9/26/14

The Process

I made these polys which I really like in real life but photos I'm like, meh. But I still wanna tell you about all the crap I went through to make them. 

I started with the idea of faux turquoise which you make by getting little balls of blue, mixing in a black acrylic paint between them as a matrix, clumping together, baking then sanding off the outside black paint layer, followed by tons of buffing. My plan was to mix translucent polymer with different shades/amounts of alcohol ink to get a nice variation of ambers, then use a lightish brown paint for the matrix and instead of leaving it lumpy, I'd shape them into traditional amber wheels. Except I didn't let the paint dry nor did I refrigerate my polymer before rolling it together and shaping it so it turned into mush. Plus I had to roll it extra to get the rock salt embedded for the crevices so it turned into extra mush. Nevertheless I baked it and ended up with such huge crevices that my beads threatened to fall apart. So after painting it brown to fill in the cracks and crevices and sanding that off, I mixed alcohol ink with translucent liquid clay and used that to fill in a lot of the holes. But I forgot to mix my inks right so those bits ended up all yellow. I decided that was okay.
Then I thought I'd be clever and instead of sanding and buffing for my finish, I'd smooth on a thin coat of liquid poly. That turned into a sort of chapped look with little white nubs sticking out everywhere. Had to do a lot more sanding and buffing to get rid of those. But by then I had my new flex shaft, so that was okay. My liquid poly had filled up all the stinging holes so I had to drill new ones. Somehow those ended up all skewed and tilted. But this worked when I made these little crescent row focals  here. Phew. Oh almost forgot, after I drilled all the holes, they looked sawdusty, so I colored in the outer edge of those holes with sharpie marker, then rubbed with my fingers. And promptly hid all of that work by stringing! I dunno man. It's an education. All frustrations are.
Point being, as you know, it's always more work than you think.

In other news, Mr. Devices just called out, "Bingo looks like he's contemplating his existence."
I'm feeling way inspired all the sudden. I was avoiding the studio for a while. Here is one of the geodes I lapidary-ed in an all black piece.
For the closure, I channeled my inner Lorelei Eurto. Except that her stuff is always immaculate and mine, well...
I'm actually really excited about this piece. It suddenly occurred to me that I could treat my own unsold polys as very high-end sort of art beads. Like it's all about how you present them, if that makes sense.
Now, when I first strung them I realized they were way too green. So I toned them down with some quinacridone red dry brush, red being green's opposite color and quinacridone being high in pigment but also translucent so as not to loose detail.
 Close up there still very colorful, but the overall effect is almost gray. Which I really like. Anyway I presented it in a very special way with other special bits that don't compete with the polys- leather and wire ring, big nail toggle, really cool chain from Uruguay, box chain drape, even some little gray Indonesian glass that I added the same red to using dry brush. The whole thing is sealed with Verathane.
 I don't know I feel like it's sort of a breakthrough for me. Maybe it's just the feeling of inspiration.

After a week of being sick, returning to the gym was an ecstatic experience. You guys! I haven't been this happy or physically felt this well since I don't know when. Maybe ever. And I only just started! I thought I'd have to work so much harder to get results, but I'm already feeling it. Just feeling good. I freaking love dancing. I missed it. I'm so stiff after a full decade of not dancing. Since I met Mr. Devices and stopped having the unconscious urge to do musical mating rituals?
Still going to sleep at four or five am though. What's that about.

Wildthorne
I gotta tell you about my girl Kim's amazing shop she's developed. It is quiet and contemplative like her, and every damn detail is so on-point: from the photo layouts to the silversmithing, the descriptions to the banner, it's breathtaking. So much so, I had a stress dream about it last night- she was killing it so hard I was being left behind somehow? and I had to like go beg her to teach me how to open an non-etsy shop and just be better...
Like I was the white dog and she was the brown one:27 Dogs Who Failed So Hard You Can't Help But Laugh


9 comments:

Angi in hana said...

I am so dang jealous how inspired u get and make such awesome stuff, I so wish we could have a jewelry hangout, can imagine the cool shit, the more brains always the more better! It all looks good to me, as usual u are so full of design and talent, I like the grey/kinda darker one, Susan Lenart said she is in to less color right now and it is pretty cool looking, that necklace made me think of that, I really like it! They say the best comes from experiments, thinking outside the box, so u are there girl! Tx for sharing and inspiring us, aloha, angi in hana

Angi in hana said...

P.s. I just went to wild throne and I looooved it! That is exactly how I want to do something for me, I am gonna make that my goal this new year, I have no site cause I couldn't stand etsy telling me what to do esp getting in trouble if I did not respond right away, I have noticed more artists just selling from their site, no rules just do your own thing, u have enough followers, and for someone like me, unknown, just gotta work the PR end of it, it's all work in the end, but gotta feel better having everything in one spot, just how u want it! Tx for sending me to wildthorne, aloha, angi

Thoughtfulhands said...

Wow I really love how both sets of your polys turned out. The depth and contrast are perfect with the little craters and the red/pinkish ones love all the colors. I am saying PERFECTLY PERFECT lov'em.

Wildthorne said...

Oh Fanci, thank you for mentioning my shop on your beautiful blog. You and I go way back friend, and I have always admired you, Sparrow Salvage, AnvilArtifacts, Pipnmolly and many others. Your warm generosity and support has meant so much through the years. All credit for my shop banner, and everything that I know and have learned about photography needs to go to Sparrow Salvage. Thank you again for your kind comments, and that dog gif had both myself and Mr. G. laughing so hard. Who couldn't love you? <3

Wildthorne said...

Thank you also Angi for your kind words lady. Wishing you all the best.

Penelope said...

I made that banner! I am so proud of it, and so proud of the girl I made it for. Kimbers is totally knocking it out of the park- so far out there. But then you are too; look at how much more...something, your work is now compared to this time last year. It's streamlined, or more elite or high-end lookin' or something. IDK. But it's evolved. EVOLVED. That's it. And excuse me, but 'I could treat my own unsold polys as very high-end sort of art beads.' confuses me. Are they not already? yes they are don't argue.

Juliette said...

Absolutely in LOVE with your poly work. I lust after that piece with the nail toggle, OMG. Are you selling that?

Wildthorne has become one of my go-to blogs I read in the morning after exercise and during coffee time. Beautiful work, gorgeous words.

I too am contemplating an online site free of Etsy. I think I've decided on Indiemade, which is affordable and is for not so bright computer users like me, I think. ;)

XOXO glad you're better!

Kathy Van Kleeck said...

wowie zowie ... those poly beads are bloody awesome and well worth all the effort and steep learning curve ... gots my little brain all a-churning

Kathy Van Kleeck said...

p.s. what sparrow said - they ARE art beads!