Things Could Be Much Worse....

(Inspired by the concept of Miss Havisham's dried decaying roses from her wedding)

It's been a weird time for me lately. I would say the positives outway the negatives, but the negatives come from such a petty ignorant place that it does make you question the way things are, and why such ugliness exists in people.

 Anyway, moving on ... I ended up doing pretty well in the exams, so I was thrilled about that - and also being as I do the course part time (haha) I won't have another exam now for the rest of the year, hopefully, which will mean I can put the brakes on a little and get back to the business side of things again I still intend to make more jewellery for the shop, but I must admit my emphasis is still on learning rather than marketing and selling. I have been asked to teach and go over to the US to teach workshops there too, but as I say, my head is not in the right place for that yet. I just hope there will still be interest in me by the time I am ready lol...anyway, I'm not too concerned about that right now.

Once I have re established myself on the final part of the course for this academic year, I am going to get straight into some experimentation. Metal clays, especially mixing base metals is soemthing I am really intersted in, and have seen many amazing pioneering efforts by facebook friends to really motivate me. The other area I am going to be getting into is Foldforming and Anticlastic metal work with copper, which I am sure I will refer to in more depth when I get going. The aim is to enhance my metalworking skills which will hopefully lead to metal sculpture on a larger scale, outside of jewellery... anyway these are all going to be self directed activities which I will be conducting outside of the course led teachings, and workshops

There is still an intention to set up another Etsy shop which will house a more general collection of artwork, ranging from prints and paintings, artjournals to polymer clay jewellery amongst other things. I will see how the next few months pan out regarding this. A couple of magazines have expressed interest about articles on my work, but I haven't found the time to fulfil the requirements the editors need at this time, so I'm not sure about those either lol...

I know, I sound really unfocussed, but I am optimistic that everything will fall into place when the time is right. For now, I have been out and about collecting "research" to develop into art projects for the course. There has been tons of snowfall here, and I have taken some wonderful macro images of hydrangeas, leaves and trees altered by the cold snap. I have also been doing some mixed media experimental work, layering and texturing painted surfaces which I am very excited about. So here are the pics, I hope you like them


Frost on the tree branches



Frosted cocoon like suspended leaves

 



Hydrangea bush, with intracellular skeleton of the petals just visible



Full skeletal structure of the hydrangea petals exposed...really beautiful ...












Dried roses on a window sill



Samples of Mixed media experimental work












Samantha Braund

Just One More Week to go...

Just one week to go until the end of term. We have worked 15 weeks straight, with 3 exams and multiple tasks set during that time. The other students on the course told me that they have produced as much work during this period, as they have during the whole of the two years for A levels. This course is also pre-degree level, and is intensive tough and diagnostic, so you are kinda forced to try everything at least once

I have now been "diagnosed" by the tutors who have decided to put me in the Fine Art category, which is more than fine with me lol. After xmas there are yet more exams, and then the final 10 week project, then that is it! Of course I get to play for longer in workshops etc as I am technically part time

I love the kids on the course - I have become a little bit attached to them, and they to me - which has really been an unexpected highlight. A lot of them will be there next year on the degree course so we will all stay in touch ....anyway here are some pretty pics of recent work. The image above is a textured acrylic painting I did of a puppet ballerina

The next image is a close up of the details of the dress....

The mixed media artwork below is to do with Hopes and Dreams, and uses welded steel flower heads to depict fortified childhood hopes that have survived to this day.









I loved making this piece, everything about it was a new skill learnt. Welding steel, and forming the flower heads in metal workshop - using hardboard as a mixed media painting surface, and the methods used to texture the painted dandelion heads. I really really love this course and there are early indications that I could be up to doing ta Fine Art degree afterwards, as well as my shop....so life is looking rosy :)




Samantha Braund

A Long Overdue Update

Crop of a portrait based on a photo of myself at the age of 3 yrs old

I know it has been ages since I've blogged here with an update. The truth is that the university course I am doing has been incredibly hectic, with an exam, then a 3 week intensive project and then another exam. I am now in the middle of a 5 week fine art project and have to draw, paint, and develop ideas into 3D work, as well as make use of workshops such as metal and ceramics...plus do contextual studies, all for another ruddy exam, which will be straight after xmas!

So, I have had next to little time to make jewellery or set up my extra shops...this will have to wait til the New Year now. I have been contacted about being featured in 2 magazines, one mermaid fantasy based publication (yay), and the other is a UK based jewellery making magazine - which is all very exciting.

Also I have to say that followers of my work on Facebook and so on have been especially kind and supportive. They have forgiven my lack of jewellery related updates and inspite of dedicating very little time to the shop, I made a fair few sales over the last few months. I am so grateful and humbled by this <3. Another two Mermaid Amulets will be flying off to a new owner by the end of tomorrow if all goes well....the shop is looking a little empty now, I think all the pieces will fit on one Etsy page after this purchase has gone through 0_o  .The funny thing is I have at least a handful of pieces I could list on the shop, but I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day to do all the chores that need doing lol...another job for the new year I think

Anyway, all these images are taken from University coursework. I can honestly say I have been improving with every week that passes. There are examples of collograph printing, metalwork, illustrations and paintings galore in this bunch...I hope you like them





Neville Brody inspired digital art piece


Collograph printing, using dried flower heads


Anselm Kiefer inspired Memory box/coffin, welded in steel, with an unfurling angel's wing on the lid



Illustration and painting of animals from Twycross Zoo



Gorgeous showgirl Flamingos at Twycross zoo



Samantha Braund

Latest Commission - Another Aquamarine Siren Ring

Gosh, it has been a busy weekend! I haven't really had a decent break after the course assessments last week - instead I caught up on commission work. Ironically, it was a welcome departure from all the uni stuff and it was great to get back to my wire sculpting roots

This ring is from my beloved Siren Ring collection, they are part of the Shipwrecked Jewellery family . They are made for Mermaids, that have discovered barnacle encrusted gemstones on their travels, perusing the ocean beds for Shipwrecks. This ring contains an Aquamarine gemstone (bluey-green) and is sculpted in sterling silver. The attractive elegant finger displaying the ring is that of my husband's lol....he has very elegant fingers compared to me, so he is the designated ring modeller in this household lol











Samantha Braund

New Camera Fun!

I had my assessments at uni this week, and it went really well.  It was the first time I had ever really been assessed on anything arty before. I was sooo nervous as were the others in my assessment group - then I was chosen to go first and present my work, so it was a case of sink or swim lol. Anyway I won't divulge all the deets here, but it is safe to say that I came away from the experience on a real high!

The hubby was ever so proud, and felt it was high time I got a decent camera with  great zoom capabilities. I usually make the best out of my pocket digital camera, but the demands of the course has been proving to be a bit of a strain. So he got me a brand new Nikon Coolpic P510 - the brand had been recommended by a friend at uni, and I'd had a go on hers too. I don't usually go in for product endorsement, but this is one of the most amazing cameras I have ever had my hands on.

I have been playing with it all morning around the house and garden, as you can see. I love how it really focuses on one area of the composition so sharply, and it's macro function is unreal. I usually have to mess about endlessly with white balance , but not with this camera - it is all automatically done for you, with a special  night scene setting too. I cannot recommend it enough - anyway next week I will be running around museums in Cambridge (cannot wait) and Twycross zoo, so my new toy will come in very handy...enjoy the pics :)






An alarmed looking Jasper, "Oh no she has another camera to torture me with"





Oh, I forgot to mention that this little Peacock Pearl swirly Necklace sold this week too. It's one of my favourite pieces, as it represented a creative turning point for me at the time...I'm happy it is going to a good home though :)






Samantha Braund

Happily Exhausted

This is the first time I have managed to catch a breath long enough to be able to post an update here, since starting my Art and Design course at DMU (DeMontfort University).

As you can see, there is no jewellery goin' on here lol. I will be doing ceramics and metals, and dabbling in glass at some point, but the initial phase of the course was to break us in, with tons of drawing, painting and lately, maquette making...

Everything had to be done fast, the tutors insisted that outcome isn't important right now, just the process. Basically this means being set numerous tasks and being given a time limit within which to execute them. I have posted up a few of my favourites in this post. The little scene above on the loveseat, is part of a narrative I had constructed from similarly fashioned little dolls - it was fun and just a little nuts lol

The images below are scenes photographed at Leicester Market, and collages I made from those images. We had to include materials collected at the scene which is why there are random bits of corn husk, paper, and cardboard packaging stuck to the pages...

I am loving the course so far, and am also exhausted by it, in a pleasant kind of way. It is full on, and there are 160 students all rushing around in this hulking cave of a studio! (which incidentally decided to burst a pipe of boiling hot water onto people's work today...what a mare...)

Anyway, things will be slowing down enough for me to make jewellery again soon, but for now, I hope you enjoy this departure from the usual on this blog :))























Samantha Braund

Concertina Altered Book

I am going to be starting my Arts and Design Foundation Course this week....yay!
The enrolement pack turned up only a few weeks ago, it included details of a homework Summer project, that had to be completed by the start date.....no pressure....

We had to make a concertina altered journal , with enough pages in it, that it would be taller than myself when unravelled. It is meant to contain drawings and paintings to serve as a sort of daily visual record of your Summer. I only just managed to complete it this week, the complete set of art-ified pages can be found here at my Flickr account

I particularly love the cover I did for the book. The base is constructed from mountboard, upon which I have fused polymer clay sculpted elements of a seashore landscape. The rest is textured tissue paper and gauze, painted in acrylic paints to complete the look. I have added some images of it below

Anyway, I am thinking of creating some altered books/journal covers for my second Etsy shop, which is on my to do list. The idea is that I take some time to settle into the course, then resume jewellery work, as well as set up the other shop. No rest for the wicked eh?...













Samantha Braund