I getting ready for my trip to Denver next week and so I am futzing around the house doing many things.
Today I finished this cuff which is for my niece who lives in Denver. I have not seen her for a while and so we have made plans for a visit and she will, hopefully, come to the exhibition.  I know, the colors seem sedate for me but my niece mostly wears black, white and gray so I had to tone the patina down a bit. It really is mostly silver but in this quick image it looks more gold than silver but trust me it is not. 

And yesterday, this was posted for the exhibition - YIPEE!

And also yesterday, I took my entries to the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  The judging is next week and the fair opens next Saturday. This year there is a separate category for Chasing & Repousse which has made many of us who do Chasing & Repousse very happy. 

Time for me to go and pack for Denver and then put the laptop in it's case for work tomorrow.

Two weeks ago I was introduced to Keum-Boo and I really like it. I can see adding the gold to my chasing and repousse as accents to the piece.  Here is how I got hooked.

I was at the club and Eleanor and Ellie were doing it and showing Diane. I just asked if I could watch and learn. I was then handed the gold by Eleanor and some fine silver by Diane and was told to have at it! I ended up making a pair of earrings which I then added a LOS patina to. 

I then decided to make a fold formed cuff with the Keum-Boo. This will be my entry into the San Diego County Fair. I deliver it next week. The cuff is also for sale in the store.

Then over the past week, I decided to make a simple textured cuff with gold squares - simple and sweet. I did not have any fine silver left so I figured I would depletion guild the sterling after the cuff was almost done.  First I had to solder the frame to the back of the silver sheet.  I did this at the club and I decided to share the love and I taught Sandy how to Keum-Boo. She had brought some silver earrings she had made and we added the gold accents to them. I did not get a picture but the patina was all blue and purple and just great!

Friday night I put the flat cuff in my pitch bowl so I could chase the texture which I am calling 1,000 eyelashes. Each little curve is a hammer strike!  I heated and pickled the flat cuff 6 times and had a nice white layer of fine silver.  I then applied the gold and the LOS to get a nice gray/blue patina. After I was all done polishing the inside I bent and formed the cuff.   

Here is the cuff after the patina and after forming, on my wrist.  I burnished a bit too much on that square but i can live with it cause this cuff is MINE!

Here in the USofA, Monday is our Memorial Day so I have 3 days at home to play in the studio.  

But yesterday I did not stay home, I went to Diane's where with Sandy; the three of us started another cuff. I am doing a ginkgo cuff, Sandy is doing spirals and Diane is doing the dogwood flowers - all designs from Davide Bigazzi.  Diane did the ginkgo and I did the dogwood while at his studio last month. None of us did the spiral but we are helping each other so they will be easier than if we have no help!  Here is a photo of the cuff's from that workshop, in progress.

Today I am working on the last of the repousse for the ginkgo's and I am just about to start the chasing. I am also depletion gilding a sterling silver cuff that I will add some keum-boo to. I have also repositioned the Sea Urchin II in the pitch pot so I can finish up that repousse.

Tomorrow I hope to finish the keum-boo cuff - polishing, forming and patina; and maybe the chasing on the ginkgo cuff. 

Pictures tomorrow of progress or finished work!

I am happy to announce that my cuff, The Tenacious Tentacle, has been sent to Littleton, Colorado to be a be part of the 1st International Chasing & Repousse Exhibition.  There were over 140 submissions and I am one of 32 artists who have been chosen to display their work.

Opening Reception:  June 5, 2015    5:00 - 9:00 PM 
EXHIBITION Dates:  June 5, 2015 through July 18, 2015
Location:  Outnumbered Gallery
                 5654 S Prince St Unit A
                 Littleton CO 80120
            
An added bonus is that, Il Maestro Fabrizio Acquafresca and Nancy Meli Walker (both Judges of the exhibition) will be present for the opening reception. They will also be demonstrating this fascinating metalsmithing technique during the reception. It is a pleasure to watch these extremely gifted and talented artists at work.

I am thrilled, honored and excited to be a part of this exhibition with so many metalsmiths I admire.

All of the artists' works are available for purchase.  If you live in the area, I strongly encourage you to visit and see the wide variety of arts created in this ancient technique.

Last weekend was the Palomar Gem & Mineral club annual show and like last year I was demonstrating chasing and repousse in the back room with the display cases plus my chasing & repousse case was there again but i had many new items in it.

Because I was demonstrating I was able to sell my work without having to buy a booth/table. 

First I had to go to help setup - on Friday. The guys set up the cases while some of us set up tables, the skirting and help set up the lights for the cases. Once that was done I could set up my display case and then I set up my table.  Last year I was starting the Tenacious Tentacle (which was in the display case before I sent it off to Colorado for the exhibition) and this year I planned on working on my Sea Urchin II which is 25% bigger than the first one I made. I planned on having the smaller version on the table so I could hand it to people to look at while I explained what I was doing.   As I was setting up and pricing some of my items, Barbara B. (a member of the club and the display case coordinator) looked at the Urchin and decided she wanted to purchase it for a member of her family. Well that was a shocker since I had not priced it nor had I even thought to have it for sale at this show because it was a practice piece. I quote a price and Barbara said sold! 

I arrived early on Saturday to get settled in and to do some adjustments to my wares and Barbara handed me cash (my first sale of the day) and she agreed to let me hold on to the urchin until after the show was over on Sunday so I could still use it along with my demonstrations.  At 10:00 am the show opened.  

It was busy all day and I proceeded to sell some earrings, a ring and some cab's I had cut a few years ago plus one of my etched Paisley cuffs (in blue) and just before closing, the Koi Cuff that I had done in silver sold!  When the show closed at 5:00 pm, I realized that the show had been my most successful day EVER!  It was time to cover my table, head home and celebrate! Which the shop elf and I did by having hot fudge sundaes for dinner.

Sunday morning I was awake early again and at the show by 9:00 for another opening at 10:00 am. Over the day I did not sell as much and traffic was less than Saturday or even last year's Sunday which I think was due to it being Mother's Day. Over the day I did sell more earrings and cabs but nothing big like on Saturday.  The show closed at 4:00 pm so it was then time to break down my table and display case, pack up my car and head home.

Overall I was very please. Here are some pictures of me at the show,  progress shots of the Sea Urchin, and a few I took of items I sold with their new owners.

Yesterday I received very good news - The Tenacious Tentacle was accepted (out of 140 entries) to be in the 1st International Chasing & Repousse Exhibition at Outnumbered Gallery in Littleton, CO.  The exhibition has been juried by Il Maestro Acquafresca, Nancy Meli Walker, and Sudee Floyd (gallery owner).


This is the first juried exhibition that I have ever, Ever, EVER, EVER entered. 

If you follow the link above and read about the piece (and the other associated blog posts) you will find out that making the cuff was a bit of a challenge; thus finding out it has been accepted into the exhibition.. well I was verklempt.

I am going to do my best to be in Colorado for the private Exhibitors showing and for the Grand Opening on June 5, 2015.

Here are some more shots of the cuff. One of these will be published in the Exhibit booklet

If you look in the upper right hand corner of this website, I have some social media icons. The Facebook and RSS feed icons have always been there but recently I have added am Ello, Twitter and YouTube link.

Yes, I am now expanding my social media presence.

Though I have to admit that my twitterings have been few and far between over the past month - I really can twitter during the workday (the day job) and at times I just plain forget on weekends but I am trying. 

For the YouTube channel, I am first going to be posting some of my movies that have appeared on some of my older blog posts. And as I make new ones of techniques or items I am making, those will be posted as well. 

And just to be sure you really go look here they are - 

• https://twitter.com/TASilversmith 
  
• https://www.youtube.com/c/Theadventuroussilversmithljk
  
• https://ello.co/theadventuroussilversmith