Filed under: photography by ramune

The Knife – Christmas Raindeer

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Finally we got a good dumping of snow! It will never cease to amaze me how this area freaks out when it snows. You would think we never get snow around these parts and yet every year we do and every year everyone rushes to stock up in case they get stuck for months. I have a question that perhaps you can answer for me. Why is it that I see trucks with their plows down when it’s barely snowing, but when it is seriously snowing I either don’t see any plows or the trucks I see have their plows up? Am I missing something?

All of that aside, I had a lovely day watching the snow come down, shoveling, drinking cocoa with marshmallows, making popcorn and of course let us not forget going outside for a walk to threaten my cameras in the snow. Here are some photos I took on my wanderings.

My car is in there somewhere.

Obligatory snow moose bokeh

Filed under: card, commission, design, holiday by ramune

Ultrafox – Ice Skating

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Ultrafox – Ice Skating (Glacier Mix)

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Firstly, I posted two versions of the same song because I still can’t decide which version I like better, so why not share them both . . . Secondly, I present to you this week’s project. I wish I could say these are the cards I am mailing out this year, but they are not. They are actually an office holiday card I was asked to design. They were pretty specific about what they wanted (lone tree in a snowy field with the company logo as an ornament hanging off the tree), and I was pretty excited to do it since this is something I’ve had in my mind for a a few years. They chose the top version (all white) over the version with the black trees. Normally I don’t post “work” stuff, but I like how this came out, and it’s a look I want to continue to develop. Enjoy!

Filed under: family, friends, holiday, photography, sewing, silliness by ramune

Kasabian – Secret Alphabets

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I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was as delicious and fun as mine was. It’s taken me a while to go through all of my photos from Thanksgiving weekend (and actually I am still not completely done) . . . but here are some of my favorites from the silliness I was up to with the family. When in doubt, go to Carderock.

Sidenote: No one was hurt in the making of these photos . . . except for a few missing limbs by the cleaver (that my great uncle made).

Filed under: inspiration by ramune

Along with my weekly project posts, I have decided to post work by other artists, photographers, designers, musicians, creative types that inspire me. Here is a lovely video by Emmanuel Ho. It makes me want to start animating again. Now I just need to make the time to do it.

Filed under: commission, enamel, favorites, jewelry, process by ramune

Big Lazy – Just Plain Scared

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After spending seven straight hours in the studio last Tuesday night, I was able to finish the art nouveau inspired cloisonné pendant! I am pretty excited that 1. nothing horrible went wrong in those seven hours (trying to stay calm and not rushing helped) and 2. I am really happy with the piece . . . so much so that I don’t really want to sell it.

To see the previous posts showing the original sketches and the first steps, check these links:
105 . . . Two Years and a Commission
107 . . . Cloisonné Commission II

Below I have compiled some photos of the process. I didn’t take photos of every single step because that would be incredibly boring (since it involves building up thin layer after thin layer after thin layer . . .), but I tried to show a variety of steps.

1. Put the thinner inside wires in place. These were a challenge and took up a good bit of time.
2. First layers of yellow and green (post firing)
3. Adding some gray to the edges (pre firing)

4. In the kiln.
(Side note: The previous week I had aluminum on the trivet in the kiln and managed to push it so it touched those red hot 1500 degree coils and I got a serious zap through my entire body. Lesson learned.)
5. I love the way enamels look right when they come out of the kiln, too bad they don’t stay that way. (post firing)
6. I made little paper patterns to protect my yellow areas from the gray enamel (pre firing)

7. After removing the paper patterns (pre firing)
8. Added in the pink/yellow for the flower. At this point I liked my colors as they were. (post firing)
9. Once I got the coloring I wanted (8), I filled in the empty spaces with N4, a clear enamel (pre firing)
10. After putting on enough N4 to build up the enamel to the top of the wires, I stoned the hell out of this piece. Here it is ready to go in for it’s last firing (pre firing)

My messy space

Filed under: events, holiday by ramune

Greetings! If you are in/around the DC area, join me Saturday, December 5th, for delicious wine tasting and a chance to pick up unique handmade items (made by yours truly) for the holidays. I will be selling my enameled pendants and earrings, gauntlets for men and women, greeting cards and select photos at Best Cellars in Clarendon, VA. You can see some of the items for sale at my etsy shop. Please pass on the info and I hope to see you there.

P.S. I do not accept credit cards in person at the moment, so please be sure to bring cash (there is also an ATM nearby).

Filed under: commission, enamel, jewelry, process by ramune

Deastro – Biophelia

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Hello from yet another gorgeous almost summer-like day in November. First off, this week’s song comes to you from Deastro, one of my absolute favorite musicians of 2009. I was hooked ever since I heard this song. This past Thursday I had the pleasure of seeing him open for Max Tundra (he is a character, well worth seeing live) at a rather small show at DC9. He and his band mate have only been playing together for three weeks in their current setup (which he amusingly would remind us whenever there were technical issues), while he puts together a larger band. Check it out.

As promised, here are some photos of my progress on the commissioned piece I am working on at the moment. Things have been moving a little slower than expected but I am learning a lot in the process. For example, don’t polish up your fine silver with a brass wheel. The brass can transfer to the silver and then completely mess up the enamel when you fire it (gets cloudy and splotchy). I’m glad I learned this after “ruining” two pieces of silver and nearly ruining a third. Oy. I am not as far as I would like to be considering this Tuesday is my last class for the season (I need a kiln and studio of my own already), but I am hopeful that I can finish in time (showing up to class 3.5 hours early should help). This past week I managed to get my main wires on, so at least that part is done. Hopefully everything else will fit into place nicely. Here are some photos of the process so far.

The Flux 2020 firing was finally successful! No cloudiness or splotchiness!

You always have to enamel the back of any piece, otherwise it is more likely to crack.

Bending my wires to mimic the shapes in my design was a finicky process. It was trickier than I had expected and I had to adjust the shapes a wee bit to fit the domed silver disc and make room for thin wires that will be inside the piece on the right.

Filed under: photography by ramune

Bear in Heaven – Ultimate Satisfaction

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Greetings from a ridiculously gorgeous day. It was 70 . . . in November. Craziness. A friend and I went for a walk at Carderock, which was probably the most crowded that I’ve ever seen it. I didn’t take as many photos as I would have liked, but here are a few. You should go, but don’t let anyone push you into the canal, the water is mostly stagnant and probably full of malaria.

Filed under: design, doodle, enamel, jewelry, process by ramune

The Shins – Sea Legs

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Well friendlings, it’s been two years and I’m still here . . . plugging away at a project a week, or something like that. Thank you to those who have dropped by and commented or silently perused through my projects. Thanks also to those who were patient and collaborated with me, I would like to do more projects with friends in year three. This might be a good time to mention that on the right side of the page you can send me suggestions for new projects, since I like a challenge and also run out of ideas. Back to this week’s project . . .

A while ago, a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless for the time being) asked me if he could commission a cloisonné pendant for his significant other. He wanted something that was Art Nouveau inspired and that included vines and floral elements. These are the four sketches I came up with that were both Art Nouveau inspired and true to my style. In other words, not only will he and the recipient hopefully like them, but I will too and it’s always nice to like what you’re making (please don’t ask me to enamel a portrait of you and your cat . . . I won’t do it). The sketches are a bit light, but the colors on the actual piece will be much more vibrant and all the black lines will actually be silver.

During the coming weeks I plan to post my progress on the design he chose. I was hoping to get a decent amount done this week, but because my materials were not what they were advertised to be, I ended up wasting 3.5 hours trying to figure out what was wrong and eventually had to admit defeat. Now I have ordered new silver (from a different and more trusted vendor) and hope that things go smoothly from here on out . . .

Filed under: failure, jewelry by ramune

Metronomy – Heartbreaker

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Dear Rio Grande-

I am sorry to do this to you, but I have to end this relationship. You see, you lied to me and I don’t think I can trust you anymore. When I asked for fine silver, I believed you when you said it was fine silver. I don’t think I ask for much, but I do expect honesty. Because of your careless nature, I lost 3.5 hours tonight working with some weird mutant silver that is clearly not what I asked for. You know I am on a tight deadline and yet you provided me with crap materials that reacted in ways they should not have. I spoke with some of your exes and they say that you have told them the same lies. When will you learn? You have left me no choice. I am going back to Metalliferous. We have a history anyway and there are no lies between us.

Goodbye.

-Ramune