February RAW rings

This month was a big challenge for me because I spent most of the month sick and taking care of my sick daughter. What really kept me going and gave me great energy was to keep making and creating what I love to do, jewelry.
Even though I was not able to make some pieces that I had in progress, making my rings for RAW was a nice way to make me feel better during my very sick days.
In this month I experimented with a new material and it was invigorating and excited to see my creativity in a different way.
This material gave the opportunity to add a lot of color to my creations, which I love !  Color to me is very important and the brighter the better ! Color can make you happy!

Here are the rings I made for the month of February.

©2011 Lorena Angulo

The top two rings were made with Creative paperclay. I hand sculpted and carved the pieces with the paperclay. After they were dry I colored them with colored pencils and acrylics.

The bottom ring on the right was made with a cork, brass and copper. You can see more about this ring in this post, "My first RAW ring for February."

The bottom ring of the left was made with steel wire and brass wire, I got inspired after reading a wonderful book, Steel wire jewelry.

Because I was so energized with this material, Creative paperclay, I just could not stop and I made already two more rings for the month of March!

VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Creative paperclay, colored pencils and acrylics.

3.11 inches by 1.45 inches

CATRINA

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Creative paperclay, colored pencils, acrylics, beads,

PMC and a CZ.

I had a great time exploring this new materials and I am sure you will love to play with it too.
Have you played with Creative paperclay? I will love to see what you have made.

Here you have all the pieces I made with my first package of Creative paperclay.

Keep playing, keep creating !

Love,

Lorena Angulo

Creative Challenges

At different periods in my creative life, I've avoided challenges. I tell myself that a true artist doesn't need outside motivation to produce, which is certainly true. However, the right challenge can be fun, and fun feeds the artistic muse. Playing is really at the heart of making. If it's fun, we'll do anything.

After seven weeks of participation in two different weekly challenges, I've spent my down time this week (illness) reflecting on the rewards of participating in challenges. I thought I'd share some of my insights.

A deadline institutes pressure to keep up. It limits time for procrastinating. It kicks you into movement. Stop over-analyzing that piece and just get it finished!

As David Bayles and Ted Orland say in their quintessential treatise, Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, quantity is more important than quality. I love the story of the ceramics teacher who offered his students two choices. At the beginning of the year, they could elect to be graded based on the quantity of work, which would be weighed, or on the quality of the work, with just one perfect pot needed for that A. At the end of the year, all the best quality pots belonged to the quantity students.

A weekly challenge clearly supports that idea of quantity. Not all offerings will be great, but the sheer process is really what is needed to get to the next level. Let go of the fear of perfection (the lack of it) and move forward.

Beyond the forward momentum boost, challenges offer creative community. Others are traveling the same path, sharing their insights. A step they take can pop a new idea into your own head and be the beginning of something exciting and rewarding. There's a sense of flow and serendipity that is beneficial.

Challenges can lead to new opportunities. Perhaps a new medium will come to your attention. Perhaps an exhibition will pick up the best of the challenge work. Perhaps a gallery or magazine editor will see your work as a result of increased exposure.

To truly keep the challenge pace, modifications  may be needed. For example, the wrap ring at the top of the page was a deviation for me, due to a need to make something simpler and quicker than the other, more complex, rings also shown. It still fits with my body of work, but it gives me more options. I have loads of new ideas because of that change. I can't wait to try them out another week.

Putting yourself out there can lead to creative growth. Try it!

Ring a Week challenge

Bird a Week challenge

Second ring for RAW (February).

After being sick for more than seven days I had to do something to lift my spirit !
I knew I needed to make my second RAW ring for February and I decided to make it with a different material this time.
I choose to have a play-day with myself and paper clay. 
I have never made jewelry with this clay and I taught this could be a great opportunity to experiment and play.
The first idea in my head was to hand sculpt a "Calavera" (skull) ring and add color with colored pencils. The clay is very easy to mold and hand sculpt.


I am sure this will not be my only ring made with paper clay because I love the versatility and how easy is to add color to it.

Here you have it !

 LOVE CATRINA

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Paper clay, colored pencils and beads.

3.75 inches by 1.35 inches

Keep playing !! Keep creating !!

Love,

Lorena Angulo

My first RAW ring for February

I had a super fun time making my first ring a week for February. This time I decided to just have fun and play with metal and the cork. 

I riveted the brass band to the copper base and twisted the copper rays to hold the cork in place. 
Simple and FUN !!!

6/52 RAW 2011

Lorena Angulo

Keep playing, keep creating !!

Love,

Lorena Angulo

Ring a Week 2011

I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in RAD (ring a day) last year. This challenge thought me a lot and gave me more confidence in my work. I met a lot of incredible talented artists from around the world, who share the same passion for art and jewelry. 
A lot of the artists who participated in RAD where a little sad that our journey was over. This is the main reason why Thomasin Durgin decided to form a new group for us to continue with our journey.
RAW(ring a week) counts with 264 artists who are creating rings in any medium or material. Everybody is welcome to join the group at any time. 
Lots of my friends are now participating in RAW like Kelly Russell, who has been posting in the blog about her rings. I am very happy to see them all in this challenge.

My first month of RAW is over. 
I managed to create 5 rings.

© 2011 Lorena Angulo

RAW, January 2011

Keep playing, keep creating !!

Love,

Lorena Angulo