Orchid Circulation: 10,500 members!
Please welcome our newest members…
…
Debbie Harper
Gulf Shores, AL. USA
I have been making fun jewelry like earrings and bracelets out of
found objects such as redfish scales from Mobile Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico and also sea beans that are found on our beaches here in Gulf
Shores, Alabama that float from tropical islands. I really want to
learn more about making wir e and riveted type jewlery at this
time…but it all looks wonderful and intriquing!
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Richard A Baumann
Montreal, Quebec. Canada
I am just getting started and have a lot of questions about some of
the finer details of the craft. I don’t have a fine arts degree but
I know what I like; more of a classic style as opposed to the
abstract or the avant garde. With regard to experience I have done a
considerable amount of mold making and casting. When I was younger I
was very much into lead/tin miniatures and self-taught myself how to
make what I wanted using old tire weights, a barbeque, and plaster
molds. I know, not an overly glamorous introduction to casting, but
it worked. Over the course of the past 6 months I have learned a lot
through Ganoksin. You people are amazing!! Currently I am taking
some courses at Centre des Arts Visuel in Montreal and look forward
to, at some point, having something to contribute to the forum.
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Anne Havel
Wells, VT. USA
I planned on practicing accounting as a CPA for my entire life. I
knew what I wanted to do at the ripe old age of 11 and nothing
stopped me. What I didnt count on was all the ethical violations
that would be foisted upon me as I progressed through my career. In
1994, after nearly 20 years in accounting, I quit.
During a trip across America in 1996, I encountered lampworked glass
beads for the first time. I began making jewelry in 1997 because I
was drawn to the beauty of these magical creations. I rapidly became
involved in the world of borosilicate glass lampworked beads because
of the color ranges that could be achieved. Broke and penniless,
after not having a steady job for three years, I reluctantly
returned to accounting. I was the mother of two, including an
infant, which allowed me virtually no time to pursue my new-found
love. When the company that employed me as Chief Financial Office r
closed in March 2001, I decided to pursue bead making and my jewelry
business more vigorously and hone my bead-making skills, having
learned how to make them a couple years earlier.
During 2005 I began taking metalsmithing classes to enable myself to
use heat connections in my work. Until that point, I only used cold
connections for all my metalwork. And in 2007, I took my first
enameling class. Now I knew I was in trouble again because I was
hooked. Needing both glass and metal skills really pulled at my
heart. Today, I try to strike a balance in all the work I do.
So, today I consider myself am an enamellist, metalsmith, and
lampworker (I make glass beads). My life is about color. I suffer
from sensory overload and that is coupled with being an eclectic. No
matter what my eyes absorb, i see a finished piece of artwork. It
therefore becomes difficult for me to focus much time on one path.
The world is imperfect and that is reflected in much of my work–not
a perfect circle or square–rough around the edges. Even nature,
which for me is the closest anything comes to perfection, manifests
its perceived flaws in the imperfect flower, the decaying tree bark,
or the mould-ridden fence-post. All these beautiful flaws drive my
work.
The vast majority of my larger pieces are intended to express humor,
or make a social, political, or environmental statement, while
balancing the color palette I select. The world suffers from many
injustices covering all spectrums of thought. I use my art to
express and convey my ideas about the many problems and issues that
literally plague our planet.
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Daniel Heuer
Caution Rocks Lapidary
Well, I finally have my business web site set up and running. I cut
and sell semi-precious I also do custom work and jewelry.
The site is still a work in progress and a little frustrating getting
everything to look just exactly right. Anyhow, check it out and let
me know what you think…
thx, Dan