Helen Chalmers

Striking it lucky…Getting the hang of Raku.

helenjewellery — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:27:52 +0000

Actually, I hope not, I think there was some skill over luck with making these!
‘Raku’ is a glass made by Reichenbach, under the name ‘Iris Orange’. It got nicknamed Raku in reference to ceramics I believe, though I don’t know too much about that (I should probably look it up). Anyway, this glass, and its sister glass colours by Reichenbach (Magic, Multicolour) are what was used to make this set, along with a bit of Gaffer’s Chalcedony. Each bead is made from a rod of one colour. Most of the rods start off as a sort of muddy brown, but by playing with different temperatures and temperature changes, you can get crystals of various colours to grow, making the finished bead show lots of different colours spreading through it. I’m about to go and swot up on the striking cycle so I can understand the chemistry of the process a bit better, but I am really happy with what I achieved with these colours, it has taken a lot of practice!
I hope you like them!

Helen*

The Next Exhibition…

helenjewellery — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:16:39 +0000

This is so exciting!
The next Exhibition I will be doing opens in Edinburgh on February 3rd, at Arts Complex in Meadowbank. I will be showing my work alongside eight talented jewellers, and it runs until February 13th. It is free entry, and if you are around I think you should definitely come and see it!

Hope to see you there, I still have a lot of work to do for it!

Helen*

Revisiting Japanese Inspiration

helenjewellery — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:44:38 +0000

I am planning a day of tea and sketchbooking tomorrow, a lovely day off!

A while ago…maybe 2 years…I did a project at college inspired by Japanese Haiku and Haiga. I think this is something I am definitely going to revisit tomorrow. I have been on Pinterest ‘pinning’ some potential sketchbook worthy images. What do you think?

Source: bartokdesign.com via Helen on Pinterest

Source: photopassjapan.com via Helen on Pinterest

Source: beautyineverything.com via Helen on Pinterest

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Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Helen on Pinterest

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Have a good weekend!

Helen*

New in My Shop This Evening…

helenjewellery — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:13:17 +0000

For sale here…

Those and a couple more pairs are available, pop over and have a look!

(Click here to go to my shop)

Have a good weekend!

Helen*

Texture and Colour Experiments with Earrings…

helenjewellery — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:59:00 +0000

I have been making stud earrings! Its been brilliant fun, and I’m really happy with the results! Here are a few for you to see. They are all lampworked glass and enamel on surgical steel posts.

I hope you like them, I would love to know what you think!

Helen*

Pinspiration…

helenjewellery — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:51:22 +0000

I finally signed up to Pinterest, after dithering over it for ages. I think I really like it! Lots of inspiration was provided for my work in the studio today (and hopefully I will have something special to show for it tomorrow). Here are some of my favourite ‘pins’ so far…

Source: photos.linternaute.com via Helen on Pinterest

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Source: you-yeahyou.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

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Source: lylaandblu.com via Helen on Pinterest

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Helen*

Second Storey Sunlight

helenjewellery — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:51:36 +0000

This is something I did recently. You may have noticed from previous posts that I really admire the work of Edward Hopper. This is a work in progress, but I thought I would share it nonetheless. And I will keep you posted with how it progresses!

Here is the original:

My sketch:

And a play on the torch inspired by it…

They need some refining, but I’m happy with where it is going!

Helen*

Abandoned Detail

helenjewellery — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:47:46 +0000

These photographs are by a very talented photographer, Evan Leavitt. He is based in Georgia, USA. I love the colours he captures in some of his pictures, his compositions make me think of Edward Hopper. You can see more of his work by clicking on any of the images.

The New Industry…

helenjewellery — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:39:39 +0000

Some inspiring work on Etsy, glass based of course!

Click for a closer look…

Helen*

Design Seeds

helenjewellery — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:52:31 +0000

I just have to share a fabulous blog of colour combinations I came across.

You can find it at www.design-seeds.com

These are a couple of examples from today’s additions!

I will definitely be having a trawl through it whenever I’m lacking some inspiration!

Enjoy,

Helen*