This Artist's Journey

What's in a Name?

2013-05-04T11:18:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I am at a loss for words. What can I name this piece that seems to speak to me so loudly. Then at other times, the name comes before the piece is even designed. The kingman turquoise stones pictured in these rings, I've had in my collection for about a year. They kept calling out to me. I'm of Osage heritage so all things Native American calls to the very depths of my being. Turquoise stones speak the loudest, and these stones with their green and brown pattern speaks about the land and the valleys of my people. My Osage ancestors came from the Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas area and were moved to the Osage reservation in Oklahoma in the 1870's.

Osage Prairie

I made these rings in honor of my Osage grandmother (pictured as a baby in first photo) who instilled a passion within me for my heritage when I was young. The band on both rings are textured with switchgrass from the Kansas prairie which I thought fitting for the stones.

Land of My People

The piece, Osage Prairie, will be sent off to The Willa Cather Foundation gift shop in Red Cloud, Nebraska this month. And the ring, Land of My People, will be listed in my shop soon.

So...HA.KO^ WA.VCY^.LA TA^.VE, translated: What's on your mind?

UPDATE: My Osage grandmother died just today on May 5th, 2013. May she see the face of Jesus and all our ancestors that have gone before her. Love you, grandma.

GD Logo...A New Identity

2013-04-30T08:39:00.000-05:00

As I've grown as an artist and have settled in on a style, I felt the need to come up with a logo that reflects that change. I'm getting away from the Kit and Caboodle Shop name and slowly moving toward using my own name, thus, the use of my initials, GD, as a logo. Since I'm most inspired by nature, and plants specifically, the logo had to have a nature or plant theme. The above logo is what I came up with. I use a form of this on the backs of some my jewelry pieces now and will be looking into using this on all of my pieces in the future. It is all part of my journey in establishing my identity as an artist. No more identity crisis. :)

Making Nature Molds

2013-04-28T17:42:00.001-05:00

Now that the warmer weather is enticing new growth on the Kansas prairie, I'm excited to be outside looking for new textures and grasses to use in my jewelry designs. I've purchased my favorite molding compounds and am ready for whatever I may find to make a good mold. I have found that some flowers and grasses do well for mold making because they are more rigid than those that are more delicate. Also it depends on the molding compound I use. My Silicone Puttydoes better than the Model Air Dry Modeling Clayin making molds of delicate objects. For more information and a tutorial in how I make my molds click here.

How has the change in weather inspired you?

New Work for Spring

2013-04-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

I can always tell when spring is about to...spring forth. I get all motivated to walk outside looking for new growth, buds, and hints of color. I also leave my housework behind and get creative. The following are a few things that I've created this past week. Some are listed in my shop, some are waiting for me to get motivated to list them in my shop.

Sweet Yellow Clover Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet

Little Hearts on the Prairie, Western Yarrow in White Bronze on Sterling Ear Wires

Copper Foldformed Redbud Leaf Earrings on Sterling Silver Ear Wires

Combination Rose and Leaf Rings in Sterling Silver

Hope the warmer weather is stirring your creative energy...let me know what you've been creating.

New Prairie Grass Jewelry Pieces in Sterling Silver

2013-03-04T10:12:00.002-06:00

Just finished a few of my Kansas prairie grass jewelry pieces in sterling silver. I have ventured into rings and cuff bracelets now. These designs are displayed at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, KS. For those here from Creative Every Day, this is my black and white theme for March!

The above cuff bracelet is textured with asters from December. They have lost their petals and cast their seeds to the surrounding prairie ground, but still beautiful and full of purpose. Life at any age is full of purpose.

This is one that I have listed in my etsy shop, Kit and Caboodle. I think that I'm ready for spring!

If you would like to see the grasses of the prairie that I've used in these designs, visit my page here and take a walk through the prairie...

ReGift...My New Word for the Year

2013-01-19T13:52:00.000-06:00

Since the beginning of the year, I've had a particular word on my mind. For the past 5 years, I've been selecting a word each year for my New Year's resolution, and this year the word is....re-gift. Maybe not the word you would have chosen, but for me, this is THE word.

I'm not talking about rewrapping a gift I don't want and giving it to someone who may want it. It's more like getting a gift that is awesome, and rewrapping it and sharing it with someone else, maybe someone I don't even know. These awesome gifts that I'm thinking about are love, joy, peace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness...all those gifts that God passes down my way.

Who can resist re-gifting gifts like these and sharing them with the world. Passing on a little forgiveness to those who offend, because we've experienced the forgiveness that comes through the sacrifice of Christ. Spreading love and joy because our hearts are full to overflowing with the love and joy He gives to us when we allow Him to realign our priorities and clear our vision to those things that are most important.

So, I'll be doing some regifting this year in hopes of touching a life in need of a special gift.

Prairie Pretties

2012-12-08T22:57:00.001-06:00

I've always loved nature especially plant life. I've been thinking back this past week about when I was a girl going on hikes with my grandmother through the mountains of Colorado or along the lake in Oklahoma searching for nuts, leaves, rocks, or unusual plants.

I'm now grown and have two almost grown daughters, and I'm still taking hikes and walks looking for the same things.

Maybe that is why I find the prairies of Kansas so interesting throughout the year. I've been finding a lot of new plant life and using it to texture my metal clay jewelry.

I have some new prairie pretties listed on my new website. Go and take a gander at the new stuff. http://www.gayledowell.com/

Derwent Inktense Blocks - A Review

2012-08-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

Derwent Inktense Blocks are a great water-soluble media for all types of art. I've recently used them as a foundation for a collage and have found the colors to be brilliant and vivid. I'm seeing many possibilities with these blocks...I've got the pencils on my wish list. To see my step-by-step process using these Derwent Inktense Blocks in my art journal, click here.

July's Joy Journal Project ... Quiet

2012-07-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

July's Joy Journal Project theme is...Quiet. I've been reading Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, specifically about the spiritual discipline of meditation.

In the midst of hectic time bound days, I find that time for meditation on God's word to be the answer to my heart's cry for quiet. Taking a few minutes a day to escape the demands on my time, I find that prayer and meditation to bring about peace and a clear mind. Mix in a little of His creation and some creativity and I have a guaranteed quieting of my inward heart.

Above sketchbook page created with collage, acrylic paint, and black gesso.

Joy Journal Project - Finding Joy Where I Am

2012-06-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

It has been hot, dry, and windy here this week in Kansas, so my journal pages for this week

reflect that heat.

Coneflowers on the prairies of Kansas grow wherever they are planted even in the hard rocky soils surrounding our house.

It is in this hot windy season of summer that they dance in the wind

casting their seed to the surrounding area.

May I do the same...to grow where I am planted, finding joy in the midst of my rocky places, praising my God and casting my joy to those around me, even in the hot, dry, thirsty days of life.

Because life is too short to live otherwise...

These pages were created using Derwent 12 Inktense Block Tin Set and Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 12 Color Set (PHN-12) on photocopies of my coneflower photographs.

Joy Journal Project

2012-06-13T19:09:00.002-05:00

Feeling like a kid waiting for Christmas, I've been anxiously awaiting the start of the Joy Journal Project taught by Amanda Jolley of Hidden Art Studios. I kept looking at my new art supplies like a school girl waiting for school to start just so I could use my new "stuff". I'm also participating in Art Journal Every Day and Creative Every Day. Triple the fun!

The Joy Journal Project is just that...a way to focus on the joys of our lives while creating an art journal about those joys. The class has just started and will be a monthly endeavor. What better way is there to bring a little creativity into our lives and a little joy along with it.

Here is my first page with the main joy in my life, my husband. After 29 years of marriage, we've been through a lot together. Most of our adventures have revolved around storms as in weather and trials and suffering. Only through suffering can we truly appreciate and experience joy.

Art Journal Prompts

2012-05-23T09:54:00.001-05:00

I just created an art journal prompt squidoo lens where I'm collecting my thoughts for an online Joy Journal project that I will be starting with Amanda Jolley of Hidden Art Studio on June 3rd. I'm gathering ideas to keep me going after Amanda's online class. You can say that her class will be my kick-in-the-pants to get me back into painting and drawing. With the momentum built up starting her class, I want to continue this project well after the class is over.

My biggest hurdle is to think of ideas to journal to keep me going, thus the reason for collecting my thoughts and digitally writing them down.

Squidoo is a great way to earn a little extra money. I'm able to pay my Etsy bill every month from the money I generate from my squidoo lenses. If you would like to try making a squidoo lens, visit my page here and click the orange create a lens button on the right hand side. It is easy to get started and beware...it can become addictive. I'll be making a separate lens of my Joy Journal project work when I get started with the class. So stay tuned...

Anyone want to join me in this Joy Journal project adventure?

New Work in White Bronze

2012-03-06T09:52:00.001-06:00

I've been working with a new metal clay, white bronze. The look of silver without the price. The metal has more of a gray cast to it, but it shines up really nice. Here are a few pieces from my Kansas Prairie Grass collection.

Working with these grasses has me looking forward to spring so that I can roam the hills and find flowers to mold into metal. The changing seasons always seem to spark new inspiration.

New Kansas Prairie Grass Jewelry Line

2012-02-16T14:25:00.003-06:00

Walking through the tall grass of the Flint Hill's prairie, listening to the wind blow through the tall grass stalks, I close my eyes and stand to listen to the conversation between the wind and the grass. This is what makes me feel alive, makes my soul start to sing.

Out in nature with God's creation.

It makes me want to capture it to take it home for rainy, stormy days, so that I do not forget...

... not forget God's handiwork. He has formed each blade of grass. The grass will wither and die to bring forth new in the next season. I can hear the conversation...

"The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD.

And so it is with people."

Isaiah 40:7 New Living Translation 2007

Seasons of life...cycles and seasons.

To return to the soil, to sprout anew. Cycles and seasons. I hear the wind speak, the very breath of God..."do not forget".

Coming soon to my new website, Kit and Caboodle Shop and to area locations. Contact me for more details.

In the Cold of a Morning

2012-01-31T16:49:00.005-06:00

Awakening to the shrill beep of my alarm, I reach to turn it off and slither out of bed as best I can without fully waking up. It is 3:00 am in the morning.

I go to my closet, slip on a pair of sweat pants over my pajamas and grab my coat, hat, gloves and scarf. I meet my daughter upstairs as she prepares the bottles, two of them, made from large soda bottles.

We sleepily step out in the cold of the night, with the warm milk wrapped in our coats. The crisp air wakes us up quickly and we hurry our pace to get this over with.

Opening the barn door causes a stir inside and as we reach for the light switch and walk across the cold floor, we are greeted by little white puffs of warm wool jumping around wanting to play.

And as we gaze into their little faces and bring out the warm bottles, our hearts are warmed by their smiles. And we feel the joy of caring for something special and the sacrifice of the early morning ritual is no longer seen as something to dread.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Creative Every Day Challenge

2011-12-27T10:28:00.002-06:00

I've participated in the Creative Every Day Challenge now for the past two years. It is a great program started by Leah Piken Kolidas where she provides a creative prompt and people share their creations of all sorts and mediums on her site. The prompt for January is "NEW". I'm looking forward to participating again this year. I've made some resolutions to simplify my life and to make a deliberate effort to create every day. Want to join me?

Handmade Holidays

2011-12-06T12:25:00.002-06:00

Every year I make some of the Christmas gifts we give each year. Sometimes it is a handmade Christmas ornament that I use to decorate a package. Sometimes a piece of jewelry, a knitted scarf, or a painted picture. I wish I could tell you what I am making this year, but the recipients may just read my blog, so I better not divulge that secret. After the holidays, I will have to do show and tell.

Anyway, my point is that handmade Christmas gifts to me are so much more special, because we all know that more time and effort goes into making something by hand. In an age where everyone has everything they "need", and whatever they "need" can easily be bought at the neighborhood Wal-Mart, a handmade one-of-a-kind gift means so much more. So before we make out our list and head to Target, think about what we could make for those on our list. Need a little help? Here is a list of tutorials to get you thinking:

Rows of Ruffles Scarf Pattern
How to Create Soldered Art Jewelry
Hot Cocoa Cones
Bath Salts Recipe
Cookie and Brownie Quart Jar Recipes
Sewn Felt Slippers
Block Printed Tea Towels
Needle Felted Handmade Pillows

So tell me what are you planning to make this year for those on your Christmas list?

My team mates from the Aspiring Metalsmith Team on Etsy are doing a blog roll on Handmade Holidays. Take a look at what my they had to say...

Mary Anne Karren - silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Stacy - formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Brown – resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
Lilian Genebra - www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Claire English - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Nancy - nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle - amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/2011/12/handmade-holidays.html

My Old Beads Given New Life

2011-10-10T20:32:00.001-05:00

Sharyl from Sharyl's Jewelry and Reflections recently purchased some of my destash beads from my etsy shop, Kit and Caboodle. She was kind enough to show me what she created with the beads she purchased. I have to say how much this thrilled me. I'm actually very excited to see these beads used to make such a beautiful jewelry piece, and in a way that I would not have thought of. It just reminded me that our creativeness is unique to each of us as artists. Our creative thought processes are different and that is the beauty of handmade work, the uniqueness. So here are the beads she purchased:

And here is her beautiful necklace creation using two varieties of the beads she purchased in one design. I love how the copper metal links the beads together and gives the overall design a nice warmth. I also love the color combination she put together with the reds and blues of various shades as well as the asymmetrical color placement.

Thanks so much for sharing these photos of your creation, Sharyl! See more of her designs on her website, Sharyl's Jewelry.

Anyone else care to share what they've made from my destash beads? I'd be thrilled to see and share what you've created!

Recycled Glass Earrings

2011-09-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

Recycling...the big buzzword for the 21st century. I've started making recycled glass earrings like those shown below. A friend of mine who is a glass artist inspired this new jewelry endeavor, and it has been a wonderful adventure. Since I am moving away from beaded jewelry and toward metalsmithing and metal clay, I have an abundance of glass beads I will no longer use. I've been looking around at all of my destash glass beads, heating them in my kiln and finding what works and what doesn't work.

Opening the kiln each time when the firing is done, I find such wonderful surprises. Each glass bead comes out a perfect circle cabochon of glass that I can glue to earring posts, or in the future, bezel set in rings or other pieces of jewelry.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on how I make these! In the meantime, you can find these in my shop, Kit and Caboodle Shop.

Finding New Color Names to Describe Products

2011-08-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Just a short post about finding new color names for your product descriptions. Wikipedia has a list of colors with the names of the colors. I just searched shades of brown, red, blue, etc. to find the charts. For the shades of blue, scroll down to the bottom for the chart.

Shades of Brown
Shades of Red
Shades of Blue
Shades of Green
Shades of White
Shades of Yellow
Shades of Orange
Shades of Violet
Shades of Gray
Shades of Pink
Shades of Cyan

Very handy, don't you think?

Mixing Metal Clay with Glass

2011-07-25T17:56:00.002-05:00

Yes, I've been a little quiet lately in the virtual world. But that's a good thing as it means I've been busy with some new work like experimenting with mixing metal clay and glass. I've been working once a week with a friend, Connie, who does beautiful fused glass work. We're combining our work to make unique metal clay and glass jewelry pieces for an upcoming show.

My teammates of the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team is also sharing what they've been working on. Go and take a look:

Esmeralda http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com
Happy Tortoise Designs http://www.happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com
Crow Steals Fire http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes http://cjbf.blogspot.com
steph http://stephstargell.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Stacy http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Mary Anne Karren http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com
Brightstar109 http://www.brightstar109.blogspot.com
Amy Nicole Artisan Jewelry http://Rubymtnbeads.blogspot.com
Resurrection Silver http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
Kwant Essentials http://kwantessentials.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-from-start-to-finish.html
Julie http://jamauerer.blogspot.com
Lilian http://www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley Jewelry Design http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com

How about you? What have you been up to?

Bezel Setting Stones

2011-07-05T10:28:00.004-05:00

I've created two pieces of jewelry with bezel sets. I didn't do too badly with both, and I learned so much from the process. My first bezel I did have to redo several times: See post "The Challenge Continues...". That is where all the learning came in. Fixing mistakes is a great learning tool and helps you reinforce the basic steps to the process.

I've been surfing the web for other stones to set and have found two round stones of different sizes that I want to tackle next. One is a kingman turquoise and the other is a cougar mountain chrysocolla. Both are blue (my favorite color) in case I don't sell the new pieces, I can keep them for myself.

Thanks to Laura and her family of Cabbing Rough on Etsy, for letting me use the pictures for this post. They have beautiful stones. Sometimes I just stop by their shop to dream.

To do this the right way, I'll first be drawing up some designs to scale. The turquoise will be a pendant, the chrysocolla a ring. I'll show these designs in a later post. In the meantime, I'll be studying further on how to set bezels and learning as much as I can beforehand so that I don't have to re-do the next time. I've listed my resources that I'll be studying below in case you want to learn along with me. It's always better to do things with someone. Let me know what you come up with.

Here is my list of useful information on bezel setting:

Art Jewelry Magazine's Videos on Making a Bezel:
Part 1: Measuring Bezel Wire

Part 2: Solder a Bezel

Part 3: Shape Bezel to the Stone

Part 4: Troubleshooting

Part 5: Solder Bezel to Backplate

How to Set the Stone in the Bezel:

Part 1: Adjusting the Height of a Bezel

Part 2: Using a Bezel Pusher

Part 3: How to use a Burnisher

Update on Flame Painting Copper Finish

2011-06-23T13:54:00.001-05:00

In a previous post, "Flame Painting on Copper", I show the results of the bracelet below after heating with a torch a piece of shiny patterned copper metal. The colors turned out beautifully and varied from a yellow to an iridescent blue. I researched online and found conflicting infomation as to whether I could put a finish on the bracelet to keep the color vibrant. Some resources said that you can not add a finish as the iridescence comes from the play of light on the surface, and if you alter the surface you will lose the color. Here is one such resource: Preserving heat coloring of copper when clear coating.

So instead of putting a finish on the piece, I decided to just let it go au natural. The first picture is the bracelet right after being flame painted with the torch.

The second is approximately six months after the heat treatment. You can see that I lost the nice iridescent blues and some of the reds, and the bracelet is starting to look like the change in my pockets.

I'm going to continue seeking advice and trying new experiments. I keep thinking there has to be a way to protect the nice colors. Back to the drawing board...I mean the torch.

New Bronzclay Work

2011-06-07T15:12:00.001-05:00

Summer always seems to be a busy time for me. With two teen girls who love sports and the outdoors, it is hard to get any work done inside my studio. But I have been setting some time aside with a friend to create. Here are a few of the new things I've made from bronze metal clay.

I made some bronze roses and soldered them to a sterling silver band - inspired of course from my miniature rose bush that I received as a gift from my girls a few years back.

This is a replica of an ancient Chinese coin. I've made it into a pendant to be worn as a necklace. Very bold and beautiful, yet sinple.

And finally a key chain molded from a head of wheat from my Kansas farm. I guess being outside and not stuck inside had inspired me more than I realized, at least with two of these pieces....I should get outside more!

Rhythm and Pattern in Nature

2011-05-24T10:41:00.001-05:00

It has been awhile since I've entered a challenge from the aspiring metalsmiths team...actually, I've never entered a challenge...oops. For this round I've got a whole month during the summer to come up with a piece to depict rhythm. Not sure why I like this challenge so much as I have a hard time even spelling the word rhythm. I have no rhythm, but this challenge is open ended enough to artistic interpretation that surely I can come up with something!

When I think of rhythm, I think of music, beats, even poetry. I've never really thought about the visual aspect of what that would look like. Repeating intervals of shapes or patterns are what come to mind. Nature is full of order and pattern. Here is my visual research for rhythm in nature:

Green Leaf Detail by Petr Kratochvil

Spiders Web by Steve Gibson

Frozen Waterfall by Peter Griffin

Grey Sky by Kim Newberg

Pinecones by Joy Shrader

What do you think of when you think of rhythm in nature?