Sea Glass Jewelry

I have a confession to make.  I have a beach combing addiction.  I cannot walk on the beach without staring at the sand, hoping to find the wonderful little treasures that come from the ocean .  I have mason jars full of shells, and also sea glass.  Every once in a while, I make jewelry out of the sea glass.  I guess I feel that using it justifies me constantly adding to the collection.  Last week, I got the urge to make some jewelry.  I got out my soldering iron and picked through my sea glass.  I had so much fun!

Finally- A New Post!

 how I've been spending most of my time.

how I'd rather be spending my time.

I have been away from my blog for about a month for two main reasons.  

ONE: No painting has been going on, so really nothing to post.

TWO:  Moving, so I spend most of my time looking for a place to live- and the dreaded packing of the house and trying to sort out what should get boxed up and moved!

Usually, my husband's work involves him commuting weekly by plane to wherever the current contract is located.  This time it involves us relocating.  Hopefully, it will be worth all the trouble- by way of a home located very near the ocean!

I really need to make some time for painting or just spending all of my time packing will make me crazy.  I rarely go this long without painting- even though it is technically work, it is my relaxation.  SO- at least once a week, hopefully, I will get into my studio and paint!  And, needless to say, the studio will be the last room I box up.

Thankfully, I have two really large orders of soldered charms (seahorses, sand dollars, and starfish) to get finished.  That means I have to take a break from packing up, and get these charms soldered.  It will be a VERY welcome break.  I also need to get up to date on visiting the blogs of my fellow artists and see what everybody has been doing!

In My Studio This Week- Soldering and more soldering

I haven't been able to pick up a paint brush this week- busy with other projects. I miss the painting, of course, but also enjoy the other art projects. Lots of Etsy orders to fill- all soldered glass ornaments and charms, so I have been using the soldering iron instead of the watercolor brushes. Mostly Blue Star Banner charms and ornaments and a lot of ornaments with photos on them. I really enjoy soldering and making these ornaments and charms, but they do take me away from my painting and I was in such a painting groove lately. I think I spread myself too thin, artistically speaking, but I like so many art forms. I want to try it all! Some of the photos I get from people for charms and ornaments are fun to see- old wedding photos, baby pictures, pictures of deployed husbands...Anyway, my studio is a mess of soldering tools, and I will be back at it today while my unfinished watercolors wait a few feet away. Soon!

First Thursday ArtSplash on Etsy

Tomorrow, October 7, it is time again for First Thursday ArtSplash on Etsy! The first Thursday of each month is ArtSplash- a perfect time to go over and check out the wonderful variety of fine art available in shops on Etsy. There are many artists involved and it showcases original fine art. You will find oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings as well as drawings, pen and ink, and mixed media- just about anything that can be classified as fine art. Just go to http://artsplashonetsy.blogspot.com or click on the ArtSplash button in the side bar, and take a look.

My vineyard watercolor was put on pause yesterday due to an unexpected soldering problem. I recently changed to a new bottle of flux in soldering my silver art charms. There are many variables to look at when trying to figure out exactly what is causing my problem. The solder? Doubtful. The flux? Also doubtful. The foil? No. The flux brush? Maybe- it is a new and different brush. The method of cleaning flux residue off my charms? Very possible- I used to just wipe them with a damp cloth (for many years) and, lately I have been using the same (ammonia free) glass cleaner I use to clean my solder lines on my stained glass windows. The flux is a different brand, and the glass cleaner is also different. For whatever reason, a few of my charms have had flux making a return appearance even after cleaning and much polishing. I am guessing that something about this new flux makes it harder to remove and it isn't completely gone even when I think it is. I will now start using the flux remover that for years I didn't see a need for- and until recently had no real need for. I have charms and ornaments that I soldered 10 years ago and never had a problem with. Now, I will have to use the process of elimination to find out why I am suddenly having a flux issue. Fortunately, super-fine steel wool takes care of the problem. So, no watercolors today- just soldering and looking for answers.

Can't wait to get back to my vineyard painting!

Thanks for looking,

Sheryl

This week in my studio....

I spent all week soldering charms to fill Etsy orders. I really do enjoy soldering the charms, but sometimes when I am in a rush to get the orders filled, I get a little crazy. The orders got filled and sent out, and this week is for painting. I work better when I can focus on one medium at a time and that means one mess at a time! Art is not neat and tidy - at least not in my world. It just doesn't work well when I have soldering to do, but also want to work on paintings. They both require lots of supplies and different types of work areas. I got my soldering things put away last night and my work area is already littered with paint tubes, canvases, dirty brushes, etc. At least now I can focus on oil painting for a day or two. I am working on a variety of canvas sizes- mainly one of my favorites- 4X4". I am concentrating on still life paintings for the most part (this week, anyway). Then, it will be on to the unfinished watercolors that are waiting a few feet away. Looks like this will be a fun painting week!

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl

My latest artistic obsession- stained glass!

I have been wanting to learn how to do stained glass for many years, and last August I finally signed up for a class. It has now become a new obsession- I only work on my projects once a week, so they can take a while to complete, but I enjoy every minute! I like to draw my own design/pattern, or sometimes, use my watercolors as a pattern. I have always enjoyed soldering, so this is a way for me to combine my interests. My latest project is a large sea horse window. I am in the process of putting the copper foil around the edges of the pieces, and then will be able to start soldering!