Buchanan Art Center Class - Reminder!

Just want to remind you that there are still openings in my beginning metal clay class at the Buchanan Art Center on November 19th!

This is an introduction to Silver Metal Clay class where we will work with the different types of PMC and you will learn how to manipulate it into various jewelry designs.  All basic tools are supplied and you will leave class with one or two finished pieces.




The pictures posted here are ideas of what you can make in the class.  What a great time to learn how to work with metal clay and make a few Christmas Gifts too

Come join in the fun on:
Tuesday November 19, from 9 am - 4 pm  (bring a sack lunch)

 Fee: $45 members $50 non members plus the purchase of your class pack which will be approximately $60, I will have these ready for students on class day.




Sign up now before the class is full, deadline for registration is November 15th!

To register call the Buchanan Art Center at 269-697-4005
www.buchananartcenter.org

Metal Clay Classes

Buchanan Art Center

Metal Clay Classes being offered this Fall

by artist, Darlene Troyer

I'm so excited to be teaching again and I look forward to meeting lots of new students.  The fall class list has been posted on the art centers website and registrations are now open!  If you've wanted to take a metal clay class, now is the time.  To register for the classes below contact the Buchanan Art Center: http://buchananartcenter.org

SILVER LEAF PENDANT: SILVER METAL CLAY 

Darlene Troyer, Certified PMC Instructor. 
magdalenamoon.blogspot.com

Adults and Teens (max. 6, min. 4 students) SATURDAY SEPT 14.  9 AM - 4PM

$45 member  $50 nonmember.  +$45
Class Pack purchased from instructor in class. All tools supplied.

Create a lovely silver leaf pendant from a real leaf using Silver Metal Clay.  Using Precious Metal Clay (PMC) you will learn how to apply a layer of silver metal clay paste to a real leaf, along with ways to create a bail attachment that will make a stunning pendant. Additional information and print outs will be given on applying this technique to other natural materials.  Class pack includes a paint brush, one container of paste (enough to make one leaf), enough PMC for the bail, suitable fresh leaves and use of teacher's supplies and kiln firing.  Bring a sack lunch and beverage.

FINE SILVER JEWELRY: 
INTRODUCTION TO SILVER METAL CLAY

Darlene Troyer, Certified PMC Instructor.  magdalenamoon.blogspot.com

Adults and Teens (max. 6, min. 4 students)
TUESDAY, NOV 19.  9 AM - 4PM

$45 member  $50 nonmember.  +$60 average market price of Silver Metal Clay that must be purchased from instructor in class.  All tools supplied.

If you've wanted to work with metal clay but didn't know how to get started, this beginner class is for you.  Come join us and see how easy and rewarding it is! Learn to make beautiful silver jewelry using .999 fine silver PMC (precious metal clay).  Students will explore: the different types and properties of PMC, how to manipulate the silver clay into pieces of jewelry, proper firing techniques and how to finish their designs into stunning pieces of jewelry.  All basic tools will be supplied by the instructor for use in class. Bring a sack lunch and beverage.

If you have any questions about the above classes please send me an email and I will try to help in any way I can.

magdalenamoon@hotmail.com

Buchanan Art Center

117 West Front Street * Buchanan, MI 49107

269.697.4005

Peaches, Peaches, and more Peaches!!!

Last year I threatened to cut down the peach tree because it hadn't produced more than a half dozen peaches over the last 5 years.
So my hubby couldn't bare the thought I'd cut that tree down and he knows I can use a chain saw; he decided he'd better do something fast or else goodbye peach tree.  He sprayed that tree last fall and this spring with what must deserve the title "miracle grow" or "grow dammit grow" and wa-la, do we ever have peaches this year, that darned tree produce close to two bushels of luscious peaches.
Sunday we peeled peaches for hours and I made peach salsa, froze a small batch for peach smoothies (would do more but since the freezer got hit by lightening that takes care of freezing them) and then I made a big peach cobbler using my moms old recipe, mmm good.  I delivered peaches to my neighbor and best friend and I still have almost a bushel of peaches left.

So I searched for recipes today to use up the peaches cause they are so good and I can't wait to do something creative with them, other than dessert. I found 2 recipes I just have to try.  Basil peach jam, I love basil and I have a big bunch of it growing so that is getting made tonight!  The other recipe is for bourbon spiced peaches!  Many of you know we visited many distilleries along the Bourbon Trail earlier this summer and if I can sneak a bit of Ken's bourbon he got when we were down there, I just might try that recipe. I'm sure he will think its a waste of good bourbon, but it's for a good cause.
 Tonight, it's peach crisp for dinner with a scoop of ice cream for protein you know!
I guess threatening that tree with a chainsaw worked really well. What a happy conundrum!!!

          Now, I'm off to make that peach crisp for dinner!!!!

The Cat is Out of the Bag!

D2E GALLERY

The cat is finally out of the bag!  My Magdalena Moon jewelry designs can now be purchased at D2E Gallery in Crown Point, IN! 

I’m so excited to be a part of this beautiful artisan gallery. 

D2E owners Chris and Michell Mathis make a beautiful line of original handmade jewelry designs that are available at the Gallery and online on Etsy.

Since they create jewelry themselves, they know the amount of hard work, countless hours of time and dedication that goes into creating jewelry designs, one piece at a time.

I have a full line of fine silver and bronze jewelry for you to choose from at the gallery and I do hope you get a chance to stop in see not only my jewelry, but the many other items they carry.  

Here are just a few of the many Magdalena Moon Designs now at D2E Gallery!

 

D2E Gallery & Gifts is located at:

702 Merrillville Rd,

Crown Point, IN 46307

Store Hours:

Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm

Saturday 2 - 6 pm

219-779-9816

Art Show Season!

Can it really be the middle of August already? Oh my, where has the summer gone?  My art show season has come to an end much sooner than normal this year as I will not be at the Carmel or Chapel Hill shows this year.  Even though I will miss doing them, I’m looking forward to having some time to work around the house. I still have so many things I want to do outside like paint the chimney (I can’t wait to get started on this project), and I have great plans to revamp the little deck under my peach tree. I want to turn it into a cozy little retreat to sit and read and gaze at the sky.  Then, there are bushes and bulbs that I want to plant by the deck area before winter settles in.
Thanks to Pinterest my mind is swimming with ideas of transforming so many things around the house!

Wind, rain, cold and heat, we had our fair share of them all this art show season.  It still amazes me that one week it’s so hot we can barely stand it and the next weekend we need a winter coat.  My rain slicker became my best friend this summer; I do not leave home without it.

However, it’s not the weather that is the most memorable, it’s the people!

My customers are the best!  They encourage, uplift and inspire me in so many ways.  I can’t thank them enough for their support.  They have left footprints on my heart.  

So for now, we have packed away the booth and supplies and put them in storage.  Even though my show season has come to an end I will still be very busy working on new designs and plans. 

I will be posting items on Etsy later this fall and if you live in the Indiana area you can now find my designs at D2E Gallery in Crown Point, IN!!!!!

METAL CLAY CLASSES

I’m Teaching Again!

I will be teaching Metal Clay Classes this fall at Buchanan Art Center.  

So many of you have asked me when I will be teaching metal clay classes again and I’m excited to announce I’m one of the new instructors at the Art Center. 

I will be teaching two classes this fall :  a Metal Clay Silver Leaf pendant class in September and a Basic Intro To Metal Clay class in November.  

Fall Class Schedules will be out in a couple of weeks.  

BUCHANAN ART CENTER - BUCHANAN, MI

For more information check out the Buchanan Art Center website at:  http://buchananartcenter.org

Or call: 269.697.4005

I look forward to teaching there and can’t wait to see what my students will create.

Memorial Weekend - Wine & Art Show

10th Annual Lemon Creek Winery Art Festival!

I love doing this show!  Music, great wine and art show too!  It's a small show with a home town feel and if you're looking for a fun afternoon without the big crowds, this is the show for you!

I'll have pieces from my new vintage jewelry line on display and much more to tease you with.

So, come on out to Lemon Creek Winery in Berrien Spring this Saturday and Sunday for a great time.

Bring your lawn chairs, a picnic basket and sit back and enjoy the music, taste some wine and enjoy the mixed media art by local artists.  What a way to start the summer!  Bring a jacket too, sounds like it will be cool.

 Show hours are from 12:00 - 5:00 each day. 

A Day at the Beach

     My goal Sunday was to search the big antique show up at St. Joe, Mi for treasures to use in jewelry designs.  Nothing like shopping on the bluff with the breeze from Lake Michigan gently blowing in your face.  I didn't get much, but did find 4 pieces I think will make sweet vintage necklaces. 
     It was just a perfect day, the breeze felt great, the sky was that perfect color of blue and oh, it was warm and the sun was shining!  Something we haven't had in this neck of the woods for a long time.
I was hungry by then and stopped for a sub at Jimmy John's (my first and last for sure) and then headed to the beach.
      I walked the shoreline, gathered small pieces of driftwood, took lots of pictures and sorted through issues in my head as the waves lapped upon the beach.  The water was oh so cold, but I found it refreshing.  Nothing like time spent at the beach to wash away the cob webs in your mind and fill you full of inspiration. 
  Now I'm ready for the challenges of the week ahead!

“I am forever walking upon these shores,
Betwixt the sand and the foam,
The high tide will erase my food prints,
And the wind will blow away the foam,
But the sea and the shore will remain forever” 

-Kahil Gibran

5 New Things Learned - Task Accomplished!

Well, sometimes life just whops you up the side of the head and changes your plans. My springtime headaches are back with a vengeance so Wednesday and Thursday's new challenges had to be put on hold for another day.

By Friday the headache's simmered down, and the UPS man delivered my new toys, a dapping block and sheets of copper and bronze!

I couldn't wait to get started, so I gather up my supplies and headed out to the deck to work in the sunshine. Off to work I went, hammering and punching out copper discs from the piece I'd etched earlier in the week. Oh, so much fun.  It takes some muscle to cut these discs!

Now that I had the discs cut out, it was time to learn how to dome them. This proved more of a challenge than I expected.  It's going to take me a little time till I get it mastered, but you know how headstrong I am, it won't take long.

So, the work week was quickly coming to an end and I had tackled and learned 4 new things!  So, right now I can hear some of you say, hmm, I thought she planned 5 new things.  What great memories you have.

Last but certainly not least -  #5 - Hooking up my laser printer! It has set in my studio for the last year, waiting for me to hook it up!  Oh yeah, I can do it.  The laser printer will allow me to print designs onto specially formulated PNP paper so that I can make etching plates.  I can't wait to get going on these now.

Amazing what we can do in a week if we just try!  Challenging myself to learn 5 new things in one week not only was rewarding, but it stretched me and I grew.  It also took me out of my comfort zone and expanded my horizons and challenged me in many ways I hadn't expected.

Challenges! Goals! Ideas!  If we don't make the time to play, no one else will! 

Take time to learn and grow - I did!  You can too! 

TUESDSAY - etching on metal!

Day 2 of learning one new thing a week.

I’ve wanted to learn metal etching for some time now and it’s what I had planned for my Tuesday session but it was rainy and grey out that morning and I wasn’t feeling my best. I struggled with the idea of snuggling with a blanket and a good book.  However, I just couldn’t give up so soon on my newly formed pack to learn something new each day this week (see previous article below), so I got my fanny off the couch and into my studio.   

I re-read all the tutorials I saved the last 2 years, gathered up all the necessary items needed and spent my afternoon sawing, stamping and etching copper. Oh baby, what fun!!!  Yup, this technique is a keeper and I will be making lots more of these that’s for sure.  Can’t wait to use my Zentangle drawings to make my own texture plates.  My head is swimming with ideas and the things I can do now.  Glad I didn’t cop out and read a book today!!!  

Here are my first two metal etching plates

.