Turquoise and Sterling bracelet with hand made chain and magnet closing

Well I had fun designing this piece. I wanted to repeat the circle theme so I decided to use 10 ga. silver wire to make circles to solder on either side of the bezel and attached the chain on either side to fit around the wrist. I was concerned that the weight of the stone might allow it to hang under rather than on top however the chain makes all the difference and the empty circles on either side keeps the bracelet light.  The best part of this piece is the strong little magnets rather than a hook or lobster claw. It's easy to put on yourself without the help of someone to hook it closed for you!

FREE SHIPPING Lapis Lazuli Pendent (open back) with hand made chain with cobalt glass beads.

   I struggled a bit making the setting for this piece.  I'm not used to making open back bezels, however I think it came out quite well. The chain was enjoyable to make since I decided to add the glass beads and It picks up the beautiful blue of the stone as well.  For us "seniors" that have difficulty putting on those necklaces with the little lobster claw findings...good news! I used a magnetic closure and its a very strong magnet so not to worry!  Just put this around your neck and the two ends will snap together,  "easy peasy"!!  I'm working on getting pay pal on our blog but in the mean time if you're interested in this piece, just email us or call and we'll take care of the details for you.  Enjoy!

 Well, I won't be creating much this week because I'm traveling but I hope to get some inspiration from the Atlantic ocean...and hopefully not in the form of a storm or hurricane.  Right now I have a painting on my easel for my nephew and his soon to be wife.  It's a landscape with their house painted on a flowered hillside...very romantic.  I took some artistic liberties with the architecture but it still looks like their home.  Although I'm not usually comfortable painting landscapes or houses, it's been a pleasant experience.

Sterling and Amethyst Cuff

This is another version of the last cuff I did with the moving beads.  This time I found a beautiful Amethyst crystal bead that mimics the negative space it occupies.  This bracelet is a little roomier than the last and will fit a 6.5 or 7 inch wrist.  It's made with a heavy 18 ga. double half round wire and the silver balls on either side of the opening are soldered in place to support the wire wrapped between them.  Very comfortable piece.  I would love to read your comment below if you could find a few minutes to write one.  Thanks for looking....C.

Sterling and Bronze Cuff Bracelet

Silver Nugget Cuff with black pearl

This bracelet is a cuff and will fit an average size wrist (6")

Sterling with moving black onyx and sterling beads Cuff bracelet

This piece was so much fun to make and has the "worry" beads strung down the middle which can move.  The size is for an average size wrist (6"from end to end). Its made from heavy guage silver so it shouldn't be squeezed closed or pulled open but instead slid on from the narrow side of the wrist and turned to fit.  PLEASE COMMENT.

Hadassah 29th Annual Professional Craft Fair November 21, 9:30-4

  Bruce and I will be participating for the first time in this venue in Gloversville NY.
We've heard wonderful things about it and its a juried show so I'm confident that it
will be a professional group of artists.  It's located in the Gloversville Middle School.
   I hope you'll support us and come out and do some of that special Christmas shopping.  Thanks.

Labradorite on sterling neck ring SOLD

This semi precious stone from Labrador is so beautiful that I set it open in the back so the light could pass through and you can see the amazing shaft of blue reflected in the stone itself.  I'm thinking of making a chain for it rather than using the neck ring.  If you care to comment below about this I would appreciate knowing what you think about that idea. PLEASE COMMENT

This design is also available in Lapis.

Sterling Silver hand cut converse sneaker earrings with red shoe laces

This is one of the last pair of "shoe" earring series that I did a while back.  I think I must have made 50 pair of different kinds of foot ware! I cut out many different styles of high heels, boots (combat, high heel, etc), flip flops.... it proved to be very time consuming and although fun to explore the design world of shoes, I just got tired of it. PLEASE COMMENT, THANK YOU.

"Made in New York: the art of the Vessel"

Sterling Dancing Figure earrings with black onyx faces $65 SOLD

These are by far my favorite design in earrings!  I made myself a pair 15 years ago and if I had a nickle for every compliment I've been given on these I'd.....well you know the rest!  I make each pair a little different each time I make them. These are really happy guys!!!  comment? Although these are sold I can make a similar pair for you.

Lapis Lazuli pendent on sterling chain with glass beads $150

This little gem gave me a hard time to set. The back is open rather than set on a solid backing of silver. This makes the piece lighter and when the stone is transparent light may pass through it.  The chain was fun to make and I think the beautiful blue beads set off the deep rich blue of the Lapis.  Let me know what you think by posting a comment!  Thanks.

"Precious Serpentine" its a great color! $75

Sterling Silver double half round with bezeled Precious Serpentine stone/size 8.5/$75

"Spring Peeper on Lilly"

ahhhh, finally done!

Spent the last two days buried in my studio...I must clean soon!  Finished this lilly with peeper painting. I'll post the finished painting tomorrow. Couldn't get the light today with all the overcast and rain to take a photo. Not sure how I feel about it.  I don't have the connection I have with the dandelion with peeper painting.
 My next and final in this series will be a red bee balm with peeper!  Found a canvas I had stretched boat canvas on with some of my abandoned beginnings yesterday...wrinkled but I popped the staples and actually ironed it from the back and re-stretched it.  Good to go now for more frogee research.  Any ideas?

Starting a new canvas the same size as the dandelion with spring peeper.  I'm thinking orange lily, however, I never realized how difficult a color orange is to work with...have changed the background color three times.  Originally wanted to do a series of three, yellow (dandelion) with purple, orange (lily) with blue, and red (bee balm) with green....not working, so I changed my strategy. 

"Face in the Window"$38

 FACE IN THE WINDOW POT $38
This little 4" pot was thrown on the wheel by Bruce and while
it was leather hard I decided to put a little window in it with this elfin face
looking out!  Bruce glazed it celadon (except for the face) and then I rubbed silver leaf oil based
paint over his little face.  What do you think?

"Peeper on Dandelion"

hand carved eagle, porcelain celadon $90

Hand carved Tree in Porcelain $90

Celedon glazed Porcelain $45

We started a series of pots with Ravens on them. My daughter is a fan of the raven image and we created several in porcelain with celadon and yellow ochre glazes. Our plan is to continue the series using stoneware and more earthy colored glazes...any thoughts?

Raven Series $65 SOLD

Porcelain Celadon Vase with hand sculpted figure $90

Porcelain Celadon hand carved and sculpted face NFS

"number six" 5.75x7.75 Acrylic and gold and copperleaf $200

Sterling silver and river stone bracelet $35

Here are six paintings starting a new series of small paintings. What do you think?
I've changed the size and subject of my work drastically and need feedback if you have
the time. I've always loved and respected Bruce's nature photography and have had these
photos stashed away for years. Frogs and toads have the greatest faces (if we're comparing them with animal traits!) and the small formats seem to me to fit together.
Thoughts?

"Hang in There Baby" (Grey Tree Frog) 12x12 Acrylic on Linen $300

"cuban tree frog on sea grapes" SOLD

"Cuban Tree Frog" 5x5 Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas$125

"Bull Frog" 5.75x7.75 Acrylic on gesso board $150

"Grey Tree Frog" 5.75x7.75 Acrylic on gesso board $200 SOLD

"Spring Peeper on Red Leaves" 12x12 Acrylic $325

Sterling bracelet with lace agates

Hand wrought Sterling Silver bottles 2.5" h $300 each

I made Bruce one of these bottles 20 years ago (oops how can that be when he's only 25?!)
and he still uses it! These are great for carrying meds around with you or just for tylenol, toothpicks, any treasures you want to keep safe! One has a turquoise set on its lid and the other a red jasper. I know they're a bit pricey but I spent approximately 8-10 hours making each one and every bit is Argentium sterling silver. I guess you could consider it an heirloom once you own it.

"Pebbles and Feather" 4x12 Acrylic on canvas $125

I borrowed these tiny gems from my daughter who made me promise I would return them safely. I just love the intimacy of the small forms and the little feather, which by the way came from her love bird "Tweet". I'm still not sure of the tone I mixed for the ground color but to see it up close reveals some warm red oxide beneath and I like that.

"Bruce's Owl" 5x5 Acrylic $150

This is a painting done from one of Bruce's published photos. I'm trying a little bit of
every subject theme and struggling with how I feel about the process of painting it.
I've always loved his animal photography but never felt quite adequate at rendering from them but then its a whole lot easier than working from the real thing!!

The following three paintings were done in Charleston in 09 while struggling with what seemed to me at the time to be a daunting chore: change! I kept with the flower theme to experiment with gold, silver and copper leaf. I'm still, a year later interested in using metal leaf with open acrylics on my surfaces, however I've now changed the size of my work to very small. I'm thinking its just another chapter and that I will keep working and experimenting. This year it feels like the change may be related to subject matter. In any case I'm feeling much more restored creatively and less overwhelmed.

$400Framed"Gold on Purple" 11x14 Gold Leaf and Acrylic on Canvas

"Copper on Pink" 11x14 Copper Leaf and Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

$400 Framed"Silver on White" 11x14 Silver leaf and Acrylic on canvas

"You are Missed" 4x12 acrylic and graphite on canvas$150

This piece came from my love of drawing and although it is on a prepared canvas and its background is a combination of titian buff and white oxide, the cups have been drawn with various pencils and highlighted with white pastel. The painting has been varnished with Golden's matt varnish. If you look closely, there is a slight shadow where a third
cup should be...ergo "you are missed". January first will be a whole year I've been without a very dear friend and I miss her greatly.

"Abstracted lake" 4x12 mixed media on canvas $150

This is another part of my search. I'm beginning to love the small and intimate size compared to my usual large format. I've always enjoyed the physical part of painting large however the transporting and practical part of it....not so much. Along with experimenting with the extreme size change I've found myself enjoying the freedom that using many mediums can bring. I used acrylics, pastels, sgraffito, and craypas to create this landscape.

"Proud" 4x6 Mixed Media $100

The Model 4x6 Mixed Media $100

"Proud" Acrylic and Mixed media, 4x6 panel, $100

I love these little intimate paintings. They are on a 1" thick birch panel
that hangs from wire on the back. The nice thing about these little gems is
that if you don't have much empty wall space, they don't take up much space and
can be hung in nooks and crannies in any room. They've been varnished to maintain
their color. I used acrylics, cray pas, colored pencil and permanent fine tip markers.
The model painting came from a sketch I did some time back at Kirkland open figure drawing studio. The Hispanic Woman's portrait was inspired by a photograph I saw that
was so intense I couldn't get it out of my mind. She has a wonderful "old world" look
about her that makes me think of "all of our grandparents" or "great grandparents", depending on your age!!! In any case she is part of all of us.

Pit Fire Vase $30 SOLD

The surface of pit fired pots often exhibit wonderful surface effects. Beautiful and vibrant designs are etched in unglazed vessels by dancing flames that are the results of combustible materials.
My wheel thrown pieces, after drying, are sealed with a very fine clay referred to as Terra Sigillata, literally meaning sealed earth. Each pot is then burnished with a smooth stone to achieve a very smooth glossy sheen. The pots are then bisqued fired in an electric kiln.
The final firing occurs in a pit filled with combustibles varying from sawdust, seaweed, cow pies to miracle grow.
Although not functional these pieces can be used by placing a glass container in them to hold water.

8" Pit Fired Vase $30 SOLD

Fired with various minerals in a pit. The resulting surface is different with each
pot. To make this functional as a vase please use a glass vase inside for water.

Pit Fired Vase $28

Pit fired pots are beautifully unique and very earthy. If you're
not a traditional ceramic surface person then you will love these
pieces.

6" Porcelain Cone Flower Vase $38 SOLD

This is another "Charleston" piece and again hand carved with
Cone Flowers. It's glazed in a beautiful light green Celadon glaze.

Porcelain Celadon Vase $48

This piece is 8"tall and is hand carved with delicate Cone flowers by my
wife. This series of porcelain pottery was created when we were in Charleston
South Carolina.

Porcelain Tea Bowls $40 each

These tea bowls are individually hand carved and each have their
own unique characteristics. They are each 4" tall and glazed in
Celadon.

Etched Chinese Craines w/Lapis Lazuli and Opals-$350

This is such a detailed and wonderful piece. The arched cranes are framed with heavy, braided
wire and are seated on a horizontally set lapis rather than the traditional verticle.There are negative cut out spaces above the cranes to resemble stained glass in an arched window. It actually lends balance to the composition. The tiny opals
give the whole piece symmetry while hanging from a beautifully designed chain, made with hammered links and silver beads. As with all my chains, the closures are hand made as well.
This is a steal at this price!