Books galore!

I've been a trying to get all the dragonfly books finished in one batch, they have proven to be more time consuming then I had anticipated, but it feels good getting them finished up finally. I had been just making them a few at a time, but as time goes on I'm learning the value of consolidating time and getting things done in large batches.

Innovation, Part 1

I'm a huge fan of innovation in any form, and always appreciate people who rethink their medium in a whole new way. This is never any easy thing to do, and many good intentions fall short of their expectations, but that's the nature of trying to reinvent the wheel. Although every now and then some people cut through the odds and end up on the other side with something exceptional. One individual I stumbled upon is luthier Rick Toone.

I've been a guitarist for a long time and have a pretty big obsession with the instrument itself. Having probably searched the internet for every guitar image one could imagine, Rick's strike me as completely unique, I definitely recommend taking a look at his work. These are a few of his own photos from his website.

Drawings and Sketches

Here are some pages of designs I'm working out. I usually like to have a solid visual of some variety before i start working in metal or wax. This will give anyone curious a little taste of designs to come.

.com

I'm in the process of building a real website... among building real physical things as well. Honestly I have no idea how to build a website, but I'll download some programs and buy some programs and swear a the computer until I figure it all out. If you haven't been yet, go to the Art Jewelry Magazine website and check out some full shots of the dragonfly in motion.

Dolichovespula arenaria

Dolichovespula arenaria, aka what has invaded my shop area, aka giant yellow jackets, aka LOTS of giant yellow jackets, aka the reason I haven't gotten anything done this week...


So we have a massive nest of them that has worked it's way into the basement, and until today I couldn't get into my shop to work cause there were just soooo many of them. The good news is they are finally gone, the bad news is I swear I hear them anywhere and everywhere I go. they have destroyed my sanity!!

In all truth though the are pretty docile, I can practically pick them up in my hand (I prefer not too though and use a container instead.) We did get stung though trying to take care of them on our own. But thanks to some professional help I can get back into my shop and crank out some new waxes.

Saving the planet, one piece of jewelry at a time.

It's been about 9 months since I put up my first piece of jewelry of Etsy, and I'm thrilled to say that I've raised $52 so far to donate to Earthworks. The way I have planned to donate is on a yearly basis, as it doesn't make too much sense to do it $1 at a time. In the grand scale of things $52 may not seem like a lot, but every little bit helps and it's a step in the right direction. If every jewelry artist gave to the cause just that little bit, it would make a huge impact on the lives of the families that supply the raw materials we depend on.

Custom Road Ring

I just finished the custom road ring I had posted last week, and I must say, it looks much cooler in silver then in wax! It's one beast of a ring too, size 12 and 2/3 of an oz of silver, it was way too big for even my thumb! Here is the map it is stylized after, along with the finished ring.


I made a brick gold and silver ring a few years ago that I really liked, which reminded me of this road ring project. I'm thinking of continuing this theme into my next batch of designs. This way I'll have all the nature/bug/plant pieces and then a urban/industrial look as well, which fits with my overall goal of mixing machinery and nature.