Years to get here...

I have been wanting to work with precious metal clay for years. Sometimes it takes that long for things to come together. I'm glad they finally did. A fellow Made In Ojai artisan was kind enough to let me sit in with her while she worked with her Art Clay. Andre is an amazing jewelry artist and is certified to work with Art Clay. A few months ago I purchased a small amount of the clay on-line and it has been sitting in it's shipping box waiting patiently for me to get my s#@t together. It really helped to see someone work with it in person. To see how the clay feels and what essentials to have on hand. It was also very motivating to have Enchanted Adornments on hand as inspiration and instruction. I got my tools together, set up a work area after the kids were in bed and forced myself to pick one or two ideas to really focus on. My mind was overly excited and taking me everywhere so a few small sketches really helped me to FOCUS! I choose to do a few freeform hearts and 2 small press molded bird charms. I let them dry over night and instead of firing them in the kiln, I choose, out of sheer impatience, to fire them on the stove top! Did you know you can do that? Just some metal mesh and a gas stove! Amazing. I was dubious. The photos tell the story...


Here they are over the burner. I used thin sterling wire as the bail on the heart.


This little bird before brushing with a wire brush...


A speck of liver of sulfur.


Getting their sulfur bath.


A really dark patina.


Proud mama! After they were tumbled!
I'm really excited to see what they become...