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The Journal of the International PMC Guild
fusion
Hattie Sanderson — Project D2, Gold Layer as Embellishment
Introducing the Masters Registry
When PMC was first introduced to the US market in 1996, it arrived un-burdened by history, hierarchy, or structure. This made possible an unique freshness and allowed the field to develop its own standards. A significant milestone was reached with the creation of the first certification program in May of 1999. The concept was borrowed from Japan, where PMC is made, but the projects and the approach were created specifically for an American audience. Still going strong, and now offered by both Mitsubishi distributors, the certification program revolves around specific classes taught be selected leaders. This summer saw the public announcement of the next major step in the progress of metal clay. After four years of development, the Metal Clay Masters Registry was unveiled at the conference in July, along with an exhibition of work made by early participants in the program. “The Registry is perhaps best understood by what it is not,” says Tim McCreight, one of the people involved in its creation. “The Masters Registry is not connected with any distributor, nor does it involve a class or a discount. The Registry is international in scope and requires a significant involvement from serious artists seeking professional credentials.” The Registry consists of a carefully developed program of fifty-one projects, each made within specific parameters. Unlike certification programs, each projects will be a unique design created by the candidate. When ten projects have been completed, they will be sent to a central office, where they will be cata-loged and photographed. From there they go to an evaluator
Metal Clay
Masters Registry
An exhibition of Registry projects drew enthusiastic response at the conference.
who will examine each piece and score it against a uniform standard. Candidates will recieve their work back along with professional quality images and their scores. Where work falls below Registry standards, personalized explanations will be given. Candidates are allowed to resubmit work as needed until the piece passes. The program began to take shape in the summer of 2004, when it was shared with a few leaders in the field. Those familiar with similar programs in other fields immediately saw the value of a demanding and comprehensive credentialing device. Reviewers from outside the US were quick to applaud the formal designation that will help them establish metal clay as a legitimate media within the craft world. The next step was to enlist the aid of a few people to advance the outline from its rough state to a more detailed list. This small group also began to formulate policies and tackle difficult questions of mechanics, infrastructure, and costs. That group then
enlisted the aid of a larger group of volunteers to test the program. “This proved to be a critical part of the evolution,” says McCreight.
e PMC Guild is a members organization with
the mission of providing support, education, and
exposure for artists working in Precious Metal Clay.
PMC Guild1921 Cliffview LaneFlorence, KY 41042
To Join, Renew, or Edit Info Online
www.PMCguild.com
Membership Questions (toll-free)
866–315–6487
Speak with the Director859–586–0595
Executive DirectorJeanette [email protected]
TreasurerDarnall [email protected]
Communications Tim McCreight [email protected]
Journal EditorBob [email protected]
Chapter LiaisonDamian [email protected]
Web ManagerSadelle [email protected]
PMCInternational
Project A2Textured Bi-cone Bead
Celie Fago
Projects A4, Constructed Box & B4,Basse-taille PanelJeane�e Landenwitch
This page shows three projects that successfully answered the challenge of Project A7. Here is the description as it was given to the candidates:Hollow metal clay beads of uniform shape, surface, and finish, perfectly graduated and strung. This is an exer-cise to test control in creating hollow beads in a precise scale. The beads can be spheres, ovals, cubes, or similar en-closed shapes, but only a single shape should be used. Quality comes first, but also, more beads translates to a higher score. The surfaces can be embellished, polished, or patinaed, but they should be consistent throughout the entire piece. The clasp should relate to the beads and should function well.
Each project will be awarded 10 points; a score of 7.0 is sufficient to pass. Here is the itemized criteria for this project.
Complexity of the necklace 4.0 Precise sequencing 3.5Uniform finish 2.5
Above: Elizabeth Agte, Right: Jeane�e Landenwitch,
Below: Lisa Cain
The fifteen artists represented a wide cross-section of the metal clay com-munity, including people from the US, England, Holland, and Australia. They brought backgrounds in polymer clay, ceramics, and metalsmithing, along with familiarity with both brands of metal clay. Over the course of the next 18 months, this group made the projects as they were defined so far, and in many cases, their work made it clear that the descriptions needed further work. “What we have today, though still a work-in-progress, is far superior to what we had before this group got involved,” McCreight said. “Their work and feedback have shaped and improved the Registry at every step of the way. “ Response to the program has been quick and encouraging. Within the first week, five people signed up and paid the initial fee. This comment stikes a chord echoed by several candidates and potential candidates:This progam gives me direction--a good number of projects, and a good variety of techniques with which to work. I have a tendency to go back to the same familiar methods that are comfortable to me, and don’t take the time that I should to delve into the trial and error phase of learning new techniques. This program leads me there. The program offers five levels of accredidation, all of which deserve serious attention from the crafts community. Even those who do not move all the way through the program will find their work improved and their confidence increased. The Registry will turn its attention now to commu-nicating the value and rigor of the program to universities and government agencies with the goal of securing for its successful candidates the high status they will have earned. Anyone interested in the Masters Registry is encouraged to visit MastersRegistry.com for more information. It is also possible to register through the site…perhaps this is the next step for you.
ConstructionA1 Cube, Cone & SphereA2 Textured Bi-cone BeadA3 Syringe ProjectA4 Constructed BoxA5 Sleeve Container PendantA6 Box with Friction LidA7 Necklace of Graduated BeadsA8 Nesting Rings with GemA9 Necklace with Handmade ChainA10 Candidate’s Choice
Credential Levels
Registry I Ten projects, any two from each category.
Registry II Ten new projects, at least one from each category.
Registry III Ten additional projects, at least one from each category.
Registry IV Ten additional projects, at least one from each category.
Registry V The remaining ten projects, plus a significant original work.
Metal Clay & Other MetalsD1 Combine Silver and GoldD2 Gold Layer as DetailD3 Gold Layer as Full Cover D4 Keum-boo on a Spoon D5 Combine PMC with SteelD6 Metal Clay with a Copper AlloyD7 Metal Clay with a White MetalD8 Metal Clay with a Found ObjectD9 Using a Manufactured ComponentD10 Candidate’s Choice
ColorB1 Bezel Set After FiringB2 Set Multiple Faceted Stones B3 Torch Fired Enamel EarringsB4 Basse-taille Enamel PanelB5 Plique-a-jour EarringsB6 Resin Inlay in a Wearable PieceB7 Resin Handle on Tool or UtensilB8 Dry Media (Prismacolor, etc.)B9 Patina SamplerB10 Candidate’s Choice
MaterialsC1 Brooch with Stilt RivetsC2 Box with Metal Clay LidC3 Five Glass PanelsC4 Bracelet with FramesC5 FibulaC6 Combine Metal Clay with PlasticC7 Metal Clay with Natural MaterialC8 Passive CollaborationC9 Active CollaborationC10 Candidate’s Choice
E1 Votive FigureE2 Hallmark and StampE3 Metal Clay PaperE4 Box with Hinge & CatchE5 Multiples Challenge
E6 Stencil ProcessE7 MiniaturesE8 Mechanics E9 Threaded ClosureE10 Candidate’s Choice
Miscellaneous
Overview of the Masters Registry Program
Photographer’s NotebookTim McCreight, Contributing Editor
As if it isn’t hard enough to make innovative and well-constructed work, now we find out that the photographs of our jewelry need to be excep-tional too! It’s not always a pleasant thought, but the reality is that by far the most people who see your work will see it in a photograph rather than in the flesh. Wear a piece every day for the rest of your life and your audi-ence will be in the hundreds. Get one photo in a magazine and it will be seen by tens of thousands. And how do you get your photo in a magazine? Back to the same point—it needs to be top notch.
Let’s be clear that excellent photography is not a stand-in for creative work of the highest quality. That is the most important element, and even a great photograph will not make up for poor designs or lack of craftsman-ship. But even the best work will suffer if it is poorly photographed.
So, what makes a good photograph? First, it must be sharp and in high resolution. This is a result of having a good camera and a good eye. Second, the lighting should be matched to the exposure, and directed so it avoids hotspots and distracting shadows. Third, the background and framing should compliment the piece, giving it presence, clarity, and elegance.
Because each piece you make is unique, each photograph must be ap-proached as an individual set of problems. Get used to the idea that a good photograph is going to take a while to create. Besides getting the gear set up, you need to consider each piece to determine its best angle, then me-ticulously position it so the camera flatters the design. And then you need to position the lights to create an image that is fully illuminated but not garishly harsh. Then, and only then, does it make sense to click the shutter.
To make these points clear, we’ve created some photos that aggre-giously demonstrate what not to do. For simplicity’s sake, we used the same piece in each image, a pair of simple round earrings. Here’s a little game you can play if you want to test yourself. Cover up the right-hand column on the next page and see if you can identify what is wrong with each picture before reading the caption. Bear in mind that we might be breaking more than one rule at a time.
Framing
These pieces are lost in the center of this large rectangle. Also, you might notice that the earrings are reflecting in a piece of glass. This effect works sometimes, but here it is too small to be anything other than a distraction.
Edit the Information
In this image the ear nuts have been removed and placed in the foreground. Are the find-ings really that important? Also, notice that the jewelry is still small and not centered in the frame.
Confusing Position
Here the photographer has allowed us to see the back side of one of the earrings. Not only does this offer no useful infor-mation, but it makes a confusing image and again features boring commercial findings too promi-nently.
Reflection
This is probably the best so far, but the reflection in the glass beneath the earrings is distract-ing, as are the ear nuts. Finding the right background mate-rial is difficult; in this case, keep looking.
Background
This might be an attractive pattern for wrapping paper or a shirt, but it competes with the jewelry, making a confusing image that requires too much work by viewers. Almost always, the plainer the better.
Props
Fashion photography makes dramatic use of props, but they are poison in the fine art world. What is the subject of this image—rocks, a composition, jewelry, or those two “eyes” staring out at us?
All photos by Michael Deles (who really can do better).
Editorial
Humility is a characteristic we value deeply here at the PMC Guild. As artists, we know it’s always better to have someone else assess your work than it is to talk about it yourself. But please forgive us as we suspend that good advice for just a minute to toot our own horn. As part of our post-conference wrap-up, we surveyed the 400 or so of you who attended the goings-on at Purdue University. We are thrilled to report that more than 60% of the conference attendees responded to our survey. We’ll get to the results in a minute, but consider that percentage for just a moment. We’ve talked to a few people who are in the business of public opinion and public surveys, and they have affirmed our suspicion that a 60% response rate bodes very well for the PMC Guild. “It’s a measure of the organization’s depth of relationship with its members,” one expert told me. “Clearly, the people who replied to the survey felt committed enough to the Guild to take the time to reply.”We do not take lightly your responses, and we thank those of you who made an effort to reply. Those who did not, there is still time. The survey remains active and can be accessed in the News section of the Guild web site: www.PMCguild.com. The results will help us in our planning and as-sessment processes as we prepare for the next conference in 2010.
Now, about the results. Here are some nuggets to chew on:
• More than half of the 395 people who attended the conference (57%) attended for the first time.• The most important activity of the conference is the opportunity to attend seminars, followed by demonstrations, and social networking.• Most people liked the Tech Expo, which was new this year, though we realize we have to do a better job having the artists on hand to explain their topics.• A question about the conference location elicited a mixed response.
This issue of Fusion contains the third installment of a feature we call the Visual Trigger Challenge. As you see elsewhere in the journal, our creative members have made work that responds to a particular image. We will select a first-place winner and runners-up to be included in the following issue. In addition to this international
exposure, the first-place winner will receive $100 worth of PMC. Submitted work can be wearable, sculptural, or functional, and can include additional materials besides PMC. The winners will demonstrate creativity, craftsmanship, and a clear reference to the target image. Send a digital image to [email protected] any time before December 5, 2008. Good luck!
Fusion Visual Trigger Challenge
Most people – 147 of the 245 who replied – said they liked the conference site, and that the pros of Purdue outweighed the cons. However, a large number of respondents – 60 people – said they preferred another site.• We are also happy to note that 212 of those who replied said they were happy with the conference, rating it either good or excellent. Twenty-eight people said the conference was “fair,” and four rated it as “poor.”
Jeanette Landenwitch, the Guild’s Executive Director, said the survey results are vitally important to the conference planning process.“The success of our conference depends upon what we offer to those in attendance, so feedback from our attendees is important. The survey is a great way to find out what kind of information our attendees are looking for, and gives us the means to assess the needs of the metal clay commu-nity,” she said. “The 60% response rate shows that our attendees are willing to let us know what they’re thinking, which makes them active participants in contributing to the quality of our conferences.”
— Bob Keyes
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Bill Struve, Mr. Bronze Clay
Bill Struve is a smart man. He proved it during a long academic career, earning a PhD and teaching chemistry at the University of Tennessee. He worked with graduate students in the medical and dental schools, and also conducted research for the National Institutes of Health. Later, in retire-ment, he learned to program computers.
And now, at age 70, he has invented bronze clay, a mate-rial similar in nature and process to precious metal clay. Struve (rhymes with “groovy”) introduced bronze clay at the PMC Conference at Purdue in July, setting the art jewelry world on edge with excitement and antici-pation. Almost overnight, the quiet scientist had become a rock star.Struve, who lives in North
Carolina, is a little shy about all the attention he’s been receiving, but grate-ful that bronze clay has been well received by so many. “What really thrills me is the number of people who have said ‘Thank you for inventing this.’ That is my biggest reward, people thanking me and actually using it and making beautiful stuff.” The material is very new, and people are experimenting to learn the best firing practices to achieve desired results. But the early response has been posi-tive. Rio Grande, which is marketing the material under the name BronzClay® is the exclusive distributor of the material. They made a big splash at the con-ference by offering free samples to all the attendees at the PMC Conference. Struve’s bronze clay quest began in August 2006, thanks to his wife, LaceyAnn. It was her initial interest in PMC that got Struve thinking about
other materials she could work with, experimenting first with nickel.“I told her I thought I could make a clay with other metals and she said, ‘Go for it.’ I just happened to have a gallon of nickel powder that I have been carrying around for twenty years, so I started with that,” Struve said. Bill explained that he’d accompany LaceyAnn when she attended PMC work-shops or conferences, bringing with him a portable kiln. While LaceyAnn was away taking classes, he would stay behind and set up shop in the hotel room, mixing ingredients. Eventually, Struve moved away from nickel and settled on bronze. He realized that bronze has a more appealing color, and that nickel duplicated other products already available. Jeanette Landenwitch, Executive Director of the PMC Guild, met Bill Struve for the first time at last year’s Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. She heard a buzz about bronze clay and that the person who was develop-ing it was at the show. Landenwitch arranged a meeting with the Struves, and over lunch, he showed Landenwitch his first bronze experiments, in-cluding several test strips that had been fired flat then bent into a U-shape.“He was telling me how strong it was, and to prove his point, offered that I could stand on the sample,” Landenwitch said. Not common behavior in most restaurants, but OK at Bead & Button. The piece withstood the test. Landenwitch remembers being impressed. “Needless to say, the prospect of this new clay was incredibly exciting, and Bill was in the beginning stages of getting the ball rolling toward making this wonderful new product available to all. And he’s come a long way with it in just a couple of years.” Working with tin and copper to make bronze, Struve taught himself metallurgy during the invention process. He went through hundreds of variations of his formula—and tens of thousands of dollars—before finding the right mix. His background in chemistry facilitated his education in metallurgy, but nothing in his years of academic training prepared him to work in the creative arts. Struve wanted to be able to use the material he was creating, so he took a course on silversmithing. Later he successfully completed the Rio Rewards certification program.
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Bronze clay has taken over his life, and he’s got the body art to prove it. At the July conference, Struve and a friend met each other’s challenge and got a tattoo. He had the linear B symbol for bronze inscribed on his right-inside forearm. Landenwitch describes Struve as straight-forward and down-to-earth, and open to suggestions. “He looks forward to receiving input from those who have been given the opportunity to experiment with the various formulations,” she said. “He is always willing to answer questions and offer ideas.” These days, producing enough bronze clay to keep up with demand is his sole focus. He and LaceyAnn manufacture it all, mixing metal powders, water, and other components in a small building behind their home in North Carolina. Their company is called Metal Adventures Inc., and their mission is to develop and produce copper, bronze, and nickel metal clays for artists and jewelry makers. “Anything anybody wants, let me know. I can work on it,” he said. Struve incorporated the company in November 2006, before he knew he had arrived at his invention. “I got excited pretty fast,” he said. “I knew we were on to something, and it was just a matter of time.” Right now, it’s a lot of work. “I usually go to bed around 2 a.m., and I’m up around 6 or so. I work Saturday and Sunday. Other than that, my time is pretty free,” he says with a laugh. “I love what I do. I really do. It gets frustrating at times—sometimes machinery doesn’t do what I want it to do, or the orders come in faster than we can supply them. But it’s gratifying , and a lot of fun.” Landenwitch knows from first-hand experience that Struve means it when he says he is having fun, despite the work load. “Even though it can be taxing at times, he seems to enjoy every minute of it,” she said. “He genuinely enjoys being with the people he’s met through his adventure with bronze clay.”
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Ask SolDear Sol,I recently had some of my pieces professionally photographed and now I’m not sure what to do next. My husband thinks I should send pictures to books and magazines, but that feels pushy and pretentious.
Wringing my hands, Sally
Dear Sally,I think your husband has the right idea. Making an investment in great photos will only pay off if the images are widely seen. The people who publish books and magazines are always on the lookout for interesting work, but they only see a fraction of what is being made. It’s your job to put your working in front of them. How do you do that? you might ask. There is no fixed recipe, but here are a few thoughts:
1. Make it easy for them. Copy your photos onto a CD and provide a page with thumbnails and another page with caption information such as name, materials, size, and photographer credits.
2. Be your own editor. Choose the best photos of your most interesting work, then quit. One or two views of a dozen pieces is an appropriate bundle.
3. Be courteous and professional. Include a cover letter with a line or two about yourself and thanking the editor for reviewing your photos. Be sure to include your contact information so they can get in touch with you.
Make it clear that you don’t expect the CD back and that you are available if more details are needed. I don’t think a follow-up call is needed, though some people might suggest that. To save yourself time and expense, don’t make this a massive assault on the media industry. Choose magazines and book publishers whose style and audience are a match for your work. Don’t feel you need to limit yourself to one, but don’t send the same images to lots of publications. Over-exposure of a single piece is not as valuable as having new work appear regularly over a longer period. Bottom line: Don’t be aggressive but don’t be shy. You owe it to your work to get those photos in the mail!
Good luck!
Sol
Send your philosophical quandaries to Ask Sol, c/o [email protected].
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The latest news from the PMC Guild UK is only a mouse click away. The UK Guild recently began communicating with its 140 members via an electronic newsletter. “This e-news is such a great format for communicat-ing quickly and easily,” said UK guild director Lisa Cain. “It costs very little, is easy to put together, and everybody gets it at the click of a button. I can include photos and news without having to worry about printing issues or whether the post will arrive safely.” The guild is in the process of adding a button on the UK web site (www.pmcguild.co.uk) so that people who are not yet members can sub-scribe to receive the newsletter simply by adding their e-mail address in the subscription box. In the meantime, people can receive the newsletter by e-mailing a request to [email protected]. Ms. Cain explained that the UK Guild was formed in 2005. Interest in metal clay had grown to the point that it made sense to have an official British affiliate to the PMC Guild International. Her experience with PMC began when she took a class in England in 1998. She was amazed by this “pliable metal” and wanted to learn more. At the outset, it was difficult because PMC was not widely available and few people in England knew anything about it. Cain kept talking about it, introducing jewelers to PMC and spreading the word at the street level. In 2005, she invited a PMC pioneer to talk at a convention for jewelers in Cornwall. Soon after, the UK Guild became the first official affiliate of the international guild. “PMC was much slower to pick up in this country, and you are at least five years ahead of us in America with craft trends,” Cain said. “I also noticed this with dichroic glass. It was suddenly popular in the Sates and then appeared several years later here in England. Whilst the dichroic trend has definitely subsided, it seems metal clay is here to stay.” Indeed it is. The growth of the UK Guild is slow but steady. It adds about four new members each month, although that rate increases when there is an event or a PMC breakthrough. “Part of my job as director here
UK Guild Announces an Electronic Newsletter
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is to stimulate interest in the PMC Guild, and I do this in a number of ways. Whenever I teach classes, I alert students to the web site, the Annual, and of course Fusion, as well as all the other benefits that go with membership. We have relatively few art magazines here, but I make sure news of the Guild gets included in the Association of Contemporary Jewellery and The Craftsman magazine whenever possible.” One of the UK Guild’s public events is a symposium offered in the years when there is not a PMC conference. The second syposium will be held in August 2009 in Bristol. The inaugural symposium attracted about 70 people to London, with many traveling from elsewhere in Europe to attend. That was an astonishing turnout, given that membership in the UK Guild at the time hadn’t topped 100. There were speakers, a vendors’ room, an exhibition of PMC work, an awards ceremony for the winners of the Little Treasures competition, a lunch and lots of networking. For the 2009 symposium, Cain hopes to extend the one-day event to include a pre-sym-posium gathering the night before. “We are finalizing details now and will be able to inform our members via our spiffy e-mail newsletter in the next couple of weeks,” she said. Cain is proud of the UK Guild and eager to spread the word. “Gener-ally, the English are not big on joining organizations, so I am most proud that we are growing steadily,” she said. “Here as elsewhere, the unifying character of the members across the world is their willingness to share information and enthusiasm, and that continues to make the PMC Guild a great organization.”
Even though they lacked proper tools, there was no time to wait. At the PMC Conference in July, five members of the Tucson Southern Arizona Alchemists—Marnie Ehlers, Doris King, Mary-anne Mott, Ruth Bollerud and Lucy Pirro—and a friend from the UK, Ajike Doherty, received their 30-gram packages of bronze clay, went to a table in the corner of the vendor room and began to experiment. “We had no tools except a half-inch PVC roller and a couple of new rubber stamps. We became very resourceful,” Pirro reports. “One person had sheet protec-tors, and we bought a small container of Badger Balm and started our jewelry. We used cocktail napkins instead of playing cards for thickness and began rolling our clay. Some used potato chips for texture and others used the rough outside of the potato chip bowl. Another member suggested we use the foil package that had contained the bronze clay as a cutter; our improvised drill bit was an earring wire from one of the earrings someone was wearing. Another artist had toothpicks in her purse and they were quickly used to make details on our jewelry. From lump of clay to finished product ready for firing took about 45 minutes.” Pirro summed it up this way: “The results were great and a fun time was had by all.” MacGiver, eat your heart out.
Notes from PMC Guild Chapters and Members
Lucy Pirro uses the edge of a package as a makeshi� cu�ing tool.
www.Artique.org847-977-4444
Step by step PMC instruction on DVD series Silver in No Time,
PMC Classes, products and services by Linda Bernstein.
Lynda McCann-Olson of the Maine Chapter spent her summer learning as a recipient of a Maine Art Teacher’s Fellowship. She writes, “My goal has been to develop technique and innovation in metal clay along with gaining skills in traditional metalsmithing. My goals are being met by working with mentor artists, attending workshops at the PMC Conference, and taking classes at Maine College of Art.” Her busy and exciting summer began in May, when she attended a Keum-Boo and Hollow Forms workshop in Vermont at the studio of metal clay artist Celie Fago. She learned specific techniques and also met inspiring colleagues and learned about the bronze clay. The experience was so positive that she returned later in the summer to spend another intensive week with Celie, this time focusing on BronzClay.
• • •The Chesapeake Chapter in Maryland lost a longtime friend in June with the passing of Cookie Kliever, at age 64. She died from colon cancer. Kliever was a multi-talented artist. She did painting, needlepoint, quilting and pho-tography, and also was an accomplished jewelrymaker working with PMC. She was a prolific designer and producer of PMC jewelry, and was among the first artists in the mid-Atlantic states to be certified as a PMC instruc-tor. She was a founder and first president of the regional PMC chapter. She is survived by her husband and two sons.
• • •Artists are invited to submit entries for “Surfacing,” the 12th Biennial International Juried Enamel Exhibition and 8th International Juried Student Exhibition sponsored by The Enamelist Society. The exhibition will be July 22-Aug. 22, 2009, at the Oakland Art Gallery in Oakland, California in con-junction with the 2009 Enamelist Society Conference. Cost of entry is $30 for Society members, $40 for non-members and $15 for students. Submis-sions for the exhibitions must be made using digital images only. Deadline for entry is January 16, 2009. For details, visit www.enamelistsociety.org/Activities.
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It started small and blossomed. The metal clay community raised $12,270 for charity, by raffling handcrafted charm bracelets at the recent PMC Guild Conference. Metal clay artists donated more than 500 charms to create more than 30 bracelets. The American Cancer Society and the Marrow Foundation shared the money, which was raised in honor of Robin Whit-temore, a member of the Yahoo Metalclay community who died last year. Holly Gage, who coordinated the project, said she was thrilled with the results. “It started out being this very small idea. I just didn’t expect it would go over as well as it did. But it was one of those little ideas that just grew,” Gage said. During the final rush after the charms had been collected, Gage and two friends, Cindy Silas and Carol Hamilton, spent twelve hours making bracelets. “They came over to my house, and we made charm bracelets. My husband cooked us dinner, and it was more fun than it was work,” she said. Many of the charms arrived with notes, honoring a friend or family member who died from cancer. Charms came mostly from the United States, but there were some from as far away as Sweden. Gage felt overwhelmed. “I got a gift I didn’t expect.”
Above: Conferees eagerly watch as winning names are drawn. Below: two of the 30 bracelets.
Charms for Charity Update
Thanks to all the people who responded to this challenge. As promised, the winner will receive $100 worth of PMC. Check out the back cover and page 11 for the next Visual Trigger Challenge.
Visual Trigger Challenge
There is a romantic image of artists being struck by inspiration like a bolt of lightning from the sky, but most working artists know that they are usually responding to stimulii, often in a conscious way. The Visual Trigger Challenge provides a single image and asks members to make a metal clay object that responds to the visual information it contains.
Congratulations to Amy Culp for her bead in PMC and flocking. The judges felt that her entry captured the angles and color pallet of the photo without introducing extraneous or contradictory information. Way to go, Amy!
Runners Up
Other Entries
Laurie Union
Holly Gage
TinaChristie
Donna Leibensperger
Louide Li�leLampworked glass bead & PMC
Louide Shadonix, Sushi to Go,PMC and opals
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Fusion Visual Trigger Challenge: See inside for details
Fusion: e Journal of the PM
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uild, its staff, and contributors specically disclaim any responsibility or
liability for damages or injury as a result of any construction, design, use, m
anufacture, or any other activity undertaken as a result of the use or application of inform
ation contained in any Fusion issue or article.
