Back in my Home Studio, with students!

The Devil's Table at the Family Values Restaurant: overview. The "boxcars" through the Devil's Scorecard window are brooches. Plexiglas, copper, enamels, silver, patinas.

One of the "boxcars", a brooch, in copper, silver, enamels and patina.

In the past six months, I moved out of the arts council studio and I've rearranged my home studio to accommodate up to three students in jewelry classes.  It's really nice, with plenty of space to work, and use the three torches and the PMC kiln, which also works for enameling, and the other tools that are so necessary to a jewelry studio: roller mill, band saw, belt sander and buffer.  The sinks make cleanup easy, and I still have room for my own work.  My students are really great, and incredibly motivated, which makes the move very easy.

I made a piece, The Devil's Breakfast at the Family Values Restaurant, (above) which was photographed by Joseph Hyde in Baltimore (my go-to guy) and I've made applications to two venues.   The first is the Enamel Guild North East, which is sponsoring a show in Worcester, MA.  Lisa Harman went with me to have Joseph photograph some of her awesome pieces and applied for the same show.  We agreed if we both get in, we'll take a road trip to Massachusetts!  She's been such a great student/mentee.  Her show in May at the arts council was terrific: a collection of all of her enamel pieces, paintings, and constructions as part of her requirements for her Masters from Wilson.  I loved being her mentor: I'd show her a process and she'd run with it!  Incredible.  Plus, she's really nice.

So, whether I get into a show or not-- the second one is in St Louis, where I showed my Ladies in Purdah Tea Ring years ago-- I'm moving on to my next work, which might have something to do with the children from the border crossing fiasco at the Mexican/Texan border.  My best work seems to be rooted in social comment, so I'll continue the journey. 

The top photo is  the overview of The Devil's Breakfast at the Family Values Restaurant.  The small boxcar graffiti-- MARCH-- is one of three brooches inspired by the young people from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  The Names, below, are names of places and number of people killed there, and acts as the Devil's scorecard, scratched in the window of the restaurant.
All photos by Joseph Hyde

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