freebird.

i finished this piece a few weeks ago.

i threw it together really.

i didn't plan or sketch
or spend too much time trying to make it just right.

i wanted to make something,

to relearn the tools and methods

that seemed so foreign to me.

i didn't want the pressure of perfection...

i can be down right mean to myself sometimes.

so, here she is...

she is my first actual creation in my studio.

she is rough.

she is awkward,

maybe even a little unstable.

but boy, oh boy,

IS SHE FREE!

i made her to remind myself:

to start.

to allow imperfection.

to hold on to freedom.

to fly.

oh, oh - ALSO,

my maker's mark came in the mail!!!

it's my initials...

forming a winged heart.

ahhh, i think it suits me well.

it's official.

:)

fly,

sarah beth

i have something up my sleeve.

oh me, oh my.

i sure have been lackadaisical this last week.

BUT

i do have something to show you.

well, a few things really.

i made something. in silver.

she's kind of rough around the edges.

but sweet as can be.

AND

there's something else i want to show you...

but its not here just yet.

i feel they go together.

SO

i'll wait til the arrival of the latter

before i show you the wee jewel.

things have been relentless in my little slice of the world.

my husband and i just participated in the 2010 bridal expo...

(think massive amounts of brides and cake samples).

plus we launched a new website and moved into a new studio space.

we are hosting an open house monday night in that new space.

it's an old building which such breathe and character.

i'll post pictures tuesday so you can see our labor of love.

i guess that's it for now.

oh, did you know i love to illustrate?

well, i do.

she's from my senior capstone exhibition.

inspired by geraldine georges.

i've been dreaming up some new ideas lately...

experimenting with texture and incorporating symbolic imagery.

i must say, so far it looks pretty impressive (in my head).

i was set to re-open my etsy shop...oh, a few weeks ago.

but it didn't happen.

i'm not ready, and i'm not going to push it.

i don't need pressure.

i need practice and creativity

and to find my pulse.

plus, silver and supplies are mighty expensive.

thank you for taking the time to read what i have to say.

thank you especially to all those who have sent me messages

and left comments of encouragement.

this really is a great place to find my wings.

fly,

sarah beth

with the sun shining on my back.

i have begun.

why?

last summer i stumbled onto etsy during a google search.

last winter i decided to do some Christmas shopping the

handmade way

and came across this:

Gentled But Not Broken Ring

by thenoisyplume

{{THIS IS NOT MY DESIGN.

IT WAS MADE BY THE TALENTED JILLIAN

AT THE NOISY PLUME!}}

so, i see this image of jillian wearing this

undoubtedly beautiful ring.

 intrigued,

i decided to look at her shop and read more about this

giant piece of turquoise.

i read the description

and something inside of me understood.

so, i purchased the ring.

when it arrived, i examined it.

for the first time, i thought about jewelry as art.

i thought about it as having heart strings.

it was no different than the photos and paintings i was finding myself drawn to.

this piece of metal and stone was breathed into life in such a way that

i knew myself better.

i've had jewelry that was important to me,

but not jewelry that was LIKE me...if that makes any sense.

so, even though the ring is a 7.5 and the largest size that fits me is a 7,

i keep it and wear it anyway.

because something still and sleeping was stirred up in my chest, and

 i wanted to know how to bend silver and

how to set stones, and

everything in me that i had been trying to pour into my art

was pounding around begging to be laid in metal.

i asked my teachers what they knew about silversmithing.

i looked up videos on youtube.

around the time i graduated college,

i remember telling my husband i found a class i wanted to take.

he agreed, and

in july i was there.

by the last few days, i stayed in the studio the entire day.

the teacher would leave for lunch and dinner...

my friend and i ordered in.

i just didn't want to stop.

since then, i have slowly been stowing away cabs,

collecting supplies,

hoarding sketches,

and trying to gain confidence.

and that's where i'm stuck.

i have a studio.

more than enough supplies to begin.

plenty of ideas.

an etsy shop.

notes from people i believe in tacked to my board,

ready to enourage and inspire.

but. i'm. frozen.

why is that?

why am i so scared to fail?

why am i not living my heart?

why am i blogging right now instead of playing with my torch?

why?

has anyone else ever felt this way?

ugh.

fly,

sarah beth

why, Merry Christmas!

sheets of metal,

solder,

tweezers,

hammers,

pickle,

patina,

saw blades,

stamps,

wire,

tongs,

bezel roller...

AND a partridge in a pear tree :)

oh, yes...that means...surely it's true...jewelry time in 2010!!!!

hold on to your britches!

check back in a few weeks to see my progress...or perhaps,

but hopefully not, my lack there of.

i have oh so many ideas i can't wait to share with you.

right now, life is beating with the very rhythm of my soul.

hope your Christmas was/is merry and bright...
snuggle up with your dear ones and watch those lights dance.
today is the most wonderful of birthdays!

oh, AND we're leaving saturday to shoot a wedding in california
 like a couple of hot shots (pssssh!)...

that means....see you in 2010!!!

PEACE,

sarah beth

cab city, USA

or maybe a tiny cab village.

my newest acquisitions:

yum.

amethyst druzy, two large-and-in-charge ocean jaspers,

texas white plume agate,

bruneau jasper with a splendid inner feather,

scrumptious malachite, and a tiny baby jasper.

i have the ideas.

i have the stones.

but the silver, i have not.

nor torch.

but, thanks to advice from dear rosy, i will soon :)

i am in love. oh, gem!

well...you may or may not know
{depending on how thorough of a blog reader you are}
but i just recently attended my very first silversmith workshop
taught by talented artist Mike Trembly.
the class came and went like a gust of flamey wind and silver dust.
now, a month later, i am finally digesting everything i learned that week..
not just about silver and jewelry,
but about who i am and what i want out of this short existence.
i would love to pursue this.

i am going to pursue this.
i have already purchased some equipment.
i am hooked, i'm afriad.
the metal sang a song...and i knew the words.
they were just there.

so, i have decided to share with you a little of my work...
it's not everything, but it's a start.
keep in mind the craftmanship is not exactly desirable.
but by the last day i was rushing it all out knowing
i wouldn't have access to tools for quite some time.
also keep in mind some of these designs have been inspired...
by other artists or what materials were at hand.
just to be fair.

now i present to you...
my first setting!
a little baby carnelian pendant.
it was our practice assignment.
i also took the liberty to experiment with
creating those tiny silver balls....such easy, wonderful magic!
and the texturing...my, oh my!

Birds of a Feather Shield Pendant

because that's what us jewelry makin' ladies were that week...
and, well, we were quite a gaggle of silversmith'n lady friends!

>> a tiny montana agate and sterling handcrafted feather<<

He Tells the Ocean Where to Stop Ring

" and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stayed' "
Job 38:11 ESV

i could write so much about this passage...
He tells the ocean its boundaries.
God is sovereign.

>> a beautiful ocean jasper with a little drusy pocket
& some silver bubbles <<

Armchair Ring

well, this is one doozy of a ring.
and i like it. a lot.
and it matches the vintage velvet chair
living in my studio.

>> a generous helping of crazy lace agate, off set,
with an...ummm...experimental bezel <<

Nervous Energy Ring

i am a nervous person.
sometimes.
about some things. silly things.
namely around homeless bandaids
and mysterious fluids.
anyway.
the branches in this stone scream to me...
neurons, neurotransmitters -
such a delicate balance between crazy and sane.

>> dendritic agate with wire wrapped bezel <<

an unnamed ring....
intended to look like a satellite...a flower...a nest.
organic silver.

>> a tiny calibrated coral droplet <<

and...
last, but not least...oh definitely not...
a little...well, umm....big something i dreamed up:

Woods Belt Buckle Ring

big enough to hold up mother nature's britches!
strange enough to garner a few headshakes
and eye rolls from mr. trembly!
heavy enough to clock someone upside the head!
not that you should.

i wanted something fun
and edgey.
so i added antlers to this cab of petrified wood.
and so much silver that i believe i scorched my eyelashes.
(ok, ok - all you pros out there, creating your 30 piece wonders must be thinking i'm a tad dramatic...
but it turned out to my everest as a fledgling silversmith!)

fit for a lumberjack, aye?

there were a few others who didn't make the blog cut...
a copper bird pin which didn't get finished...
a silver wrap band i cannot claim...
and a two-tone family tree i gave away to my mother
before i thought to photograph it.

all-in-all:
i learned it's easier and harder than i thought.
easier in that i actually know how.
harder...in...well...everything else-
it requires such craftmanship and attention to detail.
and patience.
a hefty dose of patience.

i melted a bezel or two,
broke enough saw blades to keep Rio in business,
pulled out the superglue,
got silver in places silver ought not be,
went to bed dead,
skipped a few meals to stay in the studio and play
(because 9 hours a day wasn't enough, obviously),
met some amazing people who deemed me Rock Star,
saturated my soul,
and sang the song.

you found me

My name is Sarah, but I guess maybe you already gathered that. I live in the hills of wild West by God Virginia. The pace is slow, the people are kind, the seasons change. I, in fact, actually live upon a hill in a brick home with my husband (Paul!!!) and our two little dogs (Armi and Jewels...photos of them soon!) that we love tremendously and practice our parenting skills on.

They fit us.

We are both artists. Commercial photography (boekell photography) is our bread and butter. I recently earned my BFA with a concentration in graphic design. Oooo. I have yet to decide what this is going to mean for me, except that I will freelance from time to time. In the meantime, or possibly forever, I love illustrating and fine art photography (especially alternative processes, plastic cameras and macro shots). This is what you can expect to find in my Etsy shop first.

But not yet, because the Mac is down.

But soon…real soon.

{{here's a sneak}}

First - because there will be more. Next month I am attending a workshop with a silversmith. I may burst! So, after a few months, expect to see some wonderful additions. I already have pages of designs sketched out and ready to be transformed into metal.

Hopefully anyway.

What else? I love to write…poetry, short stories, maybe one day a childrens’ book or two. I find great inspiration and comfort browsing through antique stores and flea markets. It’s like connect the dots with the past. I want to sew like my mamaw, play guitar like my mom, and travel like my dad. I also plan to try my hand at pottery, printmaking, and painting.

So, we’ll see where this goes. Where I go from here.

I’m learning to garden. My trial cactus has survived. My orchid, Lovechild, is going strong {yes, I named my plant, and I’d be amiss not to mention Legs as well}. So, now I’m progressing outdoors to test my green thumb...or lack there of.

Today: sunflowers and wildflowers (and a sunburn).

Tomorrow: herbs, tomatoes, and strawberries.

I have developed a strange affinity with buds, seeds, pods, eggs…shells. Lately, I’m mesmerized by growth; it’s shining out my fingertips in the form of art and in the spirit of life around me.

There has also been a lasting cling to all notions of flight...

feathers, flight, wings, moths, a brush stroked sky.
But you’ll learn this all, if you want, as it emerges in my art and my words and my life.

I think this is good for now.

This is good for me.

This is a journal, a documentary, an outreach…
Feel free to stop by anytime if you fancy.

FLY,

SB