"Charming" for Charity

I am really proud to be working with such a great group of talented and generous artists in the Metal Clay Artisan Guild in CT.  We ended the year with a challenge for each of us to design and create a series of charms that represented our own unique artistic voices.  The charms were swapped at our year end celebration, with each person making an extra to donate to a bracelet we will be auctioning off for charity in the coming months.  My "Silver Bell" charm (which I shared the making of in my last post) is featured to the left of the bottom center charm.  The charms are set on a hand-wrought sterling silver bracelet created and donated by Bevlynn Gallant.   Proceeds for this piece will be going to Cystic Fibrosis which has recently impacted members of the guild.  

Auction information will be posted once finalized.

Silver Bells

This month's challenge for the Metal Clay Artisan Guild in CT was to create a unique charm that represents our personal work for our end of the year meeting.  The charms will be swapped with those participating with one extra created for a bracelet the Guild will be auctioning off for charity.  I created a set of "Silver Bells" based on these small dried blossoms I picked from my yard earlier this fall.  The delicate nature and size of these pieces made them a real challenge for me as I had to taylor my process to a more production-like level.  Each piece features a fine silver wire bail to hang from and a liver of sulfur patina that left behind these wonderful hues of red and green - which may have been my favorite part.  I approach my silver work as a sculptor, making unique organic forms, but this was a really good opportunity for me to problem solve from the jewelry end of the spectrum.  I think these monthly group challenges will lead to a lot more individual growth for members than I had anticipated.  Can't wait to see what everyone else creates!