It's Fall, It's Fall, It's Fall!

Yesterday marked the unofficial start of Autumn in the Northwest. That's right, I woke up to rain! And it's raining again today! I am so excited. The summers' reign of terror is officially over, and now I can enjoy the rest of the year. I love this time of year here. The maple trees turn the most incredible luminescent yellow. It's cloudy and dark, and for some reason the glow of fluorescent lights inside against the gray sky has always made me feel comfortable, cozy and at home. It's also typically a very productive time of year for me. And on that note, I'm happy to announce that I'm solving a ..three? ..four? year old problem!

I made these silver arches during my undergraduate studies at ASU and never actually turned them into a fully resolved and functional neck-piece. I've taken them apart, put them back together, tried a variety of chains and attachments and never come up with anything that actually worked. So I'm pretty excited about this new solution. Pictures to follow when it's done.

Puppy Magnus!

Say hello to my new little one, Magnus! He is a six month old chihuahua puppy and he's a riot. This guy is the biggest cuddle bug there ever was. He's already decided that the best way to wake me up is by licking my bellybutton. (My only tickle spot...don't tell anyone!) He's also a pretty smart little guy. Second day home and he's already figured out the whole 'pooping outside' thing.

Kaya is a little jealous, so I've been extra-super-duper nice to her, and I think she's coming around. We had a big puppy puddle this morning after the EARLY walk (thanks Magnus!) and it was silly.

Mokume-Kami

A few years ago at the Yuma Symposium I had the opportunity to learn how to make Mokume-Kami from James Thurman, the artist who developed this material. It is essentially a layered paper stone that can be cut, ground and polished much like soft wood. I've been hanging on to little pieces of uncut Mokume-Kami for years now, and have finally made some interesting jewelry with the material. I love the way its little topographical layers are exposed. I'm also a big fan of how easy it is to work with.

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is site will document my artistic endeavors, wherever they may take me. I hope that you enjoy!