I got wonderful news this week!!!  A piece of mine was selected to appear in The Art of Metal Clay Jewelry and More 2013 Calendar by Holly Gage.  I’m excited to be in the august company of artists whose work I’ve long admired.  My husband, Steve Rossman, took the photo of my necklace:

Tidepool necklace made of copper metal clay and pearls.

As always, Holly did a wonderful job of designing the calendar.  You can get a preview (ok, the images are small but they’ll whet your appetite) of all the work that was chosen — and purchase a calendar — by clicking here.  Through her annual calendars, Holly has done an incredible job of inspiring metal clay artists to push their work to new heights.   And, I do NOT mean by climbing a mountain to throw things over the edge into a way-too-deep ravine.

I love working with Art Clay Copper!  That’s not just because it’s so much cheaper than the silver metal clay that first captured and still holds my heart. Copper’s color is so rich.  It works well with many other metals and media. I’ve been exploring adding found objects to my work.  One of the first steps I took was to create “windows” that opened on tintype faces and paper from the late 1800s.  Copper provides the perfect frame.

Copper metal clay pendant with window showing tintype image.

I taught a class in this technique this past summer at Idyllwild Arts.  I had fabulous students.  Each one chose their own textures and imagery to personalize their pieces.  I wish I had photos of their work to share.

I’m going up to central California in a couple of weeks to teach this workshop at my friend Pat Weilbacher’s studio.  (Note to self: don’t forget that my phone is also a camera.)  I’m really looking forward to seeing lots of friends while I’m there.  I know they’re going to do incredible work.  The class at Pat’s is full but I’ll repeat the class at my home studio in December.  I still have openings in that class.  If you’re interested, just let me know.