As you can see from the photo below - a day's work in the garage-studio can sometimes result in a tiny handful of metal slivers.
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| ©2014 Barry Smith - A handful of earring metal |
I was cutting up offcuts to make components for two types of earrings: riveted earrings; and swing earrings - both types have multiple pieces of metal. And of course given they are earrings and that there are multiple layers some of the pieces can be quite tiny. The pieces of metal range in length from about 12mm to 65 mm; and in width from about 3mm to 10mm. So after a couple of hours of designing 8-10 sets of earrings (in my head) and cutting pieces of metal to be riveted etc - I ended up with the stash below. It all looks pretty corroded and patinated at this stage.
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| ©2014 Barry Smith - Metal in the rough |
This afternoon was given over to grinding edges smooth and polishing the pieces. So I now have a stash of reasonably polished pieces ready for assembling.
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| ©2014 Barry Smith - 60 pieces of trimmed and polished metal |
And of course as part of the cutting process one comes across a few other bits that call out to be cut and polished such as the ones in the photo below. I loved the brass petal forms.
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| ©2014 Barry Smith - Other bits that have been salvaged along the way |
The 60 wee pieces of metal held in my hand will be punched, riveted and assembled over the weekend - at least that is the plan.
wow - that is a lot of work! they are going to be beautiful. can that really only be 8-10 pairs of earrings? really beautiful textures and patterns on some of those pieces.
ReplyDeleteWhat you do with upcycled metal is always inspiring. Even in these early stages. So many yummy possibilities with all of those intriguing bits and pieces. Looking forward to seeing the results.
ReplyDeleteEverything thing - the effort, the hours, the skill- add to the beautiful creative results you will end up with.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the results...but I must! I do hope some of these treasures are headed for your online shop...
ReplyDeleteHi MJ, AA, D & A - thanks for checking out the work in progress - I thought it just demonstrated how much work we artists do behind the sciences to create our bits and pieces. MJ - lots of bits but many of the sets of earrings will use 4-6 pieces of metal because of the layers. The beauty of the offcuts is that one can chose some fragments of vintage and antique metal - lots of age and older texture. AA - thank you for my new up cycling title. D - the time behind the scenes is often what creates the layers of beauty as you know from your work. A - some will make their way to the online shop but many are heading to Melbourne next week. AA & A - hope to show a few finished pieces on Sunday. All go well. B
ReplyDeletePure magic! So enjoy watching the process.
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