I am an Artist and very proud of all my "cakes" !

I have seen a lot of discussions lately about what "Metal Clay" is for some metalsmithing people and I am surprised to see how much misinformation they have about this innovative material.
I understand their lack of knowledge, and those who tried it and said it was a mess, and it does not work. Well, I have some news for you; you did not work with the clay the right way.


I respect everybody's opinion but I think there is a point where we need to be careful in how we talk about people who have chosen to work with metal clay, we can express our thinking without being rude and without insulting.
I have been called lots of names because of my ethnicity but I never thought I will be called "names" because of the medium or material I choose to create some of my work.


One of the latest names I saw was "Cake Decorator", people who work with metal clay are consider to be that by some.
I am okay with the name, I LOVE CAKES !!!
Other people feel we are "pretending to BE" metalsmiths.
We are not pretending to be "Anything", we are just people who have chosen to work with Metal Clay and create art. We are not "cake decorators", "metalsmiths", etc. We are just Artists that are open to experiment with new materials and we are always willing to learn new techniques.


I always encourage my students to learn how to solder and fabricate pieces because it will benefit their own metal clay work.


I started my journey in the art by learning metalsmithing, it was my wonderful and talented teacher -Claire Holliday- who introduced me to this novel material, metal clay, that Claire used to create some of her work. 
One of Claire's metal clay pieces was featured in the front cover of the Metalsmith magazine, a publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

Sea Seed No. 1 (Brooch)
©2005 Claire Holliday
Fine Silver
Photo: Dean Powell

In 2010 I had a wonderful opportunity to show my work (not exclusively metal clay) to other talented and renowned metalsmith artists, among them, Thomas Mann. Thomas was so intrigued and interested that traded one of his pieces for one of mine.I was honored to do a trade with him !

Thomas visiting my table and looking at my work.

Another fascinating and mind opening experience that helped me expand my creativity and techniques, was when I had the pleasure to participate in a workshop and lecture by Robert Ebendorf at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, Texas.
What I learned from Bob gave me a new dimension to create, incorporating traditional metalsmith  fabrication techniques with the distinctive style promoted by Bob's work but keeping my own creative voice and designs.

In case you don't know, Bob was one of the founding members of the Society of North American Goldsmiths and an inductee of the National Metalsmiths Hall of Fame.


During the workshop, when Bob saw one of my hand sculpted copper clay trees of life, he suggested to me to create a piece using what I learned from him and using the tree of life as the center component.


This piece was later featured in the front cover of the Metal Clay Artist Magazine, and many other publications.

I really want to give thanks to a lot of my metalsmiths friends and colleagues that are open to see beyond the material. I have learn a lot from all of you. 



Keep learning, keep experimenting, keep creating !


Love,
Lorena Angulo

I found a new modeling clay to play with !

I am always in the look out to find new materials or mediums to play with and I just got a new one that I have been playing with for a couple of days. This new modeling clay is called Craft Porcelain by AMACO and I have been having lots of fun with it.


It is not as easy to textured or carved as Creative Paperclay but the finished look after it is air dry is fantastic.
The modeling clay's name, Craft porcelain, is because after it is air dry the clay looks and feels like porcelain.


Here are some of the pieces I have done playing with this material.

ROSA

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Hand sculpted with Craft Porcelain

SERENITY

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Hand sculpted with Craft Porcelain

QUEEN BIRD

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Hand sculpted with Craft Porcelain

ALCATRAZES

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Hand sculpted with Craft Porcelain

QUEEN BIRD ring

©2011 Lorena Angulo

Hand sculpted with Craft Porcelain

The clay can be painted after it is dry or you can buy it with color also. It is very simple to work with and it can be a good addition for your metal clay work. I also believe that making my designs with this clay can give me a great idea of how my piece can look like in a 3D form.


The pieces need to be sealed after they are dry and finish with a clear sealer to protect the material from getting damage.

Keep playing, Keep creating !!

Love,

Lorena Angulo

Beauty is everywhere, it all depends in how we look at it !

After reading the wonderful post by Kelly Russell, "Thinking outside the box", I remembered a class I took last year with a wonderful German artist, Anemone Tontsch.
Her class was about making jewelry with perishable items. Some of my friends did not understand why I wanted to take a class like this. I feel sorry for some of them that missed taking this class because it really change me in a lot of ways.
This artist gave me a different perspective in how to see things and create my work. She is such a lover for life and our surroundings, that she sees inspiration in everything around her.
Her class was incredible, I managed to make some pieces with plantains, radishes, carrots, dry peppers, acorn and much more. At the beginning it was not easy to come out with an idea because the only thing I saw was the fruit or vegetable, it was until I broke my own limitations that the ideas started to flow and I just could not stop!! 
You can visit my post in my blog to see what I made during the class.
Beauty in Transience: Creating Perishable Jewelry with Anemone Tontsch

After the class I was so inspired that I started to make rings out of things I will never thought, like these:

I made this ring with Papaya.

 Acorns with copper wire and some coral beads.

I challenge you to play with fruits, vegetables, dry seeds, etc. You will be surprise to see how many ideas will pop up in your head. 

If you make something with perishable items, we will love to see them in our Facebook page, Metal Clay Artist Magazine. Post a picture of your master piece !! I will love to see them!

Remember, "Beauty is everywhere, it all depends in how we look at it!"

Love,

Lorena Angulo