[Jewelry making - Article 00520] - Re: [Orchid] Article: Minimal Metalsmithing

[Lizardmush]

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    This is my first post here, though I am an avid reader of this
    forum. A history of myself; I graduated from the Maryland Institute
    of Art, over 20 years ago, where I majored in crafts, with jewelry
    being my final major. MIA is an art school, not a trade school so my
    skills though good at the time, where no where near perfection. I did
    achieve many scholarships and awards from MIA for my jewelry design
    and creations. After MIA I worked in a foundry that cast sculpture,
    jewelry, plaques, etc. I feel my technical skills for casting and wax
    work are quite strong, though I never preferred working in that medium
    I always fabricated my own designs. I took a long hiatus from
    jewelry making after collage for several reasons. I was longing to
    get back into it and I did, my works where all fabricated, then I had
    to take another hiatus when I became pregnant, my second attempt to
    get back into jewelry making was almost 16 years after graduating,
    again I started out fabricating. My skills where rusty at best but
    after time and getting more tools my skills improved. I saw an ad for
    silver clay -- I though how could this be? how cool is that! I order
    some and worked in it, my first pieces where atrocious I was also
    combing the material with my fabrication work. I got fed up with it,
    mostly because I was not working with it properly, I couldn't solder
    it, had a crappy kiln and since my firing was not good; pieces broke
    on the buffer, etc. I set it aside for at lest a year. For some reason
    (I don't remember why now) I picked it back up. I'm now hooked, my
    work is now 90% out of silver clay or 22K gold clay, funny though in
    the past three weeks I've been doing all fabricating to make
    components to go with my silver clay work. Silver clay if done
    properly can be soldered, filed, forged, bent, annealed, worked with
    a dremmeled, even rolled in a mill I've done all of this and then
    some Silver clay is a new phenomenon and as been noted you are going
    to see good work and bad. In my humble opinion if you are doing
    quality work in silver clay it is not faster then other techniques--
    I labor over pieces for hours and days on end. What I find
    fascinating about it is the endless possibilities and I learn new
    things every day with the medium. I find it a shame that it seems to
    be looked upon in the jewelry world like the red headed step child. I
    feel there in no place for that thought process in the "art world"
    maybe if you are a jeweler only or into production jewelry and not
    an artist, I can see the reason to snub it. Someone here wrote that
    art is the process where I and my husband (who is a sculptor) feel
    art is the end product, to produce what you have imagined, really it
    can be either way and that is what art is all about. Throughout
    history art and the means in which it has been archived as been
    argued. Just like when acrylic paints came on the scene and digital
    photography as someone else noted. I don't think any silver clay
    artists has claimed that silver clay work is better or superior to
    traditional methods, its just different and has its own worth. There
    are things that it can not duplicate that are made in the traditional
    fashion and vice versa. One artist whom I greatly admire wrote, that
    his work could not be duplicated in silver clay, I agree, but then
    again, I doubt that 99% of the fabricators or traditional metal
    workers on this forum or in the world for that matter could come
    close to the quality or craftsmanship of his work, so a rather unfair
    challenge at best. I am sorry to see Nan lose her position at Art
    Jewelry Magazine, I think she should be allowed to state her opinion,
    but in defense of the magazine, she stated that opinion with a direct
    reference in her signature line to the magazine and her position
    there, therefore linking her "personal" thoughts to the magazine. I
    did think her thoughts where a bit outdated, but not really offensive
    other then the reference to particle board--My husband who is a
    sculptor but started out as a fine wood worker would agree. The
    analogy to particle board to me says "cheap" "inferior" etc. First of
    all particle board is not made from powdered oak (since it was
    compared with solid oak furniture), it is also combined with glues
    and other wood and paper products, it even isn't on par with plywood.
    Silver clay on the other hand is made from pure silver or 22K gold in
    particle form with binders that are burned out and not left behind.
    Anyway I am sure Nan didn't mean it like that, but even I took a tad
    of offence to the reference in the post. I do wish that Art Jewelry
    Magazine would reconsider the position they took and try to see past
    what was probably an initial knee jerk reaction. Ok this post has
    turned into a novel, but what I am trying to say is that I always
    thought that artists where are really opened minded bunch and I
    guess it disturbs me to see that is not the case. What I do know for
    myself is that silver clay has sparked creativity in me that I
    thought I might not be able to enjoy again and I wish more artists,
    jewelers and layman alike find this spark in whatever medium that can
    bring it forth for them, enjoy it and create in whatever makes it
    possible! 

Liz Hall
http://www.lizardsjewerly.com

 
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