Blast From The Past!

Hi everyone!

I've had an interesting and motivational time since my last blog! I'll tell you a little of the background.  I was lucky enough to go to a Steiner School from the age of 3 and I stayed at the same school until after my exams.  One of my friends from the early days was Lucy Walker (now Mhoma), who subsequently emigrated to New Zealand at 14.  A couple of years ago we 'met' again on Facebook and have chatted many times since.  I found out that Lucy has been working as an artist in Christchurch, NZ in the area devastated by earthquakes.

Lucy decided to go on a family/artist trip to various places around the world, some places just to show her children where she'd lived and others to forge new artistic links. I was thrilled when she said that she was coming to Plymouth to see us!  We spent the evening exploring each other's work and talking about school and her adventures.  The next morning, before she set off for Istanbul I took her to Royal William Yard to show her the building which is set to become artist's studios and for coffee, of course! As we entered the Bakery we bumped into a artist friend of mine and after introducing Lucy, Connor McIntyre very kindly offered to show us his studio and to tell us about his latest work which was fabulous.  Lucy is in New York now I believe, and when her travels are finished I hope to feature her here on this blog and to ask her more about her journey.  All in all, I found the whole visit very inspiring.

Since then I've been working on new shapes in my aluminium and I've started to cut out a new design.

So, what do you think of these new shapes?

 

I look forward to hearing what you think of the new pieces! I always appreciate your feedback. I hope to have some of this work on my website in the next few days so please do check SlickSilver Jewellery.

 

Spring Madness!

Hello all! I know, I've been a bad girl and haven't blogged for ages but I'll get on to that in a minute!

It's Spring, we even have flowers in the garden! Yes I know it's still raining, but over Easter we did have a little bit of the bright stuff, a big yellow thing made an appearance in the sky and the birds were singing! Doesn't it make you feel better?

So what have you all been up to?

I've had some good news of my own - my daughter is having a baby! That's right I'm going to be Nanna Val in the autumn! Happy news.  I'm also going back to college in late September to get myself some formal training whilst still running my business so it's going to be a very busy time.  In view of that I am taking the opportunity to make plenty of stock now. That's why I've been so busy.

So what have I been up to? Well, I've found a new aluminium supplier and I've been experimenting with new designs and colourways.  The new metal is much harder to work, but takes colour in an amazing way, really intense and vibrant.  Rust is a texture/colour which I simply cannot pass by, particularly if the metal has been painted and is peeling and I have been exploring this effect in my newest work.

This brings me to my sale - there's 25% off everything on my website, but only until the end of April and this is to make way for some of my new collections.  If you have a favourite piece, now would be a very good time to get it! There's free postage too! Tell your friends! Tell everyone!!

I've also got some fab new stockists, Created Gallery, The Hayrack Gallery, Number Four Gallery and finally Rostra Gallery which is brilliant news! Do check them out if they're in your area.

Finally some pictures of my new work, would love to have your feedback!

These are samples of what I've been up to, more next time! Thanks for reading!

News, news, news!

Hi - hope you're all safe and dry and haven't been flooded! What a horrible start to the year!

I've been keeping busy, it's that time of year when new ideas get tried out, some work, some don't and some don't work yet but I feel they will in time.  I've reworked a couple of old silver pieces which had been shelved and are now shelved again pending further inspiration!  I started off this year by thinking about the things which inspire me (rust - plenty of that round here with all the seawater being thrown around) and looking at how evident that inspiration is in my resulting work.  I realised that what floats my boat isn't always obvious and so I'm making a more concerted effort to find ways of showing that inspiration. Sometimes it's the colour of rust, particularly on old concrete and sometimes it's the lovely knobbly texture blistering through layers of old paint. With all this in mind I painted and dyed a sheet of aluminium last week which I do think represents my ideas.  I dare say the finished pieces (when they are finished!) will appear on here for you all to see.

A few weeks ago I had a fun day teaching polymer clay bead making at Orchard Learning Centre in Gunnislake, Cornwall.  For most people it was the very first time they tried using polymer clay and a great day was had by all, with much hilarity and some great results.  I'll be there again on the 2nd March if anyone would like to try their hand at making polymer clay pendants using foils.  If you'd like to book a place please book through Orchard Learning Centre direct - oh, and Jay the centre owner includes a lovely lunch!!
Here's some pictures of what the students made during the day.












The following picture is an example of the kind of pendant we'll be making in the forthcoming course so hurry and make sure that your place is booked and I'll look forward to another day of fun and giggles!

 

I've also been working on a statement piece of jewellery - the Dazzle neck piece is now available to buy on my website and I can even produce it in the colour range of your choice, be it blues, pinks, greens etc. All you have to do is let me know! Do you like it?

Dazzle Neck Piece 

In other news this week, I'm proud to announce that Created Gallery is going to be a new stockist and they are in Chesterfield so if you're in that area pop in and take a look. 

I'm also going to be exhibiting with Number Four Contemporary Art and Craft Gallery from 12th April for twelve weeks so I hope you'll go and see what they have to offer up in St Abbs, Berwickshire.  It will be a selling exhibition so take along your pennies!

Anyway, back to the workbench and I'll see you all soon.

Storms and the Beetroot Tree!

Hi, me again!

Well we all prepared, the wind howled, we waited.....and not that much happened where I live and I'm very happy about that because not everyone was as lucky.  If you suffered from the effects of the storm where you live I hope you're all ok. I took advantage of the horrible day to stay in and dye some aluminium sheet and one of the designs was inspired by the severe weather.  I painted swirls in shades of blue which were a little like weather maps and a little like spirals of wind. Hopefully they'll look effective when I make them into jewellery!

Last blog I talked about the forthcoming exhibition at The Beetroot Tree Gallery so I thought I'd show you their publicity material and if you're in the area, then do make sure you pop in and say hello, they've got some lovely things.

I've also cut out and made some other lovely pieces in the last week and I've called them the Batik Collection because they really do look like handpainted silk. Let me know what you think and I'm also interested in finding out out whether you prefer necklaces or pendants, so please do give me feedback.

 

 

Do you like the new shape I've been working with?

On the 9th and 10th of November I will be at the Christmas Craft Trail at Cotehele National Trust property. Come and see me if you can!

A Week of Xmas Treats for You!

Hi there everyone, it's blog time again!

Well, I've been busy, busy, busy making jewellery, working on my website, adding new jewellery and just generally doing stuff!

First of all I want to give you all a little treat for following my blog - a 10% discount for my blog readers - just quote Xmas Treats at the checkout for your discount which is valid until the 21st October. A little Xmas pressie from me at Val at SlickSilver Jewellery! Whilst you're looking for what you're going to treat yourself to, please head over and check out my brand new Inspirations Blog - this blog will continue unchanged but i'd love it if you gave the new one a quick glance too.

This week I've been working on a new shape and design and since I really like it I'm probably going to keep Seaspray1! 

I've also got quite a few exhibitions coming up and I hope that some of you will live close enough to visit one of them.

I will also be exhibiting at The Beetroot Tree Gallery in Draycott, Derbyshire from 26th November through to the 4th January.  My work will be specially featured on the 18th/19th December.  The organisers have set up a Facebook page so it would be great if you could show your support! Thank you. The Beetroot Tree 'By Invitation'

Ok, everyone, remember to pop over to use your discount code and you can use it as many times as you like in the next 7 days!

It's been too long!

Hello again, sorry if you thought I'd deserted you all - not so - just that life has been throwing a few brickbats of late!

Well, when I last blogged, we were about to kick off our Open Studios event. Well there's a lesson in how to keep a house pristine for 10 days!!! None of the usual garlicky, spicy smells associated with our love of cooking, a duster permanently attached to my person and a constant need to straighten pictures! We did meet some lovely people though.

Devastatingly, I lost my lifelong friend to cancer towards the end of Open Studios, she'd only been ill a short while.  She lived in France and we chatted frequently through Facebook about life in general and stuff that our grown up children were up to. We had been best friends since the age of 11 and she had a wicked sense of humour and so a photo of us together has gone up in my studio so we can still natter and she can have a giggle at me every time I get something wrong! This and visitors is the reason that I've been absent for a few weeks.

So what else has been happening?

Well, exhibitions seems to be the key word for me at the moment! I know that I'd already mentioned the 'By Hand' exhibition at Ordsall Hall in Salford which takes place from mid October until January and I've just found out that I've been selected to take part in 'Past, Present and Future' Drawn To The Valley exhibition at Mount Edgcumbe Country Park from 19th - 27th October. I've also been asked to be part of 'By Invitation' at The Beetroot Tree Gallery in Derbyshire which takes place from the end of November.  This is the first year that I've been asked to exhibit outside Devon so it's pretty exciting!

I'm also going to be starting another blog which will be more pictorial and will be part of my website.  It will centre on what inspires me to make jewellery.  This blog will continue in it's current form and will continue to be linked to my website, but I hope that some of you will want to come and check out the other blog too!

As all of the work I've done since Open Studios has all been for submissions I thought I'd show you instead a couple of the designs that have been dyed and which are ready to be cut out and made up into new pieces. The photos are not brilliant because it's quite hard not to get my own reflection in when they're in flat sheet form. The top photo is called Batik, the bottom design is called Seaspray and the middle pic is of a new range (Sqiggles) of dyed aluminium rod which I've forged into shape. I'd love to hear what you think of them.

Ok then, I'll be back next week hopefully!

Does it remind you of a Mojito?

Hello all, me again!

I enjoyed summer, we had a whole week of it this year! Last night sounded like Armageddon out there with wheelie bins being blown over and being sent rumbling down the cobblestones and it's mid May for goodness sake, we should be celebrating beautiful spring days, not putting the central heating on! Rant over....

Second rant.... 17 years of having to get up at 6.00am for work, you'd think now I work for myself I wouldn't naturally wake up at the crack of pip....wrong! I've also discovered that it's not much use doing your social networking at 6.30am because nobody else is up in the world, no-one!!!

So, what's been going on since my last confession?  Well, I've placed some of my work in another brand new craft venture. If you're in the Nottingham area then take a look at Nottingham Craft Mafia.

Does anyone else use Google+? I registered but other than having a profile and posting this blog on it each week haven't been particularly active.  By accident the other day though I discovered the 'communities' section and through posting a few bits and pieces in various relevant jewellery communities I've found a lot of new interest in my work which is great. If you haven't ventured into them yet, take a look, there's some interesting bits.

I have been making this week though which is good because I've been doing so much admin lately that I haven't had much time - oh, the irony...... Anyway, what do you think of my latest offering which is, as usual, made from handpainted and printed anodised aluminium? I'm sneakily quite pleased with how this has turned out.  For some reason it does make me think of a Mojito......

I hope you will forgive the fact that my quick snaps are taken on my iPad. There is a reason for this and it's the change in the law regarding ownership of pictures posted on social networking areas. My understanding of it is that unless the photograph is protected by being on your website or has links directly to you then it's licensed for anyone to use, therefore my good quality images will only be posted on my website. I don't know the full details of the law change but I do know that the changes were bought in over night with no warning.

The next week will see me at Crocadon Producer's fair on Saturday 18th so if you're in the area of St. Mellion, Cornwall come and say hello, mention that you read my blog and i'll give you 15% off!! How's that for an offer!

See you next week......

Planning and I need your input!

Hello again everyone!  Hope you've all been enjoying the lovely weather - sadly it's not going to be around after tonight but at least we've had a few days of sunshine to make us all feel better!

I feel like I haven't drawn breath since attending the Crafts Council Hothouse Taster Day! I keep waking up at ridiculous hours with ideas and the need to get things down on paper.  As a result it's been a pretty busy week! I've had some interesting meetings and scheduled some more, attended Tavistock Arts Market and generally had a great week, lots of sales and lots of interest. The type of week when I love working for myself, even though I work far longer hours now than I ever have before and it does feel a little bit like I'm spinning plates!

I'm planning a brand new website in the next couple of months so once again, I'd really like your feedback.  When I visit craft fairs I always dress my stand in black as it makes the colours in the aluminium jewellery really stand out and people often comment on how good it looks.  My question is black or white background for the website? Do you find one or the other easier to look at? Let me know what you think!

I'm looking forward to making some jewellery next week - I haven't had chance to make anything this week! I've got a couple of sheets of aluminium already dyed so I will have something to work with.

I can also tell you about a brand new gallery that have opened the doors this week and which has my jewellery on display - go and have a look at Porters of Station Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon if you get the chance.  It's a lovely shop and Ali will give you a warm welcome!

Have you ever thought about taking a short course in texturing/colouring metal or an aluminium taster day? I offer one to one half day courses in a variety of themes or if you prefer full day group courses I will soon be working with a couple of craft centres in Cornwall to deliver that training - do let me know if you'd like me to pass on your details.



Texture and colour on copper

The second and third pictures are examples of copper that has been heat treated in different ways - playing with texture and colour is great fun and the techniques learned can then be incorporated into your own style of working.

I look forward to your comments regarding the new website! Onwards!

The Scaredy Cat gets Braver....

Hi folks!

It's blog time again so what to talk about.......

Like a lot of people who work creatively, I'm a great big scaredy cat when it comes to selling myself and my wares.  I love the whole making process and I have a sneaking feeling that I would be happy to do just that, however, I have visions of our house filling up with jewellery like the never ending porridge pot in the fairy story, so I must try to sell my work. 

Just over a year ago I needed surgery on my right shoulder which meant no making for a few months, so in preparation, I made as much as I could in advance.  I challenged myself to learn about using social media to increase my visibility during this time.  I was already using Twitter socially so I started to focus more on that, set up a Facebook page, started blogging and joined LinkedIn.  I've learned as I've gone along, sometimes by making mistakes, and I've also realised that how something sounds in my head when I write it may not be the way it's read!! I've attracted many a spambot by not thinking through a tweet before pressing 'send'! My Twitter use is a combination now of social and business chat with virtual colleagues and increasing my brand through pictures of my work and links (trying to remember to use my hashtags - Ash!). I've read a couple of articles recently that I'd like to share with you because they're really well written and very useful.  The first article was a blog by Plymouth's local social networking guru Ash Mashhadi and I'd definitely recommend it. http://inspiration.co.uk/the-7-deadly-sins-of-social-media/  The second was a really useful article by Pete Mosley on Twitter for creative workers.  It was in the September/October issue of Craft and Design magazine http://www.craftanddesign.net/magazine/223/.

I think it's safe to say that I am embracing the need to put myself out there virtually and more recently I've started to do it physically too by attending local artists's markets and other events.  I also exhibit regularly with Flameworks.  This week, however, I've really challenged myself.  I attended Plymouth Business Networking at the Devonport Guildhall.  I took along my jewellery, not quite knowing what to expect, but guess what? I really enjoyed myself!  I wasn't as hard as I thought to chat to other business people, exchange cards, ideas and plans and I've already booked myself in for the next one! Who would have thought?

My stand at Plymouth Business Networking Event

I've had a very busy week in the studio too, cutting up the aluminium sheets I made the week before. I'm actually really pleased with how these have turned out, by which I mean that it's difficult sometimes to know whether a design is pleasing or not until it's cut. This time when dyeing the sheets I experimented with dipping skeleton leaves into sticky aluminium ink and pressing them onto the metal before applying powdered pigments and dyes. I'm happy with the results. What do you think?

Falling Leaves collection

I also wanted to create some warm and richly coloured pieces for the winter and so I made the Harlequin collection. 

Harlequin collection

These collections and much more besides will soon be available on my website so keep checking so you don't miss out http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk.

If you'd like to see more of my jewellery in the flesh, I've got two more stockists to tell you about this week. Yay!! If you're in Derbyshire you can see my work at Studio 61 Gallery http://www.karinagoodman.com/ and if you're in Somerset then why not visit The Cottage Gallery http://wwwthecottagegallery.co.uk .  If you are near to Tavistock, then why not come and see me personally on the 4th November and 2nd December at the Artists's Market in the Pannier Market, Tavistock.  Look forward to seeing you!

It's a Wedding Blog Collaboration!

Hello folks!

It seems a while since I featured a collaborative blog which is because I've had a couple promised which have fallen by the wayside, however, I now have a great one for you!  Let me tell you a little about Sarah, my guest this week.  Well the first thing is, she's a very talented lady, obviously, but the second thing is she's the keeper of my sanity!  We met through Twitter and we check in with each other most days and have a natter about what we're up to and if either of us is having a bit of a rough patch, we email.  We've never actually spoken and she's years younger than me, but that doesn't seem to get in the way of us being friends.  This means a lot to me, having gone from having a lot of work colleagues this year to lone working - as I say she keeps me sane!

Sarah makes extremely pretty jewellery and lovely weddingy things and I know that she's happy to work with brides to come up with a whole range of co-ordinated goodies. With that in mind, let's let Sarah of S L Jewellery tell us a bit more about what she does.

1. Do you make and sell your lovely bridal bouquets or do you prefer
to work individually with a bride?

 

I have a couple of sample bouquets which I sell off occasionally as
new designs are created but the joy of these bouquets is that they can
be created uniquely for each bride.
I love working with brides to create a piece unique to them. They know
that the bouquet they take down the isle is likely to be a complete
one off and there will be no other the same.
We sit down or chat over the phone and come up with the scheme and
begin to gather together some pieces to create a mood board. Once we
are happy with the ideas I begin the making process. I photograph each
step and keep the bride fully involved to make sure they are happy
before each step is completed. Once the complete bouquet is assembled
the brides gets to see it in the flesh which usually results in floors
of tears.

 

 

2. Where do you find all your sparkly bits and pieces to go into a bouquet?

Some brides prefer to gather all the pieces for a bouquet whether this
be for budget purposes or if they are lucky enough to have lots of
pieces within the family. Some receive pieces as gifts from friends
and family once they tell them they are having this type of bouquet.
If they prefer I can collect the items. I love all things sparkly and
wherever I am I always pick up bits and pieces. I have a secret box to
keep them all in. I love getting it out and going through it with
brides :)

3. Where can people see more of your work?

I'm a well known twitter addict so come and say hi at
www.twitter.co.uk/s_l_jewellery or here on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-L-Jewellery-and-Accessories/94160226703
You can view my website here www.sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk or
why not email me on info@sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk

So if you're thinking of getting married, or you know someone who is, then why not take a look at S L Jewellery's amazing bouquets and bits and bobs?

When thinking about weddings, no matter what the season, there's always the desire for the bride's mum to want to to wear something that no-one else will be wearing.  Even the simplest outfit can be made special and unique by the addition of bespoke jewellery.  Here at SlickSilver Jewellery we can offer just that.  Show us pictures of your outfit, close up shots of the fabric, and select the style of jewellery from my website, email me with your requirements and I can make aluminium and silver jewellery just for you and you'll know that no-one else will be wearing it! Tempting, isn't it! Just email me for a quotation!

This is some of my latest work. If you're interested in finding out more then please visit my website for further details http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk

Oh, and there's some exciting news - I've got another stockist - visit Mangojuice Gallery in Worcester to see (and hopefully buy!) something for yourself!

Next week I've got another exciting blog collaboration - completely different, but just a beautiful!! Why not follow my blog so that you don't miss it!

Parma Violets Necklace

Summer Dreams Necklace




 

Updates and News

It's raining, the wind is howling, the cat is wet, it's Sunday, the coffee's on, the bread is made, scones to be made later, so all of that means it's update time!  Does anyone else set aside a particular time to do their updates?

On my Facebook page last week http://www.facebook.com/SlickSilverJewellery?ref=hl#!/SlickSilverJewellery I mentioned that I had a heap of finished jewellery ready to be photographed, so yesterday my husband did that for me.  That means today I have a load of lovely pics to play with, hence the updates!! So, this morning I feel I've achieved quite a lot.  I started off by updating my LinkedIn profile which was something I've been meaning to do for ages, followed by my website, then my Facebook page, Twitter and then finally here I am, all ready to blog! It does take time to manage it all, but it's worth it.

Those of you who've followed my blog will know that I left my day job in March and since then I've been fully concentrating designing (and selling!) my jewellery.  I'm sure that some of my old colleagues must think that all I do now is sit around at home chatting on Twitter, but believe me I work much longer hours now than I ever did before and I do find it really hard to take a day off in the week because I really do love what I do!

So what's new?  Well both my husband, artist and composer David Muddyman, and myself have a new stockist.  You can now find us at West Gallery, West Putford, Holsworthy, Devon http://www.westgallery.co.uk/index.html which is a lovely tranquil place to visit and to have a chat to Rob and Belinda.

I've also been working, as I said before, on some new collections which have been added to the Signature Collection today. I really hope you like these - they are some of my favourite pieces so far. Mermaid's Tale only consists of the three pieces shown - a very limited edition!

Summer Dreams

This long necklace is in the Summer Dreams Collection and slips easily over the head as it's 25 inched long.  You can wear it whichever way you want, with it's off-centre rings and uneven circles, it has a contemporary feel.

Mermaid's Tale

The Mermaid's Tale Collections consists of just these three pieces which makes it a very exclusive set of jewellery.  The colours are just gorgeous and the deep texture gives it an iridescence. Again it is entirely made by hand from anodised aluminium and sterling silver.

Watermark

This stunning collection is called Watermark and the three dimensional quality of this piece means that it turns slightly when it's being worn and it always shows a glimpse of hidden pattern of colour - trust me, it's gorgeous!! There's also matching earrings and cuff for this one.




You can find all of these new pieces on my website in the Signature Collection.  Why not treat yourself? http://slicksilverjewellery.co.uk/userimages/Signature-Collection-Shop(2625802).htm

That's all from me this week as I really should go and make scones, after all, I have jam and clotted cream so it would be rude not to..................

Favourite at the Fair and Inspiration Pics

It's been another busy week folks! What's new, I hear you groan......

You may recall that last blog I was telling you that I was meeting the Ladies Wot Tweat for another lovely lunch and so last Friday, 10 of us met up for lunch at Jolly Jacks.  A fast-paced and hilarious few hours ensued and I didn't return from lunch until well after 4pm! I got chance to speak with those I hadn't managed to chat to before and met another new member and we found that we had musical offspring in common amongst other things.

The weather on Saturday was dire, but, as my husband was on a photography course, I spent the day working and on Sunday we woke up to sunshine so set off as planned to visit the Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracey, Devon.  I've been before, but the familiar excitement of seeing so much beautiful jewellery soon set in and no, I wasn't disappointed! I couldn't go last year because of surgery on my shoulder but really enjoyed the opportunity of chatting to makers whose work I was already familiar with.  I also met some really lovely designers, who had stunning work on display and who were really friendly.  To the two ladies who were manning stalls and who didn't look up from their mobile phones or acknowledge me the whole time I was looking at their work - bad move! I cannot pass up the chance to mention just a few designers who really caught my eye.  Anne Morgan for her amazing ability to reticulate large pieces of silver, Bryony Stanford's amazing crumpled cuffs, Jed Green's incredible shaped glass tube jewellery and Kokkino for some absolutely stunning new work. I also loved the aesthetically pleasing designs of new jeweller Katie Roberts in the One Year On marquee.  I'm a real sucker for ceramics too and have contacted two of my favourites in the hope that they'll take part in a collaborative blog. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, this week we've had a visitor to stay who was mixing an album with my husband, so after hearing many snippets of music many times, I retired to my studio to work!  I'm hoping to exhibit in the summer so I'm currently working on pieces for that theme.  I'll tell you no more than that, but you can see a picture of one of the pieces so far.

I thought that you might also be interested in seeing what inspires me.  We took a little trip down to Royal William Yard yesterday for a coffee and a look at Plymouth College of Art Degree Show which was well worth a visit, so if you get a chance to visit their two venues down there, do go.  Anyway, on to inspiration.  Texture and colour, every time.  We wandered round and I took some photos for my inspiration board - I hope you like them too.

An amazing rusty old door!

Old stone wall

Peely paintwork

Well, that's all for this week, hope you like my pictures!

SlickSilver Jewellery - The Return!

Well hello all - I'm back from my travels yet again!

We had a wonderful week in London, housesitting for friends in West Hampstead and getting out each day to visit galleries and exhibitions and new places.  My husband, artist and composer David Muddyman, spent most of his life living in the capital, indeed until 5 years ago when he moved to Plymouth and met me, so he truly knows his way around.

As we both love contemporary art, we're perfectly happy to wander around looking at new work and great jewellery and we both found things to inspire us especially in Tate Modern and Electrum Gallery, such exquisite innovative jewellery.  One moment that was really lovely was going into Studio Fusion Gallery in Oxo Towers http://www.studiofusiongallery.co.uk, where we met Louise O'Neill. She took time to tell us about all of the artists involved in Studio Fusion and even showed me her kiln - in all, a really nice lady to have met.

Last monday saw us visiting Brighton (a first for me) which was great but very wet.  It literally poured with rain so we dashed into a shop, bought 2 umbrellas and came back out to glorious sunshine and blue sky and no more rain - oh well!

Since I came back I've been producing new sheets of aluminium pattern ready for cutting.  Very soon you will be able to buy Cherry Blossom and Coral Reef from my website.

Coral Reef

Cherry Blossom

I plan to turn these two gorgeous sheets into a limited number of cuffs, pendants and earrings and perhaps a necklace. The sheets are approximately 10 x 7 inches.

I'm always inspired by nature and I've also been making moulds this week of tree bark, woodgrain, lavarock and all sorts of things in anticipation of my kiln arriving.......one day my kiln will come..........

Ok folks off to wait for the kiln delivery man! I think he may be walking......

Galleries, Museums and birds

This blog is being bought to you this week from London!  We're house-sitting for friends and taking the opportunity to visit galleries and other lovely places!

Yesterday was a wonderful day which was spent at the Victoria & Albert Museum, where we idled many happy hours in the ceramics, contemporary glass, silver and jewellery sections.  My husband is an artist and we are both inspired by colour and texture and whilst we don't always like the same pieces, we are generally happy in the same sections particularly the more contemporary works! I found the more modern jewellery so inspirational. This gorgeous collection of blue birds were made as an installation by Claire Twomey using various shades of Wedgewood clay.

Today was shopping day - well, it has to be done, doesn't it?! Of course, we had to look at all the shoe shops and jewellery shops! We finished the day in Hatton Garden - it's a good thing that I'm not into diamonds!!  I did come away with a Cookson's new catalogue and plenty of ideas for my wishlist.

We're hoping to fit in a visit to Tate Modern, the Lanes in Brighton and as many other lovely arty places as we can.

On that note - I'm off for a cosy night tucked up with my Cookson's catalogue!

See you next week.

Glass and Leaf Collaboration

Hi again folks! Well, we're off to the Flameworks meeting tonight (where we went last week, but on the wrong night!!) so hopefully I will actually remember to go! I blame my age!

Last week you may remember that I held a competition for guessing the weight of a pendant and I ended up with 2 winners!! The closest answer came through in time but didn't show up in my inbox until after I'd announced my winner, so luckily, I had made two pendants in a similar style and I was able to supply both of them with prizes which are on their way!

The winner I announced was Stevie Davies and when I saw Stevie's work I was enthralled and asked her if she would be part of my collaborative blog series and here she is!

Coaster - detail

1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?

 That’s a hard one! Whenever I am asked this question, I tend to start by saying that I not like most other artists I know. I don’t have specific sources of inspiration, not in the traditional sense anyway. My work is an exploration of glass as a medium rather that a theme represented in glass. I am constantly enthralled by the way it softens and moves during the firing process and how the way I can manipulate it to get specific (and sometimes unexpected) reactions. Most recent works involve the manipulation of wire through various textile techniques such as lace and crochet. The shapes and designs in wire then inspire the way I incorporate them into the main body of glass.

Crochet Panel

2. Is there a craft medium you’ve always had a hankering to try your hand at?

I am lucky enough to have had to opportunity to try many different mediums and techniques though my career. Starting with my Contemporary Decorative Crafts degree and through into my 4 years of creative practice, meeting numerous artists and making connections. I suppose I’d have to say the medium of metal, allow many things can come under that umbrella, everything from large scale sculpture through to intricate jewellery. .

Statement Jewellery

3. If you could see one famous person owning one of your designs, who would it be?

Well, I had to think about this one. The person who I would love to own a piece of my work would be Steven Fry, I have a couple of reason for this and I shall explain. The first is that I find the way men view my work is in a very analytical way, they try to work out how a piece is made, especially my 3d sculptures. I find it really interesting to watch, at a show I can see the cogs in the brain ticking over and I know the questions they are wanting to ask. I think Mr Fry would do this too, although he is probably clever enough to know guess anyway, and that would make me smile. Secondly, I love to think that my work can make people happy, I think it is an honor to sell a piece. Whether someone has fallen in love with a piece so much they are willing to part with their hard earned money or whether they are buying a gift for a loved one.

Climbing Rose Canvas

4. Where can fans buy your work?

 I exhibit and sell at various shows, festivals and galleries around the country, primarily in the midlands.

Online include my website www.stevie-davies.co.uk

My folksy shop – www.folksy.com/shops/StevieDaviesContemporaryGlassArt

Ivy Hanging Scultpure

So there you have it, this is what makes Stevie Davies, Contemporary Glass Artist tick - if you love it as much as I do, then why not treat yourself to something lovely and tactile for yourself or your home.

Seeing Stevie's gorgeous Ivy sculpture made me think immediately of what I could show you that I've made this week.  Following an enquiry I've mostly been working on rings made from aluminium and I'll show you more of those next week, however, I've also made a brooch which is a bit of new venture for me.  I loved the leaf shapes I've been exploring in my Signature Collection of late so I decided to enlarge one of the shapes and curve it.  Once I'd done that I felt it was probably too large for a pendant so I decided to turn it into a pin brooch. What do you all think?

Leaf Brooch

I think it looks almost like a tribal shield, but I do really like it! We'll have to see if it's a success or not! It features a lump of reticulated silver at the head of the pin too along with a Jackson Pollack-esque handpainted design on the aluminium.  If you want to find out more about it you can find it on my Signature Collection page http://slicksilverjewellery.co.uk/page11.htm

All that remains now is to thank Stevie Davies for taking part in my collaborative blog at such short notice and to say I'll see you all next week!

My Twitter Support Group!

Hi folks!

Well what a week it's been! Times, they are a changing...... they could write a song about that I reckon....

Last week I told you about my submission to Flameworks Art2Go Christmas Exhibition at the Royal William Yard, Plymouth.  Last time I entered this I turned up on the night to see a few of my items displayed and felt a rush of pride, and when I had an urgent message to contact them on Tuesday I thought the worst.  Not so!! They want even more so last night was spent sorting, coding, labelling and pricing lots more work for them to choose from today.  The downside of this was that I completely forgot to attend a pre-arranged Twitter party at 8pm.  I was one of 2 birthday girls and I forgot to go to my own party!!! How lame is that?!?

This brings me on to this week's subject matter - Twitter.  Now I know some of you will be sitting there shouting get a life at the computer screen, however, I figure if you're reading this, you're already half way there yourself!!

The fact is, I blooming love Twitter!!

This week has been a rollercoaster, with potential plans afoot to change my whole lifestyle and as well as the support of my husband and family, I've found great props in a couple of my Twitter friends.  Yes, I know it's strange because we've never met, but we do support each other when we can see that it's needed. Emails have been flying back and forth as well as tweets with ideas and plans - you see what could be better than bouncing ideas around with people of a like mind? It makes perfect sense to me, because often, we can't rationalise something and we get bogged down by it, but someone else comes along and offers a simple solution and off we go again.

The party organiser last night was Sarah Marks from http://www.tiny-gems.co.uk and she makes gorgeous sparkly wedding jewellery and heirloom bouquets and is a bright and chirpy tweeter and along with Tara from http://www.daisyicecreamvan.co.uk who serves the most amazing goodies from her vintage van at weddings and events, we regularly meet up on Twitter to give our very knowledgable opinions on Strictly Come Dancing and anything else we all happen to be watching!

There is one person who's given me her time and ideas tirelessly this week though and that's Sarah from http://www.sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk and she makes stunning bespoke bead and wire jewellery.  We've emailed and supported a lot and she's decided that I need a plan of action!! Her help has been invaluable and many months ago she spent time explaining a lot of SEO jargon to me as well. I really hope that you'll go and visit the websites of all these lovely ladies and buy lots of nice things from them.  If you're in Wales, look out for SL Jewellery - she may be teaching somewhere near you soon!!

Ok I'm off now to deliver my jewellery to the exhibition - come and visit if you can - photos next week!!

Craft on TV!

Well hello folks and yes I did promise another blog collaboration, but yet again it hasn't happened - sorry, but other artists must be very busy!

Did anyone else watch Kirstie's Handmade Britain last night?  It's so good to see craft on mainstream television.  Particularly good to see Phiona Richards from Rare Notions who recently started following me on Twitter which was quite a coincidence as I'd been admiring her work only a few days before in Nicola Hurst's lovely gallery in Plymouth! Phiona makes the most exquisite jewellery and art from old and damaged books - who knows, maybe I can persuade her to be a blog collaborator in the future so that we can find out a bit more about her work!

What was a joy on the programme last night was seeing Kirstie Allsopp's total enthusiasm for the crafts she was trying.  It can only be a good thing for the handmade movement that this programme is making it look cool and is trying to show that crafting is also loved by people of all ages and both sexes!  I do hope that more programmes are made that look at handmade, not only as art forms, but as businesses.  Theo Paphitis' programme focussed more on the business side when he looked at Liberty, Habitat and Boots, but it would be great to see a series that took an individual craft each week and looked at the experts, new businesses and novices within each discipline with a view to mutual support and inspiration.  Any programme makers reading this???

On another front - this week I've returned to my part time day job which funds my business at the moment following my shoulder surgery.  This has also meant a return to making jewellery and as I said last week I've been experimenting with deeper textures and combining silver with my aluminium as a signature range.



This piece was handpierced from a small amount of double-dyed aluminium which was textured with grasses and features a handmade silver toggle clasp and a reticulated silver component to the necklace. It sits beautifully at a the base of the neck at a choker length.

Right I'm off to try to push another piece of aluminium to it's limits and I'll let you know what happens!!

See you next week!

Important News - Wish Lists and New Collections

Well, plenty of views of last week's blog about Carolyn Saxby's gorgeous work! Good to know I'm not the only person who gets excited about textures/colours!

Last Thursday was my husband's birthday and so we went for a picnic by the estuary near here and were privileged to see an otter happily swimming about and fishing for his tea! On the downside, I was bitten to pieces by some evil insect and spent the next 3 days in agony with massive bites and no sleep!!

Ok, time for some important news (well it was news to me!) - a couple of days ago I was happily adding items to my Amazon Wish List when I noticed that you could download a Universal Wish List button to your favourites bar and add items to your wish list from websites outside Amazon. Great, I thought, now I can add specialist tools and all sorts of jewellery making goodies and so I did.
Later that evening I gave it some thought and realised that my customers could add their longed-for pieces from my collections to their wishlists.  Great, I thought, but then a niggly little thought started squirming about in my poor old brain. 

Wonderful news if you produce multiples, however, not so great if, like me, you only produce one-offs.

I like to change my stock and add new stock regularly on my website so an item added may have disappeared by the time purchase takes place.  Ooops!

I spoke to the lovely Amazon people today and they hadn't really thought about this problem and do not currently notify a vendor that an item has been added to a wishlist although they might look into this for the future. As it's open to all, I don't see how we can opt out of this service if we chose to.

The way I see it is that it is lovely that fans can add our work to their wishlists, but we must make sure that they tell us they have, otherwise an item could already be sold or reserved more than once, leading to embarrassment and difficulties. As makers we can choose to reserve an item for a customer, but we must also then take the risk that the purchase will not be made after all. 

Hmmmmmm, a thinker! I'd really welcome your thoughts on this one.  For the moment, I've put a note on my home page asking fans to let me know if they've put one of my pieces on a wishlist.

Shades of Autumn Collection

So, onto my new aluminium collections!

The first collection was intended to celebrate the gorgeous autumn colours that are just beginning to appear in our landscape.

The collection on the right is vibrant and really looks like neon lights, perfect for that little black dress.

The collection on the left is very pretty and delicate and would suit anyone. They are all available from www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk


That's it for this week, folks.  Do leave me comments about your feelings on wishlists - look forward to hearing from you.

Neon Lights & Party Nights Collection

Pink Ladies Collection

Colour & Texture Collaboration 2

I would just like to open this week's blog with a word of thanks to our emergency services and police for their stirling work, a hearfelt saddness for lives and livelihoods lost, deep thanks for the social media's tea and broom gangs cleaning up and a profound hope that we can turn all of this horror around.


When I came up with the idea of a collaborative blog featuring the work of artists I admire, I wasn't sure whether it would work or not, but I hoped that it would at least bring those people together in a common cause. I'm pleased to say that this week I have another fabulous knitwear designer's work to share with you.  I first came across Corinne Carr's designs at Gallery Latitude 50 when I was on honeymoon in St Ives in June and was instantly drawn to the colours and textures she uses.  I asked her about her inspiration.

1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?

My inspiration for a new design usually comes from wanting something different to wear, going into shops and not finding it. I find that is the trigger for a new shape. People will say, 'Oh I really like that jumper/jacket/cardigan' and it will become part of my collection. Then in terms of colourways, I draw a lot of inspiration from the Cornish countryside. My studio windows overlook the moors of Zennor and I find that the changing colours of the seasons filters through to my knitwear.

2. Is there a craft medium that you've always had a hankering to try your hand at?

I'd always wanted to do printmaking and finally a few years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a printing press and experiment. I fell in love with the process - the alchemy of it. Of course, you have control when you put the ink on the paper and place in on the press, but then there is a magical moment when the print is free from the pressure of the press and the final image emerges. That transformation that takes place beyond your gaze - beyond your control - is the fascinating part. Unfortunately, with the gallery and my knitwear business growing so much over the past few years, I haven't been able to return to printmaking and develop further. But I have every intention of doing so as soon as I have the time. I have not ruled out trying my hand at painting either!

3. If you could see one famous person wearing your designs, who would it be?

I can think of a few (if I'm allowed)

Ines de la Fressange because she is the epitome of French style and makes everything she wears look absolutely fabulous.

Camila Batmanghelidgh because she loves colour as much as I do and because she is such an inspiration with the work she does for children and I admire her greatly.

And maybe Annie Lennox because she is so stylish and she sang songs I danced to when I was just starting out in design. And because my aubergine 'Feather' cardigan would look amazing with her platinum hair!

. Where can fans buy your work?

My full collection can be found year round at my studio gallery Latitude 50 just outside St Ives and knitwear can be ordered online at www.corinnecarr.co.uk. In Cornwall and the Scillies: Gallery Tresco, Trelowarren Gallery; Trellisick Gallery; Guild of Ten Truro; The Round House Gallery Sennen; The Square Gallery, St Mawes; Wave 7 Gallery, Port Isaac; Mid Cornwall Galleries, Par; UK wide: The National Trust Cotehele Gallery, St Dominc; Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge; Blue Duck Gallery, Reading; Blue Ginger Gallery, Malvern.

I'll also be exhibiting at these national craft fairs for the first time this year: The Cornwall Design Fair, Trereife House later this month, Made11 Brighton in November and Made by Hand Wales in Newport in December.

 I'm sure that you will agree with me, that Corinne Carr's work is stunning.  Walking into her gallery is like looking at an open packet of Fruit Pastilles - your mouth literally waters at the array of coloured cones of wool lining her work area! Make sure that you visit the gallery at www.gallerylatitude50.co.uk or check out www.corinnecarr.co.uk and start writing that Christmas list.


I asked Corinne to think about autumn colours and I love what she's supplied.  I think that her designs would work really well with some of my own pieces.
The collection on the left is called Stained Fingers from Blackberry Picking and the collection of the right is called Nighttime Reflections in Inky Water.  Both collections are available from my website at www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

I've also included a few images of some other pieces which are available from me on request.

This wide cuff is from the Andromeda range and is £39.00 It is approximately 5cm wide.

The choker pendant on the right is also from the Andromeda collection and is £29.00.

I hope that you've enjoyed my blog and that you will add Corinne Carr and Mhairi Wild to your list of 'must haves' (and me too if you like my designs!!)  I shall now toddle off and ferret out another top designer to share with you in the not too distant future.