Catcraft

I love cats. Now perhaps I'm predisposed to one day become a crazy old cat-lady, or perhaps cats just make excellent inspirational artwork, but either way I do enjoy cat-themed jewelry. Here is a picture of my Tonkinese cat Basil. I know that some people treat their pets like spoiled children...my relationship with Basil is more like a respected friend and long-term roommate.



And here is a piece I did inspired by Japanese/Chinese style brush-painting and woodcuts. This is a collage that features 12 cats, in a variety of cat poses (including perennial cat favorite, napping). This is a 4.5 inches x 2 inches (11mm x 4.5mm) etched copper barrette with spring clasp.




Here I am walking through the neighborhood randomly making friends with the local neighbor cats. I like to name the surrounding cat populace wherever I live. I have often considered starting up a neighborhood walking tour of local cats, but that is somewhat weird.


And here is a second barrette I call "Japanese Cat with Kittens" in a similar style to a Japanese woodcut. The depth and shadows on the piece give it a haunting yet serene look. Also a 4.5 inches x 2 inches etched copper barrette with spring clasp.

Stillwater Craft Show

So I know that it has been a long time since I've updated this blog, but I intend to make a serious effort to start updating it on a regular basis again, and perhaps broaden the scope a bit. Where our adventures left off, I was excited to have a table at my first ever real craft-fair, the 2009 Fall Festival Craft Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma at the Expo Center. It was three days of fun, selling my metal jewelry and other items, and checking out the other tables (they had three buildings full of them). I made lots of sales. My friends helped me at the table and kept me from getting too bored or tired (sometimes you have to make your own fun). I cant wait to do another show.

Improved Copper

I’ve been continuing with my metalwork the last few weeks, making many new designs for copper pendants. I am ramping up production on these for my first big craft show in November. Here are some of my latest pendants: another smaller version of the Horned Lizard, two different variations on an Armadillo, an Insect design, and a Mandala (which is a Buddhist/Hindu meditative symbol representing the cosmos). The Insect and Mandala Designs are the first round pendants that I’ve made. I’ve been cutting the blanks myself from a sheet of copper, so round pendants are a little more work than square ones but I am very happy with the way these turned out.

Copper Pendants

Being the kind of person who is not content to keep doing the same old thing, I like to challenge myself when it comes to making crafts. I love to experiment with new materials and techniques whenever possible, and I had always wanted to try metalwork…there is something irresistible about the shiny allure of metal. These etched and oxidized copper pendants are my first efforts in metalcraft. Each is a hand-cut copper plate (1 ½” x 2”) etched in acid. The portions of the plate that are not etched are coated in resist and the etched portions have the resist removed before the acid bath. The pendants are hung on 18 inch spiral-braided hemp cords with pounded copper s-clasps. So far, I’ve made four pendants: 1) A Horned Lizard (AKA Horny Toad) 2) Running Ponies 3) A Frog and 4) The Venture Brothers, Hank and Dean. The Venture Brothers pendant has two sides, with Hank and Deans faces on the front and their partially formed “Clone Slugs” on the back.