Tag: earrings

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Covington Art Fair in Fort Wayne, Indiana

It’s been a week since the Covington Art Fair and I just want to express my deep appreciation for the people of Fort Wayne who came out to support the artists exhibiting in the heat.

The first day of the show was the last day of an intense heat wave. I set up early Saturday morning and it was already warm.

I was at the end of the aisle, making it easy to find my booth and get to work. I don’t usually take time to snap progress shots while I’m setting up, but this time I did.

The shoppers came early and the show was crowded by 10am sharp. People made quick decisions, bought their favorite pieces, and by noon, just a trickle of people remained. I was so relieved and so happy, despite the heat.

Rain moved in overnight and a cool breeze continued all day Sunday, with an occasional gust that worried me, but I came through it just fine. Some artists suffered damage, which is always a shame.

I am so grateful for the sales I made at Covington, and to all the nice people who stopped at my booth to shop. I’m looking forward to my next trip to Fort Wayne when I exhibit at Jefferson Pointe in September.

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From an Award in Pittsburgh to Columbia Festival of the Arts in Maryland

This is a whirlwind week where I have a chance to reflect on my booth at 3 Rivers and make new pieces for Columbia.

The highlight of 3 Rivers was receiving an award for the best use of recycled materials. Considering the caliber of talent displayed in the Artist Market, I feel honored. I use recycled materials because of the challenge it presents to my creativity, and to be recognized for this warms my heart.

My new copper enamel light switch plates received plenty of attention, and I will be posting many of them for sale in my store soon. People had many different requests, so I’ll be working on the best ways to take custom orders.

I also got to see Randy Land, which was a short walk from where I was staying during the festival. What fun colors and installations!

As I direct my attention to the Columbia Festival of the Arts starting this Friday, I’m making new wrap rings in sterling and copper.

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New enamel flower earrings for Three Rivers Art Fair

Earrings in sterling silver, copper enamel, and freshwater pearl

These new earrings have been a long time coming, and I have them ready for Three Rivers in Pittsburgh. They’ll be available from Wednesday til Sunday this week.

My creative process for these earrings began by cutting copper sheet metal with a flower punch and die.

I hand stamped the copper flowers to make them more life-like.
More of the stamping process
I applied liquid form enamel followed by transparent colors and fired them multiple times.
The earrings after firing and before adding the sterling earrings wires and freshwater pearls.
The finished earrings, front and side view.

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Making Plique a Jour Enamel Earrings

Plique a jour is an ancient technique where glass is suspended within a metal frame. For me, the technique is perfect for earrings. The pair I made above are like little stained glass windows of pure silver. Here is how I made them…

I started out with pure silver sheet and pierced out the designs that will be filled with glass.

I filled the pierced spaces with powdered glass enamels and placed the earrings on steel supports called trivets.

Here is how the earrings looked after the first firing. The glass usually doesn’t fill completely the first firing. It takes several firings to completely fill the piercings with glass.

After the piercings were completely filled with glass, I sanded them flush with the sheet metal and refined the outside shapes.

Here’s how they looked after sanding.

The earrings got one more firing to give the glass a final polish. After this step, I burnished the earrings with a glass brush. I made 10k gold posts and heat rivets to suspend the plique a jour designs.

Rosebud plique a jour enamel earrings
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A new approach to art festivals

Art fair booth display

I’ve been working up to this for years, and it’s finally come together. I’ve designed a pop-up booth for exhibiting my work at art fairs. The first voyage and installation was to the Chautauqua Institution in western New York for the Fine Crafts Shows at Chautauqua. The weather was beautiful and sunny, which was a blessing.

Side view of the art fair display of handmade jewelry

I have plenty of tweaks to make to my setup, but the overall idea was well-received. People came up to shop with me and sales were good. I’m now working on adding an awning because the weather won’t always be so perfect.

I sold quite a few pieces at the show, but I still have these earrings. Asymmetrical designs like these are my new direction and I had fun talking to people about wearing different earrings together. In fact, several people mixed and matched their own earring pairs. That was unexpected, but I loved it. I’m so grateful to everyone at Chautauqua who attended the show. I’m also grateful to Crafts Alliance for organizing the event and including my work.

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Social Distancing in the Studio

The finishing touches for earrings, lapis lazuli beads, freshwater pearls, and sterling silver wire.
The finishing touches for new earrings…

In a normal March, I’d be preparing for another summer of art fairs. That seems like a different world already. I’m wrapping my head around this new reality of Covid-19 while I make earrings in my studio. I have my dog for company. I get that feeling of accomplishment as I finish pieces. And I think about how to reinvent myself in response to these new times. I’ll be posting what I come up with as time goes on!

the finished earrings by Kristin Ellis in hammered sterling silver and lapiz lazuli

In the mean time, here is a new pair of sterling silver earrings. They are asymmetrical. I’m having so much fun making earrings that are unique yet harmonious with each other. Satisfaction in the face of uncertainty. I hammered the silver shapes and polished them. I’ve chosen baroque lapis lazuli gemstone beads to compliment the silver, securing them with decorative wire knots. I made the ear wires myself. I hope to make the most of this time of solitude and push new creative boundaries. For now, I’m liking these new earrings.