Cycling in, cycling out.

I've been asked by a number of people if sharing my work and techniques so openly causes anxiety about what I'll be doing next. To me, teaching techniques and sharing my experiences allows me to open up further for what may be coming in. "What's next" isn't usually foreseeable, which makes the prospect all the more exciting. It's that risk of living on the edge of the unknown, while sometimes intimidating, that brings a vibrancy to each new day, to each new project.

I also may have a little touch of artist's ADHD. I like to think I'm clearing out the old to make room for the new, which may be a nice way of saying I get restless when I begin to feel like something is becoming a routine. Even with teaching I'm finding there are certain workshops that have run their course and a desire to share something entirely different blossoms. My Crash Course in Copper Clay has reached it's retirement age, but that doesn't mean the knowledge is retired, just the live workshop. Since there still may be a demand for this course, I'm making the class PDFs available for purchase in digital format on my website. This is a full color, step by step, 67 page guide with all the tips and tricks I share in my live class. You can click HERE for more info.

Soooo... what's new? I've been meaning to list this class for sometime, it's a doozy I'm really looking forward to teaching. This new class, Metal Clay Gallery Box, will demonstrate oodles of techniques and, as always, I'll be sharing all my little cheater tricks for easy construction and seamless design. There aren't any dates yet for this course, but if your guild or local teaching studio is interested, they can contact me directly at wanaree.tanner@yahoo.com

Still tattooing and stippling on the side. It's a bizarre juggling act at times, but again, teetering on that razor's edge of what's past and what's next keeps me living more fully in what's now.

New adventures, new experiences

I'm having a hard time figuring out where to even start this post. It seems like so much happens these days that writing even briefly about any of it sounds tedious at best! So in leu of that, I'll go with pictures (since they're pretty self explanatory), hyperlinks (cause you just click 'em), and the occasional grunt.

Last week I was interviewed by Jay Whaley for his BlogTalk radio show, Metalsmith BenchTalk Live.You can listen to the recording HERE It was a lively discussion and quite an experience. Huge thanks to Jay for having me on.

A couple of new workshops are now getting listed, and open for sign up. One I'm really excited about is the Metal Clay Mojo Retreat coming up in September. As well as presenting, I'll be teaching a post conference workshop: Custom Gallery Bezel Wire Stone Setting with the Silhouette CAMEO™. For more info about this conference and workshop check out Metal Clay MOJO.

Speaking of the Silhouette CAMEO™, May 8th, this coming Wednesday, I'll be live online with my new CRAFTCAST™workshop "New Metal Clay Possibilites with the Silhouette CAMEO™"

We'll be covering a ton of techniques while making this PMC Sterling ring and these copper and silver earrings. Everything from cutting clay, making texture plates, firing, engraving, forming, stencils, using the software, there is soooo much included in this class. Hopefully enough to get you going if you've been overwhelmed by the prospect of trying out this amazing machine.

ArtClay Silver and ArtClay Copper Earrings

PMC Sterling Ring

I also managed to finish my first full color pointillism tattoo, huge thanks to Steve for his patience, this one took a number of sessions, but I'm over the moon with how it turned out. It's the moon swallower, Rahu from Thai folklore. Oh, I guess I forgot to include the grunts... so here they are "grunt, grunt..."

As many things as possible.

"As many things as possible." That would be my answer to what I've been up to lately. I've finished a few new tattoos, gotten in more drawing, I'm teaching in Pittsburgh next week and tomorrow I'll be interviewed on Jay Whaley's blog show Metalsmith Benchtalk Live. It's looking like it'll be an interesting discussion, and I'm really looking forward to it. If you're around 6 p.m. EDT, you can listen in here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios/2013/04/18/metalsmith-benchtalk-with-wanaree-tanner

Until then, more drawing, more tattoos. 

Nikola Tesla

"Travel Art": New drawings and Pointillism Tattoos....

It's kinda strange traveling so much. You start to feel a bit like a snail, packing what you can of your house and home life to take with you where ever you go. Thank goodness for pen and paper, transports easily, and I don't have to power it down during take offs and landings. Here's few new drawings I've been working on, and a tattoo that came to life from my "travel art." Hmm.... the term "travel art" actually sounds like something far more exciting than the work you make while you wait to get to where you're going... On second thought, maybe everything we produce is travel art...

For more on my tattoo work check out our studio site: Owl's Club Tattoo Studio

New Classes!

I'm really excited to announce some new class dates this year, as well as an entirely new workshop I've been developing with Carol Douglas!

First off, I'll be hitting the west coast this summer starting at Brea Beadworks in Brea, CA. Brea has just begun taking registration for classes at the end of June and beginning of July. I'll be teaching my Silhouette Cut Bezel Wire workshop June 29-30, and my Threaded Vessels class July 6-7. Check out their website here: www.breabeadworks.com
I'll also be in Seattle in August for two Silhouette classes at The Ranch Center for Arts and Crafts, the first class is full, but there are still a few spot available in the second class August 6-7: www.artattheranch.com

I'll be updating my website regularly, as registration for other classes opens up, so do check there or contact me directly for more information.

So now the really exciting part. Last year the Metal Clay Artisans of Atlanta asked me to collaborate with Carol Douglas on developing a four day intensive workshop. Carol is based in the UK, so we spent quite a lot of time on Skype working out what we could do with four days. We quickly realized we both wanted to present a workshop that wasn't simply a technique that each student would emulate, but rather a process that could show others artists a way to develop their own unique voice through the creation of single piece of work. We spent a great deal of time talking about how to do this in a workshop setting, fortunately, Carol has an extensive background in experiential teaching, so a path began to materialize before us. So much of the class is based on how we connect with our ideas, and how we bring those ideas to fruition. In some ways it's an attempt to answer that age old question posed to all artists: "Where do your ideas come from?" The class is limited to 12 students, and is already half full, so if you are looking for an opportunity to create something entirely unique set to the melody of your own artistic voice please come and join us in October in Atlanta. You can visit our new website for more information, just click the link below. Thanks for your continued interest and excitement, I hope to see you all sometime this year!

Journeying for Amulets and Talismans

Art Clay Copper Carbon Firing Guide

"Luminous Hand" by Wanaree

I've been on the road a lot lately so finding time to play with clay has been a little tricky. The up shot is I've had a lot more time to work on my computer, which is encouraging me to finish up some guides and tutorials that have been hanging around on my hard drive for far too long. I've also had a bit more time to draw, which is fulfilling on an entirely different level.

Some folks may wonder, why even bother with a carbon based firing guide with Art Clay Copper? Why not just open shelf fire your work like the company recommends? While open shelf firing is filled with instant gratification there are some caveats to it. Firing directly on an open shelf can oxidize and remove some of the finer surface detailing on your piece. Firing wrapped in a fiber blanket can minimize some of that oxidation, but you still may not achieve optimal strength.

Perhaps because I've been carbon firing since the first day I opened a package of COPPRclay, I think in terms of carbon firing. Whatever the reason, I believe firing ACC in carbon is the best way to go. If you are willing to fire ACC in carbon you can also benefit from potential mixed metal combinations, ACC with FASTFIRE BRONZclay and ACC with fine silver clay.

An important thing to note; ACC requires more oxygen to burn off the binder in the clay, so we have to provide an atmosphere that allows more O2 in, while keeping the copper from oxidizing at sintering temperatures. It's quite a conundrum, but with a bit of testing a balance can be found.

With as little time as I have had in the studio lately, finding quicker ways to work has become extremely important. Sometimes the right product is the perfect solution (cue build up music here...)

Magic Carbon from Cool Tools.

What's in this stuff that allows you to fire pieces that previously require two stage firing? I have no idea, but my theory is it allows more oxygen into the firing vessel, which encourages the binder to burn off more effectively than in traditional coconut carbons. Perhaps it's even cured differently to burn off more at sintering temperature, feeding O2 right when the binder needs it, and starving O2 when the copper needs it. Whatever the reason, it works. It's worked with creating a stabilized single stage firing for PMC Sterling, combing Art Clay Copper with silver or bronze, you could even fire straight silver in this stuff and it'll sinter.

Test pieces from combining Art Clay Copper with fine silver clay

The secret is all in the binder. Not all binders are created equal. Some require more O2 and higher heat to burn off (fine silver clay, PMC Sterling, Art Clay Copper) some require less (COPPRclay, BRONZclay.) Knowing this, you can plan your projects in such a way that optimal results can be achieved (I feel like I need to be wearing a corduroy jacket with leather elbow patches after that last statement!)

So, here it is. A little carbon firing guide for Art Clay Copper. I do mention alternative methods of firing if Magic Carbon isn't easily acquired (sorry to my friends across the pond!) I have to give major props to Carol Douglas for her work on firing ACC, the two stage schedule was based on what I learned from her at the last Art Clay Conference. Also many thanks to Gordon Uyehara who has done quite a lot of work on firing this medium as well, I highly recommend his book METAL CLAY FUSION to anyone interested in working more with ACC.

CLICK HERE FOR ART CLAY COPPER 

CARBON BASED FIRING GUIDE

My obsession with pointillism and my secret life as an aspiring tattoo artist.

I think artists are often caught in cycles of perpetual striving. When we make our living with art, the lines between obsession and profession are often blurred, and there are moments when we can lose sight of the inspiration that drives us to create. Then there are moments of awakening when we realize art has become a profession and the obsession to create is lost along the way.

I've been blessed by a successful art and teaching career, there's no doubt about that. I know there are people that look at where I'm at and wonder why I would unexpectedly throw myself into something entirely new at the peak of my career, but when it comes down to it, sometimes in life, we are led in an inexplicable directions. There are aspects of my work I have always kept to myself, projects that cross into an arena that, up until now, were almost too personal to share. While it seems an obvious transition to me, from the outside it's likely coming from left field. Let me preface all this by saying I am in no way abandoning metal clay, or teaching.

"The General/Sitting Meditation"

My name is Wanaree, I'm a pointillism artist, and I lead a secret life as an aspiring tattoo artist. Strange, I know. I'll start with my pointillism work. While at first blush it may be seen as gruesome and uncharacteristic of who I am likely perceived as, it's actually an attempt to communicate a basic human commonality: the desire to transform discontentment into peace. We all battle with our darker aspects, our greed, selfishness, cruelty, etc.... some of use act it out, some of us deny and repress. I fall into the latter category. As most of us know, the more we try to deny something the stronger it seems to become. This body of work is a way for me to accept that these feelings are an undeniable part of my psyche. It's become a way to find the middle path that rests between our concepts of good and evil.

So why tattooing? 3 months ago my friend and local artist, Gordon Smeltser began a full back piece on me. I've sat for 25 hours of tattooing so far, with many more left to go. I'm not a glutton for punishment, quite the contrary, but I discovered a great lesson in all those hours. Through the absolute acceptance of pain and discomfort a thing of great beauty can be born. It became a metaphor for my work, and ultimately for my life. 11 years ago a had a tumultuous apprenticeship at a tattoo shop in Austin, so this previous fascination was reborn and Gordon offered to teach me his craft.

This is where I have disappeared to. I've rediscovered the definition humility, and abject terror, returning to the beginning stages a medium but I've also found a renewed vigor for art. I've drawn more in the last three months that I have in the last 2 years combined. Ultimately, I hope to express both with the same technical ability and help my clients embody and experience that often ephemeral moment between thoughts and feelings, between light and dark, between black and white.

Perhaps I am putting too much weight on the experience of tattooing, perhaps not. As in all things, it is up to the interpretation of the viewer. I'll still be sharing my work here, metal clay, pointillism, and now tattooing. If you're interested in the tattoo studio or more on my pointillism designs, stop by and check out our shop blog HERE ( owlsclubtattoostudio.blogspot.com ) and follow us in Facebook at www.facebook.com/owlsclub

This doesn't effect my metal clay workshop schedule in any way this year and I'll still be the video editor of Metal Clay Artist Magazine, but it likely means I will be teaching significantly less next year. As much as I enjoy teaching, I truly love creating, and that will continue to be my primary focus in the years to come. Thanks for being a part of my creative journey.

Celtic Lotus Flower Tattoo I tattooed on Steve

My pointillism mandala tattoo designs