laurieopal | Entries tagged with worldcon

I'm working really hard but I do have some photos to put up.

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Malachite and sterling about 3" high in black sterling design

And ammonite from fossil about 1.5" in sterling design

Really looking forward to seeing lots of people I like that I don't see nearly as often I'd like to. Working on last tasks and it's going well. As always, bless my cat sitter.

Pendant with amethyst crystal is one of the new designs for San Jose. It's in sterling and about 1.75" high. Image is a bit large but I loved the detail in the crystal.

And the final sculpture commission is packed!!

The jewelry is mostly packed, and I have one more stone to set in a sculpture. I've photographed my commissions for Worldcon so I can put up photos after the people they are for see them.

Unfortunately the griffin sculpture, which is just beautiful, is not at all photographable. I made a couple for my records but they don't reflect the sculpture. Oh well.

I just went over my rings and I have an even larger variety of stones than usual. I'm really counting down the time before I leave for Worldcon. Tonight I'm going over the stones that my lapidaries sent me. I love looking at stones!.

The saguero earrings are in sterling with emeralds. I put up the photograph of the matching pendant a while ago. They are about 2" high and are from the collection of Wendy Czarnecki.

I'm going back to looking and sorting out beautiful new stones.

I'm almost finished with all the jewelry for Worldcon. Still doing the final work on one sculpture. But I feel surprisingly on top of things. Undoubtedly something will happen to change this but i should have enough time for it when it does. And, of course there is, among other things, the very careful packing of everything.

Photo below is one of the new designs. It's gem silica with chatoyant malachite in sterling. I love the stone - it's a painting.. The "wave" design felt really right. Actual size is about 2.5".

I was lucky enough to find some drilled opal discs many of which are stunning. I was hoping to photograph the two designs that I made with them, but they turned out not to photograph at all well. I will have them in San Jose.

I made a lacy design in gold and then used gold wire to made an additional lace pattern using the opal discs. I had originally intended to use unusual pearls, but I found the opals before the gold pendant was finished and used them. They worked out far better.

And I've had a long 14kt antique art nouveau chain forever, wailing for the right thing to do with it. It was much to beautiful not to wait for something perfect,and the opal discs are perfect. I put about 10 of them spaced out appropriately on the chain.

I spent the afternoon working on the settings for small stones,in among other,things my opal mosaic ear cuffs.

And since I don't have a jewelry photo today here is a photo of George and an orchid plant.

This is a reversible Irish setter pendant with larimar that I made in sterling for Wendy Czarnecki. The dogs are different on each side.

She asked me to make a base for it and I was really glad she did. It wasn't a concept that had occurred to me and it works fabulously well. She can now display it in a cabinet when she's not wearing it. It's designed so that both sides of the pendant work as sculptures. I'm making a another one for her for a very different pendant and I'm looking forward to doing it occasionally for other designs. Obviously I put this up a lot larger then the original piece but I fell like it shows it for more clearly.

I'm still polishing but it's on the smaller pieces. The griffin cast beautifully and I'm looking forward to working on it.
I've set a gorgeous rainbow obsidian in a ring that was unfortunately unphotorgraphable. Hopefully almost all the major work will be set within a week or so.

I'm going to have a gorgeous collection for Worldcon, including a gold pendant woven with brilliant opal beads.

I'm one day's work away from being done and I have one day left before I leave. So it's good!

Really looking forward to Worldcon and seeing lots of people I like and don't see often enough.

Photo is of a pendant I just finished for Worldcon. It's a dragon with a kyanite crystal wing. When I got the stone I realized it needed to be a wing. And when I started carving I knew it needed to be a dragon.

Actual size is about 2.5 inches but I wanted to show the detail in the crystal

I've been working on the jewelry for Worldcon - of course. Polishing more pendants, setting rings etc.
Did a lot of sawing today and quite enjoyed it. So far it looks like things will be ready a touch more sanely then usual but I get to find out.

Just set a group of new rings that I'm bringing with me, including these two.

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Silver and pearl ring. I love the baby pearl.

This rose stone was cut by Lloyd Eshbach. It's part of my collection of his stones. He was a brilliant lapidary. I've never seen any other stones like it.

Back to work now.

I have 2 extra memberships for Midamericon to sell. They are $150. (present price is $210). If you’re interested get in touch.

I'm excited about having my Memory Landscapes panel at Worldcon. It's my new work in progress and it's really expanding my art both conceptually and aesthetically. I'm delighted that Eileen Gunn and Brenda Clough will be on the panel.
So far I've done the panel three times. The conversations with the audience and the panelists about time, memory, and our lives and work have been intensely good for developing the art. And it feels like it has been rewarding for the participants.
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Memory Landscapes

Friday 12:00 - 12:45, 302AB (CC)
Photographer Laurie Toby Edison is working on a new digital project called Memory Landscapes, a feminist visual memoir. Memory is a form of time travel through your own time line. A visual memoir takes you into the artist's time line and lets you choose your paths through their lives.   Laurie says, "I started thinking about memory, and how what is remarkable is not how much we forget, but how much we remember. My memories are not linear because, as Penelope Lively observed, 'Inside the head everything happens at once.' Linear narrative is a useful construct, but it's not how we actually remember. I want to re-engage with the memories of my life, to create an autobiographical visual memoir, to express the poetics of non-linear time. Memories are filtered, by who we are now, who we were then, and what has happened in between. We view our past through layers of memories, and the past is everything that happened except this moment. It will eventually be an IPad app that creates an aesthetic of memory."  During the panel, we will look at some of Laurie's work in progress, and discuss the ways panelists and audience re-engage with memories of our own lives.

Panelists: Laurie Toby Edison, Eileen Gunn, Brenda Clough

I'm going over the gorgeous collection of stones my lapidaries sent me for Worldcon. Made me feel very dragonish, includes some remarkable Turkish stick agate (looks like stunning abstract expressionist paintings) among many others.

The jewelry is finished, finally, and packed. Tonight I'll have most of the stones in proper papers and labels. Will do the precious stones tomorrow when I have more brains. Packing stones can go a little slow as I admire.

Photo, as requested, and only fair of the dreamsnake is below. Delicately textured work just doesn't photograph well without more time then I'm willing to spend. Bright sterling silver and height is 2".

And from the collection of Nancy Cobb, an exceptional opal in sterling. The stone has many colors but the photo gives a sense of their vividness.

I'm going back to pack the last of the largest stones in papers I made right before I started writing.

See everyone at Worldcon.

I've been so busy making work for Worldcon and getting ready for Japan that I've been posting less. My resolution is that from tonight I will be posting more. Hopefully I'll keep it.

I don't usually put up photos this big, but I wanted to show the coloration in the opal. It's truly stunning.
It's from the collection of Nancy Cobb. I made it for her a few years ago. She was visiting last week and I took the opportunity to take a photo. The photo is, of course, unmanipulated.

I'm back from Worldcon and mostly recovered from it. Had an excellent Worldcon. Saw lots of people I like and don't see nearly often enough. I got some fascinating commissions that will hopefully show up here in photos. We had some great Mexican food. And I thank Bayla, Marsha and Shayin for all the fabulous help.

Then going out to breakfast the morning after I got back (Sept. 4), I was bitten by a German Shepard on a leash passing me on the left. (Fortunately I'm right handed. ) I was talking to a friend and didn't even see the dog until it happened. The folks in the emergency room were great.

There is _no_ permanent damage but it took a small piece out of my wrist and I'm going to be very limited in my use of my left hand for at least two more weeks.

I was pretty badly shaken up at the time but that's passed off.

Among other things this means that metal work I have to do from Worldcon will be in later in October then I told people. Working in metal will be the last thing I'll be able to do as this continues to heal.

Next post will have a photo of a commission I brought to Worldcon and some other news.

I've made three necklaces for Worldcon from lava beads that I got in Iceland. This one is made with flamboyant pearls and antique Chinese beads from the 19th century that are made to look like bone or ivory. Pearls are far more lustrous and vivid then the photo. As I said earlier, I'm really liking working with the lava. I'm bringing 2 snapshot photos with me to show some of the places that I gathered the lava.

This is a necklace that took a very long time to finish. I've written about it before. It was made with the two antique Thai earrings that Tracy Schmidt brought back from a trip to Thailand. The earrings themselves are stunning. Creating a necklace that would be both a very strong design in it's own right, and still focus on the earrings was a good challenge. I am _very_ happy with the completed piece.

All the pieces are carved with a peacock feather design that is an interpretation of the design on the earrings. Many of the links are set with small diamonds. The earrings are held in bands that are riveted and set with small diamonds. This enables the earrings to be removed without changing anything about them and was a design challenge all by itself.

The level of detail is not very photographable but I think this image gives a sense of it.

This is definitely my last post before I leave for Worldcon. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.

As I go over this I keep fining more typos. I still have a lot to do and my brain is tired. Please excuse the one's I've missed.

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I'll have both of these at Worldcon. Both pendants are in sterling and are about 1.5" to 2".

I'm bringing 2 velvet bags to Worldcon. One with the oceanic shaped polished Baltic amber pieces and one with lave I gathered in Iceland. Ask mei f you're there and you'd like to see them.

Amber and Icelandic Spar (double prismatic). the rainbows don't show in the photo.

Lava, sunstone and diamond. Lava is blacker in the original.

I've been working on three necklaces that include lava beads I got in Iceland with long textured pearls.Right now I love working with lava.; I will have them at Worldcon.

I finished the two gold pendants for antique Russian gold chains for the collection of Wendy Czarnecki. They took a really long time to make and it was very well worth it.

Photos are below. It was both challenging and rather marvelous to create designs that would flow into the pendants in an enhancing way while being striking in themselves. Both chains are exquisite handmade filigree.

I took the photos quickly at her house and they worked out surprisingly well.