Learning to Metalsmith

Fresh from the studio, two kinetic necklaces:

(top) moonstone and citrines set in copper;
(bottom) rutilated quartz and citrine set in copper.

On me: Moonstone set in copper
                 & glass bead kinetic necklace.

New Art Necklace...."Lorraine" and new work on paper in progress....

Something new from the studio..."Lorraine". She's supposed to be channeling 1940s Hollywood beauty here in her fur coat.

Savannah Schroll Guz, "Lorraine" (2013) polymer clay, acrylic paint, protective
sealant, silverplated findings, purple glass beads.

A new work-in-progress appears just below. It's part of a series I'm working on right now, involving histamine and mast cells, part of the body's immune response system. Mast cells carry histamine and heparin granules, which they "rain" on areas experiencing trauma or invasion by foreign pathogens. These two substances fight infection but also cause inflammation. I'm working on my abstract depiction of this process.  

In progress! "Raining Histamine" Right now,  I'm sewing seed beads onto the paper....



Bacon and Eggs Abstraction and working with cyanotypes...

In the spirit of fun, I've made a funny little art jewelry piece called "Bacon and Eggs Abstraction". It's a cute little work where the eggs float and cast shadows behind two large strips of bacon, heavily marbelized with fat (made all the more...shall we say enchanting?...by the addition of irridescent painting medium to the fat marbeling and egg whites...so much like pixie dust!) And because, back in October/November, I got that beautiful, gi-normous bead and jewelry-making lot from an auction in North Lima, Ohio, I've started adding beads to my work. With the beads, I offer further visual interest and 'kitsch-ification' of the pin's subject: some dangling bead charms. Actually, it looks pretty neat when it's on the jacket lapel, if I do say so myself. :-)

"Bacon and Eggs Abstraction" (2013)
art pin made of polymer clay, acrylic paint,
varnish, seed beads, and faceted glass beads
Click here to see it in my shop!

"Bacon and Eggs Abstraction" pinned to a jacket.

In 2-D art news, I've been inspired by Cathy Cullis' works, like "House Quartet" and  "Garden of My Mind", and consequently, I continue to experiment with embroidering paper. With "Snow Blankets" (below), I've begun adding cyanotypes to the underlying etching. What's a cyanotype? It's a what is more commonly known as a sunprint. "Cyan" is blue and "type" meaning, roughly, print. I made these cyanotypes back in, I would say, 2007 or so at my parents' house. Michael had gotten me a little packet of them, and I did clover leaves, palm fronts, and doilies. I've had them in a little plastic bag in my studio since then. Now, they're very handy and will figure into the next several works-on-paper that I do (a glimpse of something even newer is just below "Snow Blankets").


"Snow Blankets" (2013) embroidered etching with gouache,
oil pastel, black ballpoint pen, and cyanotype on paper.



This one isn't titled yet and is still in progress....stay tuned! Let the embroidering
begin tonight!



New Art Necklaces!

Inspired by Flavia Marele and Ildiko Muresan's (a.k.a. DoubleFox Studio and a.k.a. Harem6) lovely ceramic necklaces (see two examples here and here), I've started making some of my own painted polymer clay goodies. A glimpse appears just below...more pictures will follow as I complete additional pieces!

"Starry Cloud" (2013) polymer clay, acrylic, varnish, glass beads,
silvertone chain. Read the listing in my shop here!

"Raining Shield" (2013), polymer clay, acrylic paint,
sealant, silver plated findings, glass beads.
You can see the whole listing in my shop!

"Raining Shield" (2013), polymer clay, acrylic paint,
sealant, silver plated findings, glass beads.
You can see the whole listing in my shop!

Sekhmet....she who is powerful

So, while the graphic novel continues (an update on that will come very soon), I'm also working on some additional studio pieces. Back in November, I sold the Geisha Girl necklace I created in late July/early August. And now that I have a little bit of time between wrapping gifts, I've started working on a new series of art necklaces. I realized again, as I was painting "Sekhmet" (below), how much I still look to Trina Schart Hyman's work. The lips and the nose remind me of some of Hyman's heroines. I thank my Mum for this influence, since I grew up reading Cricket Magazine in the early to mid 1980s, when Hyman was their art director and filled their pages (and sometimes their covers) with beautiful work.

"Sekhmet, she who is powerful", now available in my art
store. You can see the listing by clicking here.



Savannah Schroll Guz, "Sekhmet" art necklace

 

Trina Schart Hyman's illustration for Snow White



My "Geisha Girl" art necklace, made in late July and sold to a lovely lady
in Canada this past November.

Savannah hearts custom orders!

Hi, all! In between working on the graphic novel, I've been working on custom, handpainted jewelry orders. These cuties, which I'm making for a wonderful woman in New Jersey, who bakes red velvet cakes, will ship out tomorrow! I want to make sure their protective sealant is 100% rock hard before I send them off. They are a red velvet variation on my "Have Your Cake and Eat it, Too" art earrings.


A custom variation on my "Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too!" art earrings.
These are "Have Your (Red Velvet) Cake and Eat It, Too!"

These sparkle thanks to glitter and iridescent acrylics.





And in the studio....



Yesterday, very happily, I sold the pin just above
in one of my Etsy shops. It's a lime slice made of baked
polymer clay, painted with acrylics,
and protected with varnish.
The rind says: "Destined for...gin!"



Since it's getting close to the Christmas shopping season, I made
these three handpainted pendants this morning.
I'm letting the protective top coat and epoxy resin dry.
Next, I'll fit them with ribbons and clasps and they'll be ready to go
into the shop.

And here they are with bubble chains. Swankness.

You, too, can have ears for earrings!

New art jewelry: painted, polymer clay ears
with translucent beads

What they look like when worn.
Ah, strange, surreal, exciting!
Yes, sometimes it's necessary to humor me.

And the little darlings from the back. Cupped like ears are.

And because they keep swinging to and fro,
I found it necessary to hold them for the pic.
Smile for the camera, kiddies!