Spring Flowers After a Rain

Too bad that so many of the spring flowers only last a week or so around here.

Been forcing myself to work on beading, which hasn't been easy lately - life has been getting in the way again.

Today's quotation comes from William Faulkner: People need trouble - a little frustration to sharpen the spirit on, toughen it. Artists do; I don't mean you need to live in a rat hole or gutter, but you have to learn fortitude, endurance. Only vegetables are happy.

And one more from Goethe: What does not kill me makes me stronger.

And to round it out, another from Goethe: We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.

Torch Song

Cell Phone video (looks better smaller) of a classmate torch firing enamel. The results are below.

Another cell phone photo of completed pendants that were torch fired. Aren't they awesome? I really love this! It's not my work, but it certainly is inspirational to me.

I made some very experimental beads out of copper tubes that weren't done when I took these pictures. Taking classes from college students reminds us that experimentation is to be embraced! I strongly encourage anyone who has access to a college/university that offers art classes to the community to take a chance and stretch. You'll learn as much from your fellow students as you will from the instructors.

I've been wanting to learn how to enamel for a long long time. I'm no longer afraid of a torch. I intend to purchase some enamel and a torch and play this summer (don't have a work bench set up in the basement yet, but that's on my list!)

Today's quotation comes from one of my favorite women of all time, Eleanor Roosevelt: You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

NOTE FOR MILWAUKEE AREA READERS: UWM'S Peck Center for the Arts is offering their intensive metalsmithing classes again this summer. http://www4.uwm.edu/psoa/outreach/jewelry.html

Spring is Here!

A Carpet of Blue - The Siberian Squill blooms.

Another cell phone picture.

We've waited soooo long. It was a long cold lonely winter. The birds are all happy, the daffodils have begun to bloom and tulips are on the way!

I've been taking a metal smithing and a patina class at the UWM Union's Craft Centre for the past month. It has captured my imagination and most of my creativity and energy. I've learned so much and done so many things that I've always wanted to like enameling and getting over my fear of a torch.

I haven't been beading much lately, but I need to take a break every now and then so I can come back to it refreshed and ready for new things.

Been working on a project with my friends to auction off at the Bead & Button Show to benefit the Medical College of Wisconsin's Breast Cancer research. It is at the point where it's beginning to come together and it looks so good. I'll be so excited to share it with you.

Here's a picture of my friend Sue with her portion of the piece for a tease - it's but one part of the puzzle.


Today's quote comes from our old friend Mark Twain: It's spring fever... You don't quite know what is is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so.