December in Oregon

It's fresh, it's clean, it's misty, it's romantic...I love it! I'm happily awaiting the rains too, I just think that I'm destined to be happy here.
I'm writing this as I put the finishing touches on my displays for The Thirst Wine Bar tomorrow, Dec. 13 - 5-10 pm. It is a cozy, intimate place. I hear their customers are fun and stylish, just my type! Last show of the season.
I'm looking forward to being able to set up my studio again. I really miss my hammers and my torch.
We're going to have a Pacific Northwest holiday this year & we are delighted. Oregon is stimulating our creativity. Hallelujah!

It's the season!

I slipped out today to walk on Cannon Beach with our dog, Foxcie. She's 14, and ran like a puppy for about 3 hours. It was raining and smelled fantastic. The Oregon Coast is the place for me. I love everything about it. I'll have to go back after Christmas and get more crab dip at Cranky Sue's - that was the best.

Now it's back to work - I need to make some dragonfly necklaces - a lot of them flew away this past weekend. I'm having a great time meeting all the talented folks at the different shows I'm attending. One of the best parts of being an artist is - other artists.

What do you think of the new freshwater pearls? I made the pendant out of gold-filled wire, peridot and tiny pearls. I made the clasp too.

This is the most eye-catching shade of green.

"Ever Young"

This necklace is white mother-of-pearl beads.

The gold-filled pendant is graced with Swarovski crystals

and delicate pearls.

"Sun & Sea"

Here's where I'll be showing my jewelry. Come see me if you can!
11/3 Gresham Armory - great folks - fun gals in the cheer club - go Pink & Black! Done
11/10 Clackamas Park Friends Church -Milwaukie - warm, welcoming place. Done
11/17 Countryside Christian Church - Keizer - terrific people - and what a well-run show! Done
11/24 & 25 Winter Fest Bazaar - True Value Hardware - 9-5 - Molalla

11/30 11-2 Salem - private bazaar
12/1 & 2 Carnegie Museum - 606 John Adams St. - Oregon City
12/8 9-5 - St. John's Community Center - 8472 N. Central - St. John's Landing
12/13 Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro - 5-10 pm - 149 A Avenue - Lake Oswego

Robert's going to be drawing caricatures at the Jantzen Beach Mall near the carousel so go say hello! He's available for private parties too!

We're in Oregon...

... and it's even better than we hoped. It's an artist's dream, vivid colors, changing weather, and fun, hospitable, interesting people. For a painter and a writer... what else could we ask?
We got here just in time to do some holiday shows. My first is this weekend, in Gresham at the Armory. I'll add several other events as soon as I get the details for them.
I'm looking for more events at hospitals, churches, schools, & businesses. If anyone knows of any, email me, I'm ready. Everybody loves handmade gifts, I make them, people want them, we just have to find one another.
Robert is making contacts for drawing caricatures at parties. After drawing at Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain for 24 years, he had a big list of repeat customers for the holidays. He took a real leap of faith, giving all that up to live our vision of "Artists in Oregon". It will work out because he's so gifted, and easy to work with. Once he gets the first job, they always call him back. One of his best work situations was his time at Film Roman Studios, painting backgrounds for King of the Hill, Bobby's World, The Mask and Mortal Kombat. He is a real cartoon & comic fan. I think teaching animation studies in Community College helped him too. It showed people how patient and pleasant he was. Talent and character, what a combo. Anyway, I'm trying to enjoy him now, because once Oregon discovers him, he'll be all booked up.
I'll write again, as I learn more about this wonderful place. I hope to see some of you in Gresham, at the Armory, this weekend. New friends are the greatest surprize in life.

Spinner Ring - 2 views

This is a reallyfun ring. It's silver, with a patina added to the main ring. The spinner is hand-forged sterling.

"Sea Lover"

Beautiful, soft mauve stick pearls drape perfectly to embrace a sterling heart frame with a web of garnets, silver and rose quartz inside. A sterling 'clasped heart' catch completes the mood.

"Mists of Avalon"

Three strands of different sizes and shades of gray pearls are held together by a hand-crafted heart created of sterling silver treated with a deep gray patina.

"Perfect Storm"

Silvery stick pearls are graced by a free-form sterling framed web of gray pearls.

"Primitive"

Mother of Pearl is not just sweet anymore! This one is as hot as the tropics. Just for perfection, it ends with a perfect blue paua shell enhanced pendant.

"Southern Nights"

This necklace is composed of various shades of freshwater pearls. It culminates in a pendant of delicate pink shell, surroundes by large glass leaves.

"Stix & Stones"

Barely peach-colored stick pearls and coin pearls come together to make an elegant necklace.

"Pure Hearts"

This lovely freshwater pearl necklace is everything pure and true.

The "heart within a heart" inside the sterling frame is created using freshwater pearls. The clasp is a sterling 'clasped heart'.

"Woman Paua"

I love this one. Peacock stick pearls with a wonderful paua shell pendant. People are drawn to these intense colors.

Frosted Flakes bracelet

This is a gorgeous double strand of corn-flake pearls.

It's all good...

I've finished the May shows and have started making pieces for the Bridgeport, Ca. 4th of July celebration. I look forward to this one all year. We stay in a little town about a half hour away from the show so there's a wonderful demarcation between the day job and our little vacation. Cool, fresh air, silence, stars and absolutely no mosquitoes.

We're in transition. A few months ago we moved an hour away from the place we lived for 14 years and are house-sitting for friends. When this place sells, we're off to start a new life in Oregon. Robert's looking forward to more time to paint, and I am excited about writing, and making jewelry in our new environment. We've waited a long time to be together and create. Now it's happening.

For now, I've a big studio to work in and no one to complain if I hammer all night long. I'm plugging in the Foredom and making some music!

I've been working hard to get ready for the show season. I've already been to the first two.

The first weekend in May I'm always at Hillside Farm, in Norco, Ca. It's on an old Christmas tree farm, and we use all the buildings and both the front and back lawn. My booth is in the chicken coop(!). They are very careful that everything is hand-made. It's horse country, so anyone that has a "country turn of mind" is going to find everything they want.

Last weekend I was at "Art on the Waterfront" in San Pedro, Ca. It is a one-day event combined with an Installation Art exhibit. It's wonderful. I made new friends from around the world. Making the simple 3 bead rings at my booth is a great conversation starter. My husband was in the booth next to me, creating watercolor caricatures. As always, he had everyone laughing.

Since it was a major harbor, Homeland Security made its presenceknown by not allowing the people to park onsite. Everyone had to park far away and be transported by shuttle. It severely limited the number of people attending. The ones that did enjoyed intersting music, and stimulating art.

I'm completing some "Story Pendants" for the Iris Festival this Friday, Saturday & Sunday in Yucaipa, Ca. It's a beautiful weekend, full of flowers.

Memorial Weekend I'm at the Western Dance Convention in Covina, Ca. It's a lot of fun. All the participants dress in costumes, so it's a natural outlet for my western jewelry. (Most of which I sold at the seashore. Sigh)

I'm posting some of the pearl pieces I created.

I'm finishing the preparations for the San Pedro Arts Show this Saturday. I've been making a lot of things with pearls for the people at the ocean. I hope they like them.

Mahogany Obsidian

I made the matching pendant and clasp. The best thing about this is the long 'bar' on the clasp. It simply slides into the ring, and the length keeps it from sliding out until you want it to. Very easy to get on and off and totally secure. I'll be making more of these clasps.

Copper Cuff

This copper cuff is fold-formed and patinaed.

"Transforming"

I think resin is my new love. There's something magical about taking disparate objects and creating a story. This one is my personal statement: The fern is from our nightly walk, the opal butterfly came from my friend John Connelly in Venice, (thanx John!) and the citrine cabachon sun is one of my favorites.

The idea of changing and growing is one I hold personally dear.

"Frost"

This resin pendant has 2 of my favorite things embedded in it - twisted silver wire and tiny gemstone canachons.

"New Leaf"

This 9 strand citrine, blue topaz and amazonite necklace spills from a hand-forged sterling silver leaf clasp. The leaf has a rich patina with bronzes and blues glimmering like sunshine on the water.

Amazing.

"Sweetheart"

This is an elegant wire-wrap necklace combining faceted garnets, pink pearls and heavy Bali silver.

Garnets put action to your passion - while pearls help a lady 'flow with the tide'.

You can't see the color of this elegant wire wrap necklace. It's all gold filled wire with pink, green and black tourmaline.

This is all brought together in the 'dangle' created of a waterfall of tourmaline spilling out from an amazing watermelon tourmaline.

Large, luscious dusty pink mother of pearls are graced by a side clasp sterling silver leaf.

This gorgeous faceted blue kyanite necklace is electrified by a simple gold-filled chain.

Pearls and... ?

These mauve pearls are enhanced by the hand forged, front clasp. It's two parts interlink, creating a unique closure that adds interest to the simple necklace. A pink CZ adds a little lady-like sparkle.

Pendants

This is a little sampling of the pendants I've been making. One of these is me, right down to the ground. I wear it nearly all the time. I like it that they are so very individual.

Rings

These are silver wire rings I make "on the spot" at shows. I've tried to show

every angle.

Bracelets

These "Garden Bracelets" are one of a kind. They take many hours to make, but they're worth it when I see a woman catch sight of one across a room, hurry over, take a second look, try it on and delightedly take it home. Each bracelet seems to 'find' the one person that feels it's a personal expression of her own personality. One woman bought a teal and root-beer colored set although these were colors she never wore. Now she tells me she wears it so much the bracelet has it's own outfits. (A little more glamorous than she used to wear.)

I've added lab created opals to this sterling silver cuff and ring.

This sterling silver bracelet is light and airy, and just the tiniest bit 'jingly'.

This forged silver link bracelet is extremely comfortable. I fell in love with it and wear it every day.