Sometimes in life one has to take a little hiatus from the world and try to redefine their lives, this is where I have been. Often I think we have to step back and decide what in the world are we doing. The last few years of my life have been ever changing on a constant basis always some sort of drama and confusion, during this time my art has been my savior my constant helper throughout all of it. From the age of 14 I started sewing my own clothes thanks to my Aunt Florence who showed me how along with home ec teachers like Patsy Steagald whom shaped my life. They and my mother started my pathway to art. I then moved on to doing crafts of different kinds especially with my children during their childhood. My children are both wonderfully gifted adults secretly I have saved lots of their drawings and treasures from childhood. Now I am starting to see the artist in me come out and seek new ways to express itself. I attended silver jewelry classes in Atlanta at a wonderful school called Spruill Center for the Arts. Now I have this constant conflict of doing jewelry that I like the style I mean and the kind that sells , I question my talent constantly as most artist I think do. I am now going to concentrate on learning more about the techniques I have learned in the past and seeking new ones out to try to conquer.
TECHNIQUE ONE: LIVER OF SULPHUR FOR PATINA
A very good friend of mine said to get really the black color I was seeking to use everything hot, the metal, the patina to mix with really hot water, the rinse you really hot cleansing water. I use the liver of sulphur that comes in a liquid already mixed so I took it and cut a coke can close to the bottom. which made a little container, I poured the liver of sulphur in it then placed it in a pot of water the level below the container and heated it. Then I put the earring wires in it and they turned a beautiful black color a really dark color, rinsed in hot water with soap in it and total sucess it worked wonderful for me as
a black colorant to use on silver I highly recommend it made the earwires, wore them with no problems. total sucess hurrah!
