Ta daaaa! Online store! And more pillows...

Yes finally...I have an online store. Totally wrong timing ofcourse. With having to stock up the Bead Shop cabinet and entering into two exhibitions in December, I don't have a lot to offer. But it's a start and if you keep looking in from time to time, you'll see it grow over the next few months.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5063669

I'm very impressed with the whole Etsy operation. It's like a worldwide art and craft gallery, all the items in the stores are handcrafted.

One thing I'm noticing on this three year long pillow bead journey of mine is that the more I experiement, the better these get. They're worth clicking on to get a better look at them.
The rust one is going into an exhibition and those divine poipley ones are going in my new etsy shop. Not sure whether to put them in as beads or made into something? What do you reckon? Those pearls look awfully good with them.

More inros

I've been wanting to finish these inros for ages...and finally did. Some things just take their own good time eh! That delicious blue silkscreen inro uses a screen made by a friend on the other side of the world (USA). Tonja has a whole array of great silk screen stencils. http://www.tonjastreasures.com/cart/

Pieces, Parts and Process Examples

I realize I have a lot more to share about the Robert Dancik workshop.

I’ve just stolen Libby’s http://www.libzoid.net/blog/ words for my title. As she said in yesterday’s comments section, “I loved all his pieces, parts and process examples.” This is precisely why I got so much out of the Robert Dancik’s “forming meaningful and lasting connections’ class. That… coupled with a really keen and creative mind and crystal clear communication. Robert got through to me on a totally different level of being than normally happens in a class. It also is making me look at my own teaching methods which to date have been very technique heavy, I don’t share so much of the underlying things that create a beautiful piece because I’m too busy getting the ‘teaching done’, and now I feel more drawn to take some time to explain the things that really help make a difference OTHER than just techniques…

There's still so much I'm getting out of it even now as some of the ah ha moments filter through.

I loved his teaching skills. I loved how he piled TONS of stuff all over the table, things he’d made over the years...encouraging us to rummage through them…talking about pieces that caught peoples attention.

I loved how there were so many interesting pieces…I really get that about making a piece interesting, getting the attention of the person holding/viewing the piece. I watched how my eyes traveled over certain pieces, noted how something attracted me, noticed the little things that kept me interested in the piece, noticed my response to hearing that it was concrete (omigod, CONCRETE!) or paper mache with some polymer squished in there! or this delicious material he uses called faux bone.

I loved how he started the workshop off with the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl. I have a pair of Tibetan chimes…two shallow bowled bells connected with a simple piece of leather. I love to use them to center myself or just for no reason at all. They’ve always fascinated me, how that tone touches the depths, opens the heart, clears the mind. I’ve never heard a singing bowl before but it has the same effect. So I hope Robert doesn’t mind me taking on this lovely way to start my own workshops…with a sound that goes on and on…

Anyhow, enough words for one day. But you get the idea don’t you? Do a workshop with Robert the next time he comes to your country (he travels allllll overrrr) and you’ll find, like me, that the workshop lingers long after it finishes.

Robert Dancik

I'm back after a whirlwind trip to Brissy doing a Robert Dancik workshop. Loved my day with Robert, learned HEAPS, had a ball! I must say here though that I discovered I am NOT a jeweller! While many of the crew seemed to have taken to sawing and riveting like a duck to water, I didn't like it at all!. Mind you, it was good for a laugh. I noticed Hector kept looking at my antics with a big smile, must've been amusing to watch Melly with a saw! But sweating over a saw and a drill just ain't me and I doubt I'll be doing much more of it. I will however be endlessly grateful for the way Robert instilled a whole new way at looking at work. There were all kinds of tasty titbits to gnaw on ideas-wise but the thing that will really stay with me is how I will look at art/jewellery now. I walked away with a new appreciation of art and will never throw another piece of mine out again! He has tremenous communication skills too and a genuine interest in each and every person and if I hadn't had all kinds of commitments planned by then, I'd have easily given the credit card another hammering and stayed for the other two days. If you get an opportunity to take any one of his classes, grab it with both hands!
I didn't take many pics but I managed to shoot off a couple. That's Roberts in the white shirt ofcourse and aussiepolyclayers Hector looking good in basic black and sawing his heart out (not literally!). Unfortunately the two pics I took of May Bartrum, our host and metal clay artist extrordinaire, didn't pan out (read: she'd kill me if I posted them!) but she will get a special mention here because she's amazing too. If you live in Brisbane and want to learn metal clay, our MayBee is the bees knees!

Where does your table face?

Libby Mills has an interesting discussion on her blog about where your work table faces. http://www.libzoid.net/blog/ She prefers facing the room. I do too. I like it that every time I lift my eyes, I gaze out over myworkspace through to the window and the view outside. It makes such a difference to my wellbeing and creativity. A lot of my work involves sanding and I can't tell you how much things have changed to the way I feel about sanding (luv it now!) since I've had this studio set up like this.