I would say yes. Even though I don't make the form, I choose how to paint and embellish it. Hand-painted ceramics have been created and sold as art and collectibles in many different forms and for many years...think Royal Dalton among others.

Yesterday I posted a photo of a little wizard I created a long time ago, holding a magic (yes, it's magic) crystal, and painted in the colors he told me he wanted to have :) The conversation came up about whether it falls under the category or art, or craft. I think art.

What do you think?

Peace!

Sun is shining, holiday day off work, so of course....I've come down with a wicked cold!

On the bright side, the dog and I will spend most of the day in the workshop to avoid exposing anyone else. On the downside...I've come down with a wicked cold! Dammit. I'm starting to wonder if my body is trying to tell me something. Too much stress, too little sleep, too many worries? Arghhh. I am grateful for Kleenex.

Oh well, in the meantime I have begun work on "part II" of the custom ring I posed recently with the Guatemalan silver overlay. For now part II still needs to stay a secret, but in a few weeks I can post it :)

Happy Good Friday to all!

Peace!

Teaching in the morning, gardening and goofing with the dog and the honey all afternoon. Even better....all of next week off! Lots of time to sleep, drink wine, enjoy the sun, and goof around in the workshop. Can't ask for more than that :)

Peace!

I realized I hadn't posted an image or told the story of this ring, created last month for a sweet gentleman who had always worn a ring on his pinky finger, until he lost it. He thought a lot about getting another one, and we were connected by Joye at Joye Designs in Port Moody. I contacted him, and we talked on the phone about what he was looking for, but he was concerned because of the "size of his fingers", and the fact that they are the same width from the knuckle to the base. I decided that the best thing to do was to make a few mock-up bands in copper for him to try, and see what we could come up with that would be comfortable. Added to the complexity was the fact that we would be overlaying a piece cut from a bracelet slider that he picked up in Guatemala many years ago.

So, I set about making 3 wide bands - one completely round, one round and tapered at the back, and one softly squared, also tapered, and we met up for the fitting. He chose the squared band (also my favorite), and I went to work. Two weeks later we met again, I pulled the ring out of it's little black velvet pouch, and handed it over while holding my breath, hoping for the best. I couldn't have been happier when he slipped it on, looked at me with wide eyes, and said "holy S***, it feels like it was meant to be there! I am so sorry I didn't do this sooner!". What a great feeling it was to see the genuine happiness in this man's eyes, and to see how thrilled he was with the finished piece. The fact that it was a perfect fit was a huge relief to me, because overlaying the piece from the bracelet from Guatemala was a one-shot deal, due to the fact that it was quite thin, soldered onto a thick band, and if I needed to modify it at all, there was a risk I could ruin the whole thing. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

There's a continuation to this story, but I can't post about it until it is finished, because it might ruin a surprise. Stay tuned :)

Peace!