fall

Artist Life, Jewelry, Shows

Summer shows are mostly over and we are heading into fall. Mountain View Art & Wine is coming up and I have been at the bench getting ready. Nothing like a deadline for a burst of productivity! I have also been converting some old jewelry to new jewelry for a friend and client. I’m not sure any other art form enjoys being upcycled like jewelry. I love giving new life to pieces or materials no longer at their best. I will post those when they have been delivered. In the meantime, enjoy this latest in the Drama Drop category.

SubZero and NPOS

Shows

This coming weekend offers many opportunities to shop local San Jose artisans, including me, of course. Friday and Saturday, June 5th and 6th brings us the SubZERO festival, a unique San Jose experience described as “street meets geek.” I’m not sure how street or geek my work is, but I will be part of the Higher Fire booth selling ceramic works at very reasonable prices! I believe the booth will be near William and Market.

This will also be my second year participating in the Naglee Park Open Studios, a wonderful collection of immediately local artists. You can find me on 14th Street between San Antonio and San Fernando. I will have the full booth set up, so I will be easy to see. Check out the latest in my collection of jewelry and ceramics, including a collection of Big Ass Mugs!

As the Open Studios and Sunnyvale Art and Wine festival are the same weekend this year, I had to pick one. But, if SubZERO and NPOS aren’t enough for you, feel free to wander up to Sunnyvale and browse the many artist who will be there. Get out there and support your local artists!

shopping is work, too

Artist Life, Jewelry

The International Gem and Jewelry Show comes around twice a year. This is helpful for supplies and bad for the budget. It goes something like this:

1. Check show schedule.
2. Decide on budget.
3. Attend show and be overwhelmed by shiny, pretty things.
4. Say to yourself, “Go big or go home!”
5. Blow your budget out of the water.

On the plus side, I had specific things I was looking for, which helps me shop with a little focus. Pictured below is the haul from my trip. Notice the tiny shinies that will be incorporated into knit necklaces. Did you know that you can get diamond beads? I’m hoping to pick some up on my next trip.

In the meantime, come see me at the Naglee Park Open Studios on June 7th, 11am-5pm. I’ll be on 14th Street between San Antonio and San Fernando in San Jose. There are lots of great artists participating and it makes for a lovely walk!

all about inventory

Artist Life, Ceramics, Shows

Now that I have a few seasons under my belt as a full time maker, I find that I really want to break the cycle of always chasing inventory numbers. Many who browse the booth assume that I have backstock. “You have more, right?” News flash: I’ve never had backstock, save for a handful of pieces! So, in entering the new year, full of resolutiony thoughts, I determined to work farther ahead and build up the collection. Well, this is the first time I’ve had a show in February, so the chasing continues…

In the meantime, here is one of the yarn bowls I created for the Stitches West show:

happy new year!

Ceramics, Shows, Uncategorized

Thanks to all who supported me during the busy month of December. It seems I hardly have a break before I get to leap back into action. I learned a lot in working with ceramics last year, and plan to continue as I have some orders to fill and another show to prepare for! Stitches West is a large, fiber arts convention where I will be a featured artist at the Purlescence Yarns booth. I will be selling yarn jars, spin support bowls, stitch markers, and who knows what else?

I have also been collaborating with author and lino cut artist Anita Dime. Here is one of my favorites below, which happens to be for sale:

Deep Sea Diver Tile/Trivet from Steelhead Studio on Square Market

september sales

Artist Life, Ceramics, Jewelry

Last month was a fun challenge for me, having booked three weekends in a row. The first event was the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, for which I am pleased to report record sales. Because I had sold so many pieces, I scrambled to make more for the following weekend at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival. Saturday saw steady traffic and Sunday was pretty slow. Being able to eat lunch with a view of the ocean was pretty fantastic. At both shows, some old friends stopped which is always a treat.

The third weekend was full of new friends. My other job is teaching kung fu and T’ai Chi, and I was honored to be selected to teach at the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists‘ camp this year. Most of the emphasis was on teaching and learning, of course, but there was also an opportunity to sell things to promote your school. How could I turn that down? I created some bamboo-themed jewelry and martial arts mugs especially for the weekend. Of the eight mugs I brought, I sold five along with four T-shirts (also designed by me) and orders for many more. Preparations for this event moved quickly, so I do not have photos of the mugs, but am happy to leave you with this lovely pendant in crystal, glass and sterling, which is still available in my online store. Be sure to check out the events page for upcoming sales, including for the holidays!

show time

Jewelry, Shows

I am in the midst of inventory madness to prepare for September. I have shows two weekends in a row plus a martial arts camp the following weekend. First up is the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, September 6 & 7. Then, I get to enjoy some coastal time with the Capitola Art & Wine Festival, September 13 & 14. This one has been recommended to me by a few people and I’m really looking forward to it. I was waitlisted, then got a spot. Hooray!

To prepare for these shows, and be in decent shape heading into the holidays, I set some ridiculously unrealistic goals for myself. What’s the saying? Go big or go home? Anyway, it’s a fun game to see what kind of numbers I can get. I have a chart breaking down how many pieces I have in what category – necklaces, earrings, etc. – and in what colors. So if I have twice as many purple earrings as green ones, I know what to focus on for an even offering. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the focus I get from an impending deadline.

The third weekend I mentioned is the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artist Camp. My other job is teaching kung fu. I was invited to apply to teach, was accepted, and am super stoked to hobnob with like minded folk. The icing on the cake? There is a bazaar where we can sell wares to promote ourselves and our schools. Do I want a table? YES. Yes, I do. I have some mugs in progress with a special saying and am working on some miniature weapon jewelry. It’s a little challenging to develop work for this while trying to crank through regular inventory, but I guess it keeps my brain fresh.

wedding rings

Jewelry

Fresh out of the studio! I just completed this pair of wedding rings for a couple who wanted to upgrade from their simple wedding bands. They had the wonderful idea of wearing a main stone in the color of their choice, accompanied by a smaller stone in the other’s choice of color. We used the gold from their previous rings, and I took them stone shopping so they could personally select the gems that spoke to them the most. Here they are in 14K gold with sapphire, tsavorite garnet, and black epoxy.

Sailing on

Ceramics, Jewelry, Shows

I have been keeping busy, as evidenced by my lack of blog posts. I am wrapping up a couple of commissions and preparing for two shows in September. Mountain View Art & Wine is September 6th and 7th, and Capitola Art & Wine is the following weekend on the 13th and 14th. Back to back weekends! That means inventory crunch through all of August.

Back in March, I posted a photo of some new styles in progress but have not yet posted a final sample. Here is the turquoise version of my porcelain sail earrings, which are also available for sale here. More colors are in the works.

Be sure to check the events page for details and future events. Hope to see you soon!

Turquoise Sail Earrings

connections

Artist Life, Jewelry

Today, I met with a client at Roy’s Station to deliver a custom bracelet anniversary present. His idea was to incorporate their hair and eye colors – gold and lapis for blonde and blue, and copper and jade for reddish brown and green/hazel. The bracelet wraps the wrist twice. I’ve always wanted to do a knit with gold, so I was pretty happy when he contacted me for this project. Anyway, when we met, he had an iced tea waiting for me. He remembered what I ordered from the first time we met. That’s why this guy has been happily married for 26 years! Well done, sir.

After delivering the bracelet, I went back to my car which was parked in front of Petite Galleria. For as many times as I’ve been to Roy’s, I had never noticed this place before. It is indeed petite. I figured I’d better check it out in case my jewelry needs to be there. Whilst browsing, my husband recognized the gal who was working, because she also works at Roy’s. It turns out that her husband owns Naglee Park Garage where we dine from time to time.

Perched on a shelf in the Galleria was a beautiful little teapot that I recognized as the work of Hsin-Chuen Lin. I am taking a class from him at Higher Fire. For as big as San Jose is, it’s nice to feel a little connected.