More Moss!

Last month I shared some images from a new series of pieces developed using clumps of moss as the base for sculptural pendants.  I am using recycled silver that has been pulverized into tiny particles that are combined with an organic binder and water in order to make a silver paste.  I developed those hollow pieces by draping moss around paper straws and soaking them in this paste as they hung to set up.  Once set, they were fired in a kiln which burns out the remaining moisture, moss and binder to leave behind pure silver.  This technique allows me to capture the intricate textures that make moss so very fascinating.  The most recent pieces in this series are more dense and incorporate color.  Instead of hanging to create a hollow form, the moss is again soaked in the silver paste, but then is "piled" on small slats of wood as it dries.  A small piece of dichroic glass is pressure set in each of them to create a focal point.  Rather than using a liver of sulfur patina of dark gray to pronounce the surface relief, I have treated this piece with a sage green alcohol ink that settles into the complex grooves and illuminates the subtle depths of its surface.  I am excited by the potential that continues to unfold from this new series...

Fall Artisan Markets

Sundays  October 26, 2014 & November 9, 2014  11am-4pm

Artisan Market on Broadway Island
Located at the Shops at Yale 
13 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511

What a great way to spend a beautiful fall Sunday!  With the sun shining and unseasonably warm weather, I joined the Metal Clay Artisan Guild at our tent for the first of these two artisan markets.  Lots of folks were out buzzing around after brunch in this historic section of New Haven.  We met great artists from around New England as patrons began their holiday shopping.  Come by on November 9th to check out more work from our guild members and to learn more about our members, mission and media!

I (heart) Moss!

My inspiration comes from the surrounding environment, the places I walk through each day.  Some paths I will travel countless times and other spaces I will pass through only once.  No matter where the walk, one of the simple elements I am most often drawn to is moss.  I cannot resist its texture and softness.  I am fascinated by its complex microscopic form.  From afar, it can paint any landscape with a lush green brush.  One of the oldest plants known to earth, moss is found on all seven continents and collectively provides more carbon offset than all the trees in the world.  I often collect moss on my walks to transplant into my yard.  

Needless to say, it is one of the organic forms that I spend time exploring in my jewelry studio.  Working with ground silver mixed into a paste form, I have recently revisited moss and its potential to be preserved in the silver.  The problem is how delicate it is - how do I keep it from "shredding"? and how do I get it to hold a form that won't collapse before firing?  For a recent series of pieces, I wanted to work with the moss in a dense design and began by soaking it in the silver slip and then draping it around paper straws for it to dry.  As it was drying, I would manipulate the shape and continue to slowly layer the paste.  The paper straw gave the saturated moss a structure to hang from, and being paper could be fired in the kiln to burn out - leaving a clean tube on the interior to run a chain through.  Before firing, holes were drilled to pressure set 4mm CZs.  After firing, a dark patina was added to create contrast and allow the the intricate textures to be more pronounced.  It was then set on a simple cable chain.  These have much potential and are continuing to evolve in my studio.

Really like moss?  Check out one of my favorite blogs for some inspiring photos of what you can do with moss at Moss & Stone Gardens.   

Art Show & Fundraiser!

Join us Saturday September 13, 2014 from 4-7pm for Community, Creativity and a Chance to win!

I consider it a great privilege to teach in a community that so genuinely comes together in support of the arts.  Thanks to Hairdresser on Fire for once again throwing the best Art Party around in an effort to raise money for the Windsor High School Art Department Scholarship Fund.  The money raised helps our students have meaningful art experiences beyond the classroom and allows us to create experiences that include field trips, internships, visiting artists, summer residencies for students, our own art shows and the college scholarships awarded at the end of the year to our graduating seniors.

In addition to the generous contribution that local artist Katherine Tolve will be making from the sales of her work; the food, entertainment and prizes for the evening are coming from local businesses who have all stepped up.  

A truly huge THANKS to the below businesses:

Bear's Smokehouse BBQ will be catering the event with other food donations from Windsor 75, Nat Hayden's, Family Pizza, Get Baked, Faddy's Donuts, Dom's Broad Street Eatery, and Moneta Moments.  

Raffle prizes so far from: Hairdresser on Fire, Ashley's Distinctive Jewelry, Bill Selig Jewelers, Ginza's Japanese Cuisine, Chili's, Mahaney's Breakfast, Wilson Pizza, Geissler's, Price Chopper, Body Graphics, Windsor Center Fine Wines, Matt's Outback Paintball, Many Rivers Acupuncture  Nat Hayden's, Big Y, Outback Steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Snellgrove's, Sweet Frog, Jordan Florist, Home Depot, Stone Age Rock Gym, East Heaven Hot Tubs and Rave Cinemas.

The evening is free and open to the public.  Raffle Tickets are $5 with 100% of the proceeds going to our scholarship fund.  This is the opening reception for artist Katherine Tolve's show at HDF and for the evening, WHS student work will also be exhibited.  Come celebrate our youth, the arts and our community!

see below for more info.

Steampunk'd Wonderland

What's behind this door?  

The latest adventures of the Metal Clay Artisan Guild in CT.  It has been great fun working with them on our installation for Steampunk'd Wonderland at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT.  On Thursday October 9, 2015 from 4-5:30pm, join the members of the Metal Clay Artisan Guild of CT, along with artists from across the state, for the opening event of Steampunk'd Wonderland.  Tour more than two dozen site specific installations on the Florence Griswold Museum Campus as you take an imaginative guided trip through Alice's Adventure in Wonderland.  The Guild can be found in the first chapter of the adventure, with an installation that invites the viewer down the rabbit hole and through the hall of doors Alice was confronted with.  Once the sun goes down, the party moves in doors with a sneak peak of the museum's fall exhibits.  For more information, please visit:  http://florencegriswoldmuseum.org

Metal Clay Mojo 2015

One of the most inspiring conferences I have attended as an Artist and an Educator was the Metal Clay Mojo Conference last summer where I was pleased to serve as a discussion panel moderator.  Needless to say, I was thrilled to be invited earlier this summer as a presenter at the next Metal Clay Mojo Conference in 2015.  I will be giving a presentation and demonstrations entitled: 

Biting the Surface:  

Etching One of a kind copper texture plates for use with metal clay

‘Biting the Surface’ refers to corroding the metal on an etching plate which originated as a printmaking technique and eventually crossed over into traditional forms of jewelry and metalsmithing.  Today, etching metal plates is a great way for metal clay artists to push their work even further - whether you are looking to create your own original designs as long lasting texture surfaces or to expand your technical jewelry skills, this presentation will offer something for all levels.  I have been working with these techniques for more than 20 years and know all too well how traditional forms of etching are complicated, expensive and toxic.  This presentation will focus on simplicity, safety and convenience as we explore salt based etching methods that yield sophisticated results and can be safely used in the home studio.    Participants will even be invited to try out the techniques we explore in the evening open studio for a small materials fee.

It's a real privilege to be a presenter alongside such amazing artists and teachers as Anna Mazon, Donna Penoyer, Barbara Becker Simon, Terry Kovalcik, Noortje Mejeirink, Kim Paige, Michelle Loon, Suzanne McNenly and Robert Dancik.  This international conference is designed to foster greater community, creativity and artistry within the world of  powdered metallurgy.  As an artist and an educator I gained valuable insights that have powerfully impacted both my own studio work and teaching approaches.  To learn more about this conference, please visit:  www.metalclaymojo.com

Metal Clay Lecture

Did you miss the opening event for 

Inspired Objects:  Metalworking through the Ages?  

Join us this Wednesday at the Windsor Historical Society for another great event as part of this exhibit!

Metal Clay: A Radical New Way of Working with Precious Metals

July 23, 2014       7 PM to 8:30 PM

What would silversmith Paul Revere think of this?  Make simple pure silver jewelry on your kitchen table with a unique new product.  Metal clay combines microfine particles of pure silver that are mixed with a binder and water to form a clay-like material.  After forming the pieces they are dried and fired in a simple kiln or with a handheld torch to burn away the binder leaving hardened metal.  Bevlynn Gallant, metal clay jeweler and teacher, will show you how this material is used and how it differs from the traditional methods of working with silver to make jewelry. This talk is presented in conjunction with “Inspired Objects: Metalworking through the Ages,” a show and sale of metal clay artwork crafted by members of the Metal Clay Artisans Guild in Connecticut, on view until August 8^th.  COST: $6 adults, $5 seniors and students, $4 Society and MAGiC members.  For more information, contact the Society at 860-688-3813 or www.metalclayguildct.org

image of work by speaker Bevlynn Gallant