It's been a busy few weeks with preparations for Grafton Artsfest, which is just a week away. Hard to believe it's been a year since the last one. It's always a pleasure to come up with new projects, the problem for me is that once I start, my mind starts off on its own little track and I end up with notes and scribbles that I then have to decipher later on. My bench is a mess, but that's nothing new, and my partner says it's like living in Santa's workshop, with the tap tap tap of tiny hammers going on all day.
A lovely Artsfest student, and now friend, Sally, was recently married and I made a lovely ring for her which we designed together. Not your traditional engagement and wedding ring, Sally chose a single ring, which is becoming more popular. It's a lovely design with sapphires and diamonds and with Sally's gorgeous slim hands, it looked just stunning. And here's another ring I have made recently, an 18ct diamond engagement ring.
The studio is really coming along now. Still doesn't look much, but lots of structural work has been done. I'm so excited and just can't wait for our first class. Right now though, Grafton is my main focus and I'm just finishing up the project instruction folders and making plenty of lists so I don't forget anything! Problem is, I need a list to keep track of my lists....
Well, back to the bench for me. Still plenty to keep me busy. As busy as I am, I'm enojoying it. I was chatting with a jeweller friend the other day, who had just sent me a photo of a ring she had remodelled. She had used a particular technique she hadn't used in some time and we were discussing how great it is that after years of 'doing what we do' it's still so much fun. There's always something to remember, learn or create - always another direction you can take it to keep it interesting.
I'll leave you with a "before" photo of the studio. Like I said, it doesn't look much now but just wait.....
