What have I been up to lately? I joined the ranks of Oregon College of Art and Craft full time, and am also working part time as a nanny (it seems too much and yet not enough at the same time), so my time has been sucked into what seems to be a never ending vacuum.

The last two weeks have left me amazed at how much I can fit on my plate. And also, how much I misspell words when I'm tired. Right now I'm working on some chased pieces, a whole lot of samples for my Surface & Stonesetting class, and homework for Math, Science, and Modernism courses. I'm trying to stay on top of everything as well as have a little time to relax.

The images above are a couple pieces from last semester. You can find more on my flickr page.

So, because I am now in school full time, as well as working, I'm finding it hard to continue with "Friday Finds". However, I don't want to discontinue it, so I'm simply moving it to the weekend for more flexibility.

I found this artist, Misty Mawn, through roadside scholar. I am not usually attracted to much in the way of paintings, but I love the imagery in Mawn's work. They're so feminine and intriguing, with lots of layers, colors, and textures.

Head on over to Megan Auman's blog for a sneak peak at her new pieces! They're absolutely stunning and gorgeous.

image via megan auman

Let's have a discussion. I want some insight and perspective with this.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my 'style', and the fact that a lot of successful artists are known for 'their style'. Part of this makes me question what my style is, and what I need to do to exploit it. I sat down the other day and wrote down a list of possible lines that my work could be titled as. There's like 7 different lines I could have within my work. That's not exactly conducive to being able to concentrate on something and expand on it. So now...what do I look at?

Do I look at what I love, and how production-oriented it is? Do I select a certain number of aspects and focus in?

I read a great article from Metalsmith on Heather White Van Stolk (Metalsmith, Summer 2006, Vol. 26 No. 2) and was fascinated with her evolution of work. It was inspiring, to say the least.

I have always wanted to make work that I am attracted to. That makes my heart tighten and tingle like other artists' work does. Some of what I'm making right now is just for sell-ability, and not necessarily from my heart. It doesn't necessarily say "Catherine Chandler"...at all. I feel like I'm at a turning point. Of course I want to make things that sell, but I don't want to sell out.

I'm wondering what has worked for other artists, in a way. Do they still experiment on the side, learn new techniques to add to their style, while at the same time producing work for galleries in their signature style? Do they feel they've given up something by concentrating on a fewer number of techniques?

Some of you may be wondering how I go about creating a piece of jewelry or sculpture. What is my creative process? To be honest, it changes depending on what I am doing. I find most of the difference lays between pieces that incorporate stones and pieces that are mostly metal.


With pieces that is mostly or purely made from metal, I usually tend to think about the idea first. I figure out what my inspiration is, make little drawings and sketches, as well as some research. For instance, when a customer came to me with the idea of creating brooches shaped as thorns, I immediately started my research on thorns. She wanted them on a scale that required hollow forming and I needed to find shapes that would work in a hydraulic press. I also had to do some test pieces on copper before really getting into it, just to figure out any quirks.


However, when it comes to pieces that incorporate stones, the stones become the inspiration and centerpiece. The shape of the stone defines a lot of what will happen with the piece and what other elements might be paired with it. Will it be a ring? A bracelet? A necklace or earrings? What other shapes complement it? Will a patina complement the color, or enhance the piece?


Sometimes I start by just making the bezel for a stone, and let it sit with the stone propped in it for a while until an idea comes to me that makes sense. Then it's about piecing it together and making sure it flows.

Being a metalsmith often means sitting a lot. We sit at benches, at stumps, at soldering stations. Being a student also means sitting a lot. Both practices don't leave much time for exercise, either.

So, for Christmas, I bought myself and my partner the Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bike Trainer. Most cyclists will know what this is. It's a stand, basically, that you can set your bike into and make stationary in order to ride indoors.

The one I got is the absolute most basic model you can get, which is fine by me--I'm not a hardcore cyclist so I don't need any bells and whistles. It was super easy to set up and I've already had my first session on it, and love it.

I first found this piece of Seth Papac's on Amy Tavern's blog and fell in love. The use of multiple mediums, layers, and hollow forms all combined...my heart swoons.



Papac hails from Michigan and has studied at the University of Washington as well as Cranbrook Academy of Art. Much of his work can be viewed at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery's website.