Seasonal musings

Summer's starting to zip by, and I've enjoyed the last week or so meeting new artists at several different art shows. I finally got to meet Megan Auman, another blogger jewelry artist who's bubbly and into all kinds of fun! I also got to meet Noel Yovovich, Grace Stokes, and a few enameling artists that make stunning pieces. It's been wonderful to say hello to them in person, not to mention seeing their work up close!

I embarrassed myself and a couple of them by asking for autographs, but there was some need in me to have some physical proof of our meeting. :) I will enjoy following their progress over time even as I get better at my own craft.

~Jeni

I've been MIA for awhile, and wanted to drop a quick note to say all is well. I've been having clumsy trouble in the studio off and on (I've been told that's common when you lose some one). No big accidents, thankfully; I'm just trying to find the good days when my head is clear to work on projects.

This past Monday we had the memorial service in Tucson. It's hard to believe I won't see my dad again... During the commitment ceremony the temperature was 110 degrees F, and as we said our goodbyes a single rock dove cooed above us in the garden. Everything out there was starting to bloom as the monsoon season trickles in. If you've never seen the desert, imagine everything in shades of brown and dull green suddenly popping out fuchsia, yellow, and day glo orange! Life was bursting out - beautiful and hard to see all at once.

Life is a funny thing...

~Jeni

new lives and missing dad

This past weekend my brother got married to a wonderful young woman who is perfectly suited for him. They are just simply made for each other! Our dad, who's been struggling against cancer, was able to fly in with our mom for the celebration. It was so good to see him, although it was hard to see what cancer had done to his body just since our visit four months ago.

I took turns with mom staying with him in his hotel room during the reception because he was too weak to sit at the table. We borrowed a wheel chair for the weekend to help him get around the resort grounds, so it was easy to get him back to bed when he got tired. I stayed for the toasts and cake cutting, then switched with mom so she could have the first dance with him. Then I came back to the party for the late night dancing and overall silliness. It was so much fun... I even left all my work at home, including the laptop if you can believe that!

My brother and I saw mom and dad off for their plane, then packed to travel back to my brother's new house he just bought with his bride. As we pulled in the drive we got the call that our dad had passed at the airport. It's hard to get past the shock of what just happened - I feel a bit disjointed. I will miss him so much.

~Jeni

Eleven pieces to the Gallery, several custom orders, and an art show later, I finally have time to write! Everything's been going well; there are so many stories I have to tell you, but the most memorable is one of a client I met at the show.

She was drawn to the necklace in this photo, and I wanted to tell her the story behind it. I made it after thinking about the proverb "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" - it turned out exactly how I saw it in my head. When she heard the proverb, she said her pastor had spoken that same passage to her several times before he passed away, and that it had special meaning to her. She said she had lost her parents not long ago, and while caring for her mom in a nursing facility during the final days, they stayed in the "Apple" wing.

We talked like long lost friends about caring for parents, cancer, pain, loss, and life going on. We were so teary-eyed by the time she decided to take the necklace, the exchange of money for silver and gold seemed superfluous. What happened surpassed anything I've ever experienced. It wasn't business, wasn't just art expression, wasn't just a client feeling a connection to my work. Something strangely wonderful on a deeper spiritual level will mark that moment forever for both of us.

enjoy deep happiness,
~Jeni

With a sigh of relief, the gallery meeting today went fabulously well! In the next week or so I'll have 11 new pieces in there. It feels so good! I don't know why I get worked up over things like this; there's never anything to worry about. The owner had some really good feedback, and I appreciate the patience of the two purchasers that were there. I pummeled the one nearly to death with all of my questions, but she didn't care and was sweet the whole time!

Everything was laid back, fairly quick, and to the point. Nice. I am so tired now... I think it'll be early to bed tonight and start cranking out studio work early tomorrow. Until next time, enjoy our flowering quince bush in the photo.

I love this work

~Jeni

Isn't spring beautiful? This is a photo of the grand old magnolia seen through my eastern facing studio window. Wonderful and gorgeous!

Just got done with a small art show this weekend, and met some interesting artists. I have to say the highlight was talking to John Jude Palencar, internationally recognized illustrator. Oh wow. He makes all of the dragon covers for the Sci Fi series Eragon, so if you've ever seen the very dark and regal looking beastie profiles, you'd recognize his style immediately. He also illustrates covers for Stephen King, TIME magazine, National Geographic, and holds two Gold Book awards from Spectrum. What else can I say - he's awesome! Unfortunately, he doesn't have a web site yet so I can't post his link, but here's a pic on Wikipedia and hopefully he'll get one soon so we can see his work in one place!

Mini Portraits

Lots of people have heard of cloisonne; this technique is a related one called champleve.   The difference is that the walls of each color section are formed differently.  In cloisonne the walls are built up or added in, for champleve I create the walls by etching into a solid piece of metal until each section is the proper depth.

I mix my own colors and add them in drop by drop using a toothpick, adding patina to create age and depth.  I love the vibrancy of the colors and especially the sense that I'm wearing a miniature portrait.

Enjoy!

~Jeni