Road Trip

Hello Friends,

I took a road trip upstate yesterday to Ginger Blossom - http://www.gingerblossom.com/.  This place is a small Farm and the owner, Ginger, travels the world and brings back handmade Artisan Crafts.  I am an avid collector of Buddha statues - appreciate the artistic aspects of the carving and mirror work - hand beaded and block printed textiles, small musical instruments, hand felted Tibetan wool wearables, ethnic jewelry, metalwork and carved or painted wooden boxes.

These are just a few of the things that caught my attention:

Standing Indian Buddha and  

Kneeling Thai Buddha

 Carved Balinese standing Buddha Plaque

with large crocodile carvings on sides.

Thai stone Protection Dragon

 Golden Indian Buddhas with Thai Kneeling Buddha

and hand carved Thai Puppets

Hand Carved Balinese Buddha.

Victorian sofa recovered with antique Kelims and Leather.

The pillows are antique embroidered Indian textiles.

Rajasthani or Kashmiri Marble Inlaid Furniture

In honor of Dia de Los Muertos::

Lolita Ceramic Plate

I found my Rajasthani Door Table and 2 large antique purple vegetable dyed hand tufted wool rugs from India, too.  Alas, my camera died before I could snap photos of these.

I am redecorating our Home and if my budget had been finalized, I would have a house full of exotic one-of-a-kind treasures to decorate my version of the House of the Spirits.

All in good time, my Friends.  All in good time.

Cheers,
Karen

Pull Up A Chair & See What I've Been Up To

I apologize for falling off the map and neglecting you, my lovely Friends :) My creative life has been flowing slowly but surely these past few months. My personal LIFE has presented me with many opportunities and challenges that I felt I needed to pursue.  I temporarily lost focus and dropped the ball on the blog writing process.

So take a moment to grab your favorite beverage, kick back, and take a look at what I've been up to during this "down time":

Learning Surface Design Techniques in Alisa Burke's "Beneath the Surface" online workshop and putting my own twist on the techniques:

You can find out more about Alisa and her wonderful online workshops at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com/.  Her blog is beautiful and she is a very gifted Artist.

I took Alisa's "Sketchbook Delight" workshop in the Spring.  Here is a little peek inside my sketchbook:

What have YOU been creating, my Dear Friends? Please share as inspiration is always welcome in my little corner of the blogosphere.

Cheers,
Karen













* All artwork and photos in this post are copyrighted by Karen Diwan. 

Studio Makeover - Part One

For under $400, I was able to purchase:

• a 40"x24" adjustable tilt work table with 6 mini drawers
• a mesh back ergonomic chair
• an Ott Lite task lamp
• two 3-drawer rolling carts
• a large 3-tiered metal shelving unit
• several decorative boxes with lids
• letter trays
• cork tiles

and take this disorganized Chaos:

 and turn it into a functional and organized workspace:

Instead of focusing on the clutter, I am now free to focus on streamlining my creative processes and make some art and jewelry. 

This is just a corner of the space.  I will post more photos as soon as I finish the other side of the room and closet. 

Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my Studio.

Cheers,
Karen

Soldering and Making Peace with the Fire Element

One of the main reasons I signed up for a beginning Metalsmithing class was to overcome my fear of open flames. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had this image of me running around with my hair on fire inside a burning house.  I have made my Peace with the Fire Element in three short weeks by learning to solder using the butt join and sweat soldering techniques. The Lapidary Journal does a bang up job of defining these techniques http://www.jewelryartistmagazine.com/tech/1299tech.cfm.

Can you believe this bracelet is made out of a piece of flattened, textured and soldered copper refrigeration tubing? How cool is that?

I also made this cool brass Thumb Ring using the same soldering technique:

Hope you have enjoyed our time together. 

Cheers,

Karen

Metalsmithing Class has begun . . .

My first class was last Tuesday. It was basically a short lecture on what the Instructor will be teaching us:

sawing

filing

soldering using a torch

texturing techniques

cabochon setting

We were given a short supply list and told where to go purchase the supplies. The store didn't have any copper or brass sheeting in stock when I called them. I was totally bummed out, and briefly considered not going to class tonight. I am so happy I went! One of the other students had an extra piece of copper and I was able to make this:

This cuff was sawed, filed, texturized, patina'd with a torch, and formed on a bracelet mandrel by your truly in 2 1/2 hours. The Fire Gods blessed me with a nice patina, and nobody got hurt. I did break a couple of saw blades before I got the hang of using a jewelers saw & frame. Not too bad for a beginner.

Next week, we start soldering with a MAP gas self-igniting torch. This isn't your basic Creme Brulee torch.  It's huge, but the flame is manageable. 

Let me know what you think of my copper cuff. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,

Karen

Packages, Boxes and Gifts - Oh My!

I received a couple of really wonderful packages over the weekend.  The first package arrived Friday evening and it was filled to the brim with exotic crafty goodness!  My Mother-In-Law lives in India and she ventured out to gather and ship this precious cargo to me:

 
Love the handmade paper!  It is heavy and the colors and textures are to die for.  The fabric remnants are mostly silk and some are hand emroidered and block printed.  I have a few creative ideas running through my head already.

The long awaited package containing my long awaited Chainmaille supplies arrived on Saturday from Blue Buddha Boutique in Chicago.  I am currently trying to decipher a pattern for a weave called Celtic Visions.  I will post photos of the bracelet when it is finished.


Cheers,
Karen

Creative Bucket Lists

Do you have a Creative Bucket List?   If not, I would really love it you'd grab a pen and paper and write down the things that are related to creativity that you want to learn more about.  Think about things that make your heart sing and get you to step out of your comfort zone, take a few creative risks and grow your craft.

Here are the things on my list that make my heart sing and my Soul stir with creative possibility:

 DREAM BIG AND TAKE ACTION DAILY

• Start Blogging - completed on 2/3//11
• Master basic Metalsmithing techniques
• Develop better writing skills
• Learn how to sew
• Learn how to take better photos
• Learn how to use Adobe Elements to make digital art
• Learn how to sketch and establish a daily practice
• Learn how to make handmade paper
• Teach myself to weave chainmaille
•  Work on my Creative Business Plan

Can you believe I already have several "In Progress" items?  I will be learning to sketch at the same time I am learning to master basic Metalsmithing techniques.  Sitting down to write this blog is helping me to hone my writing and photography skills.  This is what is in my DVD player and next to the sofa in my Artspace: 

I really didn't set out to do all of these things at once.  The key for me was to simply Begin.

It would be so awesome if you would share YOUR lists in the comments.

Cheers,
Karen

Welcome!

I've just sat down with a warm cup of  black tea from the Himalaya region of India to write my very first blog post.  Grab a cuppa and hang out with me for a few minutes.  I have butterflies in my stomach, but I am going to write this anyway.

I have enjoyed creating jewelry and mixed media art for over a decade, and am totally ADDICTED to making things.  It's in my DNA.  I have a huge stockpile of beads and art supplies squirrelled away in my artspace.  I do not always know exactly what I'm going to create or how to use everything that I buy either.  It doesn't matter.  I must have it anyway.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I went to the CHA Supershow over the Summer and made this Art Clay Silver pendant as a make-n-take. 

Just watching them fire the metal clay piece caused me to have a mini-anxiety attack.  I visibly moved my chair 6 inches away from the table to escape the tiny but terribly HOT little flame emanating from this mystical device called a "mini torch."   

This experience got me to thinking about an "elemental" fear of mine: Fire.  I decided right then and there that I was going to make PEACE with the Fire Gods by learning to use the mini torch to solder, fuse and patina metal and fire metal clay.  The first step toward conquering this fear for me begins Tuesday evening when I step foot into my very first Metalsmithing Basics class.

Please take my hand and let's walk this journey together.

Cheers,
Karen