Studio upgrade

I haven’t been blogging lately (bad me) but I have been working on a studio improvement project. My studio is buried in the back of the Enterprise House in Kiltimagh, but I’m lucky to have the doctor’s surgery right next door, so a lot of people walk past my space. Many of them come in to me thinking I’m the building receptionist, or even the doctor’s receptionist (a conversation I put an end to straight away lest I hear about the ailment they are coming in for!), so I’ve done a bit to my door front as well as the inside. Photos below…

the new studio front!

the "classroom" area...seats 15!

my jewellery making station -- can't put art on the walls over the kiln but I definitely need to do something over the desk.

Hen Party Workshop

After this weekend’s metal clay workshop in Westport, I’m excited to get to the next one. I’ll be running a workshop for a hen party just outside of Derry. The bride will be making an amethyst ring to match her engagement ring, and each of her guests will be making silver charms (one for her to go on a charm bracelet, and one for themselves to wear on a chain).

Nicest part — the bride-to-be’s mother is hosting it in her own kitchen!

I’m so glad I decided to get a portable studio!

Back to the studio!

After a few weeks away, I just got the news that I can use my studio again (with a warning not to drag anything across the floor!)

While I am anxious to get back to work on my jewellery, I need to get the place back into working order, and I might use the day to get a bit of organizing done as well.

Can’t wait to unlock the door again!

A Fondelifair Launch Special Offer from studio C!

As part of my own personal Fondelifair Launch celebration, I am offering a special on tuition for Make Your Own Silver Jewellery with Metal Clay workshops.

If you can gather six of your friends or family for a workshop, your tuition is free (or seven people for the price of six). Workshops can be scheduled in your location (at your home, a community centre, etc), you can travel to the Kiltimagh studio, or we can work something out with The Old Rectory Retreat in Westport (http://oldrectoryretreat.com/) if you’d like to make a weekend out of it.

Just email me at info@studioCworkshop.com for more details!

National Drawing Day!

Today was National Drawing Day, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as a facilitator for a children’s drawing workshop at the National Museum of Ireland, Country Life.

Seven children came along to the free workshop, which is a good number at 4pm on a rainy Saturday. I was given the freedom to design the workshop on my own, and so I chose to show the children how to draw self-portraits, with a twist. They had to draw themselves as how they might have looked if they lived in rural Ireland in the 1930′s!

In order to get them thinking along those lines, we checked out an exhibition of clothing worn on the  Aran Islands in 1937, and then the kids got to try on replica clothing. (Trying to get a boy into a red woolen skirt was impossible, but I did get them to try on tams, waistcoats, and tweed jackets. The girls jumped at the chance to wear the skirts.)

Not a bad way to spend an hour on a Saturday!

Withdrawal

A couple of months ago, I noticed that the paint on the floor of my studio was starting to disappear. It wasn’t peeling off as much as it just wasn’t there anymore, and in its place was a rubbery black substance.  Turns out there were huge globs of a silicone glue on the floor from the prior tenant, and the paint couldn’t adhere to it.

So while the floor is being fixed, I have nowhere to work. My studio is torn asunder, and what was meant to be a two day job has stretched into a few weeks.

I need my creative space!

Interested in trying Metal Clay?

I will be running a “Make Your Own Silver Pendant” class at the Old Rectory Retreat in Westport, Co. Mayo, on Saturday, 11th June.

The retreat is a fantastic place…I go out there every six months for a writing weekend, and I’m thrilled to be running one of my own there.

You can find more details at: http://oldrectoryretreat.com/programme/

By hook or by crook….updated!

I decided to treat myself to a new ring today. I spent a few hours on it, and then accidentally snapped in into four pieces. I’m on the second round of repairs now.

By hook or by crook, I will be wearing this ring home from the studio tonight!

…Two hours after the original post, and I’m home wearing my new ring. I learned well from my instructor to persevere!

Back to the regularly scheduled programme….

Woke up this morning and have a better perspective on the price increase of metal clay. It’s a blip…I’ll get through it.

I have a big weekend coming up as the volunteer coordinator for a local festival, so I’ve declared tomorrow a fun day.

I’m starting off with a drumming workshop with some of my artsy friends (and it comes with FREE LUNCH!). I’m spending the afternoon working on some new pieces of jewellery, and then I have to clear out half of my studio because the floor needs to be repainted (this is a good thing, as it’s looking a bit shabby right now).

My spirits are lifting just thinking of tomorrow.

What do you do….

when you find out that the price of the material you use for your craft is going to increase by 50 percent?

That’s the news I got today. I knew the price was going up. I knew it was going to be “significant.” I didn’t realize how significant it was going to be. I will have to adjust my prices on my new pieces of jewellery and on upcoming workshops, which will start to price more buyers out of the market.

A bit of depression setting in now….off to pull the covers over my head until I let this sink in and come to terms with it.