Taming the Tangle

For the love of earrings!

Lark Books put out a new book -- A Bounty of Bead + Wire Earrings -- compiling several bead and wire earring projects under one cover. It's fun to see the different styles and approaches that each creator has to wire. There are 50 earring projects, all with instructions and photos. This book makes a great gift if you don't know someone's design style... with so many artists, they will be sure to find projects they love.

Most of the projects are great for beginners or anyone who wants help with design ideas. You can personalize any of the projects just by using different beads and colors. One of my earring designs from "Elegant Wire Jewelry" (Dancing Branches) is included. To see other books where my work is featured, check out the Press :: Books section of my website. Happy making!

The books are back in stock!

This year I'm tackling a new system of organization, which is somewhat similar to one of last year's resolutions. I loved my paper tracking system of to-dos and such, yet there's an appealing aspect to going digital. More about that in a later post (especially since they might co-exist).... that's just a little lead in to explain why I was out of stock of "Elegant Wire Jewelry" for so long. Simply, I kept forgetting to order them!

I had jotted that reminder down onto a scrap of paper during a show when I sold the last copy. That paper then got mixed in with receipts, business cards and other post-show scrapple. It did not get thrown away, yet I've never had a place to put all those notes or transfer what's written on them. Then, maybe a week before my next show, I would think -- oh no! I need more books! -- yet there wouldn't be time to have them shipped and I would then shove the thought to procrastination land.

This photo is actual proof that my books are back in stock! You can order them from me in my Etsy shop where I will send you a signed hardback copy. If you would rather have a paperback (unsigned) copy, you can purchase those elsewhere online since I don't carry those at the moment.

Hopefully I will have books with me at my next round of shows... can't say for certain since I'll actually be flying (gasp!) so will have to gauge it based on weight, so order now while I'm in town and ready to ship to you! Winter is my favorite crafty time of year... it's a great time to hibernate inside.

If you already have my book, it would be GREAT if you would review it online (either at Amazon or Barnes and Noble), it really makes a difference to people who don't know me or my work. And, if you aren't happy with the book, drop me a line and let me know why. I've started to get requests for a more advanced book but haven't quite wrapped my head around what types of projects would call out to people and how I could present them in a way that appeals to you. All feedback is appreciated.

Designing jewelry with symbolism

In my book Elegant Wire Jewelry, I created a necklace around found objects. For myself I constructed a fictitious story to help me pull together an interesting collection... I thought of going to a beach house with my grandmother and what objects might hold memories... beach glass, shells, Monopoly game pieces, etc. It's a lot like putting together a charm bracelet. The nice thing with this necklace is I wasn't limited by the pieces needing holes since I created structures to house each of them.

Found Object Lariat, photo by Larry Sanders, ©2011 Kathy Frey

This necklace was not only a great project for my book, it's also a sample I hold onto for custom orders. It helps to visualize what can be done with interesting shapes and pieces. If you have a special memento or collection you want made into a necklace, bracelet, or other piece of jewelry, contact me for an estimate so we can design a special piece together.

As another example of jewelry with symbolism, check out Cheri's FireWire Talisman post on the Elemental Alchemy blog where she shows a piece she made (inspired by projects in my book) after a ritual Christmas tree burn... you have to look just to see the image of that! It's so Burningman. She details what she added to her piece and why, so you get the full story. A great inspiration for thinking of symbols for your next project.

I'm not naming names here

This is a touchy issue. Has anyone ever been verbally attacked at a show by another artist? I know I have been, and it's not pleasant. It actually took me months if not years to get over it, and it still hurts. Someone accused me of stealing her designs, which I did not.

Yet another wire artist has been talking behind my back for more than a year now, accusing me of the same thing. I found out about this once from a customer friend who overheard her and now again from a third wire jewelry artist (who, thankfully, isn't accusing me of anything!). Wire artist #3 was verbally attacked at a show by her, though, and it's all starting to feel very nasty.

As artists I know we have to take our work seriously. We don't want people to outright steal our designs, yet at a certain point something is technique and each individual brings their own flavor to the style. In this way a style of art can continue to move forward.

I've written books and taught workshops yet I don't live in fear of someone stealing my designs. I have so many ideas floating in my head that it might be a relief to have an excuse to let an older design go. Why do other artists feel so differently? Especially if their arguments are unfounded. Why would anyone think they were the only person creating wire jewelry? Or weaving with it? Or making baskets? It's been done for so long throughout history, and I stumbled upon it in my own way without awareness of other artists until I was well underway as an artist in this field and becoming more known.

What I really want to know is what happened to the Renaissance style of thought where people studied under a master and tried to develop under his guidance? Maybe there was an intense feeling of competitiveness then that I haven't heard about, but it felt more like a group of people trying to make stylistic progress in the arts.

In general I like to keep my head down and just get into the groove of my own work. I don't even look at books much for inspiration because I do fear influence. I have seen pieces that look remarkably similar to my designs or vice versa yet when I view the entire body of work I can see that the artist is coming from a different place. Most of all I just try to admire it and see what we did differently and appreciate that individual's artistic vision. I for one do not have enough time or energy to get overly in a huff about it all, and I certainly don't want that bad energy making its way into my work so I shrug it off as much as possible.

Riverstone Bangles

I received another how-to inquiry for a project not in my book, and here is how I responded:

The Riverstone Bangle is not in my "Elegant Wire Jewelry" book because it's an advanced project that required soldering, whereas the book is geared towards people who want to do wirework easily at home. The idea is the same as my other projects, though -- you build an under-structure first. I do this by soldering 3 individual rings, 2 that are the same size to fit your hand as a bangle (with a little added room for the wrapping) and 1 that is larger to add dimension. I then create some bracing wraps in copper around the frames to hold them in place -- this is hard to do and takes patience because you are holding 3 rings in one hand while wrapping with the other. The wraps do not have to be neat because you will cut them off. So, when the structure is stable enough to let go of, you can start wrapping with the sterling silver wire; as you approach a section of copper, cut it off.

Hopefully that helps. I've only taught this project once in a workshop and each student had an idea of how they would approach it... whether using a mold, or soldering some structure in place, etc. So just experiment and have fun with it (but remember it's my copyrighted design).

Gradient patina technique

I received a request from one of my "Elegant Wire Jewelry" book readers to explain my gradient patina technique. Here's a verbal rundown... let me know if you want to see or learn more.

Have you used liver of sulfur before? That's what I use for all of my patinas. It comes in a dry chunky rock form, which is the best. I put a few chunks in a glass container (sized to fit the piece you want to oxidize; for big ones I have a round casserole dish that's pretty deep). I then fill the container with boiling water and use a little stick to stir the chunks so they dissolve. There's no exact science of proportion... the more chunks, the stronger the solution and the darker/faster the results. You might want to play around with some scrap metal to see how it all works.

Anyway, for the gradient, I dunk the piece very, very quickly and immediately plunge it under cold running water. The first dunk I go as high as I want it to go before I leave part of it silver. Then I dunk it again, leaving a little of the already slightly oxidized portion exposed -- also very quickly and then immediately rinse. Just keep repeating this process moving down the form until you are at the part you want the darkest. It may already be as dark as you want (the liver of sulfur builds up), but if not go ahead and dunk that part and hold it until it's the color you want then do a final rinse.

If you hold the piece too long in the liver of sulfur it gets a matte finish. You can then brush it with a brass brush to bring up the shine again. If you want to seal the patina so it doesn't change, you can try lacquer. I have played around with various types. I don't really love any of them so I just accept that it changes over time, an artful process. Some people have suggested a wax seal but I haven't tried anything like that... too hard to do on wire.

The results are in!

After 3 days of wire wrapping, my group of 5 wonderfully attentive and eager students produced some wonderful samples. They all left excited to take their new skills home for more practice and idea generation, and at least 1 new wire junkie was created. Here are some shots of our practice pieces: Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Teaching workshops

Had some great discussions in class at the Peninsula School of Art yesterday about what it means to learn a new technique but incorporate it into your own designs. This can be a tough thing to convey to students since in class they are following your example, but my students seem a little extra sophisticated since they are the ones who wanted to understand this topic. We all also had the reality check that there's not much new under the sun, but ethically you want to be true to yourself. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

End of summer sale on ETSY: August only!

Call it part moving sale, part anticipation of the end of summer. It's no secret that I'm an autumn girl myself, although this year summer in Chicago has been beautiful!

Since we still have more warm weather ahead, what better time to buy some favorite Kathy Frey jewelry designs in summery colors... for the month of August on my Kathy Frey etsy page everything is 15% off, and books are only $20! More pieces will be posted as we get them photographed this week.

Are you a bit on the crafty side yourself? Check out the jewelry supplies that I'm selling on my Kathy's Yard Sale etsy page.

Happy shopping!

Making Connections

When looking back at a show to evaluate its success, it's important to look at connections in addition to sales numbers.  Shows are the time when you are really putting yourself out there, and you need to be open to all different opportunities. It was the summer of 2005 when a representative of Lark  Books saw me and my work at the State Street Art Fair in Ann Arbor, and that discussion lead to my book, Elegant Wire Jewelry, which was published last year.

Beyond my own book, being in touch with Lark prompted me to ask about another author and jeweler, Joanna Gollberg, who looked a lot like someone I went to high school with in Asheville, North Carolina. It was her! When I traveled to Asheville for my book's photoshoot, we only spent a few minutes catching up on high school, agreeing we'd rather focus on where we are at now and relish in knowing another jeweler buddy. Joanna has a great website filled with stories of her travels, and I finally got to see a full display of her work in person when our paths crossed at the Buyer's Market show in Philadelphia. We had a couple of minutes to re-connect and admire each other's work and give pep talks where needed.

This year in Philly I had the opportunity to meet many other jewelers, which is a comforting way to start building a network at a show with hundreds of artists. After hours we would meet up at the Loew's Hotel for happy hour, and, if we had the energy after that, smaller groups would break off and head to dinner. For our last night there, my roommate Olive (center) and I joined up with a group and walked over to El Vez restaurant. This was my favorite meal of the whole trip... I went decadent and ordered the braised short ribs with horseradish sauce. yum! No wonder I put on a few pounds this trip despite all my best efforts to workout every morning.

El Vez happens to have an old-fashioned photo booth... there were 9 of us at dinner, and we managed to get 8 of us into the booth at one point. I'll spare you those blurry cheek and forehead shots, but wanted to share these fun shots. Dawn Benedetto (on left) and I had a trunk show together a few years ago at Virtu in Chicago. Her Poppi rings are addictive, and she has a new direction to her work that is just as fun! Her giggle is infectious. She is fun to hang out with, and I have a lot of business acumen to learn from her... she has a helpful website and lots of great show and business experience in the jewelry field.

You can see I got roped into the photo booth unexpectedly where I then took out Olive trying to find the camera... we finally got our act together in the last shot.

I will weave stories of other connections throughout my posts, both of jewelers, artists, and galleries.