Metal Clay Monday - Patina Queens

Patina - it can transform a piece, change a mood, take you back in time.  I first saw metal clay on Flickr, and Lorena Angulo was an instant favorite artist.  I followed her right away, and I check her blog and photostream frequently for inspiration and to admire the beauty of her creations.  Yeah, I kinda have an artist crush on her.  It's okay, she knows it.  She works wonders with her folk art pieces, most inspired by her Mexican heritage and rich with culture and beauty.  I love her PMC clay pieces best, she makes amazing use of liver of sulphur.  Here is a picture of her piece "Crown Heart" with a lovely rainbow patina from liver of sulphur.  Find more of her work on her blog.

I also love Kristi Bowman's work.  She uses a lot of copper clay, and torch fires her pieces to achieve a heavenly rainbow patina on them.  I am in love with her pieces, and with the beads and other components she uses with them.  She has an excellent eye for color and texture, and makes pieces that take my breath away.  If you are drooling over these components and don't have the set up to create them, check out her Etsy shop; she sells them at very reasonable prices.  You can also purchase her finished jewelry pieces there, and find her designs frequently on the Earrings Every Day blog.

Not enough beautiful for you?  Need more?  Then check out my Pretty Patina Treasury List on Etsy for more gorgeous pieces.  Here's a peek.

Check back with my tomorrow, I will have my first tutorial available for you in blog, video, and PDF form.  

Metal Clay Monday - Lorena Angulo

The first time I saw the lovely pieces by Lorena Angulo, I knew metal clay was for me.  I fell in love with her sculpted treasures and started daydreaming about kilns, PMC, COPPRclay, and sugar skulls immediately.

I joined Flickr in 2009 for the stamp carving community, but soon stumbled across Lorena's photostream and was truly captivated.  I create mixed media art and handmade books and have several articles published, but jewelry really has become the bread winner of all my hobbies.  Now, with two children, I have the choice of going back to a 9 to 5 job (missing my children and giving half my pay over to daycare) or making my own living.  With capital coming soon, I will be investing in a kiln and all the tools and supplies I need to make metal clay jewelry.

Lorena is a spectacular person and I highly recommend you stop by her website and check out her blog.  She is a Mexican artist living and working in Texas.  She is also a thyroid cancer survivor!  Such a strong and beautiful woman.  Her artwork is filled with imagery from her home county, including such iconic images as milagros, calaveras, catrinas, the tree of life, and other Mexican folk art symbols.  I also adore her use of patina, adding the perfect finishing touch to her beautiful artisan jewelry.  She is a certified Qualified Metal Clay Artisan and active member of the PMC Guild.  To see more of her achievements, check out her bio.

Besides whooping cancer's ugly butt, she has been busy; her book Behind the Brooch: A closer look at backs, catches, and pin stems, will be available February 2014, and she also has made several templates for Paper Picado's QuickArt (TM) Template line.  You can find them here.