For the past several years, I have been making my jewelry in a studio outside of my home. During that time, I produced work for the big art shows I have done over the past 20 years.
This past spring, I decided to 'retire' from doing shows I have to travel to.
I decided to put my efforts into building my online business on Etsy. And to move my studio workspace back home. Though I have loved my commercial studio and have produced and sold quite a lot of art jewelry there, I thought the time had come to integrate my creative and domestic lives again, into one. And a health issue has arisen over the past year, requiring me to take full charge of my nutrition and food preparation at a level I'd never had to before. Having my workspace at the same location as my kitchen has become necessary.
Preparing my home and the property around it has been critical to moving my studio home. This summer is all about getting those projects done to make it possible to live and work happily where we live.
I'm excited about having this come together. In a few weeks' time it will be accomplished and I will then take an early autumn trip and then settle down to make new jewelry in my new studio. This pic is one view of my new workspace! (You can see Clover's little bed in the bottom right corner.) This is where the magic will happen!
This is the most recent collage of new works by the Artisan Anthology team on Etsy.
Once known as "Etsy's Best Kept Secrets," our team's name changed in late 2013 when we ran a naming contest and offered a fun necklace comprised of charms by each of the team's members.
This week, it was again my turn to produce the collage and I was drawn to the aquas and teals, mixed with rich warm colors. I think it turned out beautifully. The team's work is gorgeous.
Items C and E are mine. You can see who's made each of these pieces if you'll visit the Artisan Anthology blog. I'll provide the link to that, below.
Late April-into-May is a busy time for me this year. I'm between trips, an art show and a buying show. Life is demanding. And I'm still sorting out my jewelry inventory and revamping my shop on Etsy.
A limited version of CityRusticJewelry on Etsy is open now. The little slide show app on the right side of my blog page will take you there.
Soon, there will be much more available in my online shop on Etsy.
Soon. As in when I get back from my next trip and have the chance to list new items!
Meanwhile, I'm trying to catch up on rest, taking care of my nearly 90-year-old mom, reorganizing my studio and cleaning my house, which sorely needs it following the blizzard of activity it went through in the lead-up to the show!
Be sure to click on the link, below, to visit the Artisan Anthology blog, to enjoy all the details of this collage of what the team made this week!
http://artisananthology.blogspot.com/
I find myself at a crossroads these days, contemplating next steps in business and creativity.
Just as Ruth Stout, author of "How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back," felt about being able to garden into advanced old age, I want to be a metalsmith until the end.
At left, some gemstone cabochons I've used in pendants... on my way to the gem show to acquire some new ones!
The thing is, I'm already getting older just as I'm getting better at what I do, at what I love to do. I want to keep going. I'm not ready for the adventure to end.
But, I'm finding that doing outdoor art shows -- especially those far away from the city I live in -- just saps me. And they're not as profitable as they once were. Everyone I've ever known who's done shows says pretty much the same thing.
I'm also not really a 'digital native.' Computers and cell phones and social networks were not around when I was young. Not even when I was in college, or raising my young son, or getting started in jewelry design -- which is my third career! I think I've learned a lot for a 'geezer girl,' and am certainly ahead of most of my contemporaries in this regard. But algorithms still mystify me and I find I just don't want to do some of the things one 'has' to do to ensure online success.
What I want to do is to go more deeply into artmaking, not just merchandise making. And I find that art shows require a lot of merchandise to fill a booth. Maybe more than any other business model. And so, while I sold a fair number of pieces at my recent show, I have many more that I pushed myself to make. And these wonderful things will soon fill my Etsy shop.
Right now, my two Etsy shops are on hiatus. I closed them for the art show to be sure I didn't double-sell anything in the shop. And also to give myself some time to revamp one of my shops with delicious new things not seen there before. It'll reopen in later May and this link will take you there: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CityRusticJewelry
Meanwhile, I hope you'll stay in touch with me via my Facebook fan page, City/Rustic Jewelry (Tana McLane): https://www.facebook.com/cityrustic.art?ref=hl There, we can dialogue and you can keep up with my art jewelry news.
Before I reopen my shop, I will be traveling again, this time to a gem show to acquire semi-precious gemstones for new pieces I envision.
I'll spend the summer exploring some new ideas and recapturing some old ones, too. And I'll see you farther down this road.
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.
