Two Dreams

I have had very vivid dreams since I was little, and have started to consider doing a series on them. My dreams are very realistic to me and once in a while I even have a hard time discerning what is reality and what is dreamspace when I wake up. Here are two recent ones:

1. I was in Hood River for some event--I'd driven myself and my sister out there from Portland for the day or overnight. I can't remember the event. We were sharing a hotel room with my mom, stepdad, and his girlfriend (apparently my mom and he had broken up) who was balding--she had weird tufts of hair. My sister was getting really antsy to drive back to Portland, but a tornado had blown into Hood River. The hotel we were in was red brick, somewhat old, with a parking lot that only had one row for about 5-6 cars behind the building. We were standing outside under and overhang, so we were safe from the tornado, and watched a man and his young son (about 5 y.o.) get into a really old blue (robin's egg) jeep. The jeep was parked facing the building, so the man started to pull out, toward the building. Just then, a HUGE gust of wind blew in with such force that it blew the jeep into the building and smashed the front half of it. It was just crumpled. There was no way the could have survived. I couldn't believe it. I immediately called the FBI (for some reason they were who we were supposed to call) and told the guy on the line about what happened. As I finished he said in a sleazy voice "Did that make you feel good? Watching that?" I screamed at him. For some reason I had called the FBI earlier and whoever I talked to had started talking dirty to me, so I just started screaming at this guy about how inappropriate that was and how wrong it felt. Then the paramedics came, and we went back upstairs. After sitting around the room talking, I looked at the time, it was about 8.15 pm. The tornado had stopped. My sister and I decided it was time to go back to Portland. When we got there, I remember having to go to this really professional building where I had to walk up ramps that formed a rectangle around an inaccessible pool (coy pond maybe?) to get to the front door. When I walked inside, I remember seeing a really professional looking asian woman, who was gorgeous and clean cut...but she had grey hairs coming out of her chin! Not just one or two, but a lot! I thought to myself that I guessed she must be good enough at her job that she didn't need to worry about it.


2. Last night, I dreamt that I was on vacation somewhere with my stepmom...probably Sun Valley. I had met some people down there and was hanging out with them, and sharing a room with one of the guys and his daughter. After spending some time with him, I realised that I was totally infatuated with him. He was amazing, and his daughter was sweet, and he was single. He had longish hair, wavy. Brown. He was outdoorsy. But my stepmom came to get me to leave and go back home and for some reason, I just started acting completely childish--pouting, etc. I did not want to leave. It was kind of funny but also a little bizarre. I finally came around, but woke up.

Elizabeth Perkins

I am not a big glass person at all--I have very rarely seen glass pieces that are inspiring or creative (it sounds harsh but that's just my own opinion). When I say creative, I mean "extraordinary". Not of the norm. There was one gal at my university in Australia who made beautiful casts of Australian plant life, but I can't remember her name--I will try to investigate.


But I digress. I found Elizabeth Perkins' work through The Roadside Scholar. She did an interview and the images of her pieces are amazing. Please visit The Roadside Scholar to have a look--she always has amazing finds that I absolutely love, and Elizabeth Perkins' work is one of those. Her glass pieces are amazing--lacey textures, beautiful forms, and the investigation of old casting techniques. My heart swoons.

images via The Roadside Scholar

Friday Finds--Elizabeth Scott

Shallow Water Necklace

Elizabeth Scott is one of the fellow members of Etsy Metal, along with a lot of other great artists. I love the organic nature of her jewelry, which have just the right touch of texture and character. Her blog can be found here, and her etsy site here. I also love her photographs...they are absolutely immaculate, and the colors are so complementary!


Birch Bark Ring


Dewdrop Stud Earrings


Petal Earrings in Silver

A week from now...

Middle fork of the Salmon River, 2004

Portland, 1997

Actually, a week from yesterday....

It looms. I have broken down in tears numerous times the last month. It's always this way approaching this date, for the last 3 years.

April 2nd. It will have been 3 years since my father, Harry S. Chandler, passed away. On that day 3 years ago, I worked at the gallery, went to the gym, went for a hike, and thought about how proud he would be of me. We had had a very strained conversation only two days before that. I expected him to call me that evening. I went to sleep in preparation for my night shift that started at 10 pm. At 6 pm the phone started ringing. One call, I'll call them back. Two calls, my brother, I'll call him back. Three calls, my mom, I answered.

The lawyer, the cowboy, the die hard downhill skiing fanatic, the hiker, the father, the husband, the brother, had had a heart attack and died before he even fell over. My father was not perfect, but then again, none of us are. He was the only father I had. He was a soul mate to me and my best friend. We had a special connection, complementary energies. And lots of fun "debating" about politics (more fun than serious).

Why am I writing this on my blog that should be about metalsmithing? Because it has grossly affected my work and myself.

In 2005, I went to the Oregon College of Art and Craft to finish my credits and my degree. The only reason I was able to do that was because of the money my father left in his will for me after he passed away. Bittersweet, huh? Most of my work that year was about him. In my Time & Sequence class, we had to choose an action to do every day for two months and a way to record it. I thought and "spoke" to my dad every day so I decided to take a photo of whatever I was looking at at the time and record what I'd thought or said. It was extremely difficult facing each day knowing that my dad was no longer in his office on SW 5th or that I could no longer call him. But, the process I went through was highly beneficial to my healing.

In July of 2005, my two brothers, sister, stepmom, and myself went to our family cabin at Fallen Leaf Lake, CA, and spent about two weeks there. During that time, we hiked up Mt. Tallac and spread my dad's ashes over the mountain and lake below. In the fall, I used soil I had collected on the mountain, with water I collected from the lake, and made a piece of jewelry for each person present at that ceremony. I guess you could call it memorial jewelry. It may or may not have ashes in it. I wear my earrings frequently.

Henry, 2005

Catherine, 2005

Ben, 2005


Beth, 2005


Sharon, 2005

So, what will I be doing this year on April 2? I will go for a hike, possibly go get a tattoo (of a quote from one of my father's letters to me), and gorge on sushi and whiskey sours.

Hand Made Weddings

Anyone that has been around me for the past 2 years knows that I love weddings. I didn't used to. Heck, I never even thought I would get married! My perception of my future was all based around "me"--I just never felt like there would be that other person involved. And then I met Dave :) I suddenly realized that marriage was a possibility for me and started allowing myself to think about what kind of wedding I would want. I even signed up on weddingchannel.com to do research--sounds crazy, I know. I like to plan things, know what's going to happen, and not be stressed out.

Over the past two years, I have thought about what kind of wedding we would have time and time again. Outdoors, indoors, patio? Summer, Winter, Spring? Coast, Fallen Leaf Lake, Portland or Hood River? Large or small? Cake, cupcakes, or chocolate fountain? SO many ideas have run through my head. And I now have more of an idea of what would work, and what we want.

Or at least I thought I did :) Etsy has a wonderful Storque series going on Handmade Weddings...it's lovely! Here are a few bits and pieces that I have found and LOVE.



Paisley reception paper sample set by dearemma



Plantable handmade paper wedding favors by gracegraphics


Must be love card by pepperinapress


Black Beauty Bustle Gown by stephaniemadesh



Gingko print save the date cards by vreelanddesign



Flower handbag by theothersister



Screenprinted wedding invitations by UglyKitty

Friday Finds -- Andrea Wagner

"House With a White Picket Fence"

I love this brooch by Andrea Wagner, via metalcyberspace.

Andrea's work is amazing. Please go check out her website!

All part of the process...

Hide Me, Keep Me Safe 2006

I previously posted about changing my mind about going to grad school because I wanted to spend time with family and friends who were very ill. Following that post, I pulled my application from one university I had applied to, and decided to wait on the other application to see if I got in. Well, I didn't. Out of 19 applicants, they could only choose 2 or 3, so I was one of the 16 that got turned away. And while I can rationalize a lot of things, it still feels like rejection, and it still makes me question my artistic ability.

On the other hand, this gives me the opportunity to take care of a few things.

1. because I have a degree from a university in Australia (even though I am a U.S. Citizen), I have a lot of hoops to jump through in order to even apply. Hoops that I didn't know about. I now have time to get all of my ducks in a row and ready for next year's applications.

2. I have two series concepts going on in my head that need to start coming out of the wood work:
a. Forgiveness. I plan to make a body of work about forgiveness. There are many facets to forgiveness and many reasons I am choosing this subject, one of which is it is part of my process of forgiving myself and others in my life.

b. She Dreams. I have been having vivid, life like dreams since I was a small child. I remember one distinctly from when I was 4 or 5 that I woke up screaming all of my family's names to. After a particularly vivid dream the other night, I started thinking how some of the elements would make interesting pieces of jewelry or sculpture. I'm thinking large brooches as wall art. Or both. Or something different. We'll see.

I don't know how I'm going to do that, plus production, plus work, but I will find a way.

Matthew Mead Style

I have been hanging on to decor8's post on Matthew Mead Style for a while now, mostly because of the images of doily and lace pieces included. Only now have a taken a good look at the website, and WOW! I now LOVE Matthew Mead Style! What a great website, from the aesthetic to the content. I love the vintage feel of the aesthetic, the clean un-cluttered layout, and all the goodies you find. Recipes, DIY projects, templates for download, Cakes for Kids, and interesting projects. I am a person who happens to have a lot of vintage (inherited) items around the house and am always looking for good ways to include them in a more modern setting!


Shrimp, Pea Pod, and Avocado with Cream Sauce


Gift Wrap Ideas


Collage


Cakes for Kids

Be sure to check out the bonus section and Matthew's links to favorites!

images from Matthew Mead Style . com

via decor8

My Policy

I post on my blog fairly regularly about other artists, and due to a rather rude comment I found recently, I thought it might be necessary to clarify my "policy" about posting other artist's work.

1. I always state the name of the artist.

2. I always, always link back to their website, blog, or etsy site.

3. If a personal website of theirs is not available, I link back to the site I found them on (i.e. someone else's blog or site).

4. I notify those who I have posted about, telling them that I hate posted something about their work. I think I have only forgotten to do this once or twice (never again).

5. I have started to let people know to please email me if they have any problems with what I have posted. (my email is chandler.catherine@gmail.com)

6. I have started monitoring comments in order to weed through "spam" or innappropriate comments.

I view blogging as a way of interacting with other artists and people, a way of networking, and discovering what else is out there. I welcome any comments you all have!!!

Amy Tavern

Amy Tavern's jewelry exhibits a wonderful use of form and technique. After discovering her love for metalsmithing, she moved to Seattle from New York to hone her skills. She is now selling her pieces world wide.

I love the organic forms Amy uses, and have enjoyed watching her work evolve! You can find her website here, which also links to her blog, her shop, and her Etsy store.


rings


this came a bit later


i saw it in a dream



Amy Tavern's skill, talent, and vision is visible in each piece she makes. From simple earrings to extravagant wedding bands, her pieces are immaculate. I love the textures, forms, and patinas used on her work and look forward to seeing what else develops!

Time for a raise!

I have been a metalsmith for 7 years now, and have had basically the same prices for my work for that long. Reasonable for the buyer, but highly unfair to me. So, after doing some calculations today, I have decided to give myself a raise. I know how skillful I am, and know that I deserve to be paid for the hard work I do and time put into each piece (not to mention the cost of materials!).

Friday Finds--Elizabeth Soule

I found Elizabeth Soule (esoule) through Daily Imprint, a blog. I love the portraits of toy animals "in action". Polar Bear on Green (above) is one of my favorites. There is something I find so endearing about photographs of miniature people, animals, or objects as if they were real and full-sized. Elizabeth Soule's work can be found on her website, or on her Etsy site.

Exhausted...

8 hours, one great order, and another metalsmith later...I return from my trip to Bend, Oregon. I went there to meet with a buyer for a boutique (to be named in a later post once my work is in their shop), and was very happy that she placed an order for some consignment pieces with me. It was a beautiful, if somewhat hairy drive, to and from Bend, and it felt good to do such a long trip alone. I miss my road trip days sometimes!



Also, while walking around prior to the meeting, I stumbled upon John Paul Designs. John Paul is a metalsmith, and his work caught my eye because I noticed the use of non-precious metals alongside precious metals. John is energetic, interested, and easy to talk to, which made my experience great. He has an extensive amount of jewelry in his portfolio, much of it custom. I love the pieces with steel, diamonds, and other metals.

Friday Finds--Gisselle Morales

Desert Necklace


Gisselle Morales resides in Barcelona, Spain, and I found her through 18KT's blog. Since Gisselle Morales' blog is in Spanish/Catalan, it is somewhat hard to understand, but I absolutely love her work. Much of it is circular, hollow, and enameled, with the occasional accent included. The subtle colors and textures are intriguing and add to the integrity of each piece.


Desert Brooch


Ramita