Finished at Last

Snowdrift Ring

Yes I managed to finish my entry for the juried exhibition at Influx Gallery and got it sent in just in time. The finished piece is not what I envisioned when I was designing it - although the silver structure is as planned, the enamel was going to be far more experimental. But as with any experiment - some work and some don't and this one didn't. I was originally trying to fire gemstones directly in the enamel but I couldn't get them to 'stick' to the enamel. Perhaps someone out there knows how to do it?

When that didn't work I went onto plan B - opalescent enamels with silver embellishments. I just didn't like how it looked and the enamels were yellowing with all the firing. On to plan C - sugar-fired opaque enamel. No, too plain. So in desperation I went to plan D - do something you know will work and finish the damn thing! Actually I am pleased with the result although it is conventional and I was planning something which I thought was radical.

Does everyone else go through this agony when trying to do something unusual for an exhibition piece?

Juried Shows

One of the things I have been musing on lately is the subject "Fiat Lux" meaning - let there be light. This is the theme of a juried jewellery exhibition at Influx Gallery in Calgary that I am planning on entering a piece for. I have been with Influx Gallery since they opened and they have been fantastic in the number and scope of the exhibitions they put on. They are also incredibly professional and nice to deal with , which isn't always the case with galleries.

I had an idea for Fiat Lux right away that inspired me, I feel like I want to keep it secret until the piece is done though, I'm not sure why. What I need to work on is the actual design and how my idea will work, whether it will work in fact, and how much I want to spend on it in dollars. Of all the pieces I have ever made for juried shows only a few have sold, but I think it is incredibly freeing to make a piece with absolutely no thought as to whether anyone will like it or anyone will buy it. I aim to do one or two pieces like this a year, I wish it were more but I need to actually make a living.

I will show you the piece when its done, but until then it remains in my head, and sketch book. Now I must get on with it as the deadline is in April and we all know how time speeds up as the deadline approaches.