Cape Fear Metalsmiths

Rio's Gone Solar

2010-12-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks, If you haven't already heard Rio Grande in NM has gone solar! How cool is that?! I have for a long long time wondered why people don't cover everything with solar panels. Especially parking lots! Who wouldn't want their car under shelter from the sun anyway?

Our Illustrious Sara!

2010-11-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

I should have done this long ago! Congratulations to Sara Westermark on her necklace project in "30 Minute Necklaces" compiled by Martha Le Van. Run out and get a copy!

Mandala Pendant Class

2010-05-01T15:53:00.001-07:00

Melissa Manley will be teaching a day workshop on how to make this pendant,
June 5th at Art Exposure in Hampstead, NC.

"Learn to use a jeweler's saw to create lacy, pierced designs in metal. We'll drill and cut our mandalas from copper. We will then enamel our mandalas with vitreous glass enamel powders. If you have sawing experience all the better! But if not I've had great success helping beginning folks learn to love this essential jeweler's tool. Join us as we get lost in the rhythm of sawing!"
The class is $85

Supply list:
*jeweler's saw and #3/0 blades
*a jeweler's bench pin-I prefer this one:
http://www.contenti.com/products/bench-pins/110-287.html

Optional items:
*small lithium battery powered hand drill if you have one and want to use your own.
Melissa will be bringing a drill.
*small drill bits if you want to use your own drill, but Melissa will bring some.
*thin work gloves if you like.

Melissa will bring lots of tools, copper for the pendant and enamels and her kiln.

So come join in the fun!

Anne's Stones

2010-01-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with Anne Kennedy on the 18th. So much so in fact we'd like to have her back again in August! She had gorgeous Kombaba, Deshutes Jasper, Lodalite Labradorite, Fossilized sea urchin, carved walrus ivory, Fossilized coral, Fossilized Tree Fern, Picasso Marble... so many cool things I can't remember them all!
I bought some Ocean Jasper and Sonoran Sunrise (chrysocolla and cuprite together), labradorite. Stay tuned!

Cabohchon Stone Trunk Show!

2010-01-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

NC stone dealer Anne Kennedy will be showing us her wares on January 18th at my place on Pine St. She specializes in cabochons stones, bookend cuts and fossil cabs. Her prices are always reasonable. You can walk out with something cool for ten bucks, but I would highly recommend setting aside more because you'll be drooling! I have bought gorgeous mirror image sets of fossil bamboo and fossil coral polished to a beautiful shine for under $30. So if you're local mark your calendar! Time TBA

Kim's New Etsy!

2009-12-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Our member Kim Beller has been taking private lessons with me and has just opened her new Etsy shop! bigstronggirldesigns

Night Metals Class CFCC

2009-11-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

FYI: Nick Mowers will be teaching a Metals 1- ART 245 Tues/Thurs nights at Cape Fear Community College in A Building. There is a parking lot close and a guard on the gate of that lot (so very safe). This should be a great class, I highly recommend Nick!

CFM Group Charm Bracelet

2009-11-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

Here's our creation for the auction on Saturday at Poplar Grove.

Participating artists:
Kim Beller
(auction organizer)
Samantha Barnett
reborndesignsbysb.com
Deborah Beasley
reddogdesigns.etsy.com
Ellemesse Designs-Libby Cartier (not seen in the above image)
Airlie Moon in Lumina Station
Mitzy Jonkheer
Mitzy Metal
Melissa Manley
melissamanleystudios.com
Rita McCall
bluemoongiftshops/sunraye.htm
Debra Pyeatt
debrapyeatt.com/index.htm
Kee Wilde-Ramsing
jaded1jewelry.etsy.com
Hans Westermark
hanswestermark.etsy.com

A Charming Evening

2009-10-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Join us Oct 21st from 7-10pm at Independent Art Company's Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 North 9th Street for an evening of making cold connected charms for our charm bracelet to be donated to "Colors of the Rainbow" ASAPCares.org auction November 7th at Poplar Grove Plantation. I will bring some tools and scrap metal= copper, brass. If you want to use other metals bring them. Also bring any of your own hand tools. Contact me if you think you might be able to bring any refreshments. If you want to make your charm and merely drop it off that night we'd gladly accept it and connect it to the sterling bracelet. Every donating artist will be credited on our signage at the auction. See you soon! Melissa

Benefit for Autism

2009-10-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is the benefit we'll be making a charm bracelet for:
Saturday Nov 7th from 12-4 four "handmade" music bands, auction, beer tent, food, pony ridess all free admission! Sounds good to me!

Charm Bracelet Challenge Remix

2009-09-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

"For those of you at the last meeting, or that have been following our blog, we were planning on donating a charm bracelet to Dreams for silent auction. We were inviting those who wished to create a charm, which would be gathered together and put into a charm bracelet. We were gonna donate the charm bracelet to Dreams.

However, I found out that Dreams has decided not to have their silent auction this year. So, if you have created your charm and were waiting for us to collect it and put the charm bracelet, this explains why we haven't collected the charms. I talked to Melissa and we thought that we could still do the charm bracelet, but that we would look for a different cause to donate it for.

So what does this mean to you? Well, we can look for a cause where the due date is a better fit for everyone. I'm sure that there are lots of good causes in this area, and surely we will be able to find one that we can make our donation to. Also, with this change, more artists will hopefully be able to participate.

I don't know how many of you had prepared charms for the Dreams event, but hopefully we will be able to find a good fit for CFM and the community. More information will becoming up soon. If you have any questions or comments, join in this discussion. Who knows, your answer may be just the one we have been looking for."

Debra Pyeatt

Charm Bracelet Challenge!

2009-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gents, CFM will be making a group charm bracelet to donate for a "Dreams" non profit auction this fall. Everyone is asked to make a charm that has a hole big enough to attach to the bracelet with two jump rings. More info coming on when the Dreams auction will be. Everyone has until September 1st to make their charm. I will collect them at the meeting nearest that time. We'll make a sign that will credit our club and in small print will have each individual's information. More info to come!

Summer Reconnect

2009-07-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Its tonight! We'll get together from 6:30 -8:30 to chit chat, see what everyone's up to and plan some fall stuff, AND to sweeten the pot I thought I'd show and tell about my beads I've had fun doing and demo torch firing.

Sarah Tector

2009-07-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Check out Sarah Tector's new improved website!

Summer Reconnect

2009-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday the 22nd at 6:30pm at Wabi Sabi Warehouse.
Join us for light snacks and beverages at IAC. We'll talk about our move to our new Yahoo group, our future as a club, and maybe meet some new members. I will show and tell about my new enamel beads and answer questions. I have some examples in various stages and I will demo torch firing a bead.

CONGRATULATIONS!

2009-07-13T08:08:00.001-07:00

Check out this GREAT Esty featured seller interview with Wilmington metalsmith Sara Westermark.
Way to go Sara!!!!

Wounded Warriors -Metalsmithing?

2009-05-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks, If anyone is reading this let me know what you think... I have this seed of an idea. What if we teach Wounded Warriors how to make jewelry and basic metalsmithing?
It will probably require going to Camp Lejeune and taking tools up there. I've made some inquiries anyone interested?

Open Studio Day!

2009-05-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

In my personal studio
at Independent Art Company
Thursday May 21st from 2-5pm

$15.00 per person

This is a time that I offer, as a favor, for people who don't have their own studios, and want social time with other metalsmiths, to use my personal studio while I work on my own projects.

YOU MUST HAVE METALS EXPERIENCE!
This is NOT a class!
I will not be instructing, therefore you must know the proper use and handling of the tools. They are my own personal tools, be mindful!

Also, You MUST email
or call 910-538-1246 to sign up
we are limited to the first 5 people due to space.
Bring your own metal and any small hand tools you have like saw, pliers.
I do have 5 benchpins.

Riveting Jewelry Workshop

2009-02-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

This will be a RIVETING workshop with me Melissa Manley!

On Saturday March 14th from 2-5pm at Independent Art Comapny's Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 North 9th street, I will teach you how to connect metal with cold connections and hand made rivets like the tube rivets pictured here. Fun!!! this is a great thing to learn if you don't have a torch at home. You can make all sorts of jewelry just with a saw and rivets.

Bring
Metal -if you have it. I will have lots of recycled copper and brass pieces. You can buy small sheets of copper and brass at Craft American Hardware near Wrightsville Beach (Across Wrightsville Ave. from the new Harris Teeter). I go in there all the time and buy tiny copper tubing for tube rivets. They know I teach, and send students there. They've been very helpful to people I've sent there in the past. Ace Hardwares often have the same display case with metal sheets strip and tubes in it.

A drink if you need it. We do have a little kitchen with water, fridge and a stove for tea, coffee machine....

Your close up glasses if you're use to using them.

Moolah! I don't take credit cards, so if you want you may pay through paypal on our meetup site here or at paypal bring a check or cash.
Wabi Sabi is located on the corner of 9th and Princess Streets. One block from the Cape Fear Museum. Its the bright blue building with the yellow garage door, can't miss it. We have our own parking across the street.

NC ABANA

2009-02-02T20:36:00.001-08:00

Hey folks! I went to the local ABANA meeting!!
The Artist Blacksmith Association of North America was so cool! They had a demo by Peter Ross an extremely accomplished blacksmith, along with another demo by Jimmy Alexander the NC ABANA president. The event was at Intracoastal Iron's shop off Old Wrightsboro Road out near Castle Hayne. SOOOO cool! And I'd made a keychain and put in the "Iron in the Hat" raffle. Raffle tickets were $1. The money is used by NC ABANA for a scholarship program for members to go to blacksmithing workshops. They grilled food and had a big spread for lunch and took lunch donations. There had to have been 30 people there it was so exciting. I met Dumay Gorham and Paul Hill both local sculptors, and saw my pal Cindi Buell. I'd love to get her involved in our group. I think we should have a raffle!

Anne Dinan

2009-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

Its not often I find TRULY unique metalsmithing on etsy. Don't get me wrong! I LOVE etsy, and adore gazing at metal on there. but it really gets a little hum drum all the hammered stacking rings and PMC. This woman really has a unique take on using copper and enamel check it out:
annedinan.etsy.com
It really has her personality in it. I plan on showing my Metals 2 class tomorrow. They're enamelling right now. Just love to share.
Have you seen really far out designs on etsy or elsewhere? Please share!

New Ideas

2009-01-20T15:35:00.001-08:00

Hey y'all! Lots of new ideas percolating here with our little group. If you haven't yet, check out our Meetup.com site. We have polls and discussions. We will have a new Yahoo egroup starting up soon. Also Deborah Beasley has suggested a CFM Etsy store and/or a CFM sale to raise general funds. We all would love a co-op metals studio here in Wilmington for workshops and open studio time. To make that happen will take tremendous work and time and money. But I think it would be enormously popular. I also have numerous out of town metals friends who'd love to pay for a trip here by teaching you guys their stuff. So I am interested in any input about what you'd like to learn.
LOVIN' the snow! Robert and I have gone out to walk in the woods, and also walked to the nearby store tonight just to get out in it!

Was that FUN or WHAT!?

2009-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gents,
If you were unable to make it to the gemstone showing at Wabi Sabi today with Anne Kennedy, YOU MISSED IT! Man, she is just so flippin' cool for one thing, and her selection of cabochons is wonderful. She has stones for as little as $6! Most of what I picked up was $22- $32. There were gorgeous boulder opals, chyrsoprase, druzy, fabulous rich, colored Lapis, petrified tree fern or "peanut wood", yummy Sonoran Sunrise Agate(?), Ocean Jasper some with druzy crystals (my personal fav). She had a tray of Picasso Jasper and really beautiful fossilized Dinosaur bone, and so much more. One thing Anne always has a lot of are beautifully cut "bookend" matched pairs of stones that are great for earrings. She is so knowledgeable and loves to talk about rocks! I think we had 15 or so people attend and everyone who showed up found some really luscious stones and had a great time. Debra Pyeatt really came through with some delectable snacks, thank you Debra! Those that missed it, take heart! Anne said she'd be more than happy to return late summer and have another showing. She says she'll be getting lots of new items before then, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the encore! And if you'd like to be notified, let me know!
Thank you to all those who came!

Holiday Pot Luck and Swap

2008-12-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I believe a good time was had by all.
Roll call:
Robert and I
Debbie Beasley
Hal Janice and Hal Paden
Karen Crouch
Kee Wild-Ramsing
Gail Marcus
Debra Pyeatt

The food was yummy and the swap was a blast! I scored a fab pair of goodies from Debbie Beasley! Everyone agreed the swap should have an encore later in the year. Our next meeting needs to be scheduled for January. I propose we have a round table discussion on "Artistic Integrity and her ugly step sister Copycat".

Marlene True's Object & Memory

2008-12-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Recently went to the Greenville Musueum of Art to see Marlene True's thesis exhibition Object & Memory

Beautiful work in steel, tin and precious metals.

Robert Smith

Bob Ebendorf and Feather Phillips

Stone dealer!

2008-12-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Keep your ears and eyed peeled folks! NC stone dealer Anne Kennedy will be paying CFM a visit with a special trunk show. January TBA she will camp out for the day at Wabi Sabi Warehouse corner of 9th and Princess St. Ya'll are welcome to come by and purchase some fabulous stones. I have loved her fossil cabs for years!

So save your pennies and stayed tuned to this channel for more info as the time approaches!
whee!

CFM Holiday Party and Swap!!!!

2008-12-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hey folks!! Debra Pyeatt and I have conferred....Let's party!
Meet us at Independent Art Company's Wabi Sabi Warehouse for a pot luck and charm swap! Everyone bring two charms you've made out of your favorite jewelry making materials, copper, silver, beads, polymerclay, PMC, swarovski, wire, pebbles, pop tops.... go for it! We'll all swap. Wrap your charm in gift wrap and we'll number them and then draw numbers. Sound good? That way your charm "set" could be earrings if the winner so chooses. Don't agonize over them, just have fun! And bring a dish too.
I'm excited!!!!

Pot Luck?

2008-12-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

There is talk of a December potluck for CFM!
Any thoughts?

Night Metals class

2008-12-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, heads up!
There will be a night metals class at Cape Fear Community College.
I believe it is a Metals 2
But contact Frank Carter head of Humanities and Fine Arts to find out about enrolling/auditing, what have you...

Under the schedule of classes it appears as this:
ART-246-D0E (024928) Metals II

My good buddy, local metalsmith
Nick Mowers will be the instructor
and he ROCKS!

Art in the Round

2008-12-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hey there folks! I had a great Thanksgiving. One thing to be thankful for: Sara Westermark! she turned me onto the Art in the Round contest sponsored by Beautifulbowls.com
My enamel vessel won first place in the metal division!!!

Tuesday Night Social

2008-09-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a great time tonight! We had a good turn out and I don't know about you but I came home high onthe energy.
Thanks to Joyce's questions, Rita's comments, and the fresh new energy of Jean, we talked about what direction we'd like for our group. I shared my daydreams and everyone was on the same track I think. Correct me if I am wrong but I think everyone loved the following suggestions:
*"playdates" where we bring work to work on together
*workshops with guest artists
*project nights/days where we all work on the same project maybe even from a book.
*discussions
*lectures on subjects- techniques, guest artists' and their work, making a living at this, selling your work online
*events where a kit is given out/purchased by members we all make something from the contents
which can then be auctioned, or just show and tell
*field trips-maybe to Harbor Freight's big tent sale on I-95?

My big crazy daydream?
a huge active metals club that is the heart and soul of a facility which houses a main teaching studio, private rental studios, a small gallery, and (drum roll please) TOOL/SUPPLY SHOP! The facility would hire national visiting artists to come teach workshops. We'll have classes in jewelry, blacksmithing, welding, lampworking, PMC the whole 9 yards!!!!I don't know about you, but I am tired of having to drive to timbuktu to do cool stuff involving metal! Lets do it right here in our back yards!
These places exist!
http://www.metalwerx....
http://thecrucible.or...
Now whether or not Wilmington could support one who knows... but (to quote myself) if you open a door and let in Possibility she brings some of her friends- Opportunity, Abundance, Contentment.

CFM Social

2008-09-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks!
If you're so inclined, join us on Tuesday September 23rd at 6:30pm at Wabi Sabi Warehouse on the corner of Princess and 9th streets, for a get together. Bring some of your work if you'd like, for show and tell.

It's up!

2008-08-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

...my new etsy shop ladysmithsupply.etsy.com

Meet-n-Greet

2008-08-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a little meet-n-greet at Wabi Sabi Warehouse at 5pm. It was a great group! I laughed and really enjoyed myself.
It really can be a small town, I realized I had admired Debra's work at TS Brown jewelry. Daniel realized he had seen Sara's work at Port City Pottery. We chatted and shared ideas, very fun. I was so jazzed I chattered Robert's ear off when I got home.
I look forward to planning more events. I have long daydreamed about a vibrant metal community here in Wilmington. I go to SNAG and see these big time metals guilds in big cities that sponser such conventions. I think if we could grow and sponser juried shows, scholarships for our members to go take classes elsewhere, guest artists... the possibilities are endless even for a small town like ours. You don't have to be a professional metalsmith to want to be surrounded by quality, creative stimuli involving metal! I think we should strive to bring together like minded folk, creative souls interested in manipulating metal, or enjoying metal work even if its made by others, heck just talking about the metal arts world gets me excited! I just had such a good time....

Found Object Mania

2008-08-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jewelry Making Weekend
with Melissa Manley
August 23th 9am-5pm and 24th 12-5pm
At Wabi Sabi Warehouse 19 North 9th Street Wilmington, NC

Learn how to make wearable art out of found objects and copper, tin or recycled metals and wire. We will learn texturing, annealing, piercing, sawing and cold connecting and lots of basics. Bring your work clothes small items to play with like buttons, coins, found bits use your imagination! $125 includes materials
We'll break for lunch at noon. You may want to take advantage of
the wonderful eaterys downtown, or bring a bag lunch and hang out at Wabi Sabi
Warehouse!

call 538-1246 or email with questions or to register: melissa@melissamanleystudios.com

CFM on Meetup.com

2008-08-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Its been sometime since I devoted an energy to this group. But I wanted everyone to know I started a Meetup.com Cape Fear Metalsmiths group to find new people who would like to join us. Our next event is a meet-n-greet at Wabi Sabi Warehouse 19 North 9th on August 22nd from 5-6. See you there!

Jamie Hamper - Silversmith

2008-01-31T20:34:00.001-08:00

Silversmith in the UK

Gemstone Ring Workshop Details!

2007-08-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Tubeset Gemstone Ring Workshop with Adrienne Grafton:
Learn to set round faceted stones in tubing to adorn rings, brooches, necklaces and more.
In this workshop, you will complete a silver ring with a tubesetting. The instructor will
provide a kit for each student that includes burs, tubing and three 3mm faceted stones.
The cost of this kit is included in the cost of the class.

Metalsmithing experience required, you should know how to solder and fabricate with sterling.
Please bring your own silver sheet and wire and your favorite small handtools, like pliers and files.

cost of class: $100 (includes kit)
class size: 5

Adreinne's Biography:

Adrienne M. Grafton earned a MFA in Metal Design from East Carolina University in 2005 and a BFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2000. Her recent work, inspired by dreams and metaphors, is fabricated sculptural pieces made of copper and silver, often enriched with gold leaf. Adrienne received the Judy Cheteyan Education Scholarship from the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA in 2004. She has shown her work at the NC State University Gallery of Art and Design in Raleigh, NC and taught metals workshops at the Society for Contemporary Craft and Pullen Art Center in Raleigh. Her work has been published in The Art of Enameling, 1000 Rings, 500 Necklaces and 500 Earrings. Adrienne worked as the Metals Studio Coordinator at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC from 2005 to 2007 and is currently living in Warren, PA working full time in her studio.

The Gurls in my Posse

2007-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

My girls...
kickin' it in lower metals at Penland this summer in Joost & Dianne's class.... Adrienne, my former roomy and my girlyfriend Marion. I missed this class at Penland and could kick myself!!! Met Joost and Dianne at the Avetts concert in HOB-Chicago in '06. Uber cool couple.....
Don't miss Adrienne's workshop in my studio this September!!!
She rocks.....

Joost was a previous Saul Bell Award winner.
Here's Joost working:

More of Joost Durlings work:
http://www.newbedfordopenstudios.org/spgm-1.4.4/index.php?spgmGal=Joost_During&spgmPic=1&spgmFilters=#pic

Workshop with Ace!

2007-08-07T08:11:00.001-07:00

Newsflash! Adrienne Grafton -aka Ace, and I are cooking up a workshop for you metals junkies! You! Yes you, can spend Tuesday September 11th from 6-9 with the awesome Adrienne in my studio making a ring with a tube set faceted gem. Some soldering and basic metals experience is required. Adrienne was the Metals Studio coordinator for Penland School for the last two years. Her resume and metals teaching experience are extensive. She is a fabulous teacher, you won't want to miss this. More details to come.

Saturday Luncheon

2007-07-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Well! I think our luncheon went well. There were six of us and we met and talked mostly about what we each do, and why forming a metals group is a good thing. Everyone is in agreement, sharing our stories, or experiences, commiserating and pooling resources can only benefit ourselves and the community. We agreed that educating our public here in Wilmington and the surrounding area is imperative. Metalsmithing is little known here and largely misunderstood. Banding together for shows, demonstrations and workshops can only help us get better exposure and publicity. The more Wilmington is exposed to what we do the better they will understand and appreciate art jewelry and metalsmithing. That just makes the pie bigger in my opinion. As a group we would also like to pool resources to hire professionals from outside our area to come here and teach workshops. I have some ideas I will put into the works for this one too. As usual any suggestions are welcomed! We want to all meet again. I know there are at least 6-7 other metalsmiths in town I'd love to extend the invitation to. If you know someone bring them next time...or just mention us. If you are shy... join us! Email me! Its a small but very welcoming group because we artists need to get out of our creative caves from time to time.

Meet & Greet

2007-06-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

Join us for an informal get together to get to know each other!
Viet Bistro -Saturday July 7th at noon
See you there!

Earl Pardon: Palette Maestro

2007-06-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Like candy.....

More with Earl

2007-06-22T05:34:00.001-07:00

It was so wonderful to see Earl Pardon's work up so close.
I got a kick out of this ring.

Earl Pardon

2007-06-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic show was at Delta Axis in a small room downstairs. Earl Pardon:Palette Maestro was an exhibit of Earl Pardon’s work in conjunction with a presentation by Rosanne Raab with special guest Tod Pardon.

http://homepage.mac.com/tpardon/pardondesign/EarlPardon.htm

Earl Pardon (b. 1926, d. 1991) was born in Memphis, Tennessee. A prolific artist, he exhibited widely and completed numerous commissions, and as a professor, taught courses in jewelry and enameling at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York from 1951 to 1989. His works were influenced by his knowledge of Zen and he often referred to his pieces as portable art. Pardon is regarded as having assisted in the revival of the art of enameling in the United States and expanding its boundaries. Pardon received his BFA from Memphis Academy of Art in 1951 and in 1959 he received his MFA from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. After retiring, Pardon dedicated himself to his studio work.

The New Steel at Delta Axis

2007-06-22T05:17:00.001-07:00

More images from The New Steel including this large Harriet Estel Berman piece.

For more on Delta Axis:
http://www.deltaaxis.org

Powerhouse

2007-06-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

The New Steel show continued downstairs at the Delta Axis gallery.
You could overlook the downstairs hall from a balcony.

Steel Sculpture

2007-06-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

This was such a cool show.
This sculpture was kinetic and had a crank.

Me in front of Elizabeth Brim's piece.

Sharon Massey's steel filligree bracelet.

The New Steel Show

2007-06-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

This was The New Steel coordinated by the Metal Museum juried by LeeAnn Mitchell and Suzanne Pugh exhibited in Delta Axis Gallery. The gallery building was a coal fired powerhouse that generated power for the Memphis train station next door. It is such a fabulous space!

The SNAG Silent Auction

2007-06-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Sharon Massey and I took over the SNAG Silent Auction three years ago. We co-chair this event which raises money for Educational Endowment. The SNAG Educational Endowment was founded in 1992. Its sole focus is awarding graduate and undergraduate educational scholarships each year. These are prestigious and highly competitive student scholarship awards. A selection committee of three independent jurors determines the awards. The Endowment awards three scholarships each year, and each scholarship recipient receives: $1,000, One-year complimentary SNAG membership, Their work featured on a postcard sent out to hundreds of museums, galleries, and schools. The application deadline is March 15th each year.
Many vendors and artists donate to the Silent Auction, including artists like Boris Bally, Bob Ebendorf. And this year we had work by Halan Butt and Sarah Perkins, as well as a complete set of the Bill Fretz luscious hammers with padauk wood handles. Its good fun and gets really heated in its final minutes each year. We raised around $8300 this year.

Rooftop Party

2007-06-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Well of course its SNAG and there's always a party. So the first night it was on the roof of the Peabody....lovely.
Above is Mara Freidland the newest ECU grad. Below is ECU metals professor Tim Lazure in the rust shirt and his friend Wayne Werner, as well as Adrienne Grafton in teal and Brittany Sondberg in the olive to the right. The ladies were sporting their new plastic gold Elvis sunglasses....

SNAG Vendors

2007-06-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

If you have not been to SNAG, the vendor room is the most fun! Getting to touch tools, see them demo'd and handling gemstones is great. I have bought hammers that I wouldn't have bought from a catalog, but once I saw them used and held them I fell in love. I fell for this anvil stand at the Rio Grande booth, but couldn't afford it this time. After drooling all day wednesday over it, I come by on thrusday and my buddy Marlene True was standing there buying it! And my other grad school compadre, Catherine Osgood, was ordering one as well!

Some of the gem dealers including Bill Gangi, who along with John Frei sponsor the band at the final night party each year.

This is Charon Kransen's booth. He is a New York dealer, originally from Amsterdam, who handles international jewelry artists as well as books on jewelry and metalsmithing, rare, used and new. I adore books so I go nuts in his booth each year.
There's a link to his site to the right with the other links.

The Rio Grande booth.... like a candy store!

James' SNAG pics

2007-06-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Pics from James Thurman's camera at SNAG can be viewed here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesthurman/sets/72157600400404211/

His website:
http://www.jamesthurman.com/

Party On Beale

2007-06-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Beale Street is a non stop party. On Tuesday before the conference starts we found plenty to do!

This is Silky O' Sulivan's, an outdoor bar behind a reinforced old facade. It comes complete with a wrought iron fenced in area for goats who have their own wooden turrent to climb. SNAG members found themselves here each night just hanging out in front by the big girders. Someone said they thought that all of the metal was drawing us like a magnet.

The street is blocked off each night and mobs of partyers roam and drink giant cups of beer that are available through windows that serve to foot traffic. You can also drink your flavored iced daquari from a yard long plastic cup.

Anyone who is anybody

2007-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

The trolleys in Memphis are wonderful and run on steel rails still.

This coke machine in the hall was poignant, truly anyone who is anybody in the metals world is at SNAG drinking cocktails in the Peabody lobby. some may call them the usual suspects! The Otto Frei guys, Suzanne Ramljak, RonHo, Paulette Myers, Phillip Baldwin, Tim Mc Creight, Tom Mann, Tom Muir, Fred Fenster, Todd Reed, Harlan Butt, Todd Pardon, Sam Shaw, Sarah Perkins, Mary Ann Scherr, Doug Harling, Mary Chuduck, Cynthai Eid, Felicke van der Leest, Elizabeth Brim, Tom Joyce, Betty Helen Longhi, David Huang, Ce Ce Wire, Arline Fisch, Barbara Minor, Melissa Huff, Linda Threadgill, Ken Bova, Jim Cotter, Joe Wood, Sandra Enterline, Marilyn and Jack da Silva, the people From Facere and Velvet da Vinci galleries, Charon Kransen, Linda Kay -Moses, Andy Cooperman....and so, so many more! I even got to sit next to Tim Mc Creight on a flight coming home.

SNAG-Tuesday Night

2007-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sharon Massey the SNAG Silent Auction Chairperson, and Adrienne Grafton metals studio co ordinator for Penland and I head out of the Peabody for dinner and a night on Beale Street.

There are gorgeous carriages each with a coach dog all over downtown Memphis.

Adrienne

SANG at the Peabody

2007-06-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

2007 Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference, was held in the famous Peabody hotel in Memphis.
The Peabody is known for its mallard ducks that spend from 11am to 5pm in the hotel lobby fountain. Evidently in the 1930's two prominent Memphis gentlemen while having drinks in the hotel, speculated that it'd be a hoot to leave some of their live decoys in the lobby fountain. People loved it and the ducks stayed, basically they're a 70 yr old pratical joke! There is a "duckmaster" in a red coat with braids who rounds up the ducks with a special staff. The ducks ride the elevator to the roof each evening where they live in a "palace" ..... well, a pretty nice cage anyway.

Mitzi's Idea

2007-06-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's all her fault....well...still, many have had the idea but she actually made a move. Mitzi Jonkheer came to see me at work to say she'd long been thinking about starting a Metalsmiths guild here in the Port City. It has also been a dream of mine since the late 90's, when Marcia MacDonald suggested it. When Mitzi mentioned it I thought it was high time. I have been blogging and decided to start a blog for Cape Fear Metalsmiths. I hope you will be interested in joining us in formalizing a community for us to talk shop, compare notes, commiserate and share. We live in such a artistically rich region that is attracting new metalsmiths all the time, why not get together both in cyberspace and in the literal world?

I am adding links to the blog all the time, email me with suggestions. I hope this can function as a spring board.
Please! We want your thoughts! Contribute and comment and help us get the ball rolling.

SNAG in Memphis

2007-06-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I am off to SNAG in Memphis!
I have been assisting Sharon Massey as auction coordinator. Its a lot of work but its been cool to meet the movers and shakers in the world of metalsmithing. Should be an exciting year.

Yahoo groups?

2007-06-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Would you folks also like to have a yahoo egroup?
Mitzi? what do you guys think?

Email subscribe!

2007-06-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

I just added the feed burner so you can recieve notices via email!

CFM

2007-06-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

So... I sent out emails and the few who responded voted for Cape Fear Metalsmiths so here we are. I need to schedule a meeting in July. I am off to SNAG next week so we'll see if I get a chance to post during the conference. Ciao!

Welcome!

2007-06-05T08:19:00.001-07:00

Hi! keep watching we're coming soon!