Time to Create

 It is now the middle of May but it is still too cool to fire up the machines in the rock lab. So we've been using the time to create more pieces for the shop. I had this piece of copper flashing that came from a collapsed and abandoned house and was well over 100 years old and decided it was time to put it to use and give it a second life. It would be reincarnated as cuff bracelets.

The first step was to cut out blanks.

As you can see, they were pretty rough with some still having shingles and paint attached along with a lot of creases and dents. But this is what I treasure because it gives the final piece character. We decided to use two different techniques. The first was to clean up both sides and then pass the copper through our rolling mill with something (such as the plastic netting from an old onion bag) to create an impression.

The results were fantastic!

The second technique was to clean and polish the inside and then remove the verdigris, paint and some of the oxidation from the outer side. At that point we used several different "tools" to hammer from the inside to create raised points and creases on the rough side. Then, after a lot of filing and sanding, we had some amazing results.

Finally, we got a little fancy and combined the copper with some beautiful vintage glass beads.

These are just a a sampling of what we have in the shop and of course we had to add one made from a length of beautiful Viking Knit chain.

But that's not all we've done. In the next post I'll show you some beautiful earrings and one of the most spectacular pieces we have ever created. So stay tuned! And if your travels take you to Digby Neck- the most beautiful part of Nova Scotia (I may be biased) -stop by and say hi and see these pieces in person!

New Pieces For The Shop

We have been very busy of late and while it's nice to see your work being appreciated and leaving with a happy customer, it means I have to get back to work.

Right now I'm working on cabochons I made, creating upcycled copper bails in a manner so they can be interchanged to suit the customer. I have an amazing stock of Mexican Crazy Lace Jasper and here are a few finished pieces.

 

As you can see, the colour and patterning on these is absolutely stunning! And these stones are rare since it is now difficult to obtain new material.

But we have beautiful local rock as well. We have a rock called Stilbite that can be very colourful and exhibit amazing patterning. Here's a great example:

And of course we have amazing agate and jasper.

These can be purchased in our shop or online. Hope to see you soon!

The Value of Imperfection

 Perhaps it's been being married to an abstract artist but as I "create" more, I've come to see the value of imperfection. We live in a society where perfection is in high demand- a perfect diamond, perfect smile, perfect teeth, perfect skin- the list is endless. And while perfection may be beautiful (and expensive) imperfection intrigues me more because it's ...interesting. The stone I am currently working on is a "perfect" example.

I love working with agate but agate is never symmetrical and it's the impurities that create the amazing patterns and colour shifts. Without them it would be a bland piece of quartz. This stone is a highly imperfect local agate. If you look closely, you can see a fissure in the center where the crystals have grown together and there are areas of inclusions and impurities. But these all contribute to the structure and banding and make the stone interesting. I'd look at it a lot longer than I would a flawless gem. 

I set the stone in upcycled copper that starts off looking like this.

I'd love to leave it looking like this but people don't like copper oxide rubbing off on their clothes! So I do the next best thing- I leave imperfections. Look closely at the copper setting above and you can see some scratches and areas where I haven't removed all the patina and the forms are not identical. I have the equipment and materials to make it flawless but I choose to leave it slightly imperfect because it makes it more interesting.

My shop is called The Artist's Mark NOT because my name is Mark (a question I get regularly from visitors) but because I want people to see the mark of the artist in the finished product.

Don't get me wrong, I am not denigrating those who set perfect gems in perfect settings. They have their place and require patience and expertise I admire but don't possess. But think of it- we remember imperfection- the crooked smile, freckled skin, unruly hair. So I'll stick with my style and, hopefully you will find the pieces...interesting!