Off to the Conference

It’s that time of year again and I’m off to the International Art and Framing Show. (and getting in a short vacation at the same time)  I’m looking forward to this one since there is not just one but two workshops on specialized gilding techniques. It’s great to have the opportunity to do these kinds of workshops since they are so rarely available. The store will still be open for viewing, by appointment. Just call and you’ll be able to stop in but I won’t be around for framing/art consultations.  I’ll be back, and at the store, on Tuesday February 7th.

mask with watch face

One of the nice things about having a group of the enamelled watch faces

Steampunk mask with watch face

finally in my paws is being able to use them for masks. Some of the faces have been made in such a way that the smaller dial is actually a separate piece that has been welded into the larger. Often they can be taken apart. I like the smaller pieces since they are a better scale for jewellery and small collages. This also leaves the full face with an opening that is just big enough to be used as an eye-hole. It doesn’t provide the best or most complete field of vision, but it does look very striking! In cases where my choice for one eye results in restricted vision, I try to compensate with the other and make sure it is very open. The metal piece that makes up the left eye is another bit of watch case salvage that is almost the exact same size as the outer edge of the face. While it does have the Steampunk feel that I hoped for, it also has an almost cartoon-like look of surprise. That’s part of what enjoy about making the masks, I can never perfectly predict how any one will come out until it’s finished.

True Steampunk for the eyeglass wearer

This batch also has a more typical Steampunk mask using the eyeglasses form.

brown leather steampunk mask for over eyeglasses

The brown leather is from a newly salvaged lot and I love the warm, worn tones and buttery-soft hand it has. The vintage brass piece, that surrounds the right eye has a great shape, and turned up among the assorted watch/clock parts, but I have no clue what it’s from. The key that hangs below it is modern, but looks vintage and is attached using a Victorian jewellery finding. (there were a number of intriguing little antique findings that were mixed in with all the watch stuff) The left eye piece is also modern but doesn’t look it and has the benefit of both a plastic crystal, making it lighter and safer than glass, but also being in mint condition. (we came across a small group of what I think are mini clock cases. The fronts are perfect and I just quietly disposed of the back pieces) I’ve been so happy with how the finished piece looks that I keep forgetting that it’s one of the eyeglasses ones!

New cyber/steam mask for over glasses

Now that all the bustle and rush of the holidays are over,

Cyberpunk or Steampunk mask in black leather

I’ve been able to get listing some new masks. The wealth of new materials, from our haul of clock/watch parts, made easy inspiration for a whole batch of Steampunk pieces. I also wanted to get a few done using the form that fits over eyeglasses. Using bases from it for this type of mask is really fun, since the shape already gives me a great starting point and also makes it easier to incorporate some of the odder bits and pieces. This is one of the first ones and is more along the Cyberpunk lines. One eye is done with a vintage watch case and the other has a similarly shaped opening, but I’m not sure what it was. The flatter front, over the eyes, worked well with them both. This also seemed like the perfect piece to finally go for the radio tube “horns” I’d been thinking about since they came into my hands. I’ve called it ‘Loid and I think it’s a fine addition to my “Mad Scientist” line.

World peace watch case

One of the other surprises of the pocket watch haul was that a few of them

"Peace" watch case collage

still have their crystals intact. All of the cases I’d come across before either never had crystals or they did they had been long lost. Having intact crystals meant that I had the option of creating the collages and knowing that the items added would be protected, even if the pieces were worn. It gave me a bit more freedom in the designs. It also meant that I could go with a more graphic style, since I wanted the finished effect to be readable a bit farther back. I decided to base the first couple on some themes I’m still exploring. I started with an antique image of the world. It was then delicately tinted with watercolours. The round shape of the world made it easy to place a pair of antique hands on it in the near-midnight position . It was then stamped with “In our hands” and a small, white dove was attached in the upper right corner. (it was just the right size to fit the case) This was the chunkiest of the recent case pieces, so it would be a bit heavy as a pendant, but still wearable. The other drawback was that it is heavily worn. I love how the case itself looks, but the crystal is rough and it partially obscures the design, when it’s closed.

Rustic, steampunk angels

There was one last style of vintage ornaments that I altered to give them a more

rusted steampunk angel ornament

steampunk feel. I started with metal angels in a rusted iron finish. They already had great, leather hanging loops and holes in the hands. That made alteration really easy. I mostly went with attaching watch springs that were dressed up a bit with some glass beads in reds and greens. A couple got brass gears, and they worked as well, but the the darker colour of the springs was a better match to the base ornament, in my opinion. They may have technically been unfinished craft supplies, since they did not hang balanced without the added decorations. Maybe they were always intended to be personalized, I’m just not sure, since none of the group appeared to have been decorated prior in their history. Anyway, I ended up with a quartet of this style and I like that they have a more rustic feel than the other “steamed” ornaments, so they will work on a different range of trees. (and would still easily fit in a country-style look)

more steampunk ornaments

This is one of another trio of this years Steampunk ornaments.

steampunk bulb ornament

They also started with vintage ornaments. These ones have a glass bulb, topped with pressed metal and filled with a smaller thing, something like a those foiled vinyl bells. If they had been in good condition, I wouldn’t have changed them since they did have a cool, retro vibe but they had been kept in a damp space at some point. The result was that the interior decorations had discoloured and the glass had become spotted. To steam them up, I peeled off the tops then took out the damaged insides and cleaned the bulbs. The top opening was wide enough that I was able to fit in a good sized watch spring that mostly filled the interior. (it helped that the spring could squish down a bit to go through the top) The spring was jazzed up with a couple of additional mini gears, as well as a couple added to the bottom, and then the ornament was re-assembled. I ended up with three, in this style, although each one is slightly different.

Steampunk bell ornament

I’ve been staying busy with some holiday framing but still managed to work on a few ornaments.

steampunk bell ornament

This year, I decided to branch out a bit from my typically traditional style and make some steampunk decorations. The big haul of clock/watch parts meant that there was lots of parts to work with. A number of the designs were done using vintage ornaments as a base and then pulling them down the path to steampunk. The pictured bell is one of those. I liked the simple, but traditional shape of it and the colour was already perfect. The addition of a cast brass sextapus, (yes, it should be an octopus, but he only has six legs, don’t ask me why) and some gears give it a great Steamy vibe while still being suitable for almost any holiday tree. The drawback to using vintage is that the numbers are limited and I was only able to make a co-coordinating pair of it and a matching ball shaped version, but it’s nice to know that it’s a one-of-a-kind!

By appointment

We’ve just had the first snow fall of the season and, for the rest of the winter, we will be open “by appointment” during the week. I’ll typically be in the shop, since there are always things to work on, but it’ll be a good idea to phone or drop me an email, if you’re planning on stopping in, so I can be sure to be around. Saturdays and Sundays, we’ll be open our usual times.

Large Iron Angel

Over the summer, as part of a Regresty challenge,

large Iron Angel

I made a few little ornaments out a rusty nails and some feathers. During the garden prep that revealed the nails, we also pulled out a chunk of cast iron that appears to be a leg from an iron stove. The shape was perfect for it to be made into a larger version of the “Iron Angel”. Considering the larger scale, I went with using full feathers, only slightly trimmed. (and I was lucky to have just enough feathers left from the group of free-range goose to complete this project) Each one was wired separately and then five were combined, on each side, to make a pair of “wings”. To keep the wings stable, as well as to give a solid piece which to attach to the leg, the whole group was woven/braided together before being glued to the back. The halo was made from an Edwardian brass curtain loop that was also wired. To make it stable for table-top display, (and also so it will not mark anything it’s put on) the bottom was covered in a soft, salvaged black leather. The leather also covers the small support wedge on the back. I haven’t quite decided what to do with it, but it was a fun concept to explore!