W I P

 

Work in Progress 

Since 1987 work has been primarily learning and honing my craft as a goldsmith. There have been long runs of casting cleaning and stone setting for a manufacturer. Drawing, designing, crafting, and communicating to clients for a luxury jeweler. Demonstrating, coaching, and critiquing students 

at a design school.

For the first time, working as an independent artist with complete autonomy over all the facets of my creations I draw from all my experiences to craft items and decide how to present them to the public. There is no rush to completion as this is the last and most treasured destination in my career. 

I have so much gratitude for the people I have met along the way who are engaging with me now to encourage my success. Their shared insights into how to make this dream a reality are invaluable. The beautiful work in progress here is a true celebration of how far this journey has brought me and all the beautiful experiences to come!

Heritage Jewelry

 Recently, my sister commissioned me to create a ring for her son, who was graduating from college. She wanted the ring to hold the idea of heritage. My father signet ring with a family crest on it provided the inspiration.

Having my fathers ring, with a running greyhound carved in bloodstone in front of me as I created the ring provided a lovely reminiscence, of his life and history. He received it as a gift when he graduated from college by his parents. Greyhounds symbolize, courage, vigilance, and loyalty. Certainly traits that we wish to possess. Interestingly, my father opted to wear is ring as his wedding ring as opposed to a traditional wedding band.

What a pleasure to spend time creating a piece of jewelry for someone so special at such an important mile stone in his life. Congratulations Riley as you graduate and move to your next step in what is sure to be an exciting career!

My Favorite Earrings

 Here I am, sitting in my garden, trying to photograph jewelry for my Etsy site. There is hilarity in trying to get images of jewelry being worn when you are the only person available. 

Being directly confronted by the aging that has happened at a very close range... silvery hairs threaded between my brown ones is challenging. Sun damage and wrinkles almost drove me into the house to add some concealing makeup. Then, of course there is the extra weight added by menopause.

In conversation with myself, I decided this is who I am, no need to conceal or filter. I prefer to go without makeup, be in comfortable jeans and t-shirt with some cowboy boots ( to make me feel confident when I am not feeling strong)! My favorite earrings I have made to date are my Glastonbury Festival Hoops...just a little hippie vibe from a bygone era!

Here I am wearing them and keeping it real!

#Etsy #cooperhillstudio

Natures Eternal Inspiration

 

Beauty in the natural world is a place of refuge for our spiritual selves and a springboard to creativity for the human mind. 

In Greek mythology Hera created the peacock from Argus, who had 100 eyes. The tail feathers represent the stars in the heavens and symbolize all-seeing knowledge. In Hindu faith, the peacock is associated with the goddess Lakshmi representing compassion, kindness and patience. In Christianity, the peacock symbolizes resurrection, immortality, renewal.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler's controversial "Harmony in Blue and Gold; The Peacock Room" is currently housed in the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Frederick Leyland had originally commissioned the artist to make minor changes to pull the room together, only to return to find that Whistler had become completely carried away. His claim was that he let his imagination run wild "I forgot everything in the joy of it".

There is certainly a place where we all meet and commune with nature, We find it in our gardens, on our vacations to beautiful places, a walk in the woods, and in our relationships with animals we care for who entrust us to keep them safe. 

By translating experiences and impressions into the medium of jewelry making I am allowed to find the same joy that Whistler experienced as he created "The Peacock Room". Contemplation of the natural world around me allows for peace to enter my mind, relax, celebrate beauty, and reflect another version of beauty back into the world.

Return of Happiness

 Like many people around the world, Covid-19 brought an abrupt change to my carefully laid plan. The job that I found deeply satisfying because I believed I could change peoples lives for the better was eliminated. My goal had been to work there until I turned 60, hopefully laying a foundation for an additional revenue stream for the organization, as well as outreach to underserved in our community. Art is the place where creativity can super charge entrepreneurship for self fulfilling success.

While job loss and separation from a community is painful and difficult, and the grieving process has its ups and downs, I am certainly among the most fortunate that there is solace in creating works of art. I spend my mornings studying gemology, working on sketches for designs I would like to create, and working at my bench. Healing is happening.

I share with you, my Lily of the Valley necklace. The flower is symbolic of the return of happiness, likely because of its beautiful fragrance and presence in early spring. We will survive the dark days of this sad time in the world... spring will come again.

New Life

Spring is the season of reawakening life and rebirth. It is no surprise that many religious systems have placed their heroes conquering of death in the season in which the world becomes lush again.
For me, the hope that a long winter (both literally and spiritually) is ending and new work will begin.
I have, with purpose, kept myself too busy for the last couple years after my Father's illness and passing. That busy-ness must come to an end, in order to re-engage with my creative life in the studio.

Purposefully, I am opening up time to allow the process of creating to begin. Returning to my business to build a new more sustainable model, that will allow more autonomy in my life. I look forward to sharing new jewelry, as well as hollow ware, and objects of art in a more direct way with my audience... I hope you'll all join me as I move forward.

Their Success Is My Success

         I had a  conversation this morning with my sister Sheila, who has been an education professional for over 25 years. She started as a grade school teacher, advanced to a literacy coach, and now serves a large school system as a supervisor for grades k-12. It is a huge job to implement new standards for teaching in an aging population of teachers. No one, and I mean no one, is comfortable with change. When it comes, the resistance to change is great, and the person appointed to deliver the message is "persona non grata" for sure. The thing to know about my sister is, she is absolutely passionate about her advocacy for best practices for the sake of the students. If she were the manager of your child school system, you would lucky!

I bring this all up because I am new to the teaching process. I certainly share my sisters passion for sharing and communicating information with students. I am still new enough that I am working out the rudiments of this communication process. I am self conscious in my delivery, especially in lecture mode when sleepy eyed students don't seem to respond at all to what my conversation is. I know they've been balancing lots of plates on poles like a circus act, but just the hint of a smile at one of my jokes to acknowledge they are breathing would help!

I also have heard the stories of my teaching colleagues, and been told I'm too easy on my class. I freely admit that I am unwilling to adopt a sarcastic tone with my students. I stay as upbeat as I can in my conversations with them. Their backgrounds are unknown to me, and it is to easy to misinterpret shyness for disengagement.
   What I love about the process, and get a chuckle over, is how exciting it is to see people who have never worked in metal before, make a really beautiful solder. It is like magic the first time they fit everything well, cleaned, fluxed, and watch the solder run perfectly along a seam. I am standing right beside them with my finger crossed, holding my breath as they are heating the piece and adding the solder!
   As my students progress from learning basic skills, to planning and executing their first complex projects, I am right there in their corner. If I can find a way to help them realize their goal, I've achieved something too. I have had to rethink through and find a way to talk about parts of the craft that are intuitive or second nature to me, deconstructing all the steps that take me to a finished product again. The result is, in my own practice as a craftsman, I am remembering details of the process that I have glossed over, and am again refining my own craft. It's been an amazing awakening, and I am falling in love with the craft again.
   My hope is, that I will always feel the benefit that teaching has brought in regards to my own craft, and that I will always be open minded and hear what people suggest to help me be a better teacher and communicator. I truly believe my students success is my own.