Labour Day Art & Craft Market at Mission Bay 2011

The weather was perfect for this years market but things were pretty quite during the morning - I guess a lot of people were sleeping in after celebrating New Zealand winning the Rugby World Cup last night. Despite the All Blacks Parade around the city centre in the afternoon, a lot more people came to the market later in the day.

I had a wide range of polymer clay items for sale including brooches, HANGAs, artwork and many one-off trial pieces. However, I made a discovery which was rather alarming, for my most recent line of 'beachwear accessories'. The intensity of the sun was so great it caused the sarong buckles, and other thinner items at the front of my table, to get so hot they became extremely soft and flexible (like when they have just come out of the oven).

After pulling the whole table into the shade, the pieces returned to normal once they had cooled down. It was only a nice Spring day, not the height of Summer, but because there is a whole in the ozone layer over New Zealand the suns rays are extra intense. This may put a stop to my range of polymer clay beachwear accessories. I will have to see what happens if I wear the sarong buckles and other items on the beach during the Summer.

The HANGA

The HANGA prototype

For some time I have been toying with the idea of designing brooches that you can hang your reading glasses from. In fact, also sun glasses, identity badges and anything else that my come to mind (maybe charms or ipod ear pieces?). My original idea was to incorporate a hanging ring into the brooch design but so far I have been unable to source any suitable solid metal (rather than plated) rings here in New Zealand. The only suitable ones I have found, from America, are not viable due to the excessive postage costs.

Keen to try out the idea, as feedback from initial discussions with several people has been very positive, I made my first prototype last month (around 15 August) purely from polymer clay. I have road tested it as a brooch, for both functionality and feedback, at the last few events that I have done. The comments have been encouraging and I have already had a couple of potential orders, so I intend to make some for this years Christmas markets. It seems quite strong and durable just being made from polymer clay – and most importantly, it works. I have used my only pair of reading glasses and they have not fallen off!

Several people have said that they do not wear brooches but would love one as a pendant, so I was considering making some of each. I want to have a wide range of colours and designs but it is inevitable that I will not have the right one available in the brooch or pendant form. Then I remembered having seen and managed to track down a 2 in 1 finding – it is a brooch pin with a bail soldered on. This means I only have to make one type. I have ordered some of these findings to try out (from Australia) and am keeping my fingers crossed that they arrive in time for me to complete the pieces I have started for the forthcoming markets.

I have spent the last few days trying to think of a name for this ‘brooch/pendant to hang your reading glasses, sun glasses or identity badge from’. Every name Colin and I came up with already existed, as some other object. The only name that did not, was the very first one I thought of – HANGA. I thought of this because it is a brooch/pendant on which you can ‘hang a’ pair of glasses, badge or other item. The name is short and catchy but not too tacky.

Also, co-incidentally, when I looked in the The Reed Dictionary of Modern Maori at work, 'hanga' can be translated as 'build, create, transform, make, compose, construct, generate, shape'. I may need to seek further clarification of this but it is better than 'hango' which is 'shovel'. Whilst an appropriate Maori translation is not essential, as I am making these in New Zealand, an affinity would be good. [I will post some more definitions of 'hanga', when I have completed my research].

So it looks like the Hanga Brooch/Pendant will be the name for my latest creation.

Two events in one weekend

On Saturday I did the Browns Bay Craft Show for the first time (I really thought I should show my work at this event as I am now a Browns Bay resident) and on Sunday I did Coatesville Market, being very lucky to get an indoor spot, in fact it was in the entrance hall where I was last time.

Browns Bay Craft Show

I am not sure what to make of my sales statistics, as I took exactly the same amount of money at each event (+ or - $1); on Saturday I sold twenty four pieces (nearly all low cost items – I actually sold out of my experimental brooches) and on Sunday I sold four pieces (higher value). I would prefer to concentrate on fewer, one-off value pieces but I do not think that ‘markets’ are the right type of sales venue. Once I have left my job, I will have the opportunity to try approaching some galleries and gift/boutique shops, as alternative outlets.

Major life change ahead

I do not normally write about personal things on this blog but this does have a direct bearing on my creative ventures. Yesterday, I handed in my notice to leave my current full-time job. I have given two months notice, instead of the one that is required, so as of 1st November, I will be free to seriously work on developing my craft ambitions.

I am really keen to try teaching some ‘Introduction to Polymer Clay Workshops’. I have been doing a lot of written preparation but once I have the time, I need to make a lot of sample pieces, showing a broad range of things that can be made with polymer clay (not just brooches), and some visual teaching aids.

Recently I have been concentrating more on the lower cost brooches so, when I have the time, I want to develop a larger collection of my higher end Art-Brooches, and investigate other outlets for these.

I have also been approached by Dunkleys Craft Shows to exhibit with them, which I would really like to do, starting with their North Shore event next year. This will require a lot of stock and preparation but I think it could be an ideal place to advertise my workshops, by demonstrating and encouraging people to sign up.

So, this major life change is a very exciting and fantastic opportunity, thanks to my very understanding husband, Colin. I just cannot wait!

A Review of August 2010

August has been a very interesting and varied month, starting with my first time at Coatesville Market, right at the beginning of the month. Since then I have been working on various ideas and still trying out new techniques. I have got totally addicted to creating Klimt style canes and have been concentrating more on making lower cost items, for the markets and events that will be leading up to Christmas.

It may have been fortunate that I did not have time to finish the construction of all my new display screens, last month, because I may need to change my table set-up again, as a result of future developments. There will be a major life change for me in a couple of months time – see the next post.

Klimt style brooches, stick pins and mini pins

Here are my first six finished Klimt style brooches. To see individual photos of each brooch, go to the 'Sample Brooches' tab on www.art-brooches.co.nz. The middle brooch on the bottom row is a prototype, designed to hang reading glasses from.

I have also been busy making lots of Mini Pins and Stick Pins for my forthcoming events. Several people asked if I made stick pins, when I was at Coatesville Market, so I thought I would try them out.

Mini Pins

Stick Pins

This coming weekend is going to be a busy one, with Browns Bay Craft Show on Saturday 4th and Coatesville Market on Sunday 5th September (luckily, I have now managed to get a covered spot for this one).

Klimt style brooches, cabochons and other bits

Sheet made from Klimt style cane slices

I have got totally addicted to making these Klimt style canes. Above is a sheet created from several slices from one of the canes, rolled onto a thin sheet of polymer clay. The squares have distorted slightly, as I have not rolled evenly in all directions but I think this looks more interesting than if they were exactly straight. The photo below shows the beginnings of some brooches that I am making with slices from the canes I made earlier in the week.

Klimt style brooches in progress

I have started to make cabochons with the off-cuts that are big enough. I intend to source some tie-tack pins and stick pins that I can attach to these cabochons, so I have some much smaller items to sell at my next event.

Cabochons

I wondered if this technique would work with circles as well as squares - and it does. Unfortunately, I reshaped my circular pieces before I took a photo. Here are a couple more of photos of miscellaneous bits.

Skinner Blend and bits of canes

Experimenting with cane reduction and re-shaping

I  have also been working on a couple of brooch designs, starting with imprints from some rubber stamps I bought from Montarga. The colour is just Pearl-Ex powders and I draped the stamped clay over some rolled up baking parchment, to give them some dimension, before baking. I was going to try out the idea of incorporating a metal loop into the design, for hanging reading glasses on, but these look so delicate that I am not sure whether to do this now.

Butterfly and leaf brooches in progess

As you can see I have had great fun this weekend!

Klimt style canes

Yesterday evening I decided to try this technique from Donna Kato’s book ‘The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques’, with all the little balls of left over colours from my previous colour mixing exercise. The above photo shows four different canes that I made yesterday and tonight. I am so hooked, I cannot stop! It is so fascinating, as you just do not know how the cross-sections are going to turn out from the pieces that go into the extruder gun. I cannot wait to make some brooches with slices from these canes.

Coatesville Market – first time

I have really been looking forward to today, my first time exhibiting at Coatesville Market. My spot was just inside the main entrance door, which was good, as everyone saw it as they came in – and thankfully I was inside, under cover, as it did rain!

Taking into account the weather and that it was my first time, I am quite pleased with how it went, although it was mostly the lower priced brooches that were being bought. I received some good feedback and am feeling positive for the next one, if I can get a few of my other ideas into action by then.

I told quite a lot of people who asked that I would be there every month, as I thought I had secured a regular place there, so I was a bit dismayed when I checked with the organizer – and was told that it was all booked up and it would depend if there was a cancellation (which is why I got the spot this month). I will have to keep ringing and hope I am lucky.

As a back-up, I will book to do the Browns Bay Craft Show, which is on Saturday 4th September. If I do get a spot at the next Coatesville Market, on Sunday 5th September, it will mean a double weekend! Great for me but a bit unfair for Colin – hopefully he will understand.

A Review of July 2010

The main focus of this month has been to get stock ready for my first time at Coatesville Market, which means I have not created many new Art-Brooch designs on canvases. I have tried to finish off pieces that had previously been started, especially making some of my experimental pieces into brooches and also trying out the idea of making sample brooches – both of these will be lower cost items for my stand.

Trial set-up of table display

I have also been working on a new set-up for my table. Unfortunately, I ran out of time, so I only have three screens (instead of five) as shown in the photograph above. It looks over-crowded to me but when I get the other two screens, I can space things out more. I have designed the screens to join together with Velcro strips but I am not sure how secure this will be in practice. At least I can try it out tomorrow and then reconsider the fixing method, if necessary, before adding the other two screens.

Completing pieces for Coatesville Market

The last two weeks have been spent completing pieces for Coatesville Market. Here are my latest Art-Brooches on canvases.

Silver Flowers

Golden Mask

Un-titled

I am not sure about the one which is un-titled. I like the idea of the golden rods cutting across the square but I think they would be better made from metal (maybe metal clay, which I have not tried - yet?). I have had to make them quite thick, so that the polymer clay is strong enough, but this has lost the delicacy.

The eight designs from one shape have now become nine, as I discovered another one. I am pleased with how they have turned out although I think I will need to use two different sizes of the curved triangular shape, as some have ended up quite small, if I make some more. These sample brooches (see post dated Thursday 15 July 2010) will be sold with a small organza gift pouch.

Sample brooches - nine designs from one shape

More sample brooches

Here are a few more experimental brooches that were not photographed before.

I seem to have accumulated quite a stock of polymer clay brooches and I still have some of my earlier ones, made from Friendly Plastic, as a back-up if I run low.

Trial new brooch designs

I had a mega session on Saturday, creating the new designs I sketched out the other day. I decided to make one of each of the eight designs, using the same coloured 'focal' piece for them all. For this I made a sheet of mokume gane, using purple, turquoise, green, pearl and translucent polymer clay and some silver metal leaf.  I was really pleased with the way the mokume gane turned out and it was great fun to make.

These are just the faces of the brooches, they will need the backs finishing - and judging by the results of my voting poll so far, I will be using locking pins. As I have made these brooches smaller, I will need to get some smaller pin fastenings (I have a new recommended source from America) but hopefully I will be able to get these completed to take to Coatesville. Although they are more fiddly to make smaller, the brooches look more delicate - and I think more 'valuable'.

Today I decided I had really better concentrate on getting my new screens and certain important things finished for the Coatsville Market. I have also started to paint a few more canvases for a few of my 'in progress' brooches, such as the one below which I think will be called 'Golden Mask'.

I recently bought some templates and included in the pack were four rubber stamps. I wanted to try out this one of the face. It is not the sort of thing I would normally buy (in fact I want to design my own rubber stamps) but I think it looks quite effective. I stamped it on to some striped polymer clay that I had left and layered it over gold metal leaf and gold Premo Sculpey.

Photo showing fastening pin set into back of brooch

While the voting poll is still running (see previous post) I thought I would show how I am currently attaching the pins to the back of my brooches.

I make and bake the front of the brooch first. Then I add a layer to the back of the brooch. Before baking, I cut out the shape around the fastening pin, so that it fits neatly into the recess. I bake the brooch again with the pin in place. When it has cooled, I pull out the pin and then glue it back in place with a two-part epoxy glue.

Having tried various methods, this is my preferred option for a really neat finish. I think gluing the pin into the recess gives a stronger finish than just gluing onto the surface of the brooch.

Brooch pin findings - PLEASE VOTE

I have been wearing the 'sample brooch', pictured in the previous post, quite a lot lately and was really disppointed when I lost it. The brooch came off my clothing last weekend, when I was visiting the Dunkleys Craft Show in Tauranga. Luckily someone handed it in so, hopefully, I will eventually get it back. This was partly my fault, as I was wearing it on my left side which is the same side as I carry my shoulder bag. It has however lead me to reconsider the type of fastening pin I should use on my brooches.

I currently have three different types. When I first started making brooches (from Friendly Plastic), I used the standard type of locking pin. I found these rather fiddly, particularly when trying to fasten on clothing that you are wearing. They also seem quite thin and I am not sure how much use they will tolerate (the very first one I used broke, so maybe this is why I am rather cautious).

Since making my brooches from polymer clay, I have been using a different type of brooch fastening pin, which does not have a locking mechanism, the pin just tucks under a curved metal shield. This style is quite neat and easier to use. I have been quite happy with it until last weekend, when I lost the brooch. Now I am thinking of going back to using a locking mechanism type of brooch fastener.

I also have some heavy duty brooch fasteners, with a locking mechanism, which I have never used. They look really well made, very durable and the actual turning part of the locking mechanism is not as fiddly as the cheaper ones. The only problem is that the actual pin is of a much thick diameter. It would be alright on a coat or loose-knit material but would make quite large holes on fine fabrics such as a blouse.

If I make brooches to order, the client can choose their preferred type of fastener but for ready made brooches, I need to make a decision. I really do not know which way to go with this issue - and I need to make a decison before I make any more. Please let me know what you think by voting, see top of right hand column.

Creative doodles

This was my first 'sample' brooch, made a little while ago. It incorporates my first cabochon made with the Cabezel Jewellery Mould, rolled silver metal leaf on polymer clay and plain polymer clay. I want to make some more of these brooches, using samples of the different surface and decorative techniques I practice, as I learn. I will sell these brooches on their own (without being mounted on a canvas) as a lower cost item because they will essentially be made from my off-cuts and trial pieces.

Thinking it would be a good idea to try and make some more of these in time for the Coatesville Market, I recently started on this task. Although I used quite different colours and textures, I felt that I needed to work on some other simple designs for variety.

Yesterday, I did some creative doodling. Using the same curved triagular shape, I managed to come up with eight different designs - and most of these can be flipped the other way for even more variety.

I think I should keep the original little cardboard template, that I used to create that first 'sample brooch', as it may become part of my 'signature series'. Normally I would spend ages designing a template shape, measuring angles, lengths, etc but as that first brooch was really an experiment, I just quickly sketched out the shape that came out of my head. It seems to work and I like it, so I will stick with it - spontaneous creativity is probably better than it being over-designed.

www.art-brooches.co.nz - a new website for my Art-Brooches

You may have noticed that the 'Art-Brooch Gallery' tab that used to be along the top on this site has disappeared. This is because I have now created a new website, purely for my finished Art-Brooches. You can view it here.

DNA Market, Coatesville Market and NZ Jewellery Show

I have not had any time this weekend for making but I have been busy. Saturday afternoon I did the Designers 'n ' Artists Market at Mt Albert, Auckland, selling off my old Friendly Plastic brooches.

DNA Market

 On Sunday morning, I visited Coatsville Market again, with some samples of my polymer clay Art-Brooches in my bag. This time the organiser was there, so I was able to show her my work and ask to be considered for an indoor space, on a regular basis. I need to ring her one evening, to discuss this further.

Then on Sunday afternoon I visited the NZ Jewellery Show. I was interested to see what contemporary brooches were being made by other jewellery designers and whether this event would be suitable for my Art-Brooches. As I expected, my brooches on their canvases would be too large for the jewellery cases but it was an interesting show to visit. Also, by complete surprise, I managed to meet with Susan Smith - an Auckland jeweller who uses polymer clay.

A momentous decision

Today I have made a momentous decision. I was updating my ‘artist’s profile’ and have changed my description from ‘mixed media artist’ to ‘polymer clay artist’, as a demonstration of my commitment to working with this medium.

A Review of June 2010

I have spent a lot of this month trying to finish off things I have started, including making up brooches from my experimental pieces, and seeking outlets to sell off my older Art-Brooches, made from Friendly Plastic. This will clear the way for starting some new designs next month.

I am also working on a new display set-up for my table, for when I start to sell my Art-Brooches, made from polymer clay. In a month or so, when I have completed this new look display, I will post a photograph of it.

In addition to selling my Art-Brooches on canvases, I also want to have some lower cost brooches (un-mounted). I will call these ‘sample brooches’ - they will be made in pre-designed shapes, using surplus pieces of treated clay, showing samples of different surface effects and textures.

I am pleased that everything seems to be coming together slowly. At least I know what I am aiming for now, I just need to get on with creating it.

Finishing bits and pieces

I have not posted for a while because I have been busy finishing off bits and pieces before starting anything new. I have been turning all my experimental/prototype pieces into brooches, to sell off at the forthcoming Designers and Artists Market.

I have also been painting screens, which will form part of a new table display, for when I launch my new Art-Brooches, made from polymer clay. I am hoping to have a regular (monthly) spot at the Coatesville Market but this has yet to be arranged.