Wi-Fi Still Working Today

Here's a photo I took last week. It shows the other side of the little sub-patio where my studio is. This shows Studio 19 way back in the far corner. My studio is to the right, not visible in this photo. The blue area is partly windows of Studio 19 and the door of Studio 18B which is actually used as a kitchen, not as a studio. Someday, we may decided to partition it up into a studio and a smaller kitchen.

I was here early this morning, attempting to get an early start. I found a website that has some of the gold-filled clasps that I'm looking for. Unfortunately, they are listed as out of stock. I called the toll free number and got a recording. Hopefully, they will call me back and let me know when they will be back in stock.

Actually, I have spent a great deal of time making jewelry in the last few weeks, and I'm considering going back to the etching. I switched to jewelry making after I sold some pieces and had some "holes" in my collection. But now I don't have that problem anymore. And I am anxious to get back to the etching. The other thing I want to do is put together the etched copper bracelets that I've created. I have Jon's drill press all set up here in the studio. I just need to take time to turn it on and drill the holes I need for the rivets.

There's so much to do. I am hoping to bring my printer from home later today, and then I can make business cards and label my etchings. Well, certainly I could do it at home now, but I'd like to get everything set up here. Because my etchings have no prices on them, I think most people don't realize they are even for sale. And lots of people don't even see them. Philip complains that he encounters the same phenomenon in the studio he shares with Andy, the glassblower. Most people are so focused on the glass, which is beautiful and eye-catching, that they don't even see the photos. Not everyone is oblivious however; people do buy them.

Learning To Reset the Wi-Fi

Jon wasn't here today to stand beside the agave, but you can see how much the flower stalks have grown by comparing them to that dark spot on the trunk of the palm tree. They will grow to be about 20 feet tall before they bloom. Then they and the plant will die, or so the other artists say. I'm not sure if that's true. I guess we'll just wait and see.

The wi-fi network was down all day. Finally when Philip had a chance to come over and check everything, we discovered that the repeater located in one of the other studios was unplugged. Anyway, now I know how to troubleshoot the entire system of router and repeaters. I'm a little concerned because Philip is going to Hawaii next Thursday, and I want to be in a position to keep the network up and running and know what to do if there's a problem.

So the day that I intended to spend working on the computer didn't happen. I do have a new desk chair that works very well for me. I sat in it all day and was very comfortable. I worked on cleaning up my glass worktable. It's nearly 5:00 p.m. now, and I can't see that it looks much different. But tomorrow is another day and I'll work on it some more. I still need to go on with organizing everything in my studio. I'm trying to store things in categories. I think that will help. But among other things, there are a variety of jewelry pieces that I've started and haven't finished. I could reduce alot of clutter if I completed them.

I'm thinking of taking a different day off so that I could either join a printmaking class or an en plein air class. I think the printmaking class might make more sense, but I'm not sure I could get in. I'll have to go next Tuesday and find out. The en plein air class takes place here in Balboa Park, but it's a painting class. I haven't done any painting for about four years or more. I could go and just draw, but it's really fun to go out in the Park and paint. However, in order to finish a piece, you have to work more than just in the class.

The teacher of the painting class stopped by my studio and stayed to talk for awhile. She gave me an application for a juried show that takes place in September. The submission date is next Tuesday. I would really like to print some of my new etchings and submit them, but I would need to figure out where I could print them. There's a small private press where I could pay to take them and do them. I might seriously consider doing that. I'd really like to get in. I haven't been in any shows for about four years. Well, no, I guess there were some that I was in two years ago, and one earlier this year, but I'd like to shoot for three to four per year.

Yesterday when Jon was blowing glass, he made a beautiful green, lavendar, pink, and black vase. He showed it to me before he put it in the annealer, and I fell in love with it. He said he was showing it to me because it could crack and not survive. But this morning when I was in the glass studio, I took a look at it. It's really gorgeous, so I called him at home and left a message that I would buy it. The thing is that he intended it for a commission, but he says he will blow another for the commission. I told him I would leave it here in my studio. I would enjoy looking at it everyday. So I think he will sell it to me.

Moving Forward

Here's a photo I took outside my studio door. You can see the leaves of the tree fern in the top of the photo, and the split leaf philodendron in the lower half. Right in the middle is a new philodendron leaf opening up. I'd like to think that's a result of my watering on Sunday evening, but certainly I can't take all the credit.

I spent the day working on a necklace, bracelet, and earrings made of smokey quartz and hemimorphite. Hemimorphite means half formed shape and is a mineral frequently found with zinc ore. The beads I have are pale blue, tending toward aqua, and they make a nice contrast with the dark smokey quartz rectangular beads. I used the same strand of quartz beads to make another necklace paired with pearls and amber crystals.

After I left Spanish Village, I stopped a two bead suppliers to get more gold chain, beads, and another stand to hang necklaces from. I have a large number that I've made. What I will do probably at the beginning of the month is get another stand or two to keep in the studio. One of the problems with bringing my jewelry outside to my table is that my studio looks rather bare. But now I've been making enough that soon I can have jewelry outside and inside as well. That way I can change the selection around and thin out each stand so that the individual necklaces stand out better.

I also stopped at an office supply store to get myself a computer chair. The Chippendale chair I've been using in the studio is not good for my back and has been bothering me. So I've replaced it now with one that has good support. It will make sitting in there much better. It doesn't go with the decor, but it occured to me that I can drape a piece of fabric over it to make it fit in.

When I tried out the wi-fi connection in my studio this morning, it was fine. Later I couldn't get on the internet. I'm a little concerned because Philip is going to Hawaii next week, and he's the one who knows how to reset it. He showed me what to do in my studio, but I think there's probably something I need to do in the office where the DSL line is. That's something I'll need to make a note to do this weekend. Well, it seems there's always something to do or fix.

Still Working

Here's a photo I took last night just as I was getting ready to leave Spanish Village. I stayed to write in my blogs and then to water my plants. As I was putting away the hose, I saw the two flower stalks on the agave plants beside the palm tree. I took some photos and then Jon suggested he stand beside them so we could track their progress over the next days. They grow very quickly.

Jon is one of the artists at Spanish Village. He blows glass and photographs it as well. He then takes the photos which are shot with a macro lens and turns them into kaleidoscopes using PhotoShop. They are beautiful and unique. He also enjoys collecting odds and ends and has even been known to go dumpster diving for items. He's the one who leave circuit boards and other pieces of plastic and metal in my little garden. I tell him he's a genuis; he can get circuit boards to grow in the planters.

Anyway, today I was off. I did spend time going to several other bead suppliers, one I'd never been to before. I was still looking for spring clasps. They are the easiest to operate and are less expensive than the lobster clasps. I found some tiny ones and I found some fairly large sterling ones, but none of the large gold-filled ones that I really want. I will have to order them online.

Aside from looking for clasps, I spent time with a special friend and time loafing and doing chores around the house. That's a good way to spend a day off. Next Monday is Labor Day, and we're required to open our studios, even if it's a day we're normally closed. So I'll most likely work Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and then I'll take Tuesday off instead. That will work out. I might even go to Mesa College where I took etching classes and talk to the instructor about either joining the class again or printing at his private press. I need to find a place to print regularly, like once a week. It could be in the evenings, but I want to have a routine.

More People But . . .

Here's a photo I took while sitting at my worktable outside. In the middle, up a little, you can see some yellow leaves. I'm afraid that's the beginning of autumn. As the days progress, all the leaves will eventually fall off and many of them will land on the walk outside my studio. This is not my favorite time of year. However, here in San Diego, we normally have pleasant weather through the end of October, so we still have two more months of pleasant days. And next year, I think, we will have daylight savings until December. That will be nice. It will mean it won't be quite so dark so early. Yesterday, a woman said to me, "you're very lucky; you have a very nice place to work." And she's correct. I feel as though I've taken full advantage of the summer weather, sitting outside the way I do. I hate to have the summer pass by without taking time to enjoy being out in the sunshine.

Today was not as slow as last weekend, but there still didn't seem to be as many people as I remember in past summers. It is a little cooler though, and the nice climate brings people to the Park. John, the guy who rides around collecting cans and bottles, said there were lots of parties of people further down. He likes that because he gets lots of cans.

I worked on jewelry, making a silver and jade necklace and then making a jade one that is knotted on silk. When I make knotted necklaces, they don't take as long and aren't as expensive to create. As a result, I can sell them for a better price. But on the other hand, the gold and silver make the stones look so lovely. The knotting is nice, to take a strand of semi-precious stones and knot them like a strand of pearls. I realized from the knotting I did today that in the past I've probably been using silk that was too thick. It takes time and stretching to get the strand to hang nicely. Today I had no problem. It's also possible that some of the "silk" that I'm buying is in fact not silk. I'm going to have to pay better attention. There's so much to learn. What do they say: there's no substitute for experience? I agree.

Two For One

Here's a photo I took Thursday, I think. I got two towels. I think there are still several more weeks of kids' clay classes, so there will be more opportunities to photograph the towels.

I've had trouble getting onto the internet. The wi-fi connection is up and running, but apparently the router or the repeater drops the signal, or something like that. Anyway, Philip showed me how to reset it if I can't get on. So I should be fine now. I hate to call and bug him, especially if he's busy with a client. This way I can solve it myself, I hope.

The internet really enhances communication in all kinds of unexpected ways, and some of it is just plain fun, not for business or other serious stuff. A special friend went down to a resort in Baja California to fish. Before he left, he gave me the resort's URL, and I looked it up. It looks like a nice place. However, when I went back to look at the site again on Wednesday, I discovered a photo of my friend on the site. He was holding up one of the fish he caught. What a nice way to get a communication. Then this morning, I looked again and there was another photo of him with another fish. His cellphone didn't work, but I got "news" anyway.

I mentioned these photos to Philip, and he told me a story about a friend of his who went to Paris. Before he left, they figured out where the webcams were in Paris. They agreed on an appointed time and day. On that day, Philip went to his computer, and there was his friend waving to him from in front of the webcam in Paris. What fun.

Back here in reality, I'm busy making jewelry these days. I made three new necklaces today and have started a fourth. It was quite a warm day, but there seemed to be quite a few people in the Village, more so than there have been for awhile, I think.

I need use the internet to conduct business myself. I have gone around to almost all the local bead suppliers and have bought up all the gold-filled clasps I can find. Everyone has promised to order more for me, but in the meantime, I'm out of them. I can make some myself, I can use some other type, or I can change to silver and make silver necklaces and bracelets. But really, I know if I order them myself online, they will most likely be less expensive. So that will be my goal for the coming week. In the meantime, I'm enjoying sitting outside under my umbrella making jewelry on these lovely late summer days.

Short Hot Days

Here's a photo I took yesterday. Right in the middle, I think you can see the green seed pods on the jacaranda tree nearest my studio. Soon they will turn brown, open up, and spread their seeds. This year I think I'll try to save some of the pods even though I'm not sure how I can use them. One thing I would like to do is make some necklaces that wouldn't really be to wear. I could use them for that. I'll have to see how I can incorporate them into a piece.

I had hoped to write my blog from my studio, but the wireless network isn't quite right just yet. As I understand it, the chicken wire which was used with plaster to construct the walls blocks the signal. Bars on the windows do that as well. It's the metal. Spanish Village was built for the 1935 Exposition and was never intended to be permanent, so now that it's been saved, we have to cope with some of these problems like the wire. But I'm sure that eventually Philip, our resident expert, will solve the problem eventually.

The weather has gotten hot again, and so I spent the day outside under my umbrella. Soon, when the sun sink further south as the seasons progress, I won't need the umbrella, because I'll be in the shade all the time. But for now I put it up.

I've been making progress with some new pieces of jewelry inspired by some that I saw in a catalog. Of course, I never copy anything exactly, but sometimes seeing a photo gives me a good idea for something. I'm pleased because for awhile I wasn't feeling very inspired. But in the last few days, I've made five new necklaces and have another started. Three of them turned out very well. I'm not so happy with the other two. But that's the nature of designing and learning what works well together and what doesn't. I call it "educating the eye."

One thing I do see, which I've had some notion of, is that adding gold to gemstones automatically makes them look better, prettier, richer. So that's a good trick. Just add gold. I've been adding pieces of gold-filled chain and using larger gold-filled wire to accomplish that. Also, right now I find myself making pieces that are more tailored, not so feminine. I think they will look well with the new fall fashions, an important consideration. But the bottom line is to make pieces that have a certain classic, timeless look to them.

Back At Work

Here's a photo I took last week, looking down the main patio. You can see that all those trees, jacaranda trees, are no longer in bloom. Now they are developing seed pods. I saved a dried one that I found last year. I like the shape. I think they're too fragile to make into jewlery or something, but they are very pretty.

Yesterday was my day off. I spent a couple of hours going to several bead suppliers. I needed more gold-filled wire to finish a necklace I started Sunday. And I wanted to get some chain to use with some stones to make another necklace. I thought originally that I would need to drive up to the northern part of the county to a place where they carry chain, but fortunately I was able to find it at a supplier close by.

Now that I have wireless internet, I'd like to start ordering online. Well, certainly I could have done that at home anytime these last months, but being here in the studio and thinking about my jewelry seems to lend itself to ordering. In addition, now that I have the studio, I can ask suppliers to deliver or mail items to me here at the Village. That's handy as well.

I have a great deal of stuff piled on my glass top table, mostly because I move things to make room for my computer on my desk. So today I'm hoping to take some time to work on clearing my table and finding places to put stuff that's sitting around. Of course, that takes away from my time to create art, but I have to have some organization or eventually I won't be able to find anything. It's a problem already to keep track of beads and various other items. I have a pegboard where I hang strands of beads, and that works very well. However, I don't always hang up half strands of beads that are left. And I admit I have unfinished pieces sitting around. Those have strands of beads associated with them. So those need to be organized, too.

I suppose that's the nature of life nowadays. We live in a consumer society and if we buy/consume items, we have to find places to put them. At times, I feel as though there are so many items I need to buy. But do I really need them? I think sometimes everyday you do without a particular item, you save a little money. Sometimes, though, you need to spend the money to have the convenience that an item brings. The trick seems to be to reach a happy medium.

Slow Sunday Again

Here's my computer on my desk. The tower is located on a small table next to my desk. I'm happy to have it. In fact, this morning someone came and asked me about a copy of an etching that they had. I had never heard of the artist, but I suggested we look him up on the internet. As it turned out, the man who owned the etching had already done so, but if he hadn't, we could have come inside and searched. And that would have been a nice way to use the wireless connection. As it was, I spent the time explaining about etchings and some of the observations that I have made over time concerning etchings.

If I had money, I would buy etchings. They're not very expensive, even ones created by famous artists like Whistler and Rembrandt, although you have to be careful of ones by Rembrandt. Apparently, he and others attempted to print lots of copies to make money. They even printed reverse ones. Those are ones that are printed the regular way and then another piece of paper is place over the first print and a reverse or backwards print is created.

I was talking to one of the other artists here in Spanish Village. She has a degree in metalsmithing, and she makes lovely pieces. Her style is completely different from mine. She says I'm more of a colorist and that my pieces have a casual, layered look to them. She was talking about style, about how each of us has our own style, and our customers, clients learn to recognize us by it. She also said that you have to be true to your own style or people won't buy what you make. I agree with that. As soon as I try to make something because I think people will like it, it doesn't work and it doesn't sell. As soon as I make something I like myself, or want to wear myself, then other people respond to it and will buy those items.

I spend time looking at jewelry in fashion magazines and on the internet to see what kinds of things are "in." But then I make it in a way that I like. There are some types of jewelry that I don't make because I don't like it and I can't relate to it. Then there are pieces I don't have the ability or setup to make. I've never done casting, and even though I like some cast pieces, I can't make those myself. So I stick with what I can make. And I try to think of new ways to make pieces more interesting, especially in the way I combine stones and crystals together.

Today I was working on one necklace when I discovered I had come to the end of my supply of gold-filled wire in the gauge I use most frequently. I didn't want to stop working, so I decided to make a knotted necklace, one strung on silk. For quite some time now, I've been wanting to make some knotted necklaces made from combinations of beads, not just one type. So I created one from two completely different types of pearls and some crystals. I'm reasonably happy with it, but I would rather it had gold wire between the beads than purple silk. There's nothing like gold to set off any bead or stone. It's no wonder gold is so valuable and valued throughout history.

Wi-Fi Up and Running

Here's a photo I took two days ago of the table the children use for Kids' Clay Class. It's hard to see in this shot, but all the bottles on the table have paintbrushes sticking out of them. The students have been painting glaze on their pieces in preparation for firing them in the kiln. This table and several others nearby are where they work on their projects, and the towel and bucket are located on the other side of this little sub-patio.

On Thursday, Philip Fila, the photographer who is located in the studio opposite spent time attempting to set up the wireless network without a whole lot of success. However, he managed to solve the problems today. The thing is that you can use a wireless network to go through a few walls, but when you have to go through outside walls which have metal in them, you have a problem. The metal interfers with the transmission. But anyway, Philip put enough routers and boosters and antennae around that he apparently solved the problem. He says there are a few people at the very ends of the Village whose signals he may have to boost further, but it works most places. I'm thrilled. It means I can work on the internet for my business and also as the Recording Secretary of Spanish Village. In that capacity, I can send out email.

Having the computer in the studio also enables me to be able to create various promotional material for my business. And I'm planning to write a business plan. I was in business with two other people about 10 years ago, and we wrote a business plan. Potentially it can be a great deal of work, but it can also be very enlightening and motivating. That's my hope for myself. I need to know where I'm going, how long it will take me to get there, and what I need to do along the way. I don't want to just drift along with no plan the way I have been so far.

It's so incredible to be sitting here in this historic building, built in 1935, looking up at a high-tech flatscreen monitor. My studio is furnished with period pieces for the most part, and the monitor reminds me of the way the old and the new coexist together. The computer definitely adds a sophistication to my studio, an acknowledgement that I know what I'm doing, that I know my way around the high-tech world, at least to some extent. Using the computer to keep track of inventory, goals in a business plan, new items on a supplier's website, local art exhibits in town, and my photographs, to name a few, gives the computer an important place in a person's life. Some would argue that the computer becomes an extension of yourself, a place to do some of the things your mind and body can't do on it's own. You can become very dependent on it.

I spent the main part of the day sitting at my outside worktable. I kept thinking about the computer sitting on my desk, running, and I was tempted to come inside a use it, but I resisted. Instead, I finished up three bracelets that I started yesterday, on my day off, and also created a new necklace. The necklace is not quite finished and there's another that I started yesterday that I need to finish tomorrow.

I went to the bead supplier after I closed the studio this afternoon to get some crystals to finish the necklace I started and to begin another one. I have a photograph of some necklaces sold at a very high-end department store that have inspired me to create something similar. And I needed to get some beads to create it. I've finally decided that no matter how many beads I have, I'll always need something else. However, when I buy beads now, I try to make up at least half of what I buy into jewelry before I buy something new.

Getting Ready For Wi-Fi

Here's today's towel and bucket. I haven't seen it for awhile. I asked the teacher, and she explained that she puts it out on days when the kids are going to be doing something very messy. It's sort of a pre-wash before they hit the restrooms. I've seen them on days when they don't use the bucket and towel. The soap dispenser is covered with clay. It makes me laugh. After all, we are working artists and that includes the children as well.

I spent the day reorganizing my studio and unpacking the flat screen monitor I got to go with my computer. With luck, I should be able to send tomorrow's installment of this blog from my studio. I hope it will work. We think it will. As soon as I finish here, I'm going to unhook my computer and take it up to my studio in preparation for tomorrow morning's installation. I'm very excited. I want to work on a number of things, and I'll have a place to set up my printer and scanner, too. I plan to make my own business cards and to create a sort of brochure or something along that line that has a copy of my bio on it and some other information.

I can't help but think back to the days when I had my first internet connection at home. I had a Mac Classic and I ran a phone wire down the hall to the kitchen phone jack. When I wasn't on the internet, I had to unhook the line so that I didn't fall over it. Back in those days the two internet services were AOL and eWorld, the Apple service. I loved eWorld. I use to log on everyday to read the news and send email to a friend whom I no longer worked with. In fact, I'm still writing to him by email after meeting him 22 years ago. Amazing how the internet can help keep friends in touch.

Besides writing in my blogs, I keep a journal of my thoughts and also one in which I record what I've eaten each day and my exercise. It also acts as a calendar and I draw in it, too. Now I want to combine all the various aspects of my life into one journal. I spent time today working on an altered book that I can use for that purpose. Eventually I'd like to get more into book arts which seems like a logical extension of my writing and etching. So that's where I'm attempting to move. I don't know whether my altered books are very creative, compared to some I've seen, but they do have a specific purpose. I use them.

Still Slow

Here are today's creations by the members of the Kids' Clay Class. Their teacher told me they are "goblets of fire." That relates to Harry Potter if I'm not mistaken. They're sitting out on a table in front of the studio air drying. If they survive through firing, glazing, and re-firing, each child will have their own goblet of fire. That's great. I wouldn't mind having one myself. In fact, when I walk by the clay class which takes place every weekday morning during the summer, and every Saturday summer or otherwise, I think about joining them. It's fun putting your hands in the clay and making it into something. Actually, though I'd like to take hunks of it an carve it. But I'll stick to the other stuff for now.

There were a fair number of visitors in the Village today, about the usual number for a Tuesday. I spent the whole day working on an etching plate. I hadn't worked on them for awhile, so I wanted to just do that, not have to think about making jewelry. I made quite a bit of progress, but I'm still not finished with it. I have two more ready to draw on. In the next day or so, I'll go get more copper to work on, to make more plates for the series I'm working on. I have lots of smaller pieces of copper, but they're all different sizes. I'd like to be able to use the copper the way I do my sketch pad, just draw on it. But unfortunately I can't see what I'm doing except in daylight. So I'm a little restricted. Artificial light creates too much of a glare. I don't know what I'll do on rainy days, but I'll face that when I get there.

Slow-Paced Day

Here's a sketch I did this afternoon. I'm still working on my series of etchings that will measure 8 inches by 5 1/4 inches, but I'm looking ahead further to other pieces that I want to create later. This sketch is approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. It would make a nice small etching perhaps.

Today was my day off from the studio. However, I am the Recording Secretary for Spanish Village Art Center, and today was the monthly meeting which I attended. Afterwards, I came home to do some chores around the house. I feel as though I finally have a day when I'm not running around trying to collect items that I need for my business. My etching setup is reasonably complete. There are a few things I'll order from the catalog. And I have plenty of jewelry findings, wire, and beads to make jewelry for days.

It was nice to finally have a day off. I did spend some time looking for an etching press. New ones are expensive, but sometimes used ones are for sale. Actually, they frequently turn out to be just about as expensive as new ones because they really never wear out if they're treated properly. It would be nice to have one, but if it were a large one, I'd really have to completely reorganize my studio or keep at home. It would be a mixed blessing in that case. However, as I sit here with four new plates that I haven't printed yet, a press is appealing.

Slow Sunday in the Park

Here's a photo I took last week of one of Jon's succulents. This particular "flower" with it's new sprout tucked under the "petals" is about six inches across. When you look at it from a distance, it looks green, but you can see that up close it has tinges of pink as though it has blood running through it's veins instead of chlorophyl.

I keep looking at these plants and hoping I can translate them in a way that makes sense without slavishly copying their structure. When I showed some of my sketches to someone today, she said they reminded her of Alice In Wonderland. That's a nice comment. I want to make them look like plants, but not exactly like plants you would see on your walk through the park or a stroll across the landscape of the internet. My plants are different. Another observer said they looked like sea creatures or plants to her. I think that she sees them bending/moving. I like the idea that they have movement.

I took my new glass cake dish to the studio this morning and filled it with some of the fresh etching solution (ferric chloride) straight from the bottle. I left the plate in for two hours and was happy to see that the solution had bitten into the exposed portions of the plate. Once I had it all cleaned off, I also discovered that there seems to be no unintended (false) biting. While some false biting gives character, the amount I had last time was too much. I'm sure all the false biting was because I didn't apply the ground thickly enough.

I now have two dishes of solution, one labeled "brass" and one labeled "copper." I'll try etching more brass when I have a piece finished. Otherwise, I learned by reading the catalog from Graphic Chemical and Ink that I can get a crystal form of ferric chloride to add to the liquid to increase it's potency for awhile. But, like everything, nothing last forever. Anyway, next time I order, I'll get some crystals.

The process of getting organized appears to be a long one. However, I felt remarkably well organized today. I put masking tape on the back of my plates. I made little balls of masking tape and attached them to the front of the plates to keep them up off the floor of the dish while they etch. I put on my old shirt now designated as a smock, I rubbed powder on my hands so that I could get the gloves on easily. I had a roll of paper towels nearby to wipe the etching solution off the fingers of my gloves when I brought them out of the solution. I had a plastic tray to put the etching plates in so that I could pour ammonia on them to neutralized the action of the ferric chloride and carry them to the sink to wash in the water. I had another tray for removing the hard ground with mineral spirits, and I had metal polish for cleaning up the plates. I also had a scraper, file, and steel wool to smooth out the edges. I even had a plastic bag in which to put my used gloves and paper towels.

I started etching plates at 10:00 this morning and managed to get three done, leaving each one in for two hours each. As a result of all my preparation and work, I managed to only get a small amount of ferric chloride on my clothes. That was before I put my smock on. The rule now is: No fiddling with the solution without the smock. And I only managed to discolor three of the nails on my right hand slightly. I've now washed my hands several times since then and they seem to be coming clean.

As it turns out, my friend is not able to get together with me tomorrow so that I can print. But that's okay. It means I have another week in which to work on some more plates and to refine the current ones a little. Also, I need to prepare some more paper for printing. This way I won't feel as though I'm rushing to get something ready. A deadline is good, but proceeding there in an organized, orderly fashion is good too.

Etching Problems

Here's a photo of a necklace I made today. As my friend who sold me the camera said, the cellphone doesn't take a very good photo, and this is an example of that. It's not very good at all. But I'm currently having a problem with my "new" camera, getting the batteries to charge, so I'm still using the cellphone for now.

Anyway, you get the idea of a large glass heart pendant. The necklace itself is made of tube shaped amethyst glass beads, round, bright green crystals, and small freshwater pearls. The combination complements the heart which is amethyst with some white, gold foil, and copper in it. The heart looks as though it could be Venetian glass, but I'm sure it isn't. It was too inexpensive. It must have come from China. I'll wear it myself for awhile, to determine whether it can support the weight of the pendant.

I actually wound up spending the whole day making jewelry. I also attempted to etch one of the copper plates I had prepared, but the etching solution didn't etch it. It may be that it has lost it's strength, although I used it just the other day to etch brass. Or there may be the problem of trying to etch brass and copper in the same bath, albeit at different times. Fortunately I ordered some more etching solution which arrived yesterday.

This evening I bought another glass dish to etch in, and tomorrow I'll put new solution in it and try the copper plate again. I have three that I want to etch tomorrow in preparation for printing on Monday. There's a great deal to do. I actually would like to have one more plate ready to etch. That would mean I'd have five new plates, four copper and one brass. But it also means I'll need eight hours if I'm going to etch four more plates. I'll have to see how I make out. If I go in early, I can get three done during the day.

Running Errands On My Day Off

Here's a photo of the glass furnace. The door is open and you can see inside where the glass is melted. It's turned off right now in preparation for repair tomorrow, and it's always locked behind bars at night for safety reasons. The glassblower warns me that tomorrow they will be chipping away the glass with a mini jackhammer and that it will be very noisy. But I will survive. I might spend the time using the drill press that Jon loaned me and assemble some copper and brass bracelets.

I stopped by the studio after hours today and found that my latest order had arrived from Graphic Chemical and Ink. One of the things I ordered was some polish to put on the etching plates before putting ground on them. That will make them smooth and shiny so that when I wipe them before printing, the white areas will be very white and not mottled as they sometimes are. I tried some on one of my bracelets; it looks beautiful. I wish I had ordered a larger container of it. Oh, well, now I know.

I spent some time this morning going to several bead suppliers to get more gold-filled wire and a few strands of beads to make into bracelets. I have an idea for taking beads that are randomly strung and re-ordering them. So with a strand of carnelian beads, for example, which are strung randomly so that a dark orange bead may be next to a pale cream bead, I will string them from dark to light, or light to dark. Same thing. But I think it will make a nice necklace or bracelet. It's an idea I've had for quite awhile and finally I had a short strand of inexpensive beads so I tried it to make a bracelet. I like the result very much. Anyway, I got various strands of inexpensive stone beads to try it. And then I bought a few Austrian crystals to go with the stone.

One jewelry manufacturer told me that the department stores and jewelry stores don't like to get pieces in which the stones are combined with crystals. Well, maybe not, but I personally think a few crystals make a rather ordinary necklace very eye catching. Of course if you make a piece with very high-end stones, you don't need to mix in crystals. However, if you have less expensive stones to make less expensive pieces, you can still get a nice look by adding the crystals.

I tried to solve the problem with my new camera the batteries of which don't seem to hold much of a charge. It seems Konica, the manufacturer has gone out of business and when a camera is no longer being made, the batteries are no longer made either. So I can't get new batteries for it. I can try to charge the ones I have to the best of my ability. The other option is to take out the battery and plug the camera in with the charger and/or get a car adapter. Then I can use the camera. So if the normal camera is cordless, mine is not. That's disappointing, but at least I can attach it to a tripod and use it to photograph jewelry in my studio. And actually, that was the main reason I wanted it: to photograph jewelry and etchings. I just won't be able to use it anywhere else unless I get a car adapter and use it in my car. Actually that could work. I do frequently take photos from my car, especially around Balboa Park. Otherwise, I still have my cellphone camera with which I've taken all the photos in my blog with a couple of noted exceptions.

Moving Forward With Etching

Here's a photo of the copper plate etching that I was working on today. The glassblowers were off, and I was working back in our little sub-patio by myself. The furnace where they keep the clear glass molten day and night, seven days a week, has finally given out. The elements need to be replaced about every six months, sometimes less, and it has now been six months. They have to turn the furnace off, let it cool down, chisel out the old glass, replace the elements, and let the glass heat up again before they can blow again. The glassblower told me it takes five days. So, I guess they won't be able to blow again until Wednesday of next week. I'm off myself tomorrow and Monday, but I suppose I'm going to be spending the rest of the time alone.

Now that I'm use to having them there, it's rather lonely back in the corner by myself. But I did get quite a bit accomplished today, so that's good. I completed the etching that I had drawn on the plate yesterday. It's ready to put in the etching solution. I put the brass on in today. I wore my rubber gloves, but I need baby powder to make it easier to get them on. I put the plate in for two hours. I realized after almost two hours that I had forgotten to put the masking tape on the back of the plate to protect it. However, I knew that the brass takes longer to etch than the copper and so I hope it would be okay. And it seems to have been. The plate doesn't seem noticeably thinner than it was.

The etch on the brass looks as though it turned out well with very little false biting. Even the edges of the plate that usually need to be filed and sanded down were fine. I have noticed on the small amount of brass that I've etched so far that it seems to provide a thin, clean line with little false biting. It will be interesting to see how it prints.

After I had cleaned off the asphaltum, the hard ground, I noticed that there was a red tinge to the grooves. When I etched brass before and then cleaned it, I noticed the lines stayed black in the bottom from the small amount of hard ground left in the grooves. Finally, after studying the plate, I realized that what I was seeing was copper that has bonded into the groves that were etched. Having a thin layer of copper in the bottom of the grooves won't affect the print process I'm sure. However, it's an interesting affect that I might want to exploit when making brass jewelry. That would be a permanent coating in the grooves to show them off. Of course, after awhile, I suppose the copper will tarnish and turn dark, but in the beginning it's bright and red.

I took stock of my plates. I have one larger plate to bite and two smaller copper plates that I've finished drawing on in the last few days. I've started to repair one of my plates from the first go around when I had so much false biting. I've managed to smooth away a great deal of it. I started another plate today. So I'll have five new plates and one repaired one when I go on Monday to print at my friend's house. Well, that is, I have that many now, and I might have several more by Sunday afternoon when I stop working. If I could then eventually make additions of all those, it would be wonderful.

The Towel and the Bucket

Can you tell what this is? Looped around the wrought iron window grill is a pink bath towel. Below it is a white plastic bucket of water. The Spanish Village ladies' room is right beyond it where you see the blue sign.

Every morning when I make a trip down to the ladies' room, I see a towel and bucket of water. The bucket is always the same, but the towel changes each day. After noticing it for several weeks, I decided to start photographing it each day. I thought I might have a nice series of photos with towel variations. Humm, I wonder if one of the local galleries might be interested. Or maybe I could find a place in my own studio. But anyway, when I went back this morning there was no towel or bucket.

Actually, I have a pretty good idea that the two represent a workstation for the children's summer clay class which takes place directly to the left, on the other side of the little patio. Spanish Village has a number of small sub-patios off the main one. This is one of them. My table is located in another one.

Usually by the time I walk over to this side of the patio, the class has ended and the teacher has disappeared, so I never have a chance to ask her or observe anyone actually using the towel. But maybe tomorrow I can go over earlier and find out exactly what's behind the towel.

I spent the day outside, finishing up a carnelian necklace that I started yesterday and then making a bracelet to match it. If I make one bracelet a day, or even a bracelet and a necklace, I'll be in good shape. My sister has offere to take some of my pieces to Los Angeles to sell them. That would be nice, but I'll need to make more pieces. In the meantime, I'm replacing most of the jewelry I sold over the weekend.

After working on the jewelry, I spent time de-greasing my etching plates with chalk and ammonia. Then I took them back to my studio and used the grill to apply the ball ground, which is what Graphic Ink and Chemical calls the opaque hard ground that I apply to the plates. I kept the heat of the grill at 225 degrees. Previously I had turned it up to 300 degrees. And this time I applied it thicker than the first time, but not so thick it will flake. I now have one of the four plates with the drawing transferred to it, and I'm ready to start working on it tomorrow.

In the meantime, this evening after I left the studio, I got myself some gloves to use when I put the plates in the ferric chloride and then when I clean them with the mineral spirits. I hate using gloves, but the last time I went to the manicurist, she spent an hour and a half repairing my nails which were fine but very stained. This time I made her a bracelet to appease her, but I'll try the gloves. She suggested them to me. She said my hands reminded her of her son's who likes to play in the dirt.

Late Night Delivery

Here's a present I found on the edge of my garden wall this morning. Jon, one of the other artists at Spanish Village left them for me, two circuit boards from telephones and a rubber keypad as well. I was especially touched because he went on vacation today, and he wanted me to have them. He must have left them there late last night. He knows I like to create jewelry and other pieces by assembling old computer parts and scrap metal. Some of the circuit boards are very pretty and will make nice pins and pendants. I even made a pair of earrings out of two small ones.

After working out at the gym this morning, I stopped by Industrial Metal Supply to get some scrap copper for etchings. When I buy it at the art store, it's $65 for an 18 by 24 inch piece. At the metal supplier, it's sold by the pound and I can get about the same amount, sometimes a thinner gauge, for around $3 a pound, or about $6 0r $7 for the same amount. The pieces I got this morning were relatively scratch free. I spent some time with a plastic brillo pad and cleaned them up sufficiently to use. Tomorrow I'll degrease them with French chalk and ammonia. Then I'll put hard ground on them and be ready to create four more etchings. At this point, I didn't buy any more brass to etch until I try the one piece that I have already completed. I want to compare the two metals.

I spent time working on jewelry as well. I like having more than one project to work on, each one different. I haven't created any pieces with pieces of scrap and circuit boards or fuses recently, but last night I did stop to get a tumbler so that I can smooth out the roughness of the scraps and polish them to fine patina. The tumbler will make anything look wonderful. Well, at least a whole lot better.

A Business Owner's Work Never Ends

Here's a photo I took the other day in another part of Balboa Park. I love driving through the Park on my way home from doing errands. And it's frequently a good way for me to avoid traffic. I think of it as a special treat to myself, to drive that way and look at all the beautiful buildings and planting.

Today was a day off for me. I did various things I had scheduled and then went to take a look in some of the places where I buy beads. I needed to get more gold-filled wire and gold-filled clasps for my upcoming jewelry projects, and I thought I would take a look at beads to see if there was anything that particularly caught my, something new and different that I haven't thought about using yet. I did find a few strands that I can use, but not too many. I found myself looking for some unusual stones to replace at least one of the necklaces I sold this weekend. But those pieces usually come at odd times, not when I'm particularly looking for them.

I'm continuing to develop the sketches I've created for a new series of etchings. And the other night I was amused at myself when I realized that I was using my new little list book as a sketchbook as well. No wonder I have no lists: I turn them all into sketches. One of the exhibitors at the weekend sale, a glassblower, commented on all my detail work in my jewelry and my etchings. I feel as though I always need to be drawing or writing. The advantage is that I can entertain myself for hours, no days. I never feel bored. There's always something to do.

The Weekend of the Glass Guild Sale

Here's a photo I took while sitting at my outside worktable this afternoon. Across the patio from me you can see a temporary booth set up. This booth belonged to one of the exhibitors at the Glass Guild Sale that took place this weekend in the Spanish Village main patio. There were many people who attended the sale both days. And of course because it was a glass sale, our little patio with the glassblowing going on was a big draw. I'd say at least five hundred people walked by my worktable this weekend, almost all of them on their way to watch the glassblowing.

As is frequently the case, most visitors are so interested in watching the glassblowing that they don't stop to talk to me. This weekend seemed to be an exception. Lots of people stopped to ask questions and make comments. I enjoy interacting with everyone. So many people who do stop to talk like to know what we're doing. I frequently explain various techniques to them, how I make jewelry, how I create etchings, how the creative process works for me, what my art background is, how I feel about the weather, if I'm the one they pay for the glass they want to purchase, how do they get to the zoo or the carousel or the minature train.

By the end of the day, I'm sometimes very tired, but I love having a studio at Spanish Village. I find it so much easier to work in an environment where there is activity going on around me. If I count on working at home, I am just as likely to do errands, play with the dogs, sleep late, or go shopping. Having to show up and work in my studio is a wonderful routine, not at all difficult to keep to. I wasn't sure when I first started out, but I like it. Sometimes in the early morning, or when I want to concentrate on a new idea, I sit inside, but my favorite is to sit outside. We're lucky that we can almost always do that. Right now, of course, I'm sitting outside in my shirt sleeves, but I'm determined to dress warmly enough to sit outside all year.

The artist who has been allowing me to use his print press stopped by with his wife this morning. She had never been to my studio. They are both active supporters of the arts and network throughout the city, and I value their comments. He gave me some suggestions after looking at my latest plates. He noticed that I'm having trouble with the resist chipping. He suggested I make sure I clean my plate very carefully and that I keep the hot plate at a lower temperature when I apply the ground. Actually, that's a problem I've had all along, and I thought I had solved it by applying the ground more thinly. However, then if it's too thin, I wind up with a great deal of false biting. There's still lessons to learn.

My next goal, besides solving my technical problems with etching, is to get some pieces of sterling and etch on them. Silver bracelets would be very nice. Of course, I'd have to change the etching solution that I use, but I could manage that. Anyway, in the meantime, I'll finish the ones I've started and try to aim for next Monday to print some proofs. I had hoped to do some printing tomorrow, but I don't have enough plates ready.

Using My New Camera

Here's a photo I took in another part of Balboa Park. I was driving around experimenting with my new camera, and I shot this one over by the International Houses. That's a group of small buildings sometimes confused with Spanish Village. Unlike Spanish Village, the International Houses are each occupied by representatives of other nations. There's a House of Sweden, House of Ireland, House of Mexico, etc. Usually the members of the organizations are immigrants from those countries. They serve food and have dancing on Sundays I think. They're only open on the weekends.

It's interesting that they only open on weekends. Spanish Village use to be that way as well, but at some point the artists must have decided that we needed to be open everyday. So we've become so preoccupied with making sure all the studios are open everyday, except the ones like mine with individual occupants. And that's kind of funny, because when you think about it, it occurs to me that a number of the buildings in Balboa Park do stand empty and closed for days at a time. Of course, ones like the San Diego Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Man are open everyday, except maybe Mondays. I'm not sure actually.

When I first started at Spanish Village, I thought it would be so nice to work in the Park and walk all around, going to the various museums and just enjoying the ambience. However, I admit I've done almost none of that. There are several exhibits at the San Diego Art Museum and the Mingei Museum that are worth going to see, and I haven't been. There are two on printmaking and one on jewelry. Surely as an artist of those mediums I owe it to myself to go over.

I went several years ago to an exhibit of Rembrandt's etchings and I've never been the same since. A group of us went from our printmaking class, and I'm grateful to this day. Rembrandt's paintings are wonderful, beautiful, amazing, but his etchings are so special I hardly know how to describe them. The one thing I can say about them is that they were in an exhibit in which there were etching by several of his contemporaries as well. There was no comparison. I could see his genius, but when his work was compared to others' the difference was striking enough to take your breath away. The others' work was stiff and unimaginative by comparison, amateurish to even the most unsophisticated eye. In the past, I may have missed the chance to see his etchings in museums in other parts of the world, but I would never pass up the opportunity to see them now.

One of the charateristics of his work is it's size. He was capable of drawing a crowd of people in a space no larger than a business card. He created portraits the size of postage stamps. And even in the tiny spaces the details are so perfectly drawn that they seem more than alive. He had the ability to create a realism that went beyond a copy of what he saw around him. I suppose nowadays it might be called something like super-reality, something beyond everyday life. And I am not referring to the costumes that he frequently dressed his subjects in. Certain they added to the atmosphere, but were not what makes his work so unusual.

I find it interesting that some works of art, like anything else, are photogenic and some are not. I have been to museums and seen monuments in Europe, India, China, Siberia, Senegal, Egypt. Some are so memorable that you understand why they are so famous, Michelangelo's David, the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, Rembrandt's Night Watch, Monet's Water Lilies, the Duomo and Bapistry Doors in Florence, the Winged Victory in Paris. I could go on forever. And in most of those cases, the photographs don't come close to doing the work justice. What is my point? We need to all get going and check out the permanent and visiting exhibits in our local museums.

Etching On Brass

Here's a photo that Philip, one of the Spanish Village artists took of me. He took a bunch and sent me five. You can see more of his wonderful work on his website at www.philipjamesphoto.com. His photos are hanging in the studio across from me that he shares with the glassblower. We all love his work, and so did the judges at the San Diego County Fair this year. They gave him a first place for his photo of the San Diego trolley. He took this photo of me when we stayed late for Fourth Thursday last week. He put the camera on the table and took the photos that way.

Today I concentrated on etchings, the same pursuit I'm engaged above. I had one plate that I had finished drawing on, and so I put it in the ferric chloride for several hours. It turned out well. It was brass which tends to produce very crisp, fine lines with little or no false biting. I then cut it into four pieces in preparation for making it into bracelets. I don't know whether anyone will find brass an acceptable metal for bracelets, but I can wear them myself.

While I was waiting for the brass plate to etch, I started another brass plate that I plan to print. I had agreed tentatively to use my friend's press on Monday, but I don't know whether I will have sufficient plates ready to print. I don't want to waste his time if I'm not properly prepared. I'd like to have at least two or three new plates and I'd like to spend time repairing the plates I printed last time that have so much false biting on them. And if I attempt to repair them without success, I'll just use the same drawing and do them again. I can even use the back of the same plate to etch on. I've done that before when I ran out of plates.

It occured to me, while I was working on the new plate today, that I should use the plates for drawing rather than using paper. When I create a plate from a drawing with the idea of printing it, I find that the transfer of the subject matter isn't very successful. The lines are sometimes wobbly, not free the way they are in my sketchbook when I draw them the first time. When I work on plates to make bracelets, I draw directly on the plate and never bother with a preliminary sketch. In that way, the drawings are much freer and fresher looking.

I don't know. I guess I just need to keep practicing my drawing and my technique, and eventually I will produce some work that pleases me. In the meantime, the glassblower told me that one of her students was asking whether I'd teach her to etch. I suppose I could, but the problem is that I don't have a printing press, and the printing is certainly an important part of the whole process. I told her I'd think about it.

August Is the Gestation Month

Here's part of a succulent garden in a wooden box, down in the next inner patio at Spanish Village. Lots of the succulents are blooming. I took a number of photos late this afternoon and resolved to take more, some closer up, too. That little round plant in the front is about the size of a golf ball, maybe a little smaller. That give you an idea of how tiny the whole garden is. The artist who grows many of the plants around the Village says the succulents are so prolific and multiply voraciously. I love them myself, but I'm afraid I would over water them. I'd rather just admire his.

A friend came by to visit today and to sell me a camera that he has since replaced with a newer one. I'm delighted to have it for photos, especially jewelry which doesn't show up very well with the camera in my cellphone. However, now that I've realized that I get much better photos by holding very still, I'm happier with mine. I just assumed the poor quality was the camera. I didn't realize how much I was the cause of the out of focus results. I'm amazed really at the difference.

I spent a large part of the day working on a piece of brass that I intend to etch. Yesterday I was reading about brass in one of the "new" books I got. It says brass takes longer to etch, but it give a very fine line. I noticed that myself. Also, the brass I etched has almost no false biting on it. I'm thinking about going back and getting more of it to use for prints. Most printmakers use copper or zinc, but brass might be just what I'm looking for.

My visitor sat in the studio with me for about an hour, talking and soaking in the ambience. He said he felt very comfortable sitting there, that the studio is so nice. It looks pretty now, but it's more than that. I have felt it, too. He said it has good karma. I agree and I think all the semi-precious stone beads helps with the positive energy in the air as well.

When everything is cleaned up, I'm very happy with it. Of course, I have to pull things out and make a mess if I'm working on some projects. I'd like to make a rule for myself, promise myself, that I'll clean up once a week or something. I've already decided that plant watering day is Tuesday. That's because the artist who's plants I have blows glass right outside the studio on Tuesdays.

All of my major projects have had their inception in August. This August I'm going to concentrate on my new series of etchings, possibly with accompanying poetry. I really would like to find ways to use my poetry in conjunction with my artwork. When I read the poetry I wrote most recently, I find that it parallels my artwork to an amazing degree. That is my artistic voice I guess. I want to take advantage of it. So that's my plan for August: find a way to do so.

More Organized

Here are some of the succulents that grow over by the mailroom at Spanish Village. Lots of times we have a tendency to just walk by the plants. I've realized however that these plants bear some resemblance to some of my drawings. I'm obviously influenced by them.

Today was a day for getting better organized. I spent time making a little notebook to carry in my purse, to remind myself of things I need to do or get. So I now have a list. It makes sense of course. Really, it's silly not to make one. And as a result of my list, when I went shopping after work, I managed to get several things that I would have otherwise forgotten. Included in my purchases was a bottle to put ammonia in. Now I have a shaker for French chalk, a small bottle for ammonia, some cotton balls, and a tray to carry my etching plates in. I can now take them to the ladies room across the patio and use the sink to de-grease them. I'm all set up.

Another problem I've had is that somebody adjusted the height of the chair I use at my outside worktable. As a result, I was sitting down with my nose almost on the table. I am nearsighted, but really I was too low. I tried to adjust the chair, but I assumed it would require pulling up on the whole chair while unscrewing the bottom. I asked one of the artists to help me, and he showed me a lever on the side. All I have to do is hold it and pull the seat up. It's very easy. He even showed me how to adjust the tilt of the back. Now I'm fine.

Really, some of life's problems are so easy to solve. I get frustrated with myself for not being able to take care of them on my own. But I suppose we all have our areas of expertise and our areas of disconnect where we just don't function very well.

I didn't spend any time on etching or jewelry today. I needed the day to make the little book for lists and to organized my table, take some of the photos I had cut out of magazines and arrange them in a notebook. I like to keep photos and other things that attract my attention as a source for ideas. I have recently started putting all my ideas in one book. But hopefully not like putting all my eggs in one basket. This way everything is there in front of me, except not my list. It goes in my purse, so it's easy to carry with me.