Pyrographic Signs From Adrift Art Studio

I have a bunch of jewelry made and hope to turn some of it tomorrow. That is what brought me to try doing something a little different for a change of pace. I did not want to make anything else in the jewelry line until after my next show.



That got me to drag out my favorite wood burning tool and go to work on a piece of wood I have been keeping my eye on for the past couple of weeks. Sometimes I like to just fire up the hot pen and go after it without a plan. That makes being creative and casting my emotions into a form so much fun. It does not always turn out the way I like but on this particular day I was very pleased with my finished piece of artwork.



It turned out to be a sign. I suppose it would look nice in a yard. That is where I like to put things that reflect my inner self. This one sure is showing some reflection and it was a lot of fun to make. Pyrographics is a good medium to mix with acrylic paint and for this sign I threw in a little bead work to augment the idea of "little things" in our life.

Mixed Media Steampunk Jewelry

Just for a bit of fun and flare Sepi ordered up some findings to get me going on a trendy style of jewelry called Steampunk. I like the mixed media in all art forms so it seemed to be something I might get a rush out of trying.

When the shipment came in I have to admit after taking a look at the Steampunk collection I was left feeling sort of empty about it all. It just seemed to be a bunch of stuff that I could not relate to. That is when I decided to do a little digging and see what other Jewelry Designers were doing on this style.

I shopped around quite a bit and then went back to the workbench still feeling a little anxiety about Steampunk jewelry. That was until I actually picked up a few pieces and started arranging them around on the table top. I played with it for a good hour, just checking out the colors, shapes, sizes and how each element played off of another. I started getting excited about the entire idea. Yeah this was starting to be very cool.



Personally I love vintage things and old is mysterious and attracting, magnetic to me. I feel like there is a certain spirit to the pieces that is energy carried over from people in the past who handled and even adorned themselves with these very elements. It stirs something deep in my own spirit, something intangible and distant.



So I have created a few different pieces and I have to admit that as I worked to finish the first piece I was already feeling good about starting another. The energy was flowing and the past was the present and now I would like to display some of that happening here. From C.S. Alexis, @ Adrift Art Studio Steampunk is intetresting to say the least.

Designing A Jewelry Display

Sickness took me by surprise and put me down for a good week. Not what I wanted to happen but I do not always get what I want. I have learned to go with the flow. Life takes it's own route and all I can do is hang on. Not that I am not prone to put up a fight. Sometimes, some things just can not be fought so the best thing to do is suck it in and hunker down. I like to spend the down time day dreaming, planning and creating in my mind.

That is how I came up with a thought for what to do with my jewelry when displaying it to sell. First I thought about packaging and tackled that bear quite a few months back. Then I started getting so much inventory I had to get it all organized. Jill and I both worked on that project for a few days. Things were falling in to place at a good rate when I got sick. So I laid around coughing my head off and thinking about how to display my work.

I looked around at some websites to see what other jewelry designers were doing. I thought about colors, convenience, flow, points of interest and so on as would pertain to a display. I made up my mind to purchase a dark color, probably black, velvet to make the jewelry stand out. Then when I was feeling up to it I headed to a local outlet store to make my material purchase.

I really feel like there was a spiritual intervention between the front door of the store and the sewing department. I was directly attracted to a certain cloth that reminded me of sand.That was it. it was not my intention, not my plan of attack but when I saw it I knew I would have to work with it. Something about it was magical to me.



The next day I headed over to a thrift store to pick out some sort of glass or stoneware that I could use as additional items to give my jewelry display a uniform way to arrange the individual pieces. I had seen a couple designers who had used beans and rocks on plates to show their work. Again I went straight to a pile of saucers that were splattered with the exact colors in my business card. It sure seemed to be one hell of a coincidence.



I picked out a table cloth to match, and there I had the two main colors for my table covering. With the saucers in tow I was headed to the check out line when I saw the finishing touch. There were not too many left so I bought them all. River Rocks that had been polished to a bright finish. I also found a few bags of glass rocks that were made with my same color scheme so I purchased those also.



I will be adding a bit of driftwood to the display and I am good to go. I have the driftwood drying in the late winter sun so it is not quite ready but it won't be long. Some times everything just falls together perfect and all the time spent thinking and considering what to do seems like it was only my mind's way of keeping me idle long enough to recover from a bout with the flu. I am still not feeling 100% but my jewelry display is almost complete. Thank you to God!

Open house cancelled...UGH!

Yesterday C.S. woke up feeling like a big pile! Stuffy nose and tickling throat were not what she had in mind for the next couple of days. Open house for Adrift Art Studio just 2 days away, this could not be happening.

Fact is, it has happened and this morning C.S. is feeling like she must have a case of flu with achy muscles, chest congestion and a headache to beat the band. Looks like there will have to be a delay in having an Open House for her new Adrift Art Studio.

Sleep and hot tea is most likely going to be the agenda for at least a few days. It was a slap in the face yesterday but C.S. says things happen for a reason and Mother Nature must have wanted it to play out this way. She decided to go with the flow and climb back in her nest. The open house can wait and she will spend the next few days working to bring her health back to par.

Please stay tuned!

Ready Or Not Here We Go

The past week we have been sorting through all of the things that it takes to pull Adrift Art Studio up and set her back on her feet. Things might not be running but they are beginning to show signs of the ability to stand upright, without crutches. The thought for a while was to postpone an open house until things were better organized. All week C.S. has been mulling the idea over in her head. A tiny voice in the back of her mind keeps telling her to wait a couple weeks.





Jill has been nose to the grind stone, sorting and labeling all of the inventory for Handcrafted Jewelry USA. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The jewelry components are tiny and require a lot of handling before they ever make their way to becoming a finished product. It seems to be never ending from time to time. Jill just about gets to the bottom of a box and C.S. hands her another one.

The process is coming along but time has come to let it go and concentrate on the reason for Adrift Art Studio. With that thought in mind and a burning desire to push forward C.S. Alexis says open the doors, "Ready or not here we go".

So here it is, a not so formal invitation to everyone.

WHAT: Adrift Art Studio Open House
WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2010
WHERE: Due to security please contact C.S. Alexis the following email address
swiz@att.net
Time: 2PM - 5PM

Adrift Art Studio Open House Coming Soon

Now it is a big push for C.S. Alexis to get all the finishing touches put on her new art studio. There is still so much to do. C.S. has an attitude about it. She feels that the entire experience is a "God Thing" and it will all come off just perfect. That does not mean she is not a bit anxious about the journey.



Taking it one step at a time is hard for her. She wants to hurry up and get it done. That is her nature. Same reason she had to buy a high speed wood burning tool and likes to paint with acrylics. When it comes to artwork, patience is not really one of her virtuous sides. She likes to work in speed and endurance. Get it down and move on. Oil painting was never her cup of tea. It takes too long for the paint to dry!



Digital photography is wonderful. Snap a photo and have a great quality print in a matter of minutes. Yes C.S. Alexis is all about getting it done fast, but fast is not always best. This is why she likes to work on several different projects at the same time. It is also why she likes to practice gardening. You can not rush Mother Nature when it comes to growing plants. It forces C.S. to be mindful about the right time and right place for things to happen in a positive outcome. She has learned over the years to take life as it comes and try not to get too edgy over things that will not make a difference in 40 years.



So the studio is coming along and it looks to be a good place for getting the speedy work accomplished as well as the time consuming creations. Won't be long until C.S. is pounding out some very creative works in the new Adrift Art Studio.

Adrift Art Studio Open House Saturday February 27

The time is edging closer for the big day. C.S. can hardly wait to show the progress that has been made in rebuilding Adrift Art Studio. Most of the boxes have been unpacked and most of the furnishings have been replaced. There are still a few things that have to be moved back from another location but that is only a matter of making another trip with a van.



Jill is back on board and ready to get started working in the new studio. What C.S. has been doing for the last few months is working wherever she can clear a space in her office or the dining room of her home. It has been a struggle. Not having an area to spread out and work when she has available time has been quite frustrating to say the least.

It is a great reward to see things falling in to place and the excitement is building as C.S. Alexis gains momentum on reaching a goal that has prevailed through a turbulent journey. Adrift Art Studio Lives.