Cover Artists Celebration Issue Of Metal Clay Artist Magazine

The latest issue of Metal Clay Artist Magazine contained a special gallery celebrating the cover artists it had featured over the last 5 years. There have been some amazing pieces featured on those covers created by awe inspiring artisans. They featured my favourite Spider Conch Necklace as you can see, which was so  lovely of the team given that I haven't actually touched any metal clay since 2012!! I went running off to have fun messing around on the Arts and Design Course at Uni and became obsessed with painting and mixed media work.

Now I jump around between making Shipwrecked Pirate Books and making Seashore Boxes, then when I get bored I dabble in my first love wire sculpted jewellery. None of which has been happening lately due to my torn shoulder rotator cuff injury - however things are improving in that area and I am to start doing art again as part of my rehab. The irony is that I am not allowed to do extensive wire sculpted work as yet, which means I may well be heading towards playing with metal clay again. This new MCAM issue has been really inspiring and I think I really need to revisit this medium. I'll also be doing painting as part of the rehab regime, and am going to keep everything crossed that I have turned a corner and will continue to improve.

I appreciate all the lovely messages by people excited by my work. All the encouragement really helps me get into the right frame of mind to get better quicker :)  I will keep everyone updated on my progress and will show any new work on my Samantha Braund Jewellery Facebook Page . The image below is the banner for the FB page  :)




Thanks for stopping by




Samantha Braund

Seashore Chocolate Box and Being Noticed!

It has been a wonderful week of unexpected pleasures!

I managed to have a creative breakthrough, which is something that provides me with a sense of zen, like nothing else! It all started with Musetouch Visual Arts Magazine sharing my Art Journal (see below), on their FB page last week. If you follow the link you'll see that the response was amazing, the photo was liked over 2000 times, and shared over 700 times! I have never had such an ego boost for my work!

The truth is that I made the art journal as part of my Uni coursework - it was a Summer project they set before starting in 2012, to create a concertina style book. I patched the cover together in haste, using Polymer clay for the sculptural seascape elements, and over time completely forgot how I did it! I wonder if this happens to other artists too ... now I try to document my process, especially as I jump about from medium to medium so often. Well, as you can see I managed to work it out this week with my Seashore Chocolate Box :) Yay!


Original polymer art journal from 2012

The chocolate box is for a friend who had every faith I'd be able to recall my process and tried to allay my anxieties. She wanted a coffee table book or box, and I came up with a box construction, to store her chocolate mini treats that she gets out with the coffee.

It turned out better than I thought it would. I combined polymer clay elements, Decoart Modelling paste, die cut shapes and several washes of acrylic paint to create the Seashore on the box, and added her initial to top it off. I am definitely going to make more of these for the second shop, and will try out different themes too, although I do love my Shipwrecked, pirate treasure themes in all the media I work in !

The other unexpected thrill was this amazingly complimentary write up on my metal clay work in The Polymer Arts magazine blog . My Fine silver  Purple Spider Conch Shell (see below) was featured and the author made connections between the piece and a human heart which was so insightful. It was such an honour to read, and they gave a flattering description of myself as a Multi Media Artist which did get me thinking about the way my work is developing. I cannot claim to be purely a jewellery artist that dabbles in mixed media on the side anymore, I think my condition is getting worse lol! I suspect the University course is responsible for freeing up whole other aspects of my psyche,  allowing me to explore those themes in other media

I certainly tackle issues from the past and mental health issues etc through more traditional art forms. I wonder where it is all heading?! Well, I'll be back at university this year, and will make sure I sit down with my mentor there and hash it out ....anyway I will leave you with lots of different views of the Seashore Chocolate Box and will come back with more jewellery soon, I am sure :)



Purple Spider Conch Shell in fine silver, freshwater pearls and sterling silver
(I hope to get the conches into the shop soon)



Seashore Chocolate Box









Box opened up - I used some distressed French script  paper to line the box

Close Up Views ... I love those!












I added this piece into the following challenge:
Country View Challenge #12 "Painty Pleasures"

Thanks for stopping by




Samantha Braund

I Made A Book From Scratch!

The Marble Book

This is a very image heavy post I am afraid, so I apologise up front. This is a book I made over the weekend for a friend. I made it from scratch, starting with painting the pages, then constructing the hardback cover, and finally decorating the cover . I wanted it to have a more feminine feel, with a touch of sophistication, like my friend :)

The cover has a faux leather effect I created with acrylic paint on a textured surface, and the marbled eff...ect is a something I came up with a few months ago using collage materials, and wax. I blogged about the process in this post HERE and this is a link to a finished mixed media piece I made using the same technique I call the piece "Squidy" lol

I had some left over scraps of wax papers from these projects which I incorporated into making the book. I’ve included plenty of pics including some process ones of the book, so I hope you like it! The reaction to my recent foray into book making and altered book covers has been sooo positive that I that these will feature strongly in one of the shops I'll be setting up within the next 12 months or so.They are almost like a guilty pleasure for me, and are polar opposite to my jewellery work in terms of discipline. I usually do something like this for fun to unwind as a break from the jewellery,so it's fab to know people love this side of me too! I think altered art is so much fun and I know the hubby loves that he finally gets to be able to use the things I make, as they are not restricted to being pieces for women to wear lol. He has already taken the Twisted Tree and Shipwrecked Pirate Captain's book for himself...he did not get this one though!

























Process Photos













Samantha Braund

Twisted Tree Book

I have had annoying appointments to deal with this week, which has meant not a lot of time to play. I really need to list the Holi Charm Necklaces (all 16 or 17of them!) into the shop next week. If I write it here I may actually do it lol!

I have however, managed to set aside a bit of time for more mixed media experiments. This time I decided to mess about with a small hardback pocket book, which had a shiny white plasticy looking cover - making it  perfect for a makeover. I wanted to try to create some vines or tree root type elements , as I do love the organic look in every medium I work with. This time I used some very inexpensive craft brass wire, and sculpted armatures out of it. Then using masking tape and arcylic paints I managed to create the look I was after...the uni course had really helped me in this area - last term I was constantly using aluminium wire and newspaper to create built up mixed media paintings. ...but this is the first time I was able to make something like this on a book cover.

I cannot wait to develop this further...on my FB page friends have suggested that the book is fitting with a Halloween theme, or could be part of the Harry Potter universe. I'd love to try to make a viney sinewy wand or a Magic Secret Garden themed book. Anyway, before I get carried away with my rambling, I will leave you with extra photos  and views the Twisted Tree Book and of my Pirate Captain's Shipwrecked  Book cover I made last week.

I'll see you  next week when I will back with photos of new jewellery pieces...





















Samantha Braund

Ariel's Voice III and A Gift For Him!

I am currently enjoying a jewellery making hiatus. It should have been a proper holiday, but the hubby's schedule is crazy at the moment so I have had to be creative (for a change haha...)

 Anyway, I adore playing with different media as this blog will testify. Thanks to my uni course, I have been introduced to media and techniques I'd never have thought of tackling in a million years. I was so into the course at one point that I almost closed the jewellery side of things for good...then saner minds prevailed and I am learning to balance everything, which is so against my innate character lol. It's never too late to keep evolving right?

The gorgeous pendant in the photos is that of the latest piece made over a week ago now. It's Ariel's Voice III, the third incarnation of this particular Mermaid Amulet. The Ariel’s Voice necklace is based on the fairytale," The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. The idea is that the Mermaid's voice has been magically confined to within the swirling golden vortex of the Citrine Nugget gemstone at the heart of the necklace. It's a personal favourite and has proved popular in the past too. The original one (pictured below) was one of the first pieces I ever sold from the online shop... my photography has altered somewhat since then, for the better I think

The other photos are the result of messing around with making moulds, pouring plaster, painting them and making a mixed media book cover for the hardworking hubby. He collects all the experiments I do, his desk is littered with all kinds of stuff from uni, and terrible metal clay experiments from years ago -  I knew he would want to collect these bits of plaster too, so turning them into a gift for him was kind of perfect lol. We've been together over 17 years now, time has flown and my career diection  has completely changed too - it's a blessing that we can grow and evolve together - long may it continue! The book cover is meant to be a Shipwrecked Pirate Captain's book, which is oddly in the similar fantasy realm as a lot of my jewellery work lol...anyway I'll finish here and say I hope you enjoy the photos. Thanks for reading :)










(original Ariel's VoiceNecklace)



(Shipwrecked Pirate Captain's Book)




Bye for now xx



Samantha Braund