Starting over

I have barely made anything since the pandemic. I stress wrote a book when I got laid off, then we moved and I've gone from one high intensity job to an even higher intensity job. But I've finally got the inspiration back to get back out in the shop. I suffered a few failures when I tried shifting to larger projects, and that was discouraging. I'm over it! 

My goal is to make one object a month from July 2024 through June 2025. A minimum object is a soldered bronze ring (my very first soldering exercise). At the absolute least, I'll make one of those. But I have tons of materials sitting on my bench just being to be made into something. I bought butane today, and I have a lead on what's wrong with my oxy-propane torch. 

The struggles with that torch have not helped my artistic journey, but I'm convinced it's just regulator settings.

On a happy note, let me share a project that I made for a friend's elevation to the Order of the Laurel back before we moved. This might be the last thing I made before taking my break. I'm not 100% thrilled with how it came out, but it was my first real adventure with pin style rivets, making them and setting them, and that came out well enough. And the Laurel wreath broke, but I "fixed" it by doing the wire overlay, which I like better anyway. The inspiration piece had more depth to the settings, and I'd like to figure out how that was accomplished. Those pie pan shaped bezel settings are still boggling my mind. Anyway, photos!