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I’m not talking about a play thing for Super Man, aka “the man of steel”, he has Lois Lane for all that…. I am referring to this beauty…a woman made from steel clay!  She was sculpted over an investment form and fired in a very hot kiln.  I did get some cracks when the clay shrank and the investment didn’t but all in all she came out pretty well… I am going to do some repair and Steel metal clay Goddess pendantre-fire her.  I was surprised to find she didn’t change color much in the firing but that will happen once she is cleaned and polished!

Copyright © Mary Ehlers, All rights reseved

wool and silk red hand dyed wrapThis gorgeous wool and silk wrap was hand dyed and felted!

Copyright © Mary Ehlers, All rights reseved

I received this photo from Sharon Hessoun  www.crystalbeadbeauties.com and this is her version of Red Flirt!  For those of you that don’t know I challenged everyone to come up with a piece of art inspired by the prompt “RED FLIRT!” Here is a link to the post: http://wp.me/p27TWN-1m Sharon is an awesome beader!

Copyright © Mary Ehlers, All rights reseved

I just found out that two of my rings are going to be published in the PMC (precious metal clay) guild annual.  This is such a huge honor for me to have my work considered “Exceptional Works in Precious Metal Clay”!  The first one is titled Katie and you can scroll down and read about it’s inspiration in a previous post and the second one is titled Ancient Treasure.  This piece was inspired by a national geographic cover picture that caught my eye.  It really made me want to know what was inside….. and instantly I knew I had to create a piece that also invoked that mystery.  Everyone that sees this ring always wants to open it up and see the treasure or the mystery of a poison ring.  I tell them this ring could hold poison but since you have to unscrew it from the top it gives you time to reconsider! 

Copyright © Mary Ehlers, All rights reseved

Humming bird EarringsCan you believe these fantabulous humming bird earrings and flower were made by Deborah in her very first metal clay class?  She took the fun, fast and fabulous metal clay class then added the beads!  They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, thanks Deborah for emailing me the picture.  No wonder I love teaching so much.  This isn’t just because Deborah has talent….she is very talented don’t get me wrong, but it also helps that metal clay is such a user friendly product.  With a few tips and tricks from a good teacher like me (shameless plug) almost anyone can make really great jewelry in an afternoon!

For someone very special!

The aliens have landed!  If you look at the image you can see where the items in the previous post were used to create the silver metal clay parts of these earrings.

I have been accused of having an over active imagination (can you believe that?) But really it’s all in how you look at things. This week in one of my classes a student mentioned that she has begun to look at “everything” differently. YES! I must be doing something right! Artists know that things you would normally see as trash suddenly become a treasure. For metal clay artist these “things” that can be applied to the texture and interesting shape departments are especially wonderful finds.  An old toothpaste cap, a discarded piece of cardboard, a couple of old toys that the kids have outgrown…. The list goes on and on. I’m working on a pair of earrings titled “Alien Party” fashioned from those exact items. The toys were left over’s from years gone by. The shape I used for the earrings is a stick-on, glow in the dark party favor from my son’s eighth birthday.

I invite you to come join the party…. Look at everything in a different (weird, glowing, UFO kind of) light.  You will be surprised at what you come up with and if you need some help then come join me in the studio and I’ll teach you how to create something “Outta This World!”  Stop back by in a few days to see the finished Alien Party earrings.   ~Marnie

I have two friends named Katie.  They seem outwardly as different as night and day however, the one thing they have in common is an amazing ability to make other people feel good!  Sir James Barrie said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.  That is why I named this ring Katie, after two wonderful, exuberant women, its fun and it makes me smile!

*Photo taken by Balfour Walker

I am so excited to have another piece titled “Red Flirt” from the inspiration phrase!  This is Berta’s interpretation of “Red Flirt.”  Berta’s artwork can be seen by private showing at her studio, Wilberta’s Fine Art, (520) 616-7505.  I am looking forward to your idea using the subject “Red Flirt!”