JewelryArtByDawn's Blog
Jewelry Art by Dawn
Blog Carnival - Mother's Day
Published: 05-13-2012 06:37pm
This month's topic for the Jewelry Artisans Community blog carnival is Mother's Day.My feelings about this topic were ambivalent as my own mother passed away last summer after a shockingly short battle with cancer. This is our family's first Mother's Day without her and it felt strange this morning realizing that there would be no Happy Mother's Day phone call being made today.After much thought, I decided that while I couldn't call her, I could honor her memory by participating in this month's blog carnival.My mother was a beautiful, vibrant and talented woman. Artistic in so many ways, with a wonderful eye for color and form, whatever talent... » Read More
Blog Carnival - Nature
Published: 04-19-2012 09:16pm
This month's blog carnival topic by the members of the Jewelry Artisans Community is "Nature". No matter what their medium and that could be painting, sculpture, photography, fiber arts, paper arts or metalsmithing, to name a few, most artists will say that they are inspired by nature in one form or another.Given nature's bounty of colors, shapes and textures that is not a bit surprising. Nature is an endless and rich source of inspiration.Let's take a look at a few examples of what I mean.Color provided by a stone:Shape - this time provided by a frog; this little guy spent all last summer living amongst the plants on my deck:And, inspired thi... » Read More
Blog Carnival - Spring Plans
Published: 03-24-2012 07:16pm
The Jewelry Artisans Community has chosen "Spring Plans" as the topic for our March blog carnival topic.Spring has always been a time of renewal and starting fresh in my mind. The always reliable daffodils show their cheery faces and the trees begin to swell with buds. It's a time of optimism and looking forward to a new season.After giving quite a bit of thought about how to welcome Spring this year, I realized that painting little miniatures is one of my passions and I kind of lost my way last year due to some personal family issues. I didn't feel like painting for a very long time and it's just in the last few months that I've felt that s... » Read More
Drunk Beads
Published: 02-26-2012 10:05pm
I recently participated in a critique of my Artfire studio as I wanted to find out what I'm doing right and which areas need improvement. Gabi, of catfluff, who was giving the critique chose this listing of a purple and yellow necklace with hand painted wood beads and plum Czech druk beads to critique.One of Gabi's earliest comments was that at first she thought the title said "drunk beads" which got her to click on the item which is fine by me; I'll take a click any way I can get one. Drunk beads, druk beads, sober beads - it makes no difference to me! Plus, it made me laugh.Then she went on to say she had never heard of Czech druk beads, b... » Read More
Beautiful Lampwork Beads and a Giveaway!
Published: 02-19-2012 07:39pm
Vanessa Hearn, of Bead Up A Storm at Etsy, makes the most beautiful lampwork beads in her home studio in the Forest of Dean which is located in England where she lives with her husband and young son. Her beads are colorful, iridescent and almost seem to glow from within. The shapes and colors are amazing; I could stare at them for hours.Here are some examples of the gorgeous lampwork produced by Vanessa:Time and TideThe Dragon's Treasure - can you see the dragon's head in this stunning bead?Bluebird of Happiness - this one makes me smile; it's adorable!Vanessa or Ness as her friends call her is holding a giveaway. Yes, you could be the proud... » Read More
Blog Carnival: Re-making an old piece
Published: 02-10-2012 12:33am
It's time for the monthly blog carnival from the jewelry artists at the Jewelry Artisans Community. Each month we choose a topic and this month we're talking about ripping up old work and making it new again.The subject of this particular work is the beautiful Ceanothus Silk Moth. Native from British Columbia to western Montana and through the west coast states, in California, it's found mostly west of the Sierras. Habitat includes coastal areas, chaparral and conifer forests. With a wing span of 5-6 inches, these are truly magnificent moths.The caterpillars feed on a variety of native California plants, the California lilac or Ceanothus b... » Read More
Crafting for Charity
Published: 02-05-2012 08:37pm
I've found I like creating things to benefit good causes. I like doing it more now that I've stopped thinking of it as a possible way to promote my business. It just feels good and right.The thought that it's possible to create something that will benefit others and not benefit ourselves in any way is very empowering. When we see horrific things happening on the news, we feel powerless and overwhelmed. By creating something with our own hands to help, we're better able to acknowledge those feelings and respond in a positive way. Over the years, I've donated my jewelry to various fund raising events and have been happy to do so. I was d... » Read More
Artistic Growth - Part 4 and the Conclusion
Published: 01-29-2012 10:22pm
For part 4 and the final installment of my blog series on artistic growth, I asked painter, Amy Elyse Neer, to share with us her take on how she's grown as an artist. I've always been drawn to Amy's paintings - I love her use of light, shadow and color as well as the sense of whimsy found in Amy's work. Little did I know, Amy had to overcome a significant obstacle in order to be able to pursue her passion for painting. Here is Amy's story:* * * * *I was legally blind when I was born. Four years of therapy and one surgery later I could see. As soon as I could hold a crayon, I covered every scrap of paper with color; as soon as I could see... » Read More
Artistic Growth - Part 3 of a Series
Published: 01-21-2012 10:02am
For Part 3 of my series on artistic growth, jewelry artist, Jeanne of J3Jewelry shares her journey of growth with us. Jeanne has not only grown in her craft, but in photographing her jewelry too. Here's what Jeanne has to say on the subject:* * * * *My journey and my growth are far from over, but I feel like
I’ve learned a lot in the almost 3 years that I’ve been doing this. All self
taught, and when I see what people who have gone through formal training can
produce, at times it makes me really wish I could put myself through school to learn the same skills in that type of setting. However, I am enjoying
this self-taught road as well.... » Read More
Artistic Growth - Part 2 of a Series
Published: 01-14-2012 07:18pm
As I mentioned in the first installment of this series about artistic growth, thinking about how my work has evolved over the years, led me to wonder how other artists feel about their artistic growth in their chosen field.Photographer Cassandra Tomlinson of Tomlinson Photography and Design shares her thoughts about this process below:
When I first started as a photographer, most of my inspirations and
photographs were from nature. Growing up in the country and being a
lover of the outdoors, these photographs came easy for me. One of my earliest works is of this photograph of a grapevine in the woods. Soon after I
started selling my photo... » Read More
Artistic Growth - Part I of a Series
Published: 01-07-2012 11:00am
Looking at my own work, I can see how much I've grown artistically over the years since I began making jewelry. It's been quite a journey.Reflecting on my growth, made me wonder what other artists felt about their personal growth in their chosen field. Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs shared her thoughts on this topic and here is what she has to say:Looking
through by necklaces that need to be taken apart, I chose "Interstellar
Winds" because of its major BORING factor. Hmmmm . . . the photo
makes it look more interesting than it is right now in my hand, but
believe me, it's boring. Even my husband agrees it was boring and he
us... » Read More
Learning a New Skill in 2012
Published: 01-03-2012 09:30pm
Welcome to the first Jewelry Artisans Community blog carnival. Our topic for January is about learning a new skill or technique in 2012.My jewelry making friends at the Jewelry Artisans Community have been egging me on to learn how to use a torch. I've been wanting to do just that for a very long time and with their encouragement decided to give it a try.Being new to torching, I wasn't ready to invest in a lot of expensive equipment, so I raided my husband's garage. Armed with eye protection, his trusty BernzOmatic plumber's torch, a spare fire brick for the wood stove and a baking sheet, I was ready to begin. "Start with headpi... » Read More
Artists Supporting Other Artists Revisited
Published: 12-04-2011 09:35pm
One of my past blog posts talked about how artists are sometimes stereotyped as egotistical, competitive with each other and not willing to share techniques. The exact opposite is how things really work in the artistic community - folks are generous, always willing to help and want to see other artists succeed. With that thought in mind, this blog post features artists who have been incredibly kind and wonderfully supportive of not just my work, but others as well.This beautiful Poppy Garden necklace by Catherine at ShadowDogDesigns features a gorgeous hand made polymer clay pendant by Pati Bannister which has been accented with lava rock, red... » Read More
Getting Creative with Tools - Also Known as Improvising
Published: 11-27-2011 11:44pm
Jewelry artists covet tools. They help us advance our craft and open new avenues of creativity. However, tools can be expensive and one doesn't always want to invest in tools they aren't sure they'll use long term. This is when it's time to improvise.
A dapping block is a tool used to shape sheet metal. It looks like this:
I don't have a dapping block.
However, I do have a melon baller. I'm not even sure why I own a melon baller. Maybe it was a gift, I dunno. Nevertheless, it's been kicking around in my kitchen for many years never used.
There was a day when I just had to make a pa... » Read More
Finding Inspiration
Published: 11-23-2011 03:49pm
Inspiration is a hot topic with artists. We talk about lack of inspiration, what inspires us, how to get out of a dry spell and being inspired by other artists.
These daisies that grow in my yard always make me smile. They're so cheerful. Looking at them one day I was struck with the thought that they looked like they were dancing. From that came this piece which I call Dancing Daisies:
These little black and white butterflies often visit the daisies and and were what inspired me to paint this butterly pendant. Taking a little artistic license, I set the scene in twilight:
... » Read More
Artists Supporting Artists
Published: 11-13-2011 12:28pm
It's often said that artists are egotistical, competitive, insecure and jealous of the success of other artists. Lately, I've been thinking about how much truth there is in that stereotype.
I've been a member of the Starving Jewelry Artists (now known as Jewelry Artisans Community ) site for many years and have seen nothing but members offering advice, sharing techniques, cheering each other on, commiserating when things don't go right and celebrating each other's success.
Being fairly new to Artfire, I'm still getting to know people and it's been a very positive experience.
Recently, John of Three Blue Suns Studio featured several art... » Read More
