Steelhead Studio is mostly on hiatus these days, but you still might catch some updates and occasional shows by checking me out on Facebook or Instagram.
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online show
I have been participating in Naglee Park Open Studios for a few years now. It’s always a beautiful day accompanied by selling a lot of my things off to new homes. With the coronavirus creating challenges for all businesses and art shows, NPOS has opted to do a virtual show. Every day leading up to the usual date of the show (June 7th), they are featuring a different artist – both via email and on Facebook. I took this opportunity to revive my online store. Naturally, this was a much bigger task than I anticipated. That’s how that goes, right? Anyway, the store is current and ready for action. Check it out!
refresh
Well hello web site I’ve been ignoring for awhile. I’m still here, although I took most of last year off from jewelry making. It felt good to release the stress of making-to-sell for a time, especially when I had to squeeze maker time in between the other two jobs. Add to that having to move my studio a couple of times. It is now in its smallest incarnation ever. But the lighting is good, and I still have a dedicated space to work. With the world on lockdown due to the coronavirus, I have more time to get back into the land of beads, porcelain, and metal. Pictured here is the first pendant I’ve made in a long time.
teaching
I have not been posting very frequently as I have been teaching more than making these days. I have taught some porcelain jewelry and hand-building classes in the past, and am now working with beginning wheel students. It’s demanding and a lot of fun! Come take a class with me at Higher Fire Studios in San Jose. In the meantime, here is a vase I did in my handbuilding class, which will be available for sale at my upcoming Holiday Pop-up Show on December 17th:
more shards
I recently participated in Naglee Park Open Studios which continues to be a wonderful show for me. I do still have some shard pendants available and now they are in my store! The one featured here is clear, recycled bottle glass on porcelain with black glaze. The blues and green happen as a result of the glass meeting the glaze. Click through to see more in my store.
shards
I continue to work with porcelain, combining it with wire and accent beads. If that wasn’t enough, now I am adding glass into the mix. I recently taught a jewelry class at Higher Fire that focused on melting glass into our pieces during the firing process. It’s still very much a hit or miss process, but when it’s a hit, it’s delish! Pictured here is some recycled clear glass on porcelain with a purple glaze. Some interesting things happen where the glass meets the glaze. These are not in my store yet, but I hope to have a variety available at the Naglee Park Open Studios in June.
stitched
I have been playing with ways to connect wire with the porcelain pieces I have been making. Here is an example of the latest “stitched” style. Each tiny hole must be carefully cleared before being glaze fired. I have an old, tiny drill bit that is helpful. There are a few of these in my store. Pop on over if you haven’t been there in awhile!
ceramic jewelry class
I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching a ceramic jewelry class at Higher Fire for six weeks starting in May. I’m excited to see what my students will do with the techniques I have ironed out over the last couple of years! Click here to view the full selection of classes at this wonderful studio in downtown San Jose.
Buttons!
With Stitches West coming up, I thought I’d try my hand at making ceramic buttons. They’re like jewelry for your clothes! They are relatively quick to make, but in order to make a decent presentation, I had to make as many sets as I could manage. That translates to hundreds of individual buttons. I will be offering small and large buttons, and in the large buttons offering two-hole and shank buttons.
BAMS and more
My mother often describes the early fall period as the downhill slide into Christmas. I can feel the pull these days as I prepare for various shows, but it is a challenge I enjoy. As many of you know, I am all about deadlines. Being accepted off of a waitlist a week and a half before the Orchard Valley Ceramic Arts Guild’s Art in Clay Holiday Show and Sale has propelled me into action to see what else I can complete in a short space of time. Thanksgiving will be here soon, then two shows in December, means inventory, inventory, inventory! Here is one of the Big Ass Mugs I have in stock, and there will be many more at the Art in Clay show. Be sure to check out my events page for the where and when, and if you can’t make a show, my online store is always open!