Waxing Fantasy

I've been working on renewing my casting skills lately and pulled out an old piece to finish while watching the Olympics.   I could use a little fantasy in my life (like creative types can't conjure up all kinds of that - LOL) so here is my faerie sitting on a branch.  She will end up being a pendant.  There is still lots of work to do but mostly I'd like for her to stay simple....faerie's ought to be simple, don't you think?

 

You need to ignore the wax colors and look past all of that.  I must have started with a softer blue injection wax and then switched to a red (it's harder) but it all melts out of the investment the same and then it will all look the same.  I'm still struggling with what design to put on those wings - it's always a stumbling block for me.  I'm sure Cinderella was just happy for her fairy Godmother and not obsessing about whether she had dots or swirls on those wings.  There's a lesson to be had there I'm pretty sure.  Especially if my goal is to keep it simple.

 

News...

I’ve been working on new clay pieces every day here after PT.  My friend, Sharon Berkan-Dent(Mystic Swan) was recently featured in the latest edition of Lapidary Journal’s Jewelry Artist.  Sharon is a fantasy artist who works in cast metal – primarily silver and gold.  Her world is filled with Fae and magical creatures.  As plain Jane as I am Sharon is the opposite and I have never seen her without a great piece of jewelry, unless of course we were at an art show and sharing a room after a very long day.

This is the newest Dragon (in wax) and it's ready to be cast.  The stone will come out first and then the casting will be done before the stone is set into its proper position.

Not everyone is into fantasy art but I don’t know of a little girl of our age who wasn’t impressed by Tinkerbell, Fairy Godmothers, or the Evil Witch.  These days it’s more dragons and Game of Thrones but whatever your flight of fancy her jewelry is fun and I love wearing the pieces of hers that I own.  They take me back, they make me feel whimsical, and at times I’ve even worn my dragon to a meeting for spiritual protection.  Everyone can enjoy the little girl in themselves and the desire to have a Faerie Godmother or a Dragon to curl up on for protection. 

Allium Faerie

I’ve only shown a very few of Sharon’s pieces here but have included a link to her site.  I wish you could all see the process by which she works her wax for casting.  It’s simply amazing how minute and meticulous she is.  Every scale is done in detail and put on one at a time.  I know she has a Facebook fan page where you can see her works in progress – I’m sure a lucky duck that I get to see them close up and talk them over with her.  If you stop by her Etsy, Blog, or web page tell her Hello – she is so nice and will enjoy hearing what you think of her work.  Maybe even tell her what you’d like to see next – you never know when it might turn up.

          Sharon K. Berkan-Dent  -  Mystic Swan Jewelry

Making New Acquaintences at B&B

One of the fun things at Bead and Button is meeting new people and renewing old friendships.  Mostly I'm a pretty quiet person. You wouldn't know it from this blog - LOL.  This year my usual anonymity was off kilter by the use of cane - gosh I felt old - dang arthritis was kicking my butt.  So, with my slower pace and an inability to make the fast get away I spent quite a bit of time talking to lots of other artists. 

While limping about I stopped to admire Bob Burkett's stunning cast jewelry pieces and we struck up a conversation.  I recognized the wax that he was using must be a blend.  Yeah yeah, some people blend teas or coffees - caster's blend wax. I've been using a red injection wax for my carving and a what is called "perfect purple" for touch-ups.  Bob melts the two together for an incredibly flexible blend.

In our all too short conversation he showed me how he pours this blend into mold to create a very flexible wire.  If you've ever used wax wire you'll understand how significant this is.  Purchased wax wire comes in a blue.  It is brittle and sloppy to work with.  It doesn't easily hold its shape when it's warm and has a tendency to break or fall apart when you least expect it.

What a tip Bob gave me and how generous of him to share. I could have stayed and gabbed all afternoon about casting.

Bob will be teaching soon across the world and hopefully some where in the Midwest.  He is on Facebook and will keep everyone informed as to his teaching schedule.  I know as soon as he is close to where I live - I'll be there!

What's not to like about work that looks like this -

by Bob Burkett