so more on the second reliquary object. i brainstormed a list of all the different things i associated with middle bass and got a list of around twenty things. i narrowed down my list of things to the ones i might adequately represent through texture. like i have memories of stealing tomatoes out of the neighbors garden but a picture of a tomato is not something normally associated with a specific place. so i tried to come up with different visuals for each of the senses, for sight on the inside back of the box would be a texture similar to that of either the pebbles on the beach that i spent hours combing over or the play of light under the water. for scent the is a particular plant called sweet annie that grows wild all over the island and smells like heaven. my sister actually scoured greenhouses and catalogs to find some so she could grow it and be reminded of the island. for taste, middle and north bass were the very first producers of wine grapes in the united states so grapes are heavily associated with the area. for sound there are hundreds of thousands of birds and the crashing of the waves but in particular we have a great blue heron that always comes and sits on our neighbors dock. and while the peacocks on the island are much more vocal and flamboyant i dont think they quie fit the serene quality of the object i wish to make. for feel or texture ive always been fascinated by the water snakes that live in the rocks in front of our house and some times there are dozens out there. they are indigenous only to the islands in lake erie and are an endangered species, so i think the texture of their sales and the shape of their bodies is very evocative of the island.

reliquary object number two

so i had the idea for the first reliquary object which was that of a ring. for the second to maintain the same theme of a reliquary of middle bass, and Jan mentioning that previous classes made a reliquary for their ring i thought it might be cool to do the same. i found another common style of reliquary which open so you can view the contents and i could place the ring inside. or alternatively since we are learning how to set stones i might be able to set a piece of lake glass that I've found on the beaches in front of my fathers cottage. on the surface of the metal i brainstormed all the different images that i associate with middle bass.

jewelry 2

so for the reliquary hollow forming project i thought of making a reliquary to hold something important to me, instead of a saints remains. i think im going to make a ring so i can take it every where with me. the thing closest to my heart is middle bass island. most of all the pictures of reliquaries have a similar structure similar to a house. here is a picture of a pretty standard one. usually the outside of the reliquary reflects and or describes what is on the insides like scenes from the saints life, and are incredibly ornate. i thought of using that shape and instead creating a ring with images i associate with middle bass on the outside. and perhaps on the inside i can put a little drawer so it can actually hold a piece of lake glass. on one flat side i would put a silhouette of the island itself and on the other one of the island ferry. on the bent sides/top i would but views of the lake and other islands(balast, put-in-bay) that i associate with being there or the winery, and id texture the rest to look like water.

Casting:
Cast cookies, wax, soap, anything edible sugar
-With silicone
-Pros edible
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061014193432AAQPAFu http://www.ehow.com/how_5155319_make-edible-sugar-molds.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VspcE56J3UE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRpdOkwitFE&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Cast gorilla glue
-With wax, engraved metal
- design must be thin as glue cures with contact with moisture, spray mold lightly with water
Pros thin lacy designs

Cast minimally expanding foam
-With plaster of paris, drawback it’s a onetime use mol
-Pros large things

Cast Detergent powder
-Pros make something smaller to medium sized

With cuttlefish
-Pros cool texture

Mothermolding- used to hold a soft flexible mold for casting

WOW I havent blogged in forever but i have been working! for my newest jewelry 2 project ive been thinkng of the word Hold as my theme and two torsos holding each other. its suprisingly diffiult to get pictures of people hugging each other in the proper position on the internet. but i finally found some that kind of work. i figured i could use the arms as flanges, though so far my paper models havent been cooperating. though i haven't yet tried it with the new proportions that ive gotten from my images which should make a difference. im going to use a leather strip for the cord part because id like to emphasize the skin of the torsos. i want to figure out how to get a sort of skin texture on the torsos as well but im lost as of yet. maybe a light etching with a pnp xerox of a skin close up, or maybe a sort of roll print. either way i want one torso to be really dark and the other to be really bright, as a way to show how everyone is supported by everyone else. im still coming up with a bail. ive thought of one that looks kind of like a hand but it seems too fancy and intricate for the pendant im making.

So I just finished making my creative caffeine and its a drink coaster made of bits of glass I've found washed up on the beaches of lake Erie. I've got bits of wine bottles and beer bottles and I thought it was pretty cool to use the litter of alcohol bottles to support more glasses.
And I met a girl named Katie at the union store who makes these button bracelets and I bought a blue one! Its so charming and I shall wear it all the time. my friends thought I was nuts that i was buying something that I could make but I would never have the patience first of all to do such a nice job, and also I think its very important to support other artists, even if it is just a hobby for them. After all if they were to be discouraged think of all the things they would never design and all the beauty that would be lost. And who else should have the greatest eye for beauty than other artists, should they not?

Design like you give a damn

Have you ever noticed the little facts on the bottom of Snapple caps? I think it would be cool to take bottle caps and put a little fact or blurb about sexism against both men or women on the inside and turn it into pieces of jewelry and give them away for free. If I could find like a clear bio-resin put a paper printed with the fact on the bottom and pour it over it I think I could make something that could be fairly cheap and by virtue of being free could become a phenomenon. I could make rings and necklaces and bracelets and just like the gay fine by me shirts that everyone goes wild for once a year perhaps I could start a trend.

Jewelry 2

I went to Wall-mart today with a friend and while I was there I looked around for cheap pieces of stuff to roll print and I found a piece of carpet that I might be able to put through as well as this weird sort of shelf liner. I got an applique of a rose that should print beautifully with all the threads coming through. I also found a pair of stockings that sort of have polka dots that might provide a cool effect, I also plan to pillage the woods and the rest of campus for bit of pieces to roll. I'm super looking forward to this and cant wait to see what comes out! oh and P.S. @ Wall-mart they have knee highs for 33 cents a piece very cool for burnishing wax I bet!

Design like you give a damn

I was thinking about what social issues matter to me the most and the ones I came up with were sexism and the lack of a living wage. I have no idea what I could do for sexism except the man measuring stick, but I've no idea how I would deploy it. Heh, I'm listening to open up your eyes by Coldplay. How appropriate. Anyhoo back to the subject I thought that for the living wage I could go to restaurants and slip something into the menu or at least places that had those plastic ones with the pockets. I thought of "Tip your waiter. They probably don't make a living wage." but it just dawned on me that they might be making a living wage if they work at a plastic menu restaurant. I'm planning on asking my roommate when she gets back. Its the fast food chain people that need more help and they cant take tips. So I'm at a loss... though most places have comment cards and a place to put them maybe I could do something with that or perhaps I could address the impatience of customers, either way I shall be mulling this over. Suggestions are welcome!

CASTING

SO we have to make up some studies in wax; a symmetrical geometric form, a symmetrical organic form and a sphere. I was thinking for the geometric form I could make a paper crane. While making a paper mock up of it might be easy I will have to figure out how to make one period. I think looking at the form subtractively will be somewhat difficult but very edifying. (I'm proud of that word by the way.) For the organic form I took a picture of a moth that landed on my garage door that was spotted like a Dalmatian and I think if I used texture to duplicate its spots that would look insanely cool. Neither of these are decided on as the final structure but i think, depending on my skill, they'd turn out really cool.