I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.

Well, realistically, this subject has been on my mind for years. 

You see, my chosen discipline is one that has a history of intruding and harming not only the earth but countless people and animals. A bit morbid, right? Or simply realistic.

All metal has to be mined originally. I now only use recycled silver, and am working on finding a source for copper that is more sustainable. 

But there are these things that I love, that tear at my heart strings, that bring color into our lives.

Stones.

Oh, the stones!

Stones in all shapes, sizes and colors. I love them and have since I was a child. But now, when I look at that gorgeous Ocean Jasper, or Drusy, or Chalcedony that I really want to buy, I can't help but think..."where did that come from? Did mining it harm the ocean's ecosystem? What animals were living on/around it?" And it goes on like that. There are a few stone cutters who I buy stones from, and some of those stones I know the origins of, but not all.

So here are my solutions that I can see:

1. Source recycled metals (Silver, check. Gold, check. Copper, ?)

2. Research the origins of stones, and ask stone dealers what they know, before purchasing. There are a few sources that I know of already.

3. Use vintage stones and glass in place of mined stones.

4. Use more alternative materials--wood, fabric, plastics, etc.

What do you think about this issue of sustainability in the arts? If you are an artist, do you do anything to make your own practice more eco friendly and sustainable?

There has been a lot of processing going on lately. In my Digital Tools for Artists class, we have been printing on different surfaces, including fabric and thin aluminum sheet. Above is an example of some aluminum sheet that I printed an image on, which was manipulated in Photoshop.

I decided to see what would happen if I the printed aluminum in my hydraulic press to create a pillow form. My concern was that, because we are using ink-jet printers, the image would warp or crack or tear in some way. On the first round through, there was no warping or cracking of the image, but I did push the press too far and the metal cracked along the bottom.

On the second round through, I put soap onto the underside of the die, so that the metal could move further up into it without cracking. I was able to get a deeper press, but the soap did affect the image, as can be seen above.

 

Here I was just playing around with piercing the metal, imagining it as a series of hollow forms.

I may choose to do more of these, and cold connect them into a chunky necklace or series of brooches. I was actually imagining a series of them with digitally fabricated plants...fantasy plants, if you will, and adding different media.

This is some cloth that I printed an image on to. I cut out a piece to try to incorporate it into a metal form but it didn't work. I would love to fiddle with this some more, once again imagining pillow forms but sewn with different patterns and images.

Another idea is to print over various already-made fabrics. I think the original pattern showing through whatever is printed seems like it could be interesting.

Thanks for reading!

Life has been happening, dears....and I am loving every minute.

March has been full of:

A 30-Day Vegan Challenge (which I am loving, to be honest--above is a 'mock tuna melt' made with chickpeas)

A 6 day jewelry workshop for a local private high school--we're exploring all things that you can do with cold connections

Help from the gatos while finishing up projects before Spring Break

Experimenting with digital printing on different surfaces

A month away from Facebook (another challenge I accepted, and am loving)

Thai dinner with DW

 

Oh, and despite this being the 2nd or 3rd day of spring, it's been snowing! I kind of love it...all the trees are white and weighted down by the fluff.

What has your March been like?

Installation at OCAC by Karah Bruce-Larkin

I have been fairly absent for a while, I know. All is well here in the Northwest, and time is moving forward at warp speed. It seems like it was only a week ago that I was asked to teach a workshop at a local private high school, and it starts next Thursday! I'm so nervous, but very excited. I have a few last minute supplies to get, which can hopefully be settled this week. 

It also happens to be mid-term week at OCAC, so I have a lot of studying and project-creating to do. Overwhelmed would be an apt description of my emotional state at the moment, and yet I know that if I stay diligent and keep moving my feet forward, it will all get done, on time.

Soon, I'll be able to share a few projects with you. In my Digital Tools class we're printing on alternative surfaces, including fabric and aluminum. Keep your eyes peeled for some interesting projects!

I hope you all are doing well. Oh, did I mention, Spring has arrived in Portland! We have little planties growing all over the place. It's lovely!