Inspirational Ashes: A Reliquary for Campfire Remains and a Marshmallow

This is a piece that celebrates sitting around the campfire and the ashes of life. Don't wait until you only have funerary ashes to remember important relationships and moments by. Appreciate them now and not just after they have past.

The lower section of this piece contains the black coals from a fire that I attach much importance to and the smaller grey oval contains the ashes. As for the top... you guessed it, that's a marshmallow!

Oscar's Racer

Oh yeah... the Pinewood Derby is this Saturday. Wish us luck!

Arrowmont 2010 Workshop

Check out my workshop this summer June 20-26!

http://www.arrowmont.org/

Course Description:
Righteous Reliquaries for Ordinary Objects

Create elaborate containers for those cherished items you keep tucked away, wrapped up in an old sock, or something that you interact with everyday. The focus of this workshop will be designing small containers that incorporate mechanisms from basic hinges to cradle hinges, bayonet closures and more… and we can’t leave out pressure fitting. Cold connections and entrapment will also be covered as we are working with found objects which may not be able to withstand heat. Surface treatments and embellishments will be addressed as well along with cutting glass for viewing options. Students will relate their design choices back to the items they choose to contain.

It will be fun!

New Photo Approach!

After thinking about it for a few years, I finally went and picked up a sheet of black laminate to shoot my larger pieces on instead of our usual grey paper. See the difference... I like it! At ASU we like to keep the drama in our images and out of the studio.

Partial Key to Happiness Charms

I couldn't resist the "Charmed" event happening at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. It just so happens to coincide with Valentine's Day in case you were questioning the imagery. Materials: brass key and sterling silver. http://www.contemporarycraft.org/The_Store/Charmed_.html

Whatever Happened to that ear you ask...

Here is the completed reliquary, Hearing Protection Protector: A Reliquary for Ear Plugs. The image below reveals the earplugs inside. This piece utilizes hearing aid batteries donated from members of the Ajo community in Arizona and my undergraduate metals professor.

I will try to start blogging more than once a year, but no promises.