Spring is always the magical season for me. And I spend time working hard in my studio, making new works for the season and for my biggest art show: Magic City Art Connection.
This year's show dates are: April 25-27. It takes place in downtown Birmingham, AL, in Linn Park.
This year, older and wiser, I've decided that I will place my two Etsy shops on hiatus while I'm in Birmingham. In fact, I'll put them on vacation beginning this Sunday. This will prevent the possibility of selling a piece at the show and then selling the same piece online, which would be problematic, since I produce one-of-a-kind pieces!
When I get back from Magic City I will reopen one of my shops, CityRusticJewelry. I'll evaluate my inventory, post-show, and consolidate my listings into my original shop, letting my newer shop, TanaMcLaneJewelry, remain open for awhile, to direct traffic to CityRustic. I've found that keeping two shops operating takes too much energy, energy I'd rather use in the production of new jewelry!
I'll be sure to place an announcement here when CityRustic has reopened. Once I put it back together, I'll get busy in my studio again and create some new things to list in my shop.
I'd like to invite you to learn more about my work and studio by visiting my website:
www.tanamclanejewelry.com
And if you'd like to stay in touch and 'chat' with me, please visit and 'like' my Facebook page for City/Rustic Jewelry (Tana McLane) at:
https://www.facebook.com/cityrustic.art?ref=hl
I love talking jewelry design and metalsmithing and often post my first pics of new work on my page. I'd love to dialogue with you about these things. Twenty years in, and I never tire of the subject.
(Both of these pairs of earrings feature Cherry Creek Jasper cabochons, a stone that can present in many colors. The stones are set into fine silver onto sterling silver. The pendant's cabochon is a Painted Jasper, and that stone's colors are repeated in the array of stone and glass beads dangling below.)
Two years ago, I collected some interesting, pretty semi-precious stone cabochons and then my father became ill and passed away, and I never built the jewelry for those stones. The next year was so very busy. But this late winter/early spring, I pulled the stones out and felt very inspired by them. I have made them the basis of this spring's collection.
I'm very excited about this new work, which a fan has called 'deceptively simple.' I like the power of merging organic design with either loads of detail or, quite the opposite, almost austere minimalism, letting the materials do the talking.
Many interesting pieces are still listed in both my Etsy shops until this Sunday, April 20 (Easter Day), so you still have time to browse!
CityRusticJewelry on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry?page=1#save
TanaMcLaneJewelry on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TanaMcLaneJewelry?page=1#save
And, one more note in this blog post filled with notes... the former Etsy's Best Kept Secrets team, of which I am a member, changed its name and online presence to 'Artisan Anthology.' I haven't had time to change the old Etsy's Best Kept Secrets meme on this blog or my website to the new identity yet (another task waiting for my return from Magic City), but here is the Facebook address for Artisan Anthology's Facebook page. Through this page, you can also reach our Artisan Anthology blog, where we publish a weekly collage of what we have made!
Artisan Anthology Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Artisan-Anthology/622613927785743
Looking forward to talking with you again in a few weeks!
North Florida's winter takes forever to get here and then is spotty on any given day. It's been as warm as 80F degrees in the past week here, but tomorrow night it will be 28F degrees! The temps will be all over the map before our typical solidly hot weather arrives to stay for a long summer season.
I've been resting, jewelry-wise, since New Year's, but am getting back into the flow again. Making it to the studio several times a week, so new things are in the works. I'll be posting new pics of finished things soon. But I thought you'd like a look at what's on my workbenches today.
As with most metalsmiths, I don't spend money on professional manicures! The grits of the grinding and polishing wheels used on my Foredom flex shaft tool are no friends of nail polish or satin buffings. I'm doing well if most of my nails are unbroken and smooth. (But I do treat myself to a pro pedicure occasionally! Nothing more luxurious than that...)
A lot of new things are currently underway and I'm experimenting with some new ideas. My studio partner, Valerie, is working with a laser cutter these day and the little chipboard houses you see sitting on my bench in this pic were cut that way. I'll tell you more about them in a bit.
Meanwhile, five copper trapezoids await surface embellishments and design. I make about six of these necklaces each year. A visit to my Etsy shop will show you the ones I have listed right now. https://www.etsy.com/listing/150484699/trapezoid-necklace-with-star-ruby?ref=pr_shop
I'm also experimenting with making my own copper bezels, as seen in the large pendant underway, with the gray Senoran Dendritic Rhyolite pendant on the left side of the pic. And nearly finished sterling earwires await their final polishing so their ends become smooth and comfortable.
If you look at these copper pieces closely, you'll see Valerie's laser-cut houses embossed into them. They're pretty subtle and I'm trying to decide if they'll make good jewelry pieces or not. I'll likely link these four into a single bracelet with handmade joinery hardware.
I embossed the houses into the metal with my rolling mill.
Peeking from under the wooden tray are the feet of my tiny anvils in the wire basket. I never use them, but love having them in my studio. One was given to me by my mother-in-law. The others I have collected along the way.
These six fold-formed pieces have been annealed and are drying after being quenched. My acetylene torch has also given them an interesting heat patina. That patina will ebb and flow, as they will be annealed several more times before they are opened, polished, re-torched, and then tumbled to reveal their final color. These six are destined to be on a new necklace design I'm working on. (The rectangular piece at the top is simply a piece of textured copper I'll use at some point.)
I use the hammer-and-anvil method of fold-forming, rather than a press or rolling mill. There are many ways to fold-form metal, but I like the method that gives me the most control over the results I want: an organic, leafy look.
Fold-forming is one of the newest forms of metalsmithing on earth.
Two pairs of fold-formed copper leaf earrings feature greenish labradorite stone beads and bits of silver. In this design, I place the beads on a handmade headpin inside the fold so that the pods cradle the embellishments.
But these are beautiful from the back side, too. Here, the central fold shows, as well as hammer-mark veins and contours.
These leaves have been ground and polished and then tumbled in steel shot so that all edges are smooth. Tumbling also makes their patinas more durable.
But, copper is a reactive metal and will change over time, influenced by the atomosphere and body chemistry of the wearer. I don't coat my metals with spray products.
I am enamored of leaves and flowers in my work and I have decided that my spring collection will feature a lot of them. I am resurrecting my 'Imagined Botanicals' series and will post more new work as it is ready. Meanwhile, please take a look at the botanical work in both my Etsy shops!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TanaMcLaneJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
One more favorite to share! A pendant with a sunny goldenrod-yellow Mustard Jasper cabochon. Set into fine silver on reclaimed brass.
Best wishes to all of you everywhere dealing with a harsh winter this season! Hold on a little longer and we'll see spring arrive.
Coming up on 'Thanksgivingkuh,' I, like most crafters, am very busy every day in my studio. And, if I'm not there, I'm most likely at home on my computer, creating in my virtual world.
So, I just wanted to check in to say hello and that I hope your Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are warm blessings to you and yours.
If you're looking for early handmade gifts, I invite you to visit both of my Etsy shops. I'm on alert for quick shipping.
If you're local to Tallahassee, I'll be seen in a couple of local venues. First, the LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts' annual holiday show/exhibition opens the day after Thanksgiving. I have a lot of handmade jewelry in the show, as well as my new reclaimed brass ornaments!
And, I'll be in the last Downtown Marketplace of the seaon, the "Just One More" show, which is a 2-day show for the first time this year: Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15.
Here are the links to my two shops on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TanaMcLaneJewelry?ref=shop_sugg
Both are filled with jewelry (and CRJ also features my ornaments!) that I hope you'll find perfect for giving!
I spoke by phone today to a dear friend who's had some success this year in her Etsy shop. Finally, she had gained some momentum with sales and was seeing a profit, enough that she could buy some of the household groceries and supply her shop at the same time. Quite an achievement for a little shop only two years old!
And then a cadre of Republican representatives in the U.S. House shut down the government and she saw her sales plunge. International sales, too.
Which brings to mind the reality that even the tiniest little business suffers when the macro-economy falters.
We are both restimulated about the fiscal events of September 2008, when the stock market crashed several times and a worldwide depression loomed. At that time, she and I were running a brick-and-mortar gallery shop in our town. At the moment when our initial investment should have begun to pay off, we instead faced days and weeks of inadequate sales to keep our business open. Again, it was a tiny business responding to the macro situation.
It is clear. It is a closed system and we are all inter-connected. We have to support each other in a time in history (at least American history) when politics and banking policies at the top can weaken small fish at the bottom.
As the holiday season comes on, you might want to remember those fish near the bottom. It is they who make their own wares by hand and wear all the hats required by their businesses. And, this is where you'll find the greatest originality and quality.
We who make our artful things by hand, or provide DIY materials so you may make your artful things by hand, are in the business of providing quality goods and excellent customer service.
We think about you, our customers, all the time as our work finds its way to market, whether in an online Etsy shop or personal website, at art shows or in consignment galleries, or our own brick-and-mortar shops.
And so again, as the holidays approach, let's all remember the message of this meme and support the providers who create excellent and original items that make such great holiday gifts! Whether strictly 'local,' or 'local' on online sites owned by the actual producers, let's enrich each others' lives by voting for them with our dollars!
In this small way, we ensure that our lives and gift-giving remain rich, diverse, delicious and interesting! When you know your vendor, you know where your item is made and you enhance the bottom, or micro, line even when the macro-economy falters.
These two pendants are in my handmade collection. The top pendant is found in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
And the bottom pendant is found in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TanaMcLaneJewelry?ref=shop_sugg
I will soon launch my new website, in early November! I'll announce it here when it's ready.
I'm busy, behind the scenes, working with my website designer to launch my new website, which will be an umbrella over both of my Etsy shops and their Facebook pages, to give a comprehensive view of what I make and sell.
It won't have its own shopping cart, but will utilize the Etsy shops' catalog appearance and shopping carts. I'm doing it this way so I can keep my creative energy focused in my studio and listing on Etsy.
Etsy shops have their own shopping carts, which offer two different payment systems: PayPal and Etsy's Direct Checkout.
I will also have a new blog attached to the website. Its working title right now is 'Butternut Patina.' But this blog will remain alive, too. Too many cool things have happened here to let it go. I'll link the website and its blog to this one, once the new things are launched.
Please visit both of my shops on Etsy!
TanaMcLaneJewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TanaMcLaneJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
CityRusticJewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry?ref=shop_sugg
Thanks!
One of the things that holds me together, makes my life interesting and teaches me a lot is my membership on the Etsy's Best Kept Secrets team. Now that I've learned how, from time to time, I take a turn at constructing the weekly collage of 'What We Have Made This Week.'
Started long before I joined the team, the collage is posted in the team's Facebook fan page and each of us does our best to broadcast it as widely as we can.
This is the second one I have made. It was fun and it was a challenge. But the work within it is gorgeous and diverse, just as we EBKS teamies are. It's not a large team, but it is international.
We live in Greece, Sweden, Hong Kong, Australia, Finland, England, Ireland, and several points in the U.S. Hope I'm not leaving anyone out!
Please see all of this collage's details on the Etsy's Best Kept Secrets blog: http://etsybestkeptsecrets.blogspot.com/
And you're invited to visit and 'like' our Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Etsys-Best-Kept-Secrets/164341693617189
In other news... Although it is mid-September now, here in Tallahassee it is still very-hot late summer with no real end in sight for awhile. At this point in our long hot season, my nerves are screaming and it's hard to accomplish anything. I clearly live too far south in the U.S., but such is my lot in life. In fact, my Scottish ancestors arrived here in the 1840s, but I am not adapted to this climate. I do know that as soon as the first real hint of cooler fall weather arrives, I will be full of creative energy and jumping for joy. Fortunately, that's just weeks away.
One of the really great things about social networking and being on Etsy and Facebook, in my life, is the support and interest I get from my teamies on Etsy's Best Kept Secrets.
EBKS is small but international in scope. We make all sort of things. Some of us have two shops on Etsy.
Today, I produced the group's weekly collage, which is called 'What We Have Made This Week.'
This collage is our of our recent work. Isn't it gorgeous?
Click on this link to find the interactive version of the collage, complete with live links to each of our artists' shops!
http://etsybestkeptsecrets.blogspot.com/2013/08/blog-post.html
