Image Dump

Some new pictures I took this weekend. Some old pieces with some better captures I think. And the new ones, and nicer images of the earrings. Enjoi!

Kinda productive night!

1. Eat buffalo burgers for dinner with husband
2. Watch Lars and the Real Girl, get kinda teary
3. Heat up the kiln and put in my Battlestar Galactica Soundtrack
4. Finally finish two of these guys with an antique patina!

Pro-Gress

Here's tonight's progress. These are coming along pretty well, but still have a few layers to go. Especially dude all the way to the right... that border that looks maroonish is soon to be green. But, all in all, not a bad evenin's work.








Listening to: A Perfect Circle, Faun

Champleve Progress

So, I didn't post last night because I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was every bit of teen angst and magic-ey goodness that I needed to fuel my creativity for the rest of the week.

As another side note, I'm currently reading Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. Awesome comic, it's a great retelling of a classic that only Moore can do, and rife with inspiration about human nature and natural things, and what exactly those are. So far, anyway, I'm only on book 3.

Anyway! Here's my progress on enameling the copper pieces I etched a few days ago. More info on Champleve, from Darty's enameling book: "The term Champleve comes from the two French words "champ," a field, and "leve," raised. In this technique raised fields, or areas of metal, are incorporated into the finished design and the enamel is inlayed into recessed compartments." She also details that the Celts were doing it as far back as 1BC, and the Romans, in their vast conquests, adapted it from them and were using it on armor, swords and shields in 5AD. If I had helmet in ancient Rome, it would totally have Champleve on it. Of a ram, or something hardcore.

Champleve progress

These are shots from my enameling tonight on the first of the etched pieces, using a technique named Champleve. It's ancient, but the French coined its most common name. I'm not done with this piece yet, but you can see how far I've gotten this evening!