GLBG 20th Anniversary Challenge Entries

Synergy Challenge

Industrial Winter
Glass Artist Sheldon Greenblatt
Designer Christine Wilson
Photographer Sylvus Tarn

Industrial Winter
Glass Artist Sheldon Greenblatt
Designer Christine Wilson
Photographer Sylvus Tarn

Artist Statement - Sheldon Greenblatt:
I am a student of natural and earth sciences as well as religions, history, archeology and anthropology. The making, wearing, meanings and uses of beads seem, for me, to focus all of those interests into a single point. I incorporate what I have learned from my studies into my glass beads to give them purpose. My intention is that the colors, shapes and designs should have a meaning over and above being a handcrafted work of art. In my opinion, beads should be as much a symbol of belief, authority, rank and power as they may also be a representation of nature and a work of art.

Business Contact:
sbgreenblatt@yahoo.com

Artist Statement - Christine Wilson:
It all started simply enough; a friend's kitchen, a pile of beads and a new passion was born. Brewed Adornments blossomed from that fledgling start into a focus on recycled and repurposed jewelry design. Bottle caps quickly became my muse and I'm honored to add my artistry to that of the unsung graphic designer behind the logos.  My work is evenly divided between beadweaving and metalwork and I enjoy mixing the two design elements together.  I draw my inspiration from the objects and colors around me and often incorporate artwork and components from the artists I've met along the way.  Collaborations such as this one often lead me in new, unforseen directions.

Website:
www.christinesbeadworks.com

Synergy Inspiration:  Industrial Winter
In this piece, we provide a glimpse of winter in an industrial city like Detroit; beautiful but grimy, hard edges and raw power, a raw uncut diamond and a dangerous yet elegant opponent.  Hardware mixes with the luscious color of champagne pixie dust beads while the sparkle of steel slowly transitions to the inevitable tarnish of bronze.  Industry and winter ebbs and flows through the city, yet it a lasting beauty endures.

Photographer: Sylvus Tarn, Website: http://rejiquar.com/

Guild Challenge

Designer Christine Wilson
Photographer Christne Wilson

Inspiration

Detroit, like most major cities, has a rich sports history so it's no wonder a Detroit-themed challenge would contain a few sports related elements.  Hockey epitomes the tarnished city both in elegance and brutality.  This hockey themed piece parellel's the winter theme of my Synergy entry in that all three are diamonds glittering below the surface.  All three are beautiful; the shear grace of the players as they maneuver, their unrestrained joy as the puck reaches it's target, the equal joy when a goaltender thwarts a goal, all of it at amazing speed on thin little blades of steel.  Yet what player can boast a full set of teeth in a sport that celebrates the battle and quietly applauds the enforcer's punch.  Detroit, despite its detractors and the corruption that is its downfall, has contributed greatly to the rich fabric of our lives through industry, the arts, struggle, and lessons of tolerance.

Initially, I planed the two designs to mirror one another in construction.   Sheldon's elegant beads required a different approach and the result is a wonderful blend of refinement and industry.

Some of the text I used in this entry were "borrowed" from a previous entry with the same inspiration of Winter and Hockey.  You can read that blog posting here:  http://christinesbeadworks.blogspot.com/2011/02/winter-wonderland.html

Signing Your Artwork

It's important for an artist to sign his/her creations.  The artist signature or mark identifies it for all time and is often the final step in the creative process.  Something about applying that signature or mark closes a creative verse and leaves a sense of well being with the artist.  Jewelry artists have struggled to find a way to apply their mark to the artwork.  For metal artists that often involves a stamp that is hammered into their piece or attached as a separate tag.

Bead woven jewelry still does not easily lend itself to an artist's mark and again most of this work is left unsigned or tags are attached that don't often remain with the work.  Why should you care?  Ultimately the mark is there for the future.  Beadwork encompasses a huge body of work that has lasted for centuries and has had historical significance. Time will tell if patterns emerge and whether we can trace an artist's growth and influences through the years.  At the very least, your mark will be important to your buyers and/or your family for future generations.

Bead embroidery artists have learned from quilters and embroidery artists and many have begun finding small ways to mark their creations.  Since most of this type of work has a fabric backing of some sort, there are places the artist can write or embroider their initials.  It's this type of beadwork signature I'm currently exploring.  In this post I concentrate on my first steps in branding my designs.

Cat Ivins hosts a series of giveaways on her blog Olivebites.  It was there that I discovered Bullfrog Laserworks, and owner Roberto Sand.  He was giving away a custom stamp, so off to his shop I went.  I was astounded at what I saw.  I had been looking for awhile at having a custom stamp made for cards and packaging, and Roberto's are not only functional, they are beautiful.

These well made stamps have wooden handles engraved to match your design and can be made in practically any size and shape you need.  I ordered two stamps.  The larger one will serve as my Thank You on boxes and cards but I can also cover the words and just stamp the larger logo when needed.  The smaller logo was purchased with the intent to mark my ultra-suede, metal work, and the tops of plain bottlecaps to use in packaging.

These stamps are wonderful, but they weren't the most amazing item I found in his shop.  The second item is still in the prototype stage, but we're getting close.  Roberto has wooden tags he initially designed as wedding favors.  The slots in these tags caught my eye because I had been looking for slotted buttons (also called ribbon slides) to use on my laced back cuffs.

Because of the small size of the button (7/8") the slots are not centered to allow room for the text.  Roberto is sending me a sample so I can see if it rests properly on the cuff, if it doesn't we'll go back to using two holes for the ultrasuede to hook through.  I'll be able to color these buttons and perhaps put artwork on the reverse side.  I'm looking forward to playing with them and seeing where else they can be used and how I can alter them to coordinate with my design.

But wait, there's more!  As excited as I was about these discoveries, I was nearly jumping out of my chair when I saw his listing for 50 faux suede labels custom engraved!  We began a long exploratory journey into faux suede while I considered the most practical use of these amazing labels.  I knew it would be too expensive for me to have multiple shapes cut, so I settled on a large circle with my logo at approximately 25mm in the middle.  This would fit the majority of the cabochon pendants I make.  The faux suede Roberto offers in his shop is not ultrasuede, it's a polyester blend that frays.  This is not the end of the world, when the laser cuts out your shape it seals the edges.  For me, though, that would require pieces to match the size of all my cabochons, I wanted more flexibility.  I asked if I could send him some ultrasuede to use and was delighted when he agreed.

We were both thrilled with the results although I did discover that light to medium colors work best.  As you can see, the logo did not show up well on the black and I loved the tone on tone result on the Orange ultra suede.

I quickly worked up a couple of Izze pendants and couldn't be happier with the look.  They add a professional touch while also keeping to the whimsy I like in my beaded work.  I'm looking forward to incorporating the stamps on my metalwork and anticipate a more industrial feel if what I envision works out as planned. 

So now what to do for my cuffs?  Since these are made in various widths, it just wasn't practical to laser engrave them.  My first experiment was with heat embossing.  I was at one time addicted to HGTV.  The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.  My realization came when my daughter (then only 2) exclaimed "it's Joan" when the host of one of my favorite shows came on the air.  I learned about heat embossing velvet from Carol Duvall a longtime host of all things crafts.  I thought I'd try to see if it worked on ultrasuede.  It will be hard to see in this picture, but it works amazingly well.  I set the iron at the "wool" setting, placed the stamp image side up and layered the ultrasuede on top.  I held the iron on the ultrasuede for 10-20 seconds, pressing firmly.  I lifted carefully and repeated until I could begin to see the indentation of the stamp.

It worked beautifully.  It's much more subtle than the laser engraving, but it still marks effectively.  Unfortunately, I did not get the same results with my new stamps.  The handles made it hard to get a firm press, I'd have to have them mounted on a flat wood block instead.  But the biggest reason is the detail.  My logo is too detailed for this method.  You need a stamp with deeper impressions, something to consider when you have your stamp cut.

My last experiment for this post was using the stamps and Staz-on ink.  The image to the left is the larger logo and the one on the right is the smaller one.  Both work well and this is the method I'll use for my cuffs.  With the smaller stamp, I'll need to press very firmly to work the ink into the grain of the ultrasuede.  I did these quickly and got good results, taking time and experimenting with ink colors will yield even better results. 
I like the boldness of the laser cut images, but these are a great alternative.

Roberto opened his etsy shop in 2008 and has grown quite successfully due to his unique product offerings, great prices and flexible customer service.  He has targeted the bridal market in the past, perhaps now the bead market will be a new venture for him as well.  You can find more in his etsy shop:  http://www.RobertoSand.etsy.com

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #4

I'm very excited about the growing field of bottle cap art.  These next artists feature products that I've classified as functional art.  It's a smaller field than jewelry, but it is well worth the hunt.  These items aren't as easy to subcategorize, but the artists I chose tend to celebrate the artwork of the cap itself.  The first artist, fattslures,  creates fishing lures with recycled caps.  What a fabulous way to spend the day; fishing, sunshine and your favorite brew.

Loranscruggs, was also featured in my very first bottle cap treasury many moons ago on etsy.  I'm not sure how I first stumbled across her store, it was either a feature on Etsy's front page or one of my many combs through the bottle cap entries. Her whistles are amazing and she has adorable pull toys made from tin cans and bottle caps.  I'm also impressed with her collaboration with a fellow etsy artisian, oopsthatsart, who makes the wooden frames for Loran's toys.  Two handmade objects in one item is fabulous.

I found StickToIt when preparing for this article.  They make the cutest tic tac toe boards using coordinating bottle caps as the game pieces.  They'll even customize a board for you.  A very convenient item for mom's to keep in their bags to keep the kids entertained.

There are many sellers who make bottle cap magnets; however I love ScreaminMonkeyCircus's shop name and the idea of giving a six pack of magnets to your favorite beer drinker.  Brian also showcases the bottle cap image rather than covering it up, which I prefer for gifts for the men in my family.  Speaking of the men on your shopping list, kroseadams, has fabulous leather belts embellished with bottle caps.  She hails from Oregon and lauds it as beer heaven.  As a onetime resident of Oregon myself, I used to agree with her.  However, Michigan does offer some fabulous breweries of its own, not to mention the best cap ever designed, Oberon.  I feel a beer taste off in the works!

Pottopgirl, offers several bottle cap related items, but as a midwest gal, I couldn't resist this clock made from bottle caps and,  get this, recycled car parts.  What's not to love!  The same is true with ElenaMary's unique business card holder made of various recycled materials and bottle caps.  What an excellent way for sellers of bottle cap art to present their cards.

The last two artists feature items for your home.  Rettocamme offers trivets and table runners and I can tell she really appreciates bottle caps.  How do I know?  Her table runner has cork under each cap to protect your table top.  However, she very considerately did not put cork under the Magic Hat caps.  Magic Hat lovers know that these caps have fun phrases on the inside of their caps and Emma was sure to leave those visible for you to enjoy. 

Our last artist, LeBeauMEL, offers end tables, planters and other items utilizing bottle caps and I love the title of his store, The Art of Drinking Beer.  If you're a poker player, you really have to check out his poker chip set.  An amazing collection of caps and a unique way to play poker.

I hope you enjoyed this new set of artists.  I'll be cycling back for more in depth coverage of a few artists featured, but the next post will be on the art category.  You'll be just amazed at what these artists have done with caps.

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #3

The easiest way to continue my series on bottle caps is to show the works of some fabulous artists I've found on Etsy.  Jewelry represents a growing avenue of bottle cap design and is the first set of designers featured.  These designs can be loosely divided into those that: showcase the cap itself; use the cap as a form for other artwork; use the cap as a bezel; or transform  the cap into a new form.

The Integrity of the Cap

The first four designers embrace the iconic image of the bottle cap and preserve that image to different affect.  The first designer, Blingismything, showcases the cap in its original form.  Few do it as well as Katie; her designs are simple, yet chic and wearable.  While the cap does the heavy lifting, her beadwork adds whimsy and flair.  Also showcasing the elemental cap is the second designer, edGys.  I love how he flairs out the edges of his bottle caps to create unique decorative pins.  It's a fabulous design that celebrates the cap while changing its look dramatically.

When I stumbled across the third designer, artbyelissa, I was immediately enamored with her jewelry.  Every piece of  the earrings you see here are from recycled materials and SOLDERED.  I put it in capitals to show how impressed I am with this design.  Soldering is not for whimps, it takes practice and I find it very difficult to master.  Which leads me to the fourth designer, mannmadedesigns.  Jimmy makes his OWN sterling silver bezels and findings.  He cuts out the important part of the bottle cap (the image) and sets it in precious metal.  His design elevates the cap into something that would easily grace the store front of your favorite jewelry store.

The Cap as a Form or Bezel

The next two designers take a different direction with their bottle cap art.  They use the bottle cap as a form or structure for their other artwork.  The first, SomewhatHip, uses the bottle cap as a canvas for her stunning paintings.  I've done some very minor painting in the past, and painting on such a small scale takes real talent (again, not for the faint hearted).  The next designer's, craftyaddictions, piece caused me a great deal of stress when I first researched my own designs.  Well, not her's specificially, but the notion of the flattened cap.  No matter how hard I tried, my cap DID NOT look like this.  (The capitals illustrate my level of frustration at the time.)  It took several ruined caps before I discovered this look can only be achieved with unused bottle caps.  Notice how perfectly the unused cap flattens into a wonderful bezel for her artwork.  Unused caps can be found from many sources, but the most common is the home beer brewing industry.  For my designs, a used cap works better, so oftentimes I have to use my husband's bottler to crimp them first.  But for designers like craftyaddictions and scrapbookers, the unused cap is pure gold.

What Cap?

The next two designers remind me most of Mary Hettmansperger's inspiration.  When you first look at these two designers, markaplan and RadiantShadow, you don't see a bottle cap, you see a stunning piece of jewelry.  Who needs a pristine, unblemished cap, when a rusty beat up cap provides such a spectacular design.  I've been pinning after Mark's earrings since I featured them in my very first etsy treasury many moons ago.  Denise's pendant is now on that list of growing wants.

Bottle Cap or Cabochon?

The last designer is a fellow Etsy Beadweaver's teammate, PFordCustomJewelry.  This is a design very much after my heart and uses the bottle cap (in this case champagne) as a cabochon surrounded by beautiful beadwork.  While preserving the bottle cap image, the cap is transparent in this design.  Your eye is drawn to the image itself and the beadwork which showcases it. 

In the next post, I'll showcase functional bottle cap designers.  If you'd like to learn more about the designers in this post, please check out their shops:

http://blingismything.etsy.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/edGys

http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbyelissa

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mannmadedesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SomewhatHip

http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftyaddictions

http://www.etsy.com/shop/markaplan

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RadiantShadow

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PFordCustomJewelry