Come Visit with me

  I will be attending the Craft show at the Berry Center on September 11.  See:  http://www.berrycenter.net/  Come by and see me at booth 47 in the Convention Area.

Photo Mania

  Thought I would write a bit about photography for jewelry.  I am still learning the steps needed for great photos, but I can tell you a few things that surprised me.  First, you don not take one photo of anything.  I now average 5 or more photos of any piece and I photo-shop each of those to achieve an acceptable photo.  If you learn nothing else, photo-shop will fine tune even the best of photos. 
   Setting up ads for Ebay can be an all day affair.  You have to get your descriptions just right, you need to get the correct photos to the right ads (I have made a few errors, but I corrected them immediately).  By the way, Ebay will allow you to correct errors as long as no one has bid on your auction item.  Make sure you get the postage correct, customers do not enjoy higher charges than you list, so be correct every time.  Be willing to be flexible for your customers, treat them as you would like to be treated. 

Viking Knit is Handamde

  The Viking Knit you see in the photo is handwoven with copper wire, a machine does not create it for me :)
I have been working on my Victorian Chokers today and will post a photo asap.


When casting a fly, you must allow time for the line to straighten out behind you before bringing it forward, if you don't you will get the whip lash effect and pop that fly off.  That is the prime reason for looking at your back cast when you are starting out, you will not have the timing down till you are more experienced.

Give a little turn

When you are first beginning to learn to cast, I like to have my students turn to the side before casting.  If you are right handed, turn to the right about 90 degrees, if left handed, 90 degrees to the left.  You will still be casting forward, but you will be able to see your rearward cast.  The cast to the rear is the most important part of the whole cast, everything else is based on that cast.  If you are too low, you will strike the ground, there will be a terrible cast forward if you can cast at all.  Too high a cast to the rear can cause a downward motion to the water on the forward cast.

  The Viking Knit is a weaving of wire.  It can take several spools of wire just to make a few inches of the knit.  The knit itself is a series of connected loops.  You will note on the piece displayed that the ends of each bead are fed through a cone, this helps to disguise the ends, which are loops.

Viking Knit

  I have completed my first attempt at Viking Knit of wire.  It is a long process, but can be completed anywhere.  I will photograph it on Sunday and put in on the site asap.  Viking Knit is a method of weaving wire to create a bead that can be formed into necklaces and bracelets.  My first try is a copper necklace with Blueberry beads.  It features an S-hook to make it easy to place about the neck.  The beads are made from 24 gauge wire and the connections are 16 gauge wire.  The total length of the necklace is 24".
  Now, those interested in fly fishing, the first tip I am going to give you is your handling of the fly rod.  I want you to imagine a hammer in your hand.  You will try to nail a brad in the wall, with a stiff wrist.  That motion is the same with a fly rod, keep that wrist as stiff as you can when you bring your rod back, the same when you bring it forward.  There are devices to facilitate this motion which you can purchase from Cabellas and Orvis, or you can use a handkerchief to tie yourself to your rod   :)

Fly fishing

   I fly fish for a hobby, and have done this since I was about 13, but it seems to be an art form as well.  I was an instructor at one point and will add it to the blog .  I will give pointers and hope to provide videos. 
  As for my wire art and paintings, I will provide photos as fast as I can set them up. 

The "old" artist

  I used to be able to write a little, so I will be scribbling here in hopes of letting people get to know me and the Art which I do create, whether jewelry, paintings, or in wood.  I tend to lecture at times, so don't get discouraged by the length of my blathering to and fro.