Works in Progress

I have been working and experimenting with my mini-rose design in sterling silver sheet. I have already designed a pair of earrings with a couple which will be available in my shop soon (Stay tuned!). I'm very excited with the result!

An Artist Work that has Influenced My Own

One of the many artists that has influenced my work is Franz Kline.

Franz Kline was an American painter from my favorite Art Movement: Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionism was born in New York in the 40's and 50'. It was the first art movement accepted world wide which later influenced other movements, which up until then was exclusively a role played by Paris.

Painting Number 2, 1954,

The Museum of Modern Art

I love Kline's use of black and white, with thick brushstrokes and texture. He used a lot of diagonal lines which make his paintings very dynamic, intense, yet soft and sensitive. They imply expression of ideas concerning the spiritual, the unconscious, and the mind.

Franz Kline
Untitled

Franz Kline at his studio

"You paint the way you have to in order to give.
That's life itself, and someone will look and say it is the product of knowing,
but it has nothing to do with knowing, it has to do with giving."Franz Kline 

To find out what artists are influencing these other Etsymetal members, click on the following links to their blogs:

1. Theresa - http://tkmetalarts.blogspot.com
2. Kate Jones - http://www.katejonesdesign.blogspot.com
3. Fluxplay Jewellery (Maria Whetman) - http://www.fluxplay.blogspot.com
4. 2Roses - http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com
5. Elizabeth Scott - http://esdesignsjewelry.com/blog
6.Andrea Ring- http://www.amuckdesign.blogspot.com
7. Nodeform - http://nodeform.blogspot.com/
8. Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
9. Inbar Bareket http://www.inbarbareket.net
10. Cynthia Del Giudice: http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com
11. Evelyn Markasky: http://markasky.blogspot.com/
12. AdobeSol - http://www.AdobeSol.com/blog
13. Quercus Silver http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/

Ganoskin Exhibition: "Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder"

These tree pieces made it into the exhibit, along with some other wonderful work. It is worth browsing through.

Fused Plastic, Sterling Silver (on page 18)

Fused Plastic, Sterling Silver, Cultured Pearls (p. 18)

Copper, Sterling Silver, Newsprint, Stainless steel pin Fold formed, constructed (p. 38)

   The online exhibition titled "Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder"
   is now open to the public, The exhibition showcases 247 images
   chosen from entries from over 55 artists representing North America,
   South America, Europe, Australia, Central America, Africa and
   Eurasia. 

   http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb 

----------------------------------------------------

   Online Exhibition: "Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder"
   http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb

   "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder" showcases 247 images chosen
   from entries from over 55 artists representing North America, South
   America, Europe, Australia, Central America, Africa and Eurasia. 

   The drive to adorn the human body is surely as old as human kind.
   From pre-historic times this drive has led humans to use the
   materials at hand, combined with the technologies and tools
   available, to create objects to adorn the human body. The oldest
   jewelry found to date goes back to at least 75,000 years ago in
   Africa. 

   Early jewelry was made of bones, shells, sticks, and whatever other
   materials the people could find and shape. Over time the ability to
   mine and shape metal developed, and jewelry was made from bronze,
   silver, gold, platinum and other metals. Gold has long been thought
   of as a "precious" metal, and today it is joined by silver and
   platinum as the three main materials modern jewelry is made from. 

   While much jewelry today is made from these three main metals, a
   large body of jewelry world-wide is still made from a much wider
   range of materials. This exhibition, "Beauty is in the Eye of the
   Beholder", focuses on jewelry made primarily of materials other than
   gold, platinum and silver. 

   Jewelers today are still using found objects such as shell and bone;
   they are using "green" materials - upcycled and recycled objects and
   materials; they are using cutting edge plastics and newly developed
   technology; and they are using older metals such as copper, brass
   and bronze. 

   Some of the more unusual materials include vinyl LP's, velvet, VCR
   components, rattlesnake vertebrae, corian, canvas, paper, crab
  claws, magnets, synthetic rubber electrical insulation tubing, and
   aluminum grounding wire. 

   More traditional materials used include copper, bronze, brass,
   glass, various types of wood, gemstones, pearls and seeds. 

   Techniques range from traditional metalsmithing, through a range of
   beading techniques, textile techniques, photography techniques and
   cutting edge industrial fabrication. 

   Participants range from professional jewelers with international
   reputations to students just learning their craft. 

   Hosted on the Ganoksin website, the world's largest internet site
   devoted to jewelry- related topics, the exhibition is a snapshot of
   what jewelers around the world are exploring, and an inspiration to
   all. The exhibition was conceived Beth Wicker, an artist from South
   Carolina, in the USA, and curated by Beth and Hanuman Aspler, founder
   of the Ganoksin Project. 

   Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder
   http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb

   For more information about the Exhibition please contact: Beth Wicker
   onlineexhibition@earthlink.net or Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
   service@ganoksin.com 

Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
Owner and founder

The Ganoksin Project
S i n c e 1 9 9 6
Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
http://www.ganoksin.com
____________________________________________________________________
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Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
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~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
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~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
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Here are some fabulous pieces that caught my eye: "Devils Yoke" by Rebecca Barton from the USA , "Fabric Mechanics" by Su Trindle from the UK,  "Infrastructure" by Sara West from USA, "Kotor" by Karin Roy Anderson from Sweden, "Necklace" by Katharina Moch from Germany, "Kotor2" by Karin Roy Anderson from Sweden, "Revolution Necklace" Sarah Kelly from the UK, "Tchaikovsky Ring" by Ian Henderson from the USA, and  Maria Zolorzano Maldonado with "Des Oeufs" from Mexico and currently living in Buenos Aires.

Creativity, Inspiration, Motivation

There is no specific thing that inspires me, but too many things to list. I think the key here is that I have to be in a certain place in my mind and soul to let these things inspire me. In other words, inspiration comes mostly within me, and not so much from outside sources.

As to how my design process works, sometimes inspiration and ideas come all of a sudden (many times in the middle of the night), and sometimes they come by chance while I'm experimenting with certain materials or techniques.

The hard part is to stay motivated. Motivation is hard to control. Recognition is certainly a boost to my motivation. It might be from running a successful business, from feedback from friends and colleagues, or from getting a piece accepted into a book, gallery, museum, or a special event.

I get frustrated when things don't go as I plan or ideas stop coming. I sometimes get a little panicky thinking I won't get good ideas to keep going. I try to stop and do something else I enjoy doing and enjoy life in general. Visiting museums, looking at art, reading books, enjoying the outdoors helps.

Doing other creative activities also helps. I like to explore and experiment, and be surprised. I like to paint and once in a while do small horse sculptures with soft steel wire. I also love gardening and improvised cooking.

This piece in particular came from experimenting with fold forming. I had bought a book on this technique, and tested many folds and shapes shown in the there. After I was done with the exercises I started to experiment and find my own thing. I usually take a material or technique and think "well, but what if...""what if I do this instead of this", "what would happen if I added this step/fold/shape, etc". And then when I end up with a cool shape I have to design around it to make it wearable (or somewhat wearable). More questions are asked "would this make a good ring?" "how do I present it?", etc.  

Fold Formed Double Blossom Ring by Cynthia Del Giudice
Sterling silver - Fold formed, constructed

This other piece below was made by experimenting with recycled plastic bags. I had read how fusing bags was done, and I tried it, cut it, made a couple of things (I think I made a sturdy re-usable grocery bag), and then again I started with my own questions: "what if...?" "what if I use more heat?" "what if I use less heat?" "what if I...?" Once I was happy with the pieces I was making, I had to think and design how to use them. I have made many pieces of jewelry with this technique, here is a necklace I made for a show, and was latter exhibited at Luke & Eloy Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Fused Plastic Necklace by Cynthia Del Giudice
Plastic, sterling silver - Fused recycled plastic bags, Constructed

I made this ring with the same fused plastic pieces. It was recently published in a book of rings edited by Nicolas Estrada, and written in four languages. I can't wait to receive my own copy!

Fused Plastic Ring by Cynthia Del Giudice
Plastic, Sterling Silver - Fused plastic bags, constructed, riveted