Kuriosities

Not too much new so far this week with the cymbal – my client and I are still working out design details. Several people have asked for updates, so although nothing groundbreaking or even beautiful has been accomplished, I’ll show you where things are at. I have the basic shape cut out of the cymbal now. A strange thing that was to take a saw to an instrument – it felt like destroying a work of art – wrought with discomfort and something akin to guilt. Which is silly – the thing was broken and no longer usable – and I am recycling it which is a good thing… I still felt like a vandal.

It was actually not too bad to do the original cut once I started – although the cymbal is huge and clunky to work with from what I am used to. I buy my sterling in small sheets that are 6″ wide, and easy to balance on the bench and handle. A whopping 18″ of heavy gauge bronze is another animal altogether, and unwieldy to say the very least. I somehow managed to wedge it between my knees and the drawer of my workbench so that it would be stable enough to saw with my little handsaw. I’d be lying if I said the studio was curse free that afternoon, and I did snap a sawblade (maybe 2 while trying to balance everything) but in the end a simple little circle was cut.

The above pic is of the cymbal with all of the tools that were required in order to get the piece to the next two photos. (left to right: gauge measure, compass, centre punch and scribe, hand saw, #2 swiss file, grinding stone for the flex shaft, different grits of sandpaper on rollies for the flex shaft)

I filed the edges down to size an then put the grinding stone on my flex shaft. My client wants the piece to have a smooth finish in the end, with a mirror polish so that it will reflect stage lights. That meant that the grooves that are on the cymbal currently needed to be removed, and the fastest way I have found is with a grinding stone. They came off quite easily, though an echo of them still remains that I will continue to sand down a bit more. The next step will be to chemically etch a very simple design on the front of the pendant, and stamp a quote into the back, and then finish with more sanding, polishing etc. as well as attaching a bail. It will be a very simple piece in design, but should be stunning in its simplicity. I’ll post more pics when it is farther along than just a circle.

The inspiration for this piece in particular is the necklace that Keith Moon wore in the Isle of Wight festival. The stage is where it will really come alive. You can see a video clip here. It is large enough that it can be seen while he is on stage, and as he moves it picks up the stage lights and reflects them back like crazy at the crowd. It makes for a really impressive effect.

I am also working on several new clockwork pieces today. I love clockwork piece days, they make me feel like a little girl sorting through a box of junky treasures trying to find the exact piece that will work. I like to make each one slightly different, so although there is a bit of a formula for the record player pendants, I purposely choose different embellishments and configurations of gears and metals. The backings I am working with today are sterling silver.

First step – the sorting. So much fun!

I cut, filed, drilled, sanded and did a quick polish on the sterling backing already, in preparation for the riveting of the watch pieces. These are the parts that I chose…and below is how I will put the parts together. I will post pics in the next day or so of the finished pieces – I am making two for different clients at the moment. The backing will be antiqued and lightly brushed in the end – not shiny at all, as it is now.

Aside from work, today is pretty cruddy. My iron levels have dropped again, and I am feeling pale and dull. When I look in the mirror, it seems to me that I have faded somewhat, like an old photograph left in the light too long. And my brain is a bit clouded with fatigue. So back on the iron pills that make me feel almost as cruddy as the anemia – but at least they will keep my body relatively healthy and eventually perk me back up again.

My cleaning lady today suggested that I eat liver – which is a normal enough suggestion for someone who is looking pasty, tired, and faint. But being a vegetarian for 17 years, not really an option (and no, my anemia is not a result of my diet, but another problem altogether). So I thanked her and told her that I can’t eat liver because I do not eat meat. To which she replied “Liver is not meat. It is an organ.” with an expression that could only be interpreted as “duh!” Which I thought was a strange and curious notion. Still, I’ll pass. The last time I ate meat by accident, is not something that I would willingly attempt again. I awoke in the middle of the night violently ill, as it has been so long, my body no longer knows what to do with the stuff. Ouch, and horribleness.

Yesterday was insane and horrid. Bean (the wee chihuhua girlie) was out playing fetch with Molly (the ginormous black lab)…Usually it goes like this. The stick is thrown, Molly chases the stick, Bean chases the Molly going “yipyipyipyipyipyip” the whole way and both girls come in tired and panting, and then have a nap. Yesterday Molly went to fetch the stick, but fetched it by ploughing through little Bean. She hit her so hard as she ran by that she knocked Bean right out. We thought she was dead, her toungue lolling out the side of her mouth, and all limpness in the grass on her side. When we picked her up her little heart went bump……long pause……bump……bumpbumpbump…… I cannot describe the horror of that moment. Little sweet Binoo in my arms and dying. Except that she wasn’t dying, I just thought she was, but she was in shock. I scooped her up and into the van on my lap and drove the 25 minute drive to the vets at 120km/h the whole way on highways that are meant to be driven at 80km/h. Probably not the smartest thing I have ever done. Partway through the ride she started to sit up and regain her consciousness and shake a bit. She would just keep looking up at me with such pained eyes…By the time we actually got to the vet’s office, she was much better, and mostly herself again – except all cringy and sad looking. Poor little Bean. She has a concussion and must be kept quiet – which is not easily done. She is a little terror most of the time. But she slept a lot today, and seems to be a lot better…poor wee puppy girl. She had a steroid injection to treat her shock, but not much else can be done but rest.

The cymbal arrived from Paiste/ Yamaha Canada. It is, in a word, gorgeous. I do not know too much about cymbals (though I am now much inspired to research and learn more), but I must say that this one is so lovely. The craftmanship, the work that goes into making such a thing. This one has a small crack – which is why its life as a musical instrument has ended, and its new life of being sawn to bits and pieces looms before it.

But before I get my saw out, I wanted to be inspired by this piece in its wholeness. So I played around with banging it quite a bit to hear its sound, and I spent a while exploring its texture with my fingers, and examining it with my eyes. And the weight and thickness of it was much greater than I expected, and a wonderful surprise… And then I took it for a walk.

???

Yes, I know. It sounds a bit crazy. Mostly I took it for a walk because the hay field is a lovely backdrop, and I wanted to photograph the cymbal  for the sake of posterity. I also took it out to see it in a different light. There is nothing like taking an object and putting it in a situation vastly unlike its usual context to jump start the imagination. You do not generally see cymbals out for walks in hayfields, so I figured it might start something…

Mostly it was fun. Molly ma Gog (the black lab) running joyously around whilst I balanced the cymbal on this or that, scaled rusty old farm machinery and scaled decrepit falling down farm buildings. Not only did I start to look at the cymbal differently, but also at the hayfield differently – noticing colours, textures, and settings that I ordinarily overlook as just part of the field.

I returned from the walk, clunkily heavy cymbal in hand, full of energy, joy, and the swelling of ideas.

Here are some of the photos. I will post the whole series later in my gallery.

The nice fellow from Paiste/Yamaha Canada also packed a few Paiste t-shirts in the box for me, on which I think I can make out the visage of Miss. Meg White – one of my favourite musicians, which I thought was very nice of him. I think they will end up as jammies though, as they are an XL and a M (and I am an XS, lol). But pretty cool all around. I have been very impressed with how supportive they have been of this little project…I never would have imagined, and am thankful. It has made the whole thing even more fun.

First things first, forgive the cheesy title…I am overexcited.

Sometimes birthday wishes come true with an alarming swiftness. The wish I wished on the stars and the moon on mine was that I remain healthy and strong (so far, so good, knock on wood and all that jazz) but also that I get to do new and exciting things with my work. And that is where I am at right now, looking forward to the arrival of my mail with childlike anticipation. Waiting, waiting, for the cymbal to arrive. Cymbal?? Yes, a cymbal. Let’s go back to the beginning of the story.

I have a client who contacted me to make him a custom pendant, who happens to be a drummer in a band from Chicago. He requested that the pendant be made out of bronze. Easy enough at first glance, I have sheets of bronze ready to work, BUT then he requested a very specific alloy of bronze.  

So the research began, and apparently this alloy cannot be purchased anywhere on the planet but, of course, from Paiste – a leading manufacturer of cymbals. What to do, what to do? So I checked out their website (which is an incredible read to both metalsmiths and musicians alike), and then got up the gumption to send them off an email asking if I might purchase a small piece of sheet or if they might be willing to sell me a damaged cymbal to make into a pendant for a drummer client of mine who had requested that it be made out of their specific alloy. A week went by without an answer, although I did notice that someone from Paiste USA checked out my gallery during that time. Thinking it hopeless,  I started to look into purchasing a cymbal (ouch! those are expensive!), and then looking into where I could get a broken one.

But on Friday, I came home to an email in my in-box from Yamaha Canada! It was from a fellow from their drum marketing department. Apparently they were contacted by Paiste to send me a cymbal to be made into art. To say that I was excited is a vast understatement. (I was fairly buzzing with joy and inspiration, and actually danced all over my living room.) And have spent every moment since dreaming of what I will do with the rest of the cymbal – all the pieces that I will make – and dreaming of a possible series that will all be connected with a common theme. So many ideas.

But I want to see the cymbal first, to hold it in my hands, feel the texture of the metal, see its sheen, be inspired by its shape and sound, by the craftmanship in its creation- all of these things first – before I settle on any idea. The nifty thing also is that Paiste/Yamaha Canada is interested in seeing how this all turns out too – so I will be photographing and documenting the results to send to them.

I will be also be documenting this new project here, so check back often for updates…and if you are a drummer, and would be interested in having a custom piece made in this very nifty and unique project, EMAIL ME! I am eager for this to include many drummers, of different traditions, and varying skill levels, all tied together by this common cymbal (symbol).

Mostly a picture entry today… But this past week has rocked. I turned 36 (woo!), and for some reason that made me feel happy instead of old. I also have a few new exciting custom projects lining up to keep my mind busy. I have a party to look forward to next weekend at my place, and a party during the week to go to and hopefully connect with some other artists. The world has been particularly kind this week – and I am excited, enthused, inspired.

First off, the promised sterling steampunk record player pendant – I loved making it, and I think it turned out pretty nifty:

Also a new gorgeous Alice etched pendant using an engraving from John Tenniel. I used countersunk sanded rivets in the back for a smooth finish:

And my yard sale finds!It was the island’s seventy mile yard sale today, and I scrounged up som nifty finds. An old deacons bench to be used for putting on my riding boots and half-chaps, a TLR camera ( a Pucky), and best of all an antique fire extinguisher. This just appealed so wholeheartedly to my whole steampunkish sort of aesthetic that I am working with right now. All that antiqued brass, embossing and rivets gives me goosebumps. I was downright giddy when I found it for a mere and paltry $25. Score!

New pendant for today. A bit messy and organic, made in a fit of inspiration, and I did not stop until it was done. There are some messy bits to it, which I think goes well with the theme. It is entitled “Window #1; an attempt at control” furthering my exploration of isolation. How we are isolated through both fault of our own and through fault of the world. It is a window that can be seen through, both from the outside looking in at the heart, and the heart glimpsing views of the outside from within.

The heart has had gears and cogs attached to it. An attempt to metre the messy organic rhythm so it will no longer rush forth in great surges, but will march steadfast and in straight lines. An attempt, because in the end, the heart is always messy and unruly. It is it’s nature. But we try to control it both to try and fit in with the outside world and become a part of it – as well as to protect ourselves from it.

The poem that this pendant is in part based upon….

rough draft – May 5, 2008, by K.

Bemused (i am naught )

Lou,
tell me where to find it
that cool ocean pebble with
which to stop up the pit of my heart
that same round stone to plug and
still the rushing tidal roar

i flow unruly over these red hills
there is no rhythm, no calming cadence
no ba dump ba dump to metre
my journey onwards, i spill forth
in great rushing surges, a mess
of passions and unmeasured pause

   there is no sense in this.

teach me, lou
i want to learn how to do it
the steady venturing forth,
the aloof precision of marching
my veins, arteries, a map of tidy lines.

i want manifestos, odes, adorations!
i want nothing.

i want to be the pounding of the surf
you sink yourself into.   

I have been quiet and not in the mood to write lately. I think the rain stopped falling just outside and seeped its way into my body, my thoughts, and my spirits. A few weeks of moping, and feeling very sorry for myself. Sometimes I need that journey though, tucked away in varying degrees of damp, dark, and tearful misery to make the sun seem worthwhile. To even notice that it exists and is beautiful and worthy of notice.

I have been missing everybody and nobody, by turns. Wanting connection while withdrawing from it and hiding. That sort of thing never makes sense at the time, but comes more clearly into focus when the mood lifts. Making new friends requires a certain amount of risk and vulnerability, and I am not always able to do that these days. Because when I do try, it is “here I am. here is me.” and I extend myself the way that a child does, open and with hope. (too open, and with too much hope) And that kind of thing is frightening sometimes, well most times actually. Sometimes I wish I was better at games, and rules, and how to play. I’m not though – good at all of that. I wonder if anybody is really? And if that really would be a good thing to be, or if it would just muddy everything up even more? I suspect the latter.

Anyways, the mood has finally made me want to get out of it. Too heavy and oppressive, and neither of those qualities are very well rooted in my nature. So as always, I end up with the idea that jumping in with two feet is likely a good idea. It works, or always seems to. So I bid adieu to the crappy mopey moody two weeks and am going to try and get myself out and making new connections, and hopefully, friends… It’s not like they are going to just drop out of the sky, so really if I have anything or anyone to complain about, it is just me, just my own inertia, and that is something I can do something about. Therefore no reason to mope.

This week I have been playing We Both Go Down Together, by the Decemberists. Perhaps trying to play, is more accurate. But it is coming along…and it is a song that I can sing – and I discovered that it is entirely possible to both play and sing at the same time. A discovery which has made me very excited and gleeful (though my family may not be quite so happy or gleeful to hear my unending efforts, and may well wish that I had not discovered this until I was better at playing at least).

I am in love with the Decemberists at the moment, and digging down deeper into the songs, into the stories they contain both lyrically and musically. I am much impressed by it, by the skillfulness… and I love the contrasts, the darkness and lightness, the horrific beauty that Colin puts into his songs, the complexity. I just got a newsletter that announced days that they would be playing – a short tour – and am wishing that I could go to the Boston show…but don’t really see how that could happen, but I would love to see them play live.

I have some exciting new possible jewelry projects lining up. I feel energised and happy with them, and will share when I can.

A new custom piece this week…I love the way that the etching turned out. A stamp pendant meant for a pilot…

Some days I love my job so much, and today is one of those days…working on commissioned pieces that inspired the hell out of me. I’ll start off slow and work my way up to my current favourite piece…

A 45 rpm record adaptor in hammer brushed copper. This is actual size – though I am not sure yet if it would actually work – it is meant to be a pendant, but it would be pretty nifty if it could work too. I will be experimenting over the next few days. For the pendant though, I am still debating whether or not to run the leather thong through the centre hole or to solder on a nice little bail…

Next, a new Alice pendant! I love this particular Tenniel etching, one of my favourites from the Alice books, so when my client chose it, I was very excited. And even better was the quote that she chose for the back.

I love working with people who have wonderful ideas – it makes my work so much more interesting. To be able to work on a piece that I would love to wear, or that I would be proud to have my name attached to is just the best kind of work. It is so disheartening to make something to a client’s specifications that you know is going to be ugly, but the client wants it and so you comply. I always want to add the condition that they will not tell anybody where they got it… of course, I don’t, and luckily that doesn’t happen too often! Anyways, I modified the Alice pendant design slightly by adding a soldered double sterling bail. It made it much sturdier, and in my opinion, spiffier too.

And last, but not least, my very favourite of the day… a Mayan calendar, out of time, steampunk, industrial, vicorian, ancient and modern both, pendant. I am in love with it. I would like to be able to lay claim to its entirety – but really this is a collaboration with my client, whose idea was something along the lines of my clockworks time pendants, but with a Mayan theme, and how time is a manmade construct.

The jewelry design was inspired by the calendar, and the idea of circles within circles – mixing styles from different time periods, to make a time pice that was essentially free of time – to which time did not exist, and yet was wholly absorbed with time.

This is one of those pieces that it is hard to let go of, I got attached to it while making it. Partly because I love its idea, but also because it was a royal pain in the ass, and I had to think and re-think its construction. It challenged my limitations and made me think outside of my ordinary comfort zone. I evolved in my craft during its construction.

I am so tired, it is  beyond all means of accurate description. Suffice it to say that my brain is foggy and weary, and if this entry doesn’t make much sense, please forgive me.

Yesterday morning I went to the farmer’s market and stocked up on goodies. Samosas, and coffee, fresh donuts made right in front of us, homemade granola, and all sorts of various yumminess. A dinner planned of BBQ salmon filets in white wine and garlic, rice, and corn on the cob. I have had a sort of disdain for food since I have lost weight, it all just seems dull and not as interesting as it used to – so I wanted to make something worthwhile eating, something lively and different than the usual fare.

Then, it started to rain. Followed quickly by some screeching outside as sparks were flying off a passing camping trailer. Eventually the knock at the door from a man wanting help. He had a bit of an unnerving way of making direct and prolonged eye contact. I went to fetch G, who would hopefully  be able to help.

After a prolonged amount of time outside fiddling with the wheel, it was determined that our local friendly mechanic should be fetched, or new bolts procured at the nearest store (10 minutes away on the highway). The wife was to come and sit with me in the house. To which there was a great pause, and then agreement passed my reluctant lips. But what are you going to do? Not help? So, of course she could come in for a bit.

A bit turned into two hours. The mechanic was on his way out. The stranded man did not bring the bolts to the shop so that he could find matching ones, and even though the wheel was put back on the trailer(!!!) , and it could now move again, decided that now he needed a new rim for the wheel. And that it would be best to just stay the night. What the? How did that come about? Complete strangers in my driveway camping overnight.

By then, it was to late to cook. We ate warmed up frozen dinners…grrr.

So they backed their trailer in and hooked their electricity up to the house. And made use of the bathroom, and fetched water, and asked for tea, and mentioned that they did not have any coffee for the morning either… Oh, my. And can we leave the door unlocked over night so that they can come in and out to use the facilities? Very much, oh my. They were so downright cozy, how they set about setting up, these strangers.

Now, I do not mind helping out a desperate soul in need. We seem to do this on a regular basis for tourists. Just a few weeks ago a cyclist from Rimouski asked to stop so that he could fix his bike in shelter, and we offered him tea and cookies to warm his bones and get out of the rain, as it ended up taking him several hours to get it road worthy again. That was just fine, and an interesting conversation.

But it turns out that this couple only lives an hour’s drive away from us… so why they did not leave the trailer and sleep at their own house is absolutely beyond me. If they were great Aunt Mildred and Uncle Fred, ok. If they were from another part of the country, ok. But we are talking a mere hour from home.

Try as I might, I could not sleep a wink. The idea that strangers could just enter my house at a whim, with my children sleeping…

too many “don’t talk to strangers or they will get you” talks as a child
+ too many horror movies with “nice” strangers that are actually psychopathic killers
+ dark and stormy night
+ camping trailer parked in driveway with “nice” (but also slightly odd) strangers
+ door unlocked to house overnight
————————————————————————————————-
= me in bed like this all night = zero hours of sleep

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh

They are gone now, finally. The mechanic came back this morning to help, and by 12:30 or 1pm , they were back on the road. Sooo tired. It is not that they were awful – honestly they were fine - a little odd in mannerisms – but fine – it’s just that they were not mine. To lend a hand for an hour or two when a stranger really needs it is more than fine, but to give a day – when it really isn’t necessary, when really they could have taken care of things just fine on their own with a lot less inconvenience to themselves than what they asked from us… I just don’t get it. The mechanic was making jokes about campgrounds charging at least $40/night for the service they were getting from us, so maybe that was it? Short on money, free night of camping with super clean bathrooms, free electrical hookup and clean water? A view of the ocean and lots of interesting animals…too good to pass up?

But o well. Add it to the list of strange and uninvited guests that pass through our farm every summer. I suppose it is to be expected now…

Here is a recent piece that I made for a super nice client from Detroit. She is going to be studying science this year at university, and wanted something that reflected her interest in genetics as well as her love of music. So, a double helix etching of dna in copper, set on sterling, with “Honesty in Bloom” stamped on the back – a line taken from the liner notes of a White Stripes album – her favourite band. The etching is rivetd, and the pendant bail is soldered. More photos of new pieces to come tomorrow!

Some nifty stuff in progress….etchings right out of the acid with the resist removed, but not yet polished up, some watch parts and gears, a mostly cut out copper 45 rpm record adaptor etc. These should all be finished tomorrow at some point and I will post pics of the new pieces then. They will look much different than this whimsical collection of metal bits. I love how these things look like a random rough pile of “eh, nothing special”, but by tomorrow will look like wearable art pieces. I can hardly wait! (Can you tell it rained AGAIN today. Will it ever stop?)

Also, while I am posting pics, here is one of my garden in one of the brief moments where it wasn’t raining – yesterday, I think. I took it from such an angle as that I can pretend that my garden is not also rife with weeds (which it shamefully is, but I haven’t the time nor inclination to remedy).

Tuesday, guitar lesson day – always a good day. So many new things learned… taking the picking pattern and playing Dust in the Wind now (doesn’t everybody have to learn to play that? Isn’t it just one of those things?). Anyways, I quite like it – I like all this finger picking stuff, so lots to practice. Also…also… Lord Send Me an Angel! by Blind Willie McTell, and also played by the White Stripes. My first Blues song, with that snazzy little bluesy riff that I thought would be way beyond my very limited capabilities, but turns out that it is very much within reach with some practice. But now all of these chords where I hold down more than one string with one finger, which has resulted in new places and new ways to remove the skin from my hands. Why do I have to love guitar so much? Piano never hurt me this way, drums never did a cruel thing to me…why not them?

I don’t have too much to write about right now…my head is consumed with these new jewelry pieces, of rivets and copper…

It has been a busy week, and I have been absorbed in various projects, and a small flurry of exciting custom pieces- a collaboration of creativity resulting in gorgeous pieces that someone will truly love. It pushes me forward, expands my limits. love it. I will have new pics of the custom pieces to post sometime next week. Etchings and clockworks, and combinations of the two.

I am taking some time off from work this week – for the first time in four years! I am so glad that I am doing this. I need a break from the constant demands of running a business and the constant flow of work that never seems to end. I went out and bought a hammock last night, and will be installing it on my front porch, so that I can lie down and read, sip homemade iced tea and gaze at the ocean while the peacocks and chickens wander around the grass below me, and I can hear my horses munching away. Bliss and peacefulness.

Except…that it is raining! Arggh. Stuck inside the clammy house with my book, and antsy. I want the sand, I want the tiny lapping waves, the sun on my skin, my shoulders bared to the breezes.

 I have made a Thaumatrope that I am willing to share – it has been tested and works well. I may do some more work on the design of it, but the idea of this one is there. A two girls dance on one side, gazing at each other. On the other side is a girl alone, gazing at the ground. When you spin the disc the lonely girl appears to be dancing with the other two. But even so she still seems somewhat detached from the scene – more introspective than the other two, perhaps, or feeling that she doesn’t really quite belong there…it kind of reminds me of female friendships, and how they never seem to work in threes. How there is always the odd (wo)man out. But I was also thinking of the feeling of being departed from friends, and the sense of nostalgia for times past, and how remembering those friendships, those times of connection can actually be painful, can fill one with longing and illuminate how the current scene is void of connection.

You can print this one out at home and try it out. I retain all copyrights, and you cannot reprint or distribute this image elsewhere. It cannot be copied and sold either, etc. It can also not be posted elsewhere on the internet.

(Click to make bigger in another window…)

2 new record player pendants (maybe 3 actually) have made their way to their new homes, . I am so happy when they get there and people are happy with them. I remembered that I forgot to post pics in the blog, so here they are – they are also in the gallery. I’ll be adding a ton of new stuff there this week…

Click on photos to see images larger in a new window.

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