Art

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The first necklace with my mini-landscape pendants on stone. I might be playing with gold-filled chains for an even more (for me) minimal look. But for now, this will do. Materials: black stone pendant, black polyester waxed cord, Toho glass seed beads, India lampworked glass beads, acrylic paint, bronze leaf, varnish. Necklace adjustable from 15″…

Read More Well, that worked
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Painter 17, Alien Skin filters, and a fast snapshot of me trying on a recent creation.   I like how well Painter’s new Impressionist brushes work, and mimic how I’d do this in physical oils or acrylics. While I still think it’s sort of ‘cheating’ to doctor photos with digital filters and sell the result,…

Read More Selfie with a shell scarf
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This is Adelaide, named for the charming little boutique that used to employ her. She’ll look a bit different when I’m done with her upgrades. If I’m going to do more wearable art and large-scale jewelry, I need a dressform!

Read More Say hi to Adelaide
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  A few months ago I scored some carved black stone pendants. A little research into painted shell and stone (resulting in a LOT of humility), I had a film hardener recipe for acrylic paint. And many ideas. These are the first test batch with bronze leaf accents. Each is about one inch high. Once…

Read More Painted rocks
by 2 comments on "New version of Moro’s Price coming soon!"

  My debut novel MORO’S PRICE, a M/M space opera erotic romance, was first published in 2012. I’m pleased to announce that a newly revised version will be coming soon from NineStar Press. If you liked the original version, I think you’ll love this one. If all goes well, you’ll also be seeing the direct sequel…

Read More New version of Moro’s Price coming soon!
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I could almost get away with the stub listing ‘It sucked’. The many and varied ways 2016 achieved maximum suckage will be studied in later history (if there is anyone left alive to study it). I’m not raising my blood pressure detailing those slings and arrows tonight. Instead, I want to talk about good things.…

Read More 2016 year in review
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Many years ago, a wonderful little bead shop called ‘Another Bead Please’ had some gorgeous pieces of multicolored cane glass beads on commission. I was lucky enough to score two massive curved glass beads, each in two-tone triangular cane glass: one clear and teal, and this one in cobalt and clear glass. Since I have…

Read More Cobalt Arc Necklace
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This used to be a different necklace, but I sold one of the components separately a few years ago. A different chain, a little Deco style, and here’s a new necklace! Materials: sterling silver, amethyst, ametrine, rutilated quartz, clear quartz (rock crystal), smoky quartz, labradorite, iolite. Concept: in a layered 3D filigree oval, a cast…

Read More Seabird Necklace
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The lessons are piling on from last Friday’s horrific ‘Ghost Ship’ fire in Oakland, California. At least three dozen people died. To recap: The Ghost Ship was an urban warehouse illegally and shoddily converted into cheap work-live housing for artists, musicians, and other creatives. Electricity and water were siphoned from neighbors, and frequently didn’t work.…

Read More Artists, protect yourselves
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Corel’s new digital arts platform Painter 17 is out now, and I’m fiddling around with it this week. I finished this teaser art piece for the new version of Moro’s Price in about 30 minutes, and that was because I was slowly playing around with some of the new Artist’s Favorites brushes. I should have…

Read More Painter 17 teaser art
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(Soon to be an artist’s book.) For a couple of years, I’ve been taken to task by well-meaning folks who want me to make only positive, light-hearted, beautiful books that affirm life and hope. And I do – I’ve got a lot of those on the workshop table, or in development. But being a nihilist,…

Read More Narrow Shore
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My quest to create miniature books around jewelry platforms…continues! After contemplating my woodworking tools (and how much work went into a single mammoth ivory needle), I decided to outsource the jewelry forms. Find people who make stunning pieces from the start, and build on those beginnings. The latest experiments start here, with five exquisite buffalo-horn…

Read More Christmas in October: Ebony and Horn
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I recently wrote about the materials and inspiration for a series of Dia de los Muertos-themed rings. I decided to do only an edition of three books in this group, because I have different ideas for the next three. To recap: Dia de los Muertos votive bone rings. On a platform of carved bone rings,…

Read More Votive Bone Rings
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  Sooner or later, nearly every jewelry maker runs across this problem: how to join loops or links with a sturdy, practical, design-compatible connector. Closed jump rings are difficult to design around. Open jump rings may pull apart at the worst possible time. Wire-wrapped jump rings and connectors can be strong and beautiful, but time-consuming…

Read More Jewelry Maker’s PSA: Split Rings
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…On their way to being art. Fire Mountain Gems had a closeout sale recently, during which I got some great  items that will all make incredible book or jewelry art. Eventually. The first such transformation will be these six carved bone rings, originally from China & dyed with dark brown bands and peace symbols. For…

Read More Six Bone Rings…