dismayed that they aren’t frightened by my mean look and scary voice. I’ve failed as a raccoon scarecrow! That’s why the cat comes in for food in the morning or mid afternoon.

Our dog Bruno comes in after supper each evening for his bit of TLC. This gives the two female heelers a respite from him. I think they need it. For example, tonight as the oldest one walked past Bruno he just reached his paw out and whacked her. He and I had a talk about this, but I fear I have about as much influence on him as I do the raccoons.

Saturday night while Bruno was inside, he followed me into my studio. That’s when the trouble began. I forgot that I had not put the cat back outside. You can probably imagine the surprise of all three of us when we realized the cat and dog were within a foot of each other. Before I knew it, Bruno had the cat in his mouth and she was whacking him on the head with her claws. When I extracted the cat from the dog’s mouth, she, of course, ate my hand and scratched my arms as I yelled for help. My spouse dragged the dog away as I tried to catch the cat again. Did you know a cat can actually scale the wall of a house? I finally caught the cat and put her outside. As my husband held the dog, he kept making biting sounds as he cracked his teeth together. He really wanted to eat that cat!

Luckily, neither the dog or the cat sustained any injuries. The cat had wet fur, but no abrasions and the dog was left with one cat claw stuck in his forehead right between his eyes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky. I was pretty badly scratched up and had one deep wound on my left hand. I tried to ignore it, but by Sunday it was extremely swollen and today, Monday, my nurse friends sent me to the doctor. We’re anticipating that the antibiotics will help. Currently the swelling is half way to my elbow.

So, that’s how I became a one-handed beader. It’s been very perplexing to try and figure out what I can do with one hand. Yet, undaunted by my plight, I got started stringing and found that I can do that with one good hand. The picture below shows what I accomplished last night. It’s pretty slow, but better than being completely idle.

The two necklaces on the left feature glass pendants made by my friend at Light Work Glass (lightworkglass.etsy.com) You can see the pretty colors in the close up below.

I was fortunate to have these on hand since there is no way I can wrap a cab for a while and one-handed hammering of a metal pendant didn’t work either.

I guess, like Aesop, I can say there is a lesson to this sad tale. First, keep the dog away from the cat and second, even a one-handed beader can get things done. I hope no one else has to learn this the rough way.

Bracelets, Philosophy, Torch Work, Wire Work

Spangled Bangles

October 2, 2011 Karen 5 Comments

Do you spangle?

I’ve been enjoying making bangle bracelets the last couple of weeks. They are certainly the easiest bracelet that I’ve made in quite some time and with slight variations in diameter they fit most folks.

Those in the above photo are formed with a basic 12 gauge copper wire armature that I soldered together and then hammered into shape. With a liver of sulphur bath and only a couple of hours of tumbling, they are ready to be spangled.

I thought I knew about “spangles”, but did look up the term just to be sure. A spangle is a small shiny/sparkling spot or object. It might be a sequin, a piece of metal or a bead, etc. If you spangle something, the dictionary suggests that you are sprinkling it with spangles. Hmm . . . it didn’t take any deep thinking to figure out that one, did it?

I wrap the base of my bangles with different sizes of copper or artistic wire and decorate them with small beads or charms. Most of these are adorned with gemstones, but the red one shown below features glass beads. The turquoise spangled bangles seem to be the most appreciated.

I tried putting just a few charms on one of the bangle and like the look. I haven’t yet given it a trial wear and don’t know if it will be comfortable. I made small loops in the wrapping wire and attached the charms as I wrapped.

It remains to be seen whether these spangled bangles will be popular with customers and friends. I do, however, know that people like spangles of one kind and another. Whether these are on jewelry, garments or in the form of smiles on friendly faces, we can all use a spangle now and then. How will you create yours?

Creativity, Necklaces, Philosophy, Wire Work

Agitation Helps

September 25, 2011 Karen 2 Comments

Many of us work hard to keep from becoming agitated. With me, agitation usually leads to anger and you know what that can lead to . . . don’t you? Therefore, I usually think of agitation as negative. Yet, the other day I read on a label for a new patina that agitation helps the process. Since I’m the type person who deliberately makes huge analogical leaps and repeats phrases out of context, I naturally had to continue thinking about how “agitation helps.”

If I go back to the original context of “agitation helps”, I can say that moving the solution around a bit while patinating the metal was supposed to help. What gets “moved around” when I become agitated? I think it’s usually my routine or the way I believe things should be that gets moved and this makes me agitated. Unfortunately, this context really does make agitation a negative; but is it really?

It seems to me that agitation often brings action and change. I remember years of working with volunteer forces in Louisiana trying to muster services for academically gifted youth. Our group often hunted for members when educational services were at their peak, yet when the legislature threatened to cut our funding or the schools committed some sin, our ranks swelled with eager voices. In other words, folks needed to be agitated about something in order to act. In this case isn’t the state of being complacent the opposite of being agitated? You can feel the silence when things are going well and be bowled over when people become agitated.

At this point, I might certainly break in to some political speech, but I’m not a politician, I’m a jewelry designer so how in the world can I make this big stretch? Actually, that big stretch happens almost every day when I want to be creative. I feel like I need to become agitated enough to change that with which I’m complacent and develop something new. What are the design problems that agitate me enough that I have to create something different? (I know that they say if it isn’t broken don’t mess with it. Yet, not everything unique and new comes because something was broken.) Following is an example.

Several entries ago I posted photos of a new wire weaving that I used for both necklaces and bracelet. Here’s a small photo reminder:

I liked the weaving and those designs, but was a bit agitated because I more or less copied the bracelet from a magazine and then made a necklace. Shouldn’t I be doing my own thing? What would be my own thing based upon this foundational design? How about . . .

The photo with the stone obviously shows abbreviated weaving on the sides. I thought I was being real smart by lessening the number of weaves, but found it very difficult to widen the distance between the main wires and keep a consistent weave. I actually did a better job on the first attempt as opposed to the smaller second try shown below.

My fourth attempt is progressing more easily than the others (no, you can’t see my third attempt!) if you don’t consider the fact that I got two of the main wires crossed in the middle. That’s why they are wrapped together and will soon be hidden behind a stone (psst, don’t tell anyone).

I’m a little agitated about getting those wires crossed in the middle of this armature, but am now wondering about the possibility of intentionally crossing some wires . . . that bears consideration.

So, whether this entry leaves you agitated or complacent, I hope it at least provides food for thought the next time you get agitated. In fact, the next time you get agitated, I hope you do something creative! That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.

Philosophy, Ranching

Time to Rest

September 3, 2011 Karen 9 Comments

I knew it was over when the pickup pulled up in front of the house with shovels in the back. The driver got out and started digging a hole beside the fence, but I couldn’t watch.

Soon thereafter, I heard the car arrive. I watched out the front window as the men gently took a box from the back of the car, carried it to the hole and put it in. As they began to shovel dirt back into the hole, I couldn’t think what to do. I turned away, not wanting to look any more, and almost ran into the big grand piano. Sitting on the bench, I softly played Amazing Grace. This was not planned and it seems a bit corny, but it was the only thing I could think to do. My dog, Cheyenne was gone.

I believe when its time, we must let our pets go and not allow them to suffer. This ten year old dog had multiple problems and it was her time. I also believe that the best way to get past an event like this is to tell stories and Cheyenne gave fodder for many a tale. These have continued to pop into my mind for the last few days.

I can’t possibly tell them all here, but suffice it to say that she was a spirited dog. She gave us beautiful puppies and she showed me that a dog can feed eight of them while standing up.

A dog can also survive being sprayed by a skunk, bitten by a rattler and giving birth through a C-section (among many other calamities).

She also showed me that even when your legs hurt, you can still run flat out at least one time. Then, you can take your ball into your dog house and rest for a while.

Cheyenne didn’t like veterinarians and even tried to bite our vet during her very last moments. As I said, she was a spirited dog.

She left the lucky few with beautiful progeny, many of whom went on to be good cow dogs at other ranches. I’m privileged to have kept her daughter Frosty who then produced our alpha male, Bruno.

Cheyenne was the kind of dog that would lick your face and then turn around and bite your hand if she didn’t think you were doing right. She had her bluff in on all the other dogs until age and Bruno took over this past year.

We will miss Cheyenne, but if you’re going to have a pet, you have to be prepared to let it go when it’s time. For Cheyenne – it was time.

Bracelets, Necklaces, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work

Time to Weave

September 2, 2011 Karen 1 Comment

I would like to believe that the verb “weave” implies compatibility. Woven garments and rugs come together with complimentary colors and fibers whose blend creates something of beauty. Tapestries and other wall hangings do the same as the threads weave together in harmony.

Families, communities and cultures are also woven and consist of unique individual “threads” that come together to produce the whole. I’d like to believe that the majority of these result in compatibility, but know this isn’t always the case. I do, however, appreciate the idea of being woven into a family where I can retain my individuality yet mesh with my loved ones to create the personality of the group. (We do have personality!)

I think it is interesting how our personalities and mannerisms may vary slightly when we are woven with different groups of people. Just as the other threads of a woven art piece can affect the look of the individual fiber, people influence one another. Some human tapestries bring out my better side while others do the opposite.

Many years ago we lived in Alexandria, Louisiana. There was a weaver in my housing edition and I could see her loom in a big window when I went on walks by her residence. I often thought it might be relaxing to learn this skill. It seemed the ultimate art form resulting from knowing just what fibers and colors should be brought together; yet I never felt this was my artistic calling.

I also admire those jewelry artists who do a beautiful uniform job of wire weaving. I find it to be a difficult technique to master, but refuse to give up. This week I noticed a bracelet design in one of the bead magazines at the bookstore. (Yes, we are lucky enough to still have a bookstore!) The bracelet featured a weave I hadn’t yet tried; so I read the directions and went home to make it. It’s true that I’m often refuse to buy the entire magazine for just one thing I like. Shame on me!

The picture immediately below shows the first piece I tried. It was going to be a bracelet, but I couldn’t ever quite get the clasp right, so it ended as a necklace. I used 6 copper wires as the basis for the weave. They wanted to curve and I let them.

I wanted to see if I might include beads in between the weaves and tried adding small blue seed beads on the second necklace. I would have liked using larger beads, but found they created too much distortion in the shape. You may note some of this even with the tiny seed beads.

After practicing on two necklaces I decided to try another bracelet and used nine base wires in this. Again I worried with the clasp for several evenings and eventually found that with nine wires, the bracelet really didn’t require a clasp. You can see from the photo that I simply swirled the wire ends.

There are many other methods for finishing these, but this seemed appropriate at the time.

There is a certain rhythm to weaving. I thought the repetition would be tiresome, but find it somewhat relaxing in its tedium. Wire weaving, however, lacks some of the personality of weaving with fiber. I’ve yet to discover any surprise regarding how the wire will come together; perhaps I’m too new to the adventure. I think, however, that my next weaving will include some colored hemp along with the wire in order to play with a broader spectrum of possibilities.

While I continue to practice this wire weaving, I likely continue considering what I bring to the tapestries in my life and will hope to add something positive to each. By doing so, perhaps I can influence another “fiber” to do the same.

What have you woven today?

Philosophy, safety, Torch Work

Pickle Face

August 26, 2011 Karen 2 Comments

Long time readers may recall a blog entry some time ago wherein I wrote about “pickle pants”. I was referring to the holes that I found in my shorts after dripping pickle across them after I soldered something. If you aren’t familiar with pickle, it is used after soldering to help remove fire scale. I heat my pickle in a small crock pot so it works faster than cold pickle.

Yesterday, rather than dripping the pickle across something, I managed to splash it. My copper tongs weren’t working well as I attempted to grab a small piece of wire from the crock pot and I bent over the pickle to look at it closely. Just as I peered in, the tongs snapped sending splashes of pickle onto my face. Although it only felt wet, I knew I should wash it right off. I wasn’t sure if any had splashed into my eyes, but ran upstairs and used my special eye wash to thoroughly wash my peepers. At the same time, I said a audible “thank you” to my son-in-law who purchased and mailed me the eye wash that I mounted above my sink. He said he wanted me to be able to “see” his son as he grew up. I think he’s a very smart fellow.

When my wits returned, I wondered why I take my safety goggles off following soldering and before I rescue pieces from the pickle. From now on, I’ll be leaving them on until I’m ready to leave the torch room.

I was lucky, the pickle on my face caused no harm – just a bit of excitement. It was, however, a big reminder about safety. When I rush around or when I’m totally comfortable with a potentially harmful technique, I think I tend to wave some precautions. This is just STUPID! If I don’t watch out for my health, I won’t be making jewelry or anything else. How about you? Let’s all be careful at whatever we are doing and stay safe!

By the way, if you don’t have a son-in-law like mine or husband like mine who makes me torch in a safe environment, get yourself a surrogate. We all need someone to watch after us.

Bracelets, Cold Connections, gifts, Metal Work, Pendants, Philosophy

I Know Who Moved My Cheese

August 21, 2011 Karen 4 Comments

I’m preparing for a few art/craft shows in the Fall and thought I would get a jump on making some small, inexpensive items that could be stocking stuffers. Last year, I made a healthy number of wire bookmarks. There were wire cats. dogs and rabbits. This year I had visions of other wire animals hanging from the shepherd’s hook bookmarks. I was happily working on these when I happened to glance across and see my husband who was reading. Then it hit me. Someone moved my cheese!

If you are not familiar with this phrase, it is derived from the title of the 1998 book by Kenneth Blanchard Who Moved My Cheese? (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Who+moved+my+cheese) Companies and educational groups bought this book by the dozens and used it to make employees cognizant of the fact that times are changing and we need to be prepared to learn new skills and to problem solve. Many of us who were “encouraged” to read the book felt we could have gotten the idea with a simple memo, but hopefully it made a difference to others. The full-day workshops on the topic were a bit much.

My “cheese” realization” came when I noted that my husband was engrossed in a book on his IPAD II and no longer needed a bookmark. With the onslaught of electronic readers, I had to rethink the number of bookmarks I might need this year. Many of my friends and customers who are readers no longer need bookmarks.

It was fortuitous that I realized I might not need so many bookmarks this year before I made a hoard of them. I garnered my bookmark energy and set out to find something else small that I could offer at the art shows. I’m currently working on a few very small pendants/charms that could go on a chain, bracelet or a BOOKMARK. (Surely, that cheese didn’t all move away.) Unfortunately, these little things take a bit longer to make, but I’m sure I will get faster as I make more and more.

The charms with a religious theme might work well combined on a bracelet or simply as a single charm attached to a beaded bracelet. Surely something will hatch before long.

In the meantime, I’ll be making just a few new bookmarks and trying to pay close attention to any other cheese that has been moved since last season. Of course, it would certainly be exciting if I had a clue what customers want ahead of time. But where would be the fun in that??? I’ve just got to follow the cheese, but in the meantime it’s important just to realize that it moved.

Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work

Freedom to Play Around

July 28, 2011 Karen

Before I begin, let me assure you the above title is not a statement about marriage.

Do you play with wire? One of the most enjoyable parts of playing with wire is manipulating it in various directions just to see what it does. There’s something relaxing about the freedom of working WITHOUT a pattern or a set idea of how a piece will turn out.

Art is one of the few places where the guidelines for problem solving are so open. For example, we’ve recently had a problem here at the ranch and needed a prescribed outcome. There was absolutely No Freedom regarding how things should turn out. When your irrigation pivot won’t run and you have to problem-solve a solution, you want the outcome to be a pivot that runs! (0bviously!) In art, however, the outcome may be unexpected, yet appreciated.

I have worked with what I call “double wire” designs for several months. You may recall the necklaces shown on May 28 which were double wire designs. The Chaos Necklace series has pieces that also begin with the double wire idea.

Today, I wanted to show two of the newer pendant-type necklaces that have hatched as a result of playing with the double wire idea. Both of those shown below feature tourmaline that I purchased from Magpie Gemstones (www.magpiegemstones.com). I actually used just one strand of tourmaline to complete both of these pieces and have also used some of that strand for other things. It was a good buy!

It’s interesting to see how different this style turns out when the wire starts in the same manner.

I’m not sure why I call is double wire, since all the pieces are made from a single piece that doubles back on itself. The challenge is how to make that single wire into a pleasing configuration. Give it a try and see what you can come up with.

If you aren’t a wire worker, just play around with drawing the way the wire might go. By the way, if you come up with something exciting, send it my way!!!

Freedom to play around can be found through many venues. It might be the way you dunk the basketball or a new dance move. Perhaps you play around with a new configuration in arranging a shelf full of books or nick knacks. I think that freedom to play around is just as much an attitude as an action. Am I stuck doing things the same old way, or am I free to try something different? Am I free to let those around me try something new?

Lest one of you takes the above to heed and get’s fired, I should remind you that we need to choose appropriate routes to freedom. If your boss isn’t into it, take care. If you ARE the boss, why not give an inch? We could all stand to play around just a bit more.

Philosophy

The Calico Cat & Lessons About Aging

July 22, 2011 Karen

My Mom’s Calico Cat has lived with us at Dreamcatcher Ranch for the past seven years. I believe Callie must be at least twelve or thirteen years old, but my Mom assures me that this pet is still “just a kitten”. She’s a scrappy little outside cat who has always been good at catching her own bird supper. Callie used to perch on the second floor window sill of our house which is very close to a wonderful tree. For a long time I thought she was lovin’ the shade, but she was just waiting for a juicy morsel to fly by or land next to her in the tree. It’s been some time since I’ve seen her on the ledge. Lately she’s been much more likely to sit like a statue in the grass, probably hoping something would happen by. I think she must be getting a bit too old to perch up high.

Yet, it seems she hasn’t lost her touch. She left tale tell (of is it tail tell?) bird feathers at the front door a couple of days ago as if to say “I’m not too old for this yet!” Today I watched her exercise the ultimate in cat problem solving. She again perched on a window sill. This time, however, it was just outside my studio on the first floor. She waited and waited until finally I heard a “whop” on the window. and then a “thud”. As often occurs here, a bird flew right into the window and whacked itself on the head. Callie grabbed that dazed bird in her mouth and pranced off to eat her fill. I know what they say about old dogs and tricks, but I do believe that this old cat has learned a new trick or two. She reminded me that even as we age, with a bit of problem solving we can still do the things we enjoy.

The same day the Calico cat taught me a lesson, I did a jewelry show at Mother’s nursing home. I am always well entertained when I do these, but this day was special. For example, one of the Alzheimer’s patients was in the living room as I set up. It wasn’t long before she located someone to unhook her oxygen and push her near my display. She rolled her chair directly under the middle of my tables and for the better part of two hours she sat intently looking at the jewelry. She fixated on two necklaces in particular and surely must have ask at least forty times how much each of them cost. By about an hour into this, I didn’t even need to reply because other people in the room would yell out “it’s twenty dollars” or “it’s thirty dollars”. I got so tickled I had to turn away. Once I looked up and she was wearing one of my copper rings. When she and I tried to remove it, we couldn’t get it over her knuckles. Every time I tried to pull, she hollered. Finally, I had to get a nurse to remove it. I thought I had it out of reach, but within ten minutes it was on that finger again!

I worked with another nursing home resident as she selected several items. She has shopped with me before and buys things for her daughter. Although she picked out a more expensive bracelet, we managed to negotiated a price she could handle for all the pieces she wanted. During this negotiation I was bent over her wheel chair with my face close to hers. As she started to retrieve her money from her purse, her legs began to shake which is not unusual for her condition. I quickly told her about a little boy in my class who often had the shakes and showed her that I liked to put my hand right on top of his head. I did that for her and she immediately quit shaking. We just looked at each other in disbelief and didn’t tell a sole what had happened. Believe me, I’m no healer, but the patient and I were both happy.

Finally, another resident rolled into the room and said “are you the one?” I replied that I guessed I must be. So she went back to her room and brought me her broken necklace for repair. Since “I’m the one” I’d probably better get it fixed for her before I go back to the home.

The question you might query is about what these episodes have to do with anything. It may be a big stretch, but they all say to me that we mustn’t give up what we like just because we grow older. An old cat can still adapt and catch a bird. Women can enjoy and manage to purchase jewelry and you can find someone to help you if you just look for “the one”. I’m actually relieved to know all these things as my years march on. I plan to keep doing what I like to do, look at pretty things and believe that “the one” is just around the corner ready to help me if I need it.

Creativity, Diversions, Earrings, Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy

Heavy Metal

June 27, 2011 Karen

The creative mind is a funny thing (not funny “ha, ha”, but funny “unexpected”). My day started with an early morning walk. Early for this artist is 9 AM when it’s already good and hot in South Texas. The moment I went out the front door, I spied my mother’s cat, Callie, who has lived with us for ten years. She’s a beautiful little calico who was lounging, full body, in the bird bath which was empty due to our drought. Can you picture her beautiful black, white and yellow body against the white concrete of the bath?

As I started down the hill, I was accosted by the loud sound of one of the hawks that is homing here at the ranch this summer. We’re not talking about a sweet little bird chirp here. We’re talking about a loud “caw, caw, caw” in a screeching tone as the hawk circled my head. I wasn’t sure whether I should run back to the house or hide under a tree. Eventually the hawk went on and I proceeded down the hill.

At the bottom of the hill and on down the road between pastures the wind brought a cool mist from the irrigation machine that was watering the land. It had that marvelous clean smell to it and reminded me of fresh rain. It was cooling for a while, but soon thereafter, my own mist was dripping off my brow as I trudged on in the heat.

The sights and sounds of the ranch engulfed me as I continued walking, encountering little birds, startled calves and lizards swishing through the grass. Just as I was thinking how pleasant it all was, I got to the top of the hill and there stood four of the bulls. They really are beauties in this own right, but the final sound I heard on my walk was the splat, splat as the business of those guys hit the ground. What a bummer!

Long ago, Dr. Sidney Parnes, taught me that one of the best ways to get creative ideas is to engage the senses. From him, I learned to bring fragrant tea or other natural aromas into the creative thinking process. I remember a tactile experience I provided for graduate students who, with eyes tightly shut, gently held a large strawberry in the very middle of one palm while touching it with one finger of the other hand. It sounds crazy, but they did some great descriptive writing following this experience.

With this in mind, I sat at the workbench and let the results of the morning walk wash over me. I thought I might produce something organic and natural looking, but I did not! I ended up with heavy metal jewelry. The pieces below started as foldformed metal and ended with chain. Even though I tried to put pretty beads on the pieces, they just didn’t work. How could the sights and sounds of nature drive me to this?

The piece on the left is a pendant hanging from leather. It started as a rectangular piece of metal and just kept changing. I used a ceramic bead on the leather.

The earrings below were planned as leaves, but that chain just kept getting on them and I finally gave in. They have a nice little swish to them and I’m pleased that they aren’t noisy little fellows.

So here’s the question. How can a morning walk end up as heavy metal jewelry? The answer lies in the nature of creative thought which often erupts from experiences. In this case the experiences were sensory. Those sensory experiences can open the artist to possibilities that were previously blocked. The idea/art produced may have no seeming relation to the experience; yet they are connected. I think it’s important to remember that when ideas cease to flow or your muse has gone home, there are many things you can do to find your way back home. The trick is to be open when creativity knocks on your noggin. A closed mind bears no art!

You see . . . creativity really is a funny thing!

Dreamcatcher Designs