RAD Exhibit at SNAG!!!

EtsyMetal Ring a Day SNAG Exhibit Announcement

Colleen Baran's 1/365 Ring a Day

EtsyMetal is pleased to announce that the Ring a Day Project has been accepted as an exhibit for the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) upcoming Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington. The EtsyMetal team has partnered with the PUNCH Gallery for this exhibit. “RAD, a Ring a Day for 365 days” curated by Colleen Baran, Shannon Conrad and Sara Westermark will run from Thursday, May 5 to Sunday, May 29, 2011.

Represented work will range from ephemeral and conceptual art rings to functional jewelry. The exhibit will feature 365 rings, representing a ring a day and encompassing the full span of the year. The layout will also include photographic documentation of select temporary and conceptual art rings. Rings will be chosen by the EtsyMetal curators and will illustrate the highlights and accomplishments of many hundreds of international members, selected from over 10,000 rings.

Victoria Takahashi's 100/365 Ring a Day

The Ring a Day project (or RAD) is an open challenge to metalsmiths and other artists across the globe to make one ring a day, out of any material, for the entire year of 2010. The genesis of the Ring a Day project is based on an exercise taught by Ellen Wieske at Haystack. The Flickr project, which was initially proposed by Nina Dinoff, was intended as an EtsyMetal team challenge to set a daily routine of exploration and an experiment to see what could develop over the course of a year.

On a daily basis, the rings are created, photographed, and posted to the Ring a Day Flickr photo group by each participant. The majority of the artists represented here have discovered this project through social media networks such as Flickr, EtsyMetal, Etsy, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and of course word of mouth. This project reflects a population of metalsmiths and jewelry makers who are facile with current online technology.

Shannon's Conrad's 200/365 Ring a Day

Visit the public RAD group and join the project-

http://www.flickr.com/groups/rad2010/

For more info-

http://ringaday2010.blogspot.com/

New Work!

byzantium labradorite earrings
Originally uploaded by sarawestermark

My fingers are still aching from setting all the teeny tiny bezels, but it is work that I welcome. I am so grateful today that I can work, that I have many ideas that i want to explore, that I have ambition to move forward with excitement in the future. I am currently exploring a more "fine" jewelry style that I find intensely rewarding.

Yesterday I did something that I rarely do--I took a long nap. I let my mind wander around and draw and plan in peace and leisure. I felt in touch with my higher power and was serene.

These earrings are part of a new line which I call Byzantium. It combines influences from the ancient Roman and Byzantium styles with modern lines. Yes, the labradorite are really that lovely too!

hand fabricated out of sterling silver, 18k gold, champagne diamonds, labradorite, and blue topaz. Now I'm off to my bench to go and create some more!

The Big Crafty!

Maggie J's "falling leaf earrings"

This weekend I'm traveling to Asheville to participate in The Big Crafty at Pack Square. I'll be outside, so if you are in the area please look for me! It was such a fun show last year--I'm really looking forward to it again.

Lark Books has a really cool blog and included my etsy store front in their blog post about the event. I have many new things to show you and I'm thrilled to feature my "lily pad & reed" series.

I'm organizing my life at the moment and if I get a second wind, I might make something special for the show! I'll travel to the western side of the state and stay with my friend Maggie, who will also do the show. (Maggie will be set up inside and upstairs in the Asheville Art Museum.)

I love to travel to see my friend and to have a show. Its work, but its so much fun that it doesn't feel like work! I hope that if you live nearby, you will come and see us! (me and maggie, that is!)

maker's mark

maker's mark
Originally uploaded by sarawestermark

I recently ordered some new stamps specifically to mark the inside shank of rings. The stamp shanks are bent and the face of the stamp is slightly curved so that it will be able to stamp the inside of a ring. They work really well on flat sheet, but I have yet to try them on a curved surface. (the first stamp is missing the first and last letters because of the curved shape) Vincent at Spark's Stamps in Long Island, NY hand tooled these stamps and shipped them to me very fast. I received the stamps one week after I placed the order! Here the website: www.sparksstamps.com. I am wanting the earring post stamper! DROOL!

My circle stamp is made by Buckeye Engraving.
http://www.steelhandstamps.com/. Rachael Sudlow, a fellow Metalsmith, was kind enough to help me design this with the "s" of my first name encircling my last name. I am also pleased with this stamp--but it is only suited for flat surfaces. Buckeye had my stamp to me in a bit over a week from the time I first placed the order.

Both places do high quality hand-tooled stamps at a very reasonable price. These stamps range in price from $80-$105.

Metalsmith Suite itunes App from Brynmorgen Press

While I was at SNAG this year in Houston, I got to talk with Tim McCreight about new technologies  to aid metalsmiths.  I was really excited to see how forward thinking he was and how readily he embraced technology.  He mentioned that he was working on an iphone app relevant to metalsmiths.  While poking around on facebook this morning, I saw the announcement of this new app, entitled Metalsmith Suite.  It is only $3.99 for the first 50 who sign up.  The program has nine calculation programs and three additional information resources.  I linked each calculation and information resource with the Brynmorgen information sheet that includes screen shots of the program. 

 The nine calculation programs are:

cost of shot, cost of sheet, cost of wire, casting needs, drawing length, tubing blanks, metal conversion, gold alloying, equivalent numbers 

The three additional resources:

metal properties, gem properties and instructions.

I have downloaded the app, but I have yet to install it to my iphone.  I have lost the cord to sync it with my computer.  (I suspect my husband has hidden it from me--not true, but since he is the true techie in the household, he does hide stuff so I don't lose it.  He will have to fix it! :D)  

Next Show in Richmond, Virginia

New Pendants....
Originally uploaded by sarawestermark

It was lovely to have a show last weekend in Charleston, SC for the Piccolo-Spoletto Festival. I love the old downtown and the fabulous new (but kinda scary at night) bridge. The show organizers were so good to the vendors and supplied us with lots of water and gatorade. On Sunday, they even organized a gourmet brunch for all the vendors and volunteers. With all the talented artists showing their work, I was fortunate enough to get "Honorable Mention."

This week I've been working on some new pieces to take with me to my show in Richmond, VA on June 12th and 13th. The show is called "Art Awards" and will be held at the Richmond, VA Raceway.

I'm thrilled that my oldest daughter loves to travel with me. She is getting the hang of selling and its fun to see her engage the customers. She is charming and knows my work. I remember how much I loved to travel with my father to help him with his antique shows. It was a chance to see the world and to meet new people.

If you live nearby, please come out and say "hello"!
http://www.artawards.biz/richmond/index.html

HELP! Missing bracelet

LOST BRACELET ROMAN RUINS
Originally uploaded by sarawestermark

May 4th UPS reported that they left a package at the front door of my former address.  I was in the middle of moving to our new house and neglected to contact the publisher to correct the address.  I guess I thought that the address change was all we needed--but that only works for USPS and not UPS.  (It is my fault for not updating my address, but I was so overwhelmed with the whole moving process).

Roman Ruins was a piece that I made for a publication to be released this coming October. I am offering a $200 reward for anyone who returns it to me--no questions asked. just reply to this blog post. The photo is a sketch of piece.  This is my first piece to be published and I'm very sentimental about it.

My neighbors have not seen it and the new owners have not seen it either. When it was delivered, the new owners were not living there yet. I would be overjoyed to find this piece.