David A. Martin Jewelry

Kick Starting the Re-Opening of my Studio

2011-05-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

"Much alchemical experimentation has been going on in Earthship Studio as evidenced by the strange lights of flickering fires illuminating the multi-paned windows on the old double doors, casting strange shadows . . . danceable groovy beats and strangely organic sounds of Animus Invidious filter out into the silent snowing night around the studio . . . the scent of cedar and oak smoke drifts in the air like a memory seeking a loving home . . . within, The Creator is busy experimentally rendering and artistically designing poem forms from metal and stone, wood and fire . . . things to spur memory as well as inspire . . . life seeking greater expression is the universe's desire."

The days which prompted me to write the previous excerpt are in the past, but new hope rises from the ashes of the old. I am preparing to rekindle the spirit of my studio in a new place and looking forward to creating new and innovative integrations of silver & stone.

I am starting this transition time off with a sale of some remnants from my previous Etsy shop as well as some early works never offered as they are now. Hopefully a few sales of these items will help kick-start my new studio's heart.

It is a new year, and it will be a new studio with new work, a new vibration fueled by new inspirations and collaborations. I look forward to this time of returning to creative work and blogging about my creations, inspirations and artistic process.

"dark earth blossom" featured in Etsy Treasury

2010-04-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Mori Kemen Lokte

This mythical piece is currently included in an Etsy.com Treasury compiled by the Gufobardo shop. The collection holds a variety of wonderful handmade items with a nice theme that one can feel when looking through the items contained there. They would all compliment each other very well.

...dark & mysterious, Elvish but darkly so, Sauronic yet beautiful...there is a touch of everything in this piece, it is very earthen and metallic with touches of underworld subtlety, organic, even floral unfurling in the upper beaten brass portion . . . speaks of power, yet also grace . . . a sense of tremor and trial, but also of flow . . . the iron hold of deaths surety and the ethereal triumph of new life's promise . . .

This ring began as a found bullet casing.

Once beaten into a new form it became the base of a silver bezel with black patina holding a Serpentine cabochon in it's dark embrace.

A gnarly and complimentary wood-grain textured silver band with a matching black patina was affixed giving this piece a very unique character.

"mori kemen lokte" is Tolkienian Elvish for "dark earth blossom"

It is a size 8

The Treasury can be viewed at Etsy.com at the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=94812

"MAKE ME AN OFFER SPRING CLEANING SALE!"

2010-04-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO MY

"MAKE ME AN OFFER SPRING CLEANING/DREAM MANIFESTATION SALE!"

I am in need of some extra cash to fund a few of my dream seeds and I am trying to manifest it in a short amount of time. As a gesture of gratitude to the Universe (that's you) I am asking that if you are interested in any piece of mine (yes, any!) that you please write to me on etsy or on facebook and make me an offer (I'm serious!).

I am in an EXTREMELY generous mood because I am seeking EXTREME generosity from the Universe.

Like they say "It doesn't hurt to ask."

Art Outreach: Humanitarian Help For Haiti

2010-02-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

So much of my work involves the beauty of the earth it's colors, textures, the senses which come alive and sing secret songs when particular elements and attributes are composed in a different arrangements.

The beauty of this has never escaped me and has in fact informed much of the work I do with a unifying and connecting sensibility. It adds meaning to the work I do. I see myself as one of those integral and intertwined elements of this one big song, this uni-verse.

In Honor of this, 10% from all purchases from my shop will be donated in the name of the purchaser to a recognized or specified verifiable non-profit dedicated to humanitarian efforts and relief in Haiti's devastated Port Au Prince region.

Your purchase will have manifold levels of satisfaction as the things we do will have a global enhancing effect, an act of positive direct solidarity and an affirmation of humanities highest human values, that of love and care of others.

Thank you,

Dave

Yu: Attuning to Spiritual Inspiration & Positivity through Community

2010-01-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

This pendant emerged spontaneously through some experimentation. After considering it I realized that it reminded me of the hexagrams of the I Ching oracle. This pendant looks like hexagram 16: Yu, with an expanded or magnified fourth line representative of "the minister" who is a spiritual adviser. This is where the turquoise sits.

I Ching Hexagram: 16
Name: Yu.
Keyphrase: Enthusiasm.
Formed By The Trigrams: Thunder over Earth.
General: Revitalize your spirit through celebration.
Love: Give your partner a pleasant surprise. Suggest an outing or trip.
Business: Take time to celebrate your business successes.
Personal: Throw a seasonal party to celebrate the cycles of nature.

Turquoise is one of the oldest protection amulets, and was also known as a symbol of wealth in many ancient cultures. It usually carries the meanings of strength, protection from harm, psychic sensitivity and connection to the spirit world. If given a turquoise by a loving friend, that stone would protect the wearer from negative energy and bring good fortune. Turquoise is the symbol of friendship. It also brings peace to the home.

Turquoise carries great wisdom of basic truth within it. It is one of the oldest stones known. This is a stone that a person must learn to attune to instead of the stone attuning to the person.

Overview: Yu is related to raising the energy of not only yourself but of those around you. Yu suggests our existence and environment can be suddenly changes through celebration. We should each use our strong leadership to inspire those around us. Don't underestimate the power of shared enthusiasm, it will help increase confidence which will help to withstand any future difficulties.

The thunder that powers new growth is above the earth or beyond the realm of the physical or the material. The energy of innovation is free and storming through the world. For the ancient people, kings, warriors and shamen, this was the inspiration for music that channeled and focused their people's liberated energies.

It speaks to me of the power of attuning with the environment and celebrating or sharing enthusiasm to help the self and others tap into the energy of innovation and inspiration, to realign with our spiritual dimension and thus affect changes in our environment and existence.

The attuning or aligning our selves with our spiritual nature and providing a leadership of ourselves and others which spontaneously manifests in celebration and enthusiasm or positive energy can help us bond together, solve our problems, meet our challenges and bring peace to our home which in the big picture i see as the earth, the universe . . .our existence.

Handmade Holidays

2009-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Recently these earrings were presented in an Etsy.com Treasury collection alongside many other fine and beautiful items. The title of the treasury was Lift Your Voice (in praise of handmade).

below is a link to the Etsy Treasury
Lift Your Voice In Praise of Handmade

It was created by Barbe Beaty, an eco-friendly precious metals artisan and Founder and Facilitator of a community based workshop, "Promise Project" (http://www.promiseproject.com), for girls/women from various populations.

"During these sessions, participants engage in the design, hand-sculpting, and hand-finishing of a fine silver token which symbolizes a personal pledge made to themselves reflective of where they‘ve been, where they are, and where they wish to be on their path through life."

Through her art and her community work, she hopes to continue reach out, enlightening others to the thought that "We are all artists in the sense that we each have a story unique to tell, and we each have the ability to "design" (shape and influence) our existence."

More links to Barbe Beaty and her work

jewelry website :: www.njiastudios.com
community workshops website :: www.promiseproject.com
life tidbits :: www.soulyyours.blogspot.com
Follow her on Twitter :: njiastudios
Proud member of Etsy Metal Clay :: www.etsymetalclay.com
Proud juried member of Trunkt :: www.trunkt.org/njiastudios

Mycologia: A Mushroom Hunter's Testament

2009-11-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

I was raised on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, a temperate rain coast which provided a rich experience of exploration and discovery. My earliest memories are hardwired with towering and benevolent Western Red Cedars, rich Edenic gardens of mossy nurse logs, shimmering alder groves and verdant glens of tall ferns. It was a warm,fertile and moist environment, ideal for my growth and blossoming. It was also the ideal environment for mushrooms.

I was raised in a mushroom hunting family. At varying points in the cycle of seasons my family would take knives and recycled bread bags and head out into the moist and fertile forests to hunt mushrooms. These forays often found my whole family hiking and then spreading out to comb the woods.

Humans are good at this hunting and gathering, we have the ability to scan a scene with a particular form in mind. Our brains can scan the environment and process the information quickly and recognize the particular pattern of attributes we are searching for . . . if those patterns are present.

Mushrooms have a general season in which they will fruit, but they are particular about if and when. Something I have learned through mushroom hunting as well as growing mushrooms myself is that they fruit when the conditions are right. If the moisture levels are right, and the temperature is within a certain range, and the lighting is just right they will fruit. Without fail. However, if even one of these elements is off, they will not fruit, no matter what time of year it is. This was evident when my family would return to a spot where we found many mushrooms the previous season to find that there were none this year, the conditions having changed slightly.

I have taken this bit of mycological wisdom and often applied it to my life. I have often repeated to myself the mantra of "When the conditions are right, it will fruit." It is simillar to the saying of "If you build it, they will come" from the movie Field of Dreams. Often when we desire change in our lives, we can liken it to the fruition of an intention. We must allow the fruiting to occur by creating conditions which are right for it to blossom. Often all it takes is acts of allowance, removing obstacles to the intended results manifestation.

And so, mushrooms and their process have been great teachers to me throughout my life. Their testament to the way of nature, the science of life, the Tao if you will have enriched my life. Sometimes with a peace of mind at times in knowing that when conditions are right things will fruit, and other times their wisdom has influenced me to shift parts of my life that are in my control, to, in otherwords, create conditions more condusive to the fruition of that which I intend to see blossom in my life.

This Companion Ring "MycoChromatic" is also titled "mycologia" and is a testament to my love of mushrooms and intended to honor and remind one of the wisdom they speak of. The Smaller side of the companion ring which is a rounded form meant to appear like a young mushroom button also has a highly polished top wherein the wearer can see himself reflected.

Unautumna / First Yellow Leaf of Autumn

2009-10-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Unautumna / First Yellow Leaf of Autumn

Description

Each year I have a habit of keeping an eye out for the First Yellow Leaf. It's a ritual which has emerged naturally from a practice of Locality Mindfulness. It fosters a sense of place and seasonality in my soul.

Autumn is such a juxtapositional time of transition, a beginning and and end. It often feels like a melancholy double-exposure. One foot is firmly planted in Summers ripeness and abundance, and the other foot is coldly planted in Winters season of silent reserve.

I celebrate many personal holy days, and one is First Yellow Leaf of Autumn. Another is First Snow. In a few months I will be longing to celebrate First Leaf, but for now, the foothills are mostly swathed in green, but the time of the turning leaf is in full blaze in higher elevations.

Large stone is Imperial Jasper, small stone is a Goldenrod Jasper.

The upper bezel is Gold and the lower bezel is Sterling Silver as are the shank and leafy design elements.

There is a light patina to this piece as seemed fitting, but the gold bezel also looks nice polished up brightly. Let me know if this is your preference and I'll polish it up before shipping.

This ring is large, most likely a mans ring, and can be worn in either direction.

Ring Size: 11

Merging Stewardship with Artistic Vision

2009-10-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's Ear Season again. You mean Deer Season? No, I mean ear season.

That's right, it's ear season again, time for hunters to keep their ears peeled for the sounds of deer in the forest, and for hikers in the woods to keep their ears peeled for hunters. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons.

There are so many reasons for me to be out in the mountain forests at this time of year. The seasonal changing of the leaves, which around here amounts to groves of Aspen trees turning golden and quite frankly transcendent or ethereal. Their yellow homage to the years dying sun is, truly, something to behold. Also, when the Aspens change color I know it's time to harvest Osha root, a powerful anti-viral and bronchial stimulator good for fighting off the flus and bronchial coughing which are also just as seasonal this time of year.

This is also the time for mushroom hunting and the King Bolete enjoys the same high altitude haunts as the Elk do. So, not only am I up there root-grubbing around and meandering through the sun-dappled sub-alpine Douglas Fir ecosystems, but many hunters are as well, listening for the rustle of something in the woods. I am a lover of silence, I have learned a lot from the deer growing up in the woods, and my movememnts and manners can, especially when in reverie at Natures beauty, be much akin to deer and Elk. Emulating these peaceful and powerful forest beings is not a wise thing to do at this time of year, however, so i often find myself whistling a tune to signal my human-ness, or perhaps the spirit of the bard overtakes me and I get a bit lyrical or compose Tolkein-esque narrative.

I found these bullet casings on the North slope of Greenhorn Mountain in the watershed of a small spring. I like to pick up any trash I find when out on my hikes and forays, but especially anything hazardous to my environment, such as batteries. I'm not sure of the potential for heavy metal contamination of our watershed from brass bullet casings, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't a good thing. I collected these and brought them home to dispose of in a propper manner, which is to . . . well, . . . I really didn't know. Recycle them I guess, but I wasn't going to take a trip to the recycle station soon, so I kept them around. Soon, I began to look at them as found objects and metal material which might be fodder for my creative outlet.

These were a quick experiment in upcycling found brass bullet casings. I brushed, drilled and added simple Sterling Silver ear wires. This hazardous waste has been transformed into a simple yet edgy pair of earrings. They make great conversation pieces for earthkeepers and deer hunters, ecologists and Outdoor Educators.

Each pair come with small rolled scrolls with quotes about nature tucked into them. Particularly I like to put a quote by Aldo Leopold on his idea of a Nature Ethic in them, but there are many quotes from Emerson or Muir which would go great in them as well.

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land."

"This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species. A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these 'resources,' but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state."

Leopold, Aldo: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, 1948, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987, pg. 204.

If you like, they can be replaced by your own special scroll,scripture, list, wish, blessing or poem.

Or, sport 'em empty . . . or fill 'em with fairy dust, essential oils . . . get creative.

THE SERENDIPITY OF CREATIVITY

2009-09-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Creating jewelry is a very satisfying process for me. I find it a very enjoyable way to spend my time, losing myself in the creative process. I lose track of time with favorite tunes on for hours and hours as I "work"

Because almost every one of my pieces is a one of a kind unique creation, each one is also an experiment. I experiment with materials, design elements, textures and colors, and most of all, techniques of fabrication.

I make all of my works from scratch. Aside from some earring wires recently, i do not purchase pre-made components and put them together. I fabricate all of the parts of the pieces I make from scratch; everything from finding and cutting and polishing the stones/ materials to cutting melting, forging, milling, rolling and shaping the silver and gold. I find this to be very satisfying as none of my parts are standard sizes or shapes, everything comes from the creative process of dreaming of something and then manifesting it in the "real" world.

Sometimes this process amazes me even more by surprising me with lucky accidents which later become useful as elements on other pieces or as new techniques of fabrication or assembling. Recently I had to devise my own way of attaching silver to brass since the two metals seemed to be incompatible for simply soldering them together.

My latest ring, the Full Moon ring really stunned me with its surprise gift. The ring began as a nice lump of recycled silver which i textured in the brief moments while it cooled. It revealed itself as slightly moonish and so I re-melted it and re-worked it till i was satisfied with its moon-likeness. I like to have a lot of content in my pieces at least while I work. I find it very satisfying, so i began to contemplate and remember moon symbolism.

. . . ahh, the full moon, a symbol both simple and complex, speaking of completion of cycle, abundance, and symbolic of the height of power, the peak of clarity, fullness and obtainment of desire . . . and lunacy. In alchemical teachings, the moon is ...a facet of Silver.

Instead of any of the previous forms of ring shanks i have crafted, it struck me that a nice design element could be added to the piece by the mirroring of the full moons circular shape in the band. This was a great way to integrate the main of the ring with the shank, allowing the shank to be more artful on top of being functional. I decided on two large circles with a smaller one in-between which when laid out measured the requisite length to create a size 7&1/2 ring shank, a safe "average" and very common ring size for women. What I found after creating this ring astounded me.

These circles when observed from the bottom appear as another full moon with a waxing crescent moon to the left and a waning crescent moon to the right!

(this photo was taken before i brush-finished the piece)

This was a completely serendipitous aspect of it's design, not an aspect i had intended, but an unforeseen aspect manifest in the form of my design. It blew me away. I wish i could say that i had intended it to be this way, however, i am completely satisfied, and a bit in awe, with the way it came to be.

Sometimes things just happen this way and i take great joy in it.

The moon of this ring is of brushed Sterling Silver with a modicum of patina for the craters and seas. This sits atop a found White Agate which is set in lightly brushed Sterling Silver bezel.

This ring is a size 7&1/2
Main Bezel and stone of this ring measure 1" x 3/4"

Orlin Helgoe's Visions of the Prairie

2009-09-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

When you google the web for Orlin Helgoe, you don't come up with much. He's mentioned briefly by name a few times and, oh, there's an out of print book about him and his paintings . . . and there doesn't seem to be any copies available. It gets even worse when you search web images with his name, all you come up with is misleading photographs of other peoples paintings which would lead the unsuspecting investigator to have a very wrong picture of his work. To me, this is a shame.

Lucky for me, I live in Pueblo Colorado. Now, I haven't used that sentence an awful lot in my life, and I do not use it lightly in this instance. This is Orlin Helgoe's hometown and so there are clues about him to be found here. Many of his paintings are collected at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center some of which are displayed through the year. The Pueblo City County Library District has a copy of the out of print book. There are other local artists living here who were students of Orlin Helgoe. His family and friends still live here.

The late Orlin Helgoe is known by some as "The Shaman of the Prairie." His work often depicts life and inspired moments on the prairie which he both loved to roam and paint. To me he was one who had absorbed the spirit of earth and sky, and took strength from the visions he recieved of the prairie. His powerful paintings exhibit that he was one who sought to pierce the veil between the seen and the unseen, to unify the outer landscape with the inner world.

His paintings are, well . . . full. Full of images and emotion and something else. Something they draw from the observer, elements which lead the mind of the beholder to translate, or fill in the blanks. Some of his paintings are close up shots of something, like the one of the dead deer he painted after killing his first and last deer on a hunt, or bleak landscapes with mysterious circles floating in the air, or some like the one these pictures come from which is an enormous painting depicting a scene which seems like a multiple exposure shot of several moments and perspectives at one level and then one finds that this multiplicity of scenes is comprised of many other smaller elements, smaller scenes and micro-mysteries.

When I found this stone the scene depicted in the picture jasper was instantly recognizable to me as Helgoe-esque. Although nowhere near as colorful or complex, it definitely reminded me of the elements in his work. When my subconscious mind sought to interperate the imagery of this stone it's only corroborating connection was "Helgoe." Here was a desert scene of mystery complete with the floating wheel within wheel orbs. No mistaking it, this piece was some kind of memorial to Helgoe and and the mystery of the wilderness of the local landscape. Were the stones speaking? Did they miss their lone wanderer? Did they miss the seeker of meaning and mystery, the "Shaman of the Prairie?"

Integration of Metal & Stone

2009-08-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love being creative!

At times I find myself wondering and wandering around the studio looking at my materials. Things are arranged in a way which to the untrained eye might look chaotic. However, to be more accurate I would have to say it is a time-spanning chronicle, more of a testament to what is and has been of interest to me for the last several months.

Bits and pieces of stone large and small, found and oxidized metal parts, scavenged circuitboards, interesting and very old bits of glass bottles, sea glass, even sticks and wood scraps and old bits of burl lay about the large table I built for the shop. There are old watch parts, half made pieces of jewelry, stones already polished sitting next to custom bezel cups awaiting their setting, un-nameable iron fragments from machines and mineral composites from steel making processes, owl and turkey and finch feathers from recent hikes, sketches of pieces already manifest and pieces still in the sea of possibility.

Often when seeking some new inspiration I arrange stones in different positions, place them on top of one another, shift them around slide them over next to metal bits, looking for patterns of recognition on color compatibility or texture or composition. All of this process and analysis, to me, is felt and "seen" on a more instinctual level than those previous words let on or allude to.

According to the inner critics schedule, this is "Work" and can be thus seen to him if that is what he needs in the moment. That satisfies that "adult" and responsible part of me which is intent upon being efficient.

But to me, the real me, the little boy inside, this is merely playing, a natural pastime of exploration and creation.

During this sacred play time I often become aware of my subtle shifts of interest. Shifts in interest turn the compass for me and change the world I see. Soon I am sailing my ship in new directions to chains of small islands i have never been to but love.

On one of these islands I found a lovely integration of textured silver and amazingly textured stone. The rare bit of Hematite, reminding me much of the frog pond when it drys out toward the end of summer leaving only cracked mud, had an amazing texture. Unlike most Hematite you will find on the market, usually made into rings, this piece is not as dark and doesn't have the polishes black chrom-like aspect one usually sees. Instead this piece is a chocolate and more natural or organice color, a warm and rich darkness which alludes to it's story. history and ...mystery. This stone has been sitting in eyes-reach of me when in the studio for several years and has had this small orange Carnelian cabochon sitting atop it for nearly as long. I have often known these two would be mated, but it was still missing something.

For months and months now I have believed it was another stone, something which would pair up with this amazing stone and somehow compliment the things I see in the texture of the Hematite. But on this new island of creativity I realized that instead it would be I who creates that component of the piece through the fires of silversmithing and the esoteric arts of texturing and patination.

My work nearly always involves the integration of metal and stone, however this piece and the process in creating the front section for it takes it to a new level and a new field of play. I was able to experiment and create a texture process through amazingly simple methods (Using fire and stone and cedar wood grain and knot whorls) to create a piece which would refer back to the deep lines and sectioning found in this particularly interesting piece of Hematite.

The result is not only a very satisfying piece and a great sense of completion for a stone pairing which has been waiting years to be set and completed, but a confirmation that indeed my course of discovery and creativity lies in this direction for awhile ahead.

Inspiration Is Everywhere

2009-07-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes you get shown the light/in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
-Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia

Inspiration is everywhere!

Yes, as a jeweler it can come from checking out other jewelers art, but for an artist with an eye for the abstract, the microbiological and the organic miracles of life on planet earth i also often find paintings to be inspirational, giving me a sense or a feeling or triggering a memory associated with color or texture.

Periodic synesthesia and, as Rimbaud would put it " . . . a long derangement of the senses," can help the poet become a visionary for sure, but "sometimes you get shown the light/in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

Such as reading the Sunday paper.
In particular, the New York Times Book Review.

There has always been a love in me for the sweeping and feminine forms of classic cars, and those fins and often creative tail light placements capture my attention.

It's something that is missing from todays car designs. An it's something that I miss.

I have no idea what the inspiration was for car designers in the last 25 years, but it definately wasn't aerodynamics, the female form or even the contributions of the ever-phallic rocket ships.

Oh well . . . we still have classic cars and we still have the history of them captured on film.

This inspiration is still in it's initial experimental and embryonic design stage, but i have a feeling it will fruit something beautiful and modern with roots in the classic.

Corbitals

2009-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Wheels within wheels of Sterling Silver hoops and a red Coral sphere bisected with an ear wire axis of Sterling Silver. Simple yet as dynamic as any two planets trajectories.

LIKE PLANETS

Like planets,
we orbit a common source

sometimes
we range far out,
on our lonesome

at other times we come so close
. . . passing in the night
with the knowing glint of starshine

this silver flashing lining
so momentary in the velvety bed of night
a warm and welcome touchstone
of unity.

main hoops measure approximately 1"

Midnight Inspiration

2009-07-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for these Sterling Silver and Coral earrings came to me at midnight. Not a typical tale for me, for you see, i am a night sleeper, a dreamer. But, alas, this particular night found me awake and restless. The heat of the day had subsided with a miraculous rainshower earlier, and so . . . out to the studio i go.

To get there i must step out onto the back deck, my feet feeling the rain wet wood. I step down into the garden, following the straw lined path now very cool and wet, nearly squishy to my bare feet. In the day i have to be mindful not to step upon any creature for the rolly-pollys and ants are busy moving from the garden across the concrete patio between the studio and the garden.

I do not put music on, but opt to listen to the music made by the wind in the trees. A cool night breeze this is which blows through making my tall carrot flowers sway sleepily. And as i sit to meditate for a moment and take in this nights present moment, i am filled with inspiration and begin to look through my materials and my silver to manifest this complex sense of the night . . .

. . . and these earrings "inspircoral" are born . . .

. . . there is something in them of the sacred circle, the path of planets, a cool night breeze and my neighbors backyard wind chimes...the striving of the life force in the sea...the transformation of extreme forces, met with grace and peace, a creation somewhere between allowing and dreaming...

The silver swerve and circle are free to rotate around the axis of the ear wire. The coral bead is free to spin.

Upcycled Innovations

2009-07-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Human kind are story tellers. From connecting the stars in the night sky to create images of our mythic understanding of the seasons and our own cyclic nature to the stories we tell through television and new media we express ourselves and our dreams, our fears and our hopes.

The pendant pictured above is Sterling Silver and upcycled television circuit board material. Once finished and about to be given a name, i suddenly noticed that it has circuit solder points which reminded me of the constellation Orion. "Orionic" is the first in a series of upcycled creations using circuit boards.

When i saw the broken television someone had dumped in a parking lot, i was immediately struck by the turquoise like hue of the circuit board. I didn't even think twice about harvesting one mans trash. The neo-primitive urban hunter gatherer in me took what i could use and cleaned up the rest of the mess.

I remembered my fathers code of "Leave it cleaner than you found it." This bit of culture would come out when we arrived at the place we would camp after hiking through the Olympic Mountains and we would scour the immediate area for pop lids or any trash.

These days i impart this "leave no trace" on to my children as well as emphasizing a lifestyle of recycling, precycling (making consumer choices which reduce the need to recycle, such as buying produce from a local farm instead of in a plastic bag or a can or jar), and upcycling (taking a piece of trash or found object and using it as a raw material in the creation of something of greater value).

I am glad i have found this piece of circuit board, it feels like the perfect upcycling material to integrate into my work.

2009-07-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Recently i made some lovely little Jade earrings. Getting back out into my studio after a hiatus was so much fun. This particular Jade was a lighter color than most of my material, and although not that milky sea green color, it is a beautiful shade of green.

My friend Kate said that they remind her of old styled "hippie glasses" which made me wonder about the subliminal influences. Has the muse gone all misty eyed and nostalgic on me . . . perhaps. Whatever the influence, they came out well and quickly found a new home with someone who loves them dearly. Another happy story.

There are many shades of Jades out there, and i have my favorites. But the fun is in the variety. I have some lovely rare "chrome" Jade which i prefer to call "juicy" Jade.

I also have a lovely darker and mysteriously marbled jade which my father sent me from Washington State. It was unearthed in a construction project near the place i come from and i am excited to use it in some upcoming pieces.

David A. Martin Interview with Fresh Peaches at Such Cool Stuff blog!

2009-03-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently interviewed by Fresh Peaches for her Such Cool Stuff blog. It was fun to answer the questions and hopefully everyone will find it lively and entertaining.
The interview asks me questions about myself, my craft and things i love and love to do.

There's a link at the bottom of my blog to her blog, or paste the link below into your browser bar at the top of your screen to go to her site.

I am featured on Sunday, March 8th.

http://suchcoolstuff.blogspot.com/2009_03_08_archive.html

Stones From The Pools of Time

2009-02-25T04:50:00.000-08:00

I gathered several small stones (as well as fallen bits of wild honey comb and several large Great Horned Owl feathers and Wild Turkey feathers) from Little Owsl Canyon with the intention of creating some jewelry to auction off as a fund raiser for the Friends of Little Owls Canyon.

This stone, when found immediately spoke of a starry night caught in a lightly reddish/purple stone. A canyon night with its ambient canyon colors and white specks. I cant wait to see what this one looks like smothed and polished.

Another favorite is this simple grayish stone with its ghostly footprints (well, that's what i see, a series of whitish markings in a line, to me this always feels like the print of movement, as in my The Path Illuminated ring.) "Ghost Dance" whispered the stone, or was it the wind through the owl feathers i had found, or the canyon itself, or perhaps . . . my inner shaman.

And this stone, so exemplary of much of the canyons colors and form. The play of sunlight and shade. The line of the canyon rim and the sky as seen from below. The corners and cracks and shifts in color and layers of geologic time of this canyons tale.

I am very excited to get to this series of projects because of its timely relevance and to the local flavor of its spirit. More time in these canyons is my intention for the coming good weather.

David A. Martin Jewelry in Etsy.com Treasury

2009-02-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Marta Sanchez has included me in another Etsy Treasury, this one tickles me pink!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41886

My Magical Mystery Projects

2009-02-24T04:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes i just don't know what to do with some ideas.

Take for instance, this ever increasing (albeit small now) collection of larger stones that have natural hollows within which i cannot help but place other small stones.

I love the combination of these stones colors.

The green cratered Ciefenite and Carnelian i could definitely cut for a pendant or another prominent stone in the series of bold Ciefenite rings i have going.

But what about that gray stone with the natural white crystals in it's hollow?

The turquoise stone has been sitting in it for over a year now. I mean, i could cut it, but it would make a kind of tall stone for a ring or a pendant, even for my bold work. It seems to be fine just the way it is. Perhaps a paperweight, i know that it has been a good deskmate for me at my jewelry bench for awhile. Something about it i find soothing, it makes me feel good. Can't put my finger on it, it's just a sense i get when i see it in my periphery or actually take a moment to look at it.

All part of the creative process when working with the beauty and wonder of natural objects.

The Wisdom of the Council of Saws

2009-02-23T04:03:00.000-08:00

I had a realization one day. It was a culmination of the wisdom of the various saws i have worked with during the course of my life. I have used saws for cutting wood, metal and stone and each one has spoke of a different relationship, a different path towards the creation of the new thing.

I was able to glean a bit of wisdom which transcends the physical realm of cutting material things and which is useful in social relationships as well as to the individuals spiritual life.

What i found was that the softer the material one wishes to cut through, the larger the teeth of the saw and the greater the space between those teeth in their arrangement on the saws blade. When cutting through hard materials, say metal, the teeth are quite small, and there are very many of them. When you get to cutting stone, well the "teeth" of the saw are now comprised of abrasives, usually diamonds.

When dealing with simple matters of the social arena, say helping a friend move furniture, only a few people are needed and there are a limited number of actions to take. But in larger more difficult social matters, say social progress or cultural change, it takes many people and many small actions working in alignment towards a unified vision. I am thinking here about things as wide ranging as community legislation to radical social revolution.

In matters of the individual as well, say in self improvement or refinement, the easy change like changing ones clothes or eating a meal is done rather swiftly and in single event increments. But harder things, like losing weight or dealing with emotional issues or learning a new skill, these things take time and are achieved in a long line of tiny actions repeated over and over. It is a much slower progress, a gradual chipping away at the stone. This should be understood and considered when setting forth ones intentions as well as being aware of this and having compassion towards ones self, loving ones self with the knowledge that change takes time.

The Marrianne Ring

2009-02-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

"The Marrianne"

The Marrianne ring was inspired by my friend Marrianne Von Fange. She and i discussed the ring for awhile, going back and forth on ideas for the material. She knew what she was looking for, especially color wise, it was up to me to satisfy her request and make her ideas manifest. I think it went very well. It is definitely one of my favorite pieces.

A lot of creativity went into the evolution of this ring.

The Marianne

This is definately one of my favorite creations!

This Companion Ring was the first triple stone Companion Ring and was inspired and commissioned by my friend Marianne Von Fange. She had some ideas about the colors she wanted and i went about finding stones and consulting with her as to her likes and dislikes and this is the ring that manifested. The large green oval stone is a very veined piece of Turquoise and the two smaller rounded cabochons are semi transparent brown Pigeons Blood Agates.

This ring, especially the green Turquoise remind me of the sea, the veins resembling the luminous underwater reflections of light caused by the waves above on things below the surface. This is only apt since the root of Marianne’s name would be "the sea" this coupled with the meaning of Ann being "Grace" i find both Marianne and this ring to be a testament to the "Grace of the Sea," or perhaps "Sea-Grace" or "Sea-Like Grace"

And all of this brings another bit of poetry from Pablo Neruda to mind:

The lichen on the stone, mesh
of green elastic, enmeshes
the primal hieroglyph,
stretches the scripture
of the sea
around the round rock.
The sun reads it, barnacles fade it,
and from stone to stone
the fish slither by like shivers.
Silently the alphabet goes on
spelling out its sunken syllables
along the immaculate hip of the coast.
On his loom the moss weaver
goes back and forth, higher and higher,
carpeting the caverns of air and water
so that no one dances but the wave
and nothing follows but the wind.
(XIII)
from Stones of the Sky by Pablo Neruda

Little Owls Canyon

2009-02-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well, even though today was a bit blustery, i went out for my hike anyway. This time i made my journey to the Little Owls Canyon. Little Owls Canyon is a magical place and has welcomed nature lovers for ages as is evident by the petraglyphs or rock art gracing its walls. It has been a rock climbers hidden gem for decades. There are rare salamanders here, and i have heard frogs singing up in pools i have yet to explore.

The health of the canyon's waterway and wildlife is being endangered by an irreverent and irresponsible mining company which is still in operation despite its permit violations, EPA violations, and various other sundry violations of law, ethics, and environmental stewardship. They have been running a mining operation for years, having leased the mineral rights to land which is now a growing community of home owners. This mining operation is seeking a special use permit to expand their operation onto even more peoples land. A grassroots organization of rock climbers, land owners and land lovers has sprouted up in opposition to the granting of the special use permit.

Despite the gradual encroachment of the mining company and its pollutants i was blessed with sightings of much wildlife. Deer and elk tracks, bear and coyote scat. I saw one coyote, many little birds unknown to me (some that were defying gravity and walking underneath rock ledges upside down), a little woodpecker (nutalls) or sapsucker (yellow bellied), found feathers of wild turkey and great horned owl. The small boulder pools were mostly frozen with a light sciff of snow, enough to just make out see coyote tracks clearly, although beneath some i could hear the trickle of the creek.

My most amazing find today was of a mass of wild honeycombs hanging from a shaded section of stone high up a cliff face. I climbed up to get a closer view and took photos, but they seem a bit blurry to me even though the camera should have focused on them.

My love for this canyon and its healthy natural state has led me to attend the local county planning commision meetings, write letters, make phone calls and gather with others to discuss actions we can take to increase awareness of the situation.

One thing that has come up is the cost of legal representation for the landowners. At the last meeting of concerned citizens i proposed that we all do a little towards helping by focusing on our own areas of expertise. There are many artists involved, and i suggested that we make and donate artwork for an auction to raise money. We could make t-shirts, musicians could donate music or even write new music for a compilation cd to be made and sold to raise awareness and money. For me, i have decided to work a jewelry angle.

On my recent visit i collected a few select pieces of stone which i intend to work into a series of pieces which could be sold or auctioned to raise money to help in the raising of awareness about the Little Owls Canyon and its plight.

And in an epipheny (or was it the mushroom whispering) i realized the series would be called "Stones from the Pools of Time" and when i found certain stones they too had names, names which will follow them into the pieces i create (ie. Little Owls Canyon Night, Ghost Dance etc.)

This hiking trip in congunction with local happenings has really inspired me toward a new series of work with great local, social and environmental relevance and resonance.

From Pieces to Pieces: Local Upcycling

2009-02-19T01:31:00.000-08:00

My friends, Kate and Shane Jarrett, who are the resident potters at the Sangre De Cristo Arts and Conference Center make absolutely wonderful work. Aside from their seasonal sales and my favorite, their Kiln Opening event nights, their work can be seen and purchased or sampled at Wireworks Coffeehouse down on the beautiful Historic Arkansas Riverwalk.

Sampled?

Yep, sampled. That's because Wireworks Coffeehouse exclusively uses Jarrett Pottery for all their coffee mugs, cups, and demitasse's, saucers, plates and bowls. This comes from the business and community ethics of the owner, Ann Chenu, who wants her small, local business to be a part of the local economic circle of small, local, and ethical businesses like hers. There are many reasons to support your local and small businesses, for one, their your neighbors. Another reason is that it allows you to enrich your community by supporting the parts of it you want to see thrive. But, like i said, there are inumerable reasons for keeping it local and low scale.

Well, Wireworks Coffeehouse goes through their share of Jarrett Pottery, for as any restauranteur knows, breakage is a major expense. Mugs are especially vulnerable to being dropped or knocked off tables or bonked against the edges of counters.

I have been collecting the Jarretts work for some time, mostly in my home where it now comprises the majority of my crockery. I love their rich warm colors and lustrous glazes. They have a wide variety of color combinations, but i have my favorites.

But i have also been collecting the broken crockery from the coffeehouse. I plan to cut the broken pieces into "cabochons" i can set in silver for rings, pendants and bracelets. I am especially in love with some of the glazes used around the rims of the mugs and edges of the plates.

This will be very attractive jewelry which will place portions of the Jarretts work into silver time capsules where they can be admired and cherished on into the years. It is a great way to recycle or, rather, upcycle local resources. It will also give Wireworks lovers a wonderful memento to remind them of the times and warmth and laughter they have shared, the plans and friends they have made down at the coffeehouse.

It will aslo keep all that Jarrett Pottery from filling our local landfil . . . although, a landfill full of Jarrett Pottery wouldn't be such a bad thing. Beautiful, in fact! Ah, if only that were the case, we should be so lucky.

to contact Jarrett Pottery

jarrettpottery@msn.com

David A. Martin's Earthship Studio Mentioned in Such Cool Stuff Blog Interview with Marta Sanchez

2009-02-18T03:58:00.000-08:00

Marta Sanchez has been recently interviewed by the Such Cool Stuff Blog. The blog is published by Fresh Peaches, and it's about, in her own words, "Artists, Crafts, Sales, and other cool stuff I find as I meander through this crazy internet thing."

My Earthship Studio on Etsy was mentioned as one of the shops that Marta likes. Check out the interview by using the link below in my Blog Roll, or simply pasting the link below into your browser.

http://suchcoolstuff.blogspot.com/2009/02/mso-joies.html

Fresh Peaches interview with me will run on March 8th 2009, a few days before my 40th birthday, so stay tuned.

Others Art as Inspiration

2009-02-17T04:19:00.000-08:00

painting by Randy Wix

I find other peoples art to be such an inspiration to me. There are so many new ways of looking at things, so many expressions of emotion, so many textures. I'm glad that for a small city such as the one i live in, there are a lot of artists, some quite accomplished, and some quite good in my opinion.

Wireworks Coffeeshop for the last five years has kept a rotating monthly showing of local artists work.

Ann, the owner of Wireworks Coffeehouse gets a lot of feedback from customers about the art. She says she's always surprised by what art different people like or don't like. She has recently turned the coffeehouse's art direction over to Randy Wix.

Randy Wix is a local artist who's work has shown several times at the coffeehouse and is an artist who is quite busy painting these days to keep ahead of the demand for his work. His works are mixed media contemporary abstracts.

One of the things i like about his work is that it has lots of texture. I can enjoy his work froma distance, but i often find myself getting up close to check out how its all done, the grooves and squishes, the drips and scratches.

detail of a painting by Randy Wix

Sometimes i find a lot of joy and inspiration in just a small part of a piece of art. I find this to be true for artists such as Breughel and Dali or , as it is for Andrew Wyeth or local contemporary artists such as Randy Wix, Justin Reddick or Ann Chenu.

detail from a painting by Ann Chenu

The above painting by Ann Chenu gives me vast imaginative teritory to explore, to me it is an archaic map of a mythic coastline, complete with deltas and canyons, deserts, mountains and islands. This painting is in my studio and often after stoking the woodstove i will take a few minutes to relax and gaze at it, letting my eyes follow the coastline and my mind to discover its stories.

And then there are painters like Robert Venosa whos intricate works, such as astral circus pictured below, give one a virtual playground, a myriad of luminous images in a magestic managerie to explore. Works such as these give one much to think about due to the often associative and symbolic or archetypal forms.

The Passage of Time

2009-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't worn a watch in years. Not since i left my job at K2, moved into a van i remodeled into a traveling bedroom/camp kitchenette/library/home. "Van Go" an old bronze Chevy Van. I was on van time, mesa time, sunrise time, forest time, spring buds popping up down by the creek time. I no longer needed time in the old way, had no schedule. One thing i learned then was that when i ditched the watch and the clockwork orange schedule, i suddenly knew what time it was. If it was time to eat, i knew it. If it was time to drink cold clear well water, i knew it. If it was time to run through the woods when it was raining or catch snowflakes on my tongue i knew it, i was in tune with the moment.

And it all got me to thinking . . . about time . . . for the last, oh, say, 15 years. Time is strange. Humanity has come a long way through its course. We have old ways and new ways; old ways that are hard to shed and new ways that are hard to adopt. It seems like we are always in a mode of adaptation, and we're good at it.

Then along comes a guy named Albert Einstein who posits mathematically that energy is mass and time is a physical property, if you will, relative to ones perspective.

And then there is the ancient view of the dreamtime, the eternal moment, each moment a moment of genesis, of creation. That events don't follow each other one after the other, in a linear fashion, but exist all at once right now. That all of time just IS, and we are only seeing one portion through one set of eyes. That perhaps we are all these eyes and all these moments, that there is really only one unified field, one thing, one singularity that has been fragmented . . . the awareness of this "one thing" entity, this One, fragmented, by time.

And there are those who speak of a coming time, say 2012, where we will come to the end of time, and without time, we will have all this space and a new sense or awareness devoid of the constraints of time. Just this awareness/energy/space, no longer fragmented by time . . .

. . . yeah, it got me thinking, and yesterday this piece emerged in my mind, two elements i have been toying with for some time now, this antler button and this magnasite. Well i read that magnasite is said to help open the third eye, the eye of consciousness, a mind's eye . . . and well, it suddenly all just fell into place . . .

. . . i had found my new timepiece, something to wear and remind myself of all these intricate, interesting and important ideas about time and the glorious implications they have to me.

My Jewelry in a new Etsy Treasury

2009-02-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

Annica of the Lydia333 Etsy shop has included The Path Illuminated in her delicious Treasury "Chocolate . . . and Lime". Check it out. Mmmmmmmm, i'm dying for some of those vegan chocolate cupcakes, right up my lactose intolerant alley.

Check it out through the link below.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=39538

Polymorphs and Cenote's

2009-02-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

"Oh, the thinks you can think"
-Dr. Seuss

I have been thinking, imagining, envisioning. Green, aqua colored pools and algae covered ponds, seagrass and moss, the ancient continent of Pangaea and the surrounding one-ocean of Panthalasca, ocean life, sea life, turquoise, chrysoprase, gaspeite . . . rainforest jaspers . . .

There is no shortage to ideas and vision around here. It's time that's the complexity in my day.

I have sea glass and orbicular jasper ideas.

I'm also working with some old materials in new ways, working my way into ocean life and pond life with some new series of drawings for "Seamorphs" or "Oceaomorphs" and "Polimorphs."
playing off the forms of tadpoles and jellyfish, wrapping them around the finger . . . and as usual my mind has been doing etymological sketches playing with the primal roots of words, creating new hybrid forms of memetic life . . .

The notion of those Mexican and South American crystal clear rainforrest pools connected by submarine caverns that are teeming with plant an animal life, cenote's, have been in my mind for some time now.

What does the future hold for my art?

2009-02-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

And what of the future of David A. Martin Jewelry?
What do i see coming out of Earthship Studio in the coming year?

Well, hopefully more of the same, that is, more of the new!

I have been exclusively designing and fabricating my own jewelry in my own studio for a year now. It's been a good year, a very creative time. So i see myself making more unique one of a kind pieces. I'm also working on a few designs which will require less intricate fabrication and cut back on my time. I'm looking to add a line of designs that are less expensive and in a fashion, more replicable to reach a broader customer base. My hope in doing this is to create more abundance and a wider arena for greater expression and connectivity in the art world which i hope translates into making a higher percentage of my living through artistic creativity.

I also have a show in 2010 at the Sangre De Christo Arts and Conference Center in Pueblo, Colorado with local artists Randy Wix and Justin Reddick. They are multi-media modern abstract painters who have asked me to compliment their work with some of my own. I'm actually not thinking of using jewelry as my medium for that show, but have been working with some designs for wall pieces, but still integrating metal and stone. The working theme of the show, currently, is The Industrial Revolution, so it should be fun. I'd like to work in some fossils and found metal, silver and ciefenite.

I have a patchwork quilt of a novel i'd like to tighten up and get a decent first draft of too this year.

Creating Little Treasures

2009-02-12T08:43:00.001-08:00

I find that these things i make, especially the rings are like little treasures to me. The finished product is a little ornate treasure, something with enough strength and integrity of design to withstand quite a journey through time. Sometimes i think of them as time capsules, they hold so much of my mind and imagination in them, they are like songs made of silver and stone, sung in a very private language which would be hard for me to translate to another being. I have tried and i think it helps shed light on me and my mind and my personal mythos, but my hopes are that others see my jewelry and hear their own amazing songs and stories, that these pieces speak to others in ways impossible for me to quite fully understand.

If i were to have to choose my favorites (and i have been pressed to do such a thing) i'd have to say Companion Ring 1

or The Path Illuminated.

I mean, these two rings are very special to me because they are both "firsts" in new directions in design and style for me. These two rings, particularly, are very recognizable markers for me because they are primary manifestations of my initial work within a certain frame of mind or associative concept between the material world and my imagination.

Right now i am moving into new things. My Poppy and Citron Blossom Ring is one new direction (see my earlier archived blog about it), but i have more going on. The studio iss a very creative place, well, maybe it's my mind that is the creativity center, but the manifestation happens in the shop.

A Lesson Learned

2009-02-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

Recently i came up with a good idea for an item in my materials collection, shark cartlidge vertebrae. It occurred to me that if i carved out the center they would make great beads . . . well, for dreadlocks. My son, Raven happens to have dreadlocks so at first it started as a gift for him. One day I decided that there was no reason i shouldn't offer these up for sale. I started to carve sets of three and make them available in my Etsy shop.

I discovered several fossil grade shark vertebrae for sale online and battled the online auction and finally won. A fistful of dollars got me the small handful of vertebrae, but i figured that since they were fossil grade they would be solid and stone-like and i could set stones in silver around them. You know, really work up some nice pieces of ancient fossil and gem dread beads for the discerning dread head.

Unfortunately, when they arrived i realized that the cartlidge hadn't weathered the eons since the Megalodon Era very well. Well, perhaps its the fact that they weren't bone or that they weren't petrified, but some of them exibited a frailness i hadn't expected.

Some of them may be all right for what i had originally intended, it will take a bit more scrutiny and experimentation to be sure, so my efforts (and investment) may not be completely in vain.

It's all part of the process, the fun of experimentation and learning, using new materials and techniques, coming up with ideas and manifesting them.

Jewelry Artist Marta Sanchez

2009-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ancient Techniques Meet New and Personal Visions of Antique Jewelry

I met Marta Sanchez through the online handmade emporium www.etsy.com last year and recently i was featured on her online contemporary jewelry site called 18kt. Marta started her blog in 2006, and with an average of 20,000 visits a month it has evolved into a meeting place for jewelers around the world. (http://www.18kt.es)

Her Bio explains how her family and childhood influenced and encouraged her toward a life of artful joy.

"Marta Sanchez, a jeweler and gemologist, born in Vic, Barcelona, Spain, from a working family. She remember drawing and playing with clay, walking through the forest with her grandfather who taught her also to tie her shoes and fix a light switch. Her mother would always tell the story of how she only needed a pencil and paper to entertain her, or to let Marta get dirty making figurines with clay. They still conserve a mural she made with plaster on one of the walls of the house with only two years old!"

After school she would pass her time in her fathers wood shop where she made wooden toys and furniture. This work gave her a mechanical aptitude for working and controlling tools and machines. As early as age 18 Marta knew she wanted to make jewelry, and enrolled in Escola Massana at Barcelona, where she learned about metals, forging, micro fusion, stones, galleries and everything related to a jeweler. Fascinated with stones, Marta decided to study Gemology and earned Gemologist titles from the University of Barcelona, and the FEEG (Federationfor European Education in Gemology).

I find that Marta has a keen eye for the integration of metal and stone. There is a quality to much of her work which allows it to be very flowing and rustic at the same time, industrial and yet organic. Quite a bit of her work strikes a balance between the showcasing of the stone and the framing of the metal. In fact, it's so balanced that I find it hard to decide if the metals are framing the stones or the stones are ornamenting the metals. It is this balanced integration which i find fascinating in some of her pieces, since i am so often drawn to one or the other in my own creations.

Marta conceives jewelry as ornamental objects for the body. "A jewel is something we wear to beautify our body. As someone who gets a tattoo, changes their hair or gets a piercing, I change my jewelry every day depending on my mood. I like to wear my jewelry as much as I like to show off my tattoos."

There is a great precision evident in the crafting of Marta's pieces, and it marries well with the thoughtful spirit and skill of her creative design. Marta admires German jewelry and enjoys the techniques of making jewelry she sees there. She likes to mix these ancient techniques with her new and personal visions of antique jewelry.

To understand the breadth of Marta's style one must really check out her extensive archive of works. I have only put a few pictures here to wet your appetite. Coming to her work with my own personal appreciation for myth and metal, I was immediately drawn to several pieces which spoke to me of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. I can see the ages of iron and the eons of celestial illumination.

All elements of nature and aspects of the cycle of life are represented in Marta's work. It is no wonder that we find much of her work informed by the mythology and cosmology of ancient Egypt. Currently Marta has a few collections on display; Atón, Geb, Nut, Isis and Flor de Lotus. All of these inspired from Old Egypt, their gods and beliefs as they influence us today.

Marta lives and works in Barcelona, in her own studio and showroom.

Make sure you check out Martas magical video "Flor de Lotus" below!

Marta's Blog:
http://www.18kt.es

Martas Website:
http://www.masaoms.com/
(after it loads, click on "english" to the left for a translated version)

Marta's Etsy:
www.masaoms.etsy.com/

Marta's Video
Marta's Flor de Lotus Video can be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/user/Masaoms

See Martas blog about my work at:
http://18kt.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/david-a-martin/

I will also be mentioned in an interview with Marta on the Such Cool Stuff! blog on 2/16/09.
http://suchcoolstuff.blogspot.com

2009-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce everyone to a great resource for crafters and artists of all things handmade. It's called Etsy and rhymes with the girls' name Betsy. Etsy is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell items that are handmade, as well as vintage goods and crafting supplies.

Creating an Etsy shop is very easy, and free. And as you start to list items you will find it is also very inexpensive (20 cents to post an item for up to 4 months). You can connect it easilly to your existing Paypal account or create one of those very easy if you don't have one yet, and when people purchase your hand crafted items, the money goes right into your bank account.

They have all sorts of creative ways to advertise your goods, connect and communicate with other artists and give or recieve feedback. Their blog is very informative, you can find a link to it at the bottom of my page in my Blog List.

As you can see, to the right of this blog they even have a widget called the Etsy Mini to put on your blog or website which can connect people directly to your shop.

I fel every artist i know could benefit from the worldwide coverage. Since opening a shop at Etsy my jewelry has been seen by people all over the world. Oh, yeah, did i mention they have a great little globe that spins and zooms in to show you where people who love your stuff reside. It's pretty cool.

Check it out at www.etsy.com

Fossil Hunting

2009-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Several months ago my friend Kierra and i went out fossil hunting. This was on land of a friend, Norm, out on Bacculite Mesa near Pueblo, Colorado. It was a cold day and actually started to snow on our way out the long seven miles of dirt road. But it was amazing, out away from the city the horizon stretched out, so much prairie and mesa.

Little swarms of birds flew alongside the car bobbing up and down reminding us of flying fish following a sailing ship. As we approached our friends driveway a herd of horses came galloping out of the snowy canyon to our left and ran alongside the car. They were beautiful and magestic. We stopped by their large water troughs, large galvanized tanks, and broke the ice with axes as Norm had requested we do.

We parked the car and donned our hats, gloves,coats and backpacks and headed out into the little canyons which are invisible until you are right up on them. They aren't too deep ranging up to, oh, i'd say about fourteen foot high clay cliffs. it's these clay cliffs which crumble here and there over time due to the freezing and thawing of moisture. Then the rains wash through the canyon and sweep away the dirt leaving interesting fossils on the canyon floor.

It was a fun day, but very cold and we had gotten a late start so we didn't get to do a very extensive hike in the canyon we chose. We did find a few small fossils and some interesting rocks. Kierra found an interesting cluster of clear crystal like formations. My big find of the day was a portion of a nautilus.

At the point we decided to turn around and head back to the car, we ate some cornbread i had made for the day. We left a little cornbread for the birds before leaving.

Later that week, the bean grinder at the coffeehouse went down and we had to replace the grinding teeth. I brought the worn ones home to use in art somehow and set them on my desk. It didn't take long to recognize the simillar sense of curve and line that the grinding teeth and the nautilus fossil had in common. I began to think about the repetition of form in nature, what was it about these things which worked so well in nature and that we as humans so many millions of years later use in our mechanistic attempts at taking care of business. I do not feel we are removed from nature, on the contrary i believe we are another expression of nature . . . and so are our ideas and creations.

I'm still not sure what i'm going to do with either the nautilus fossil or the coffee bean grinder gears. I would love to integrate the two, somehow spotlighting the things they have in common. I'd also love to somehow allude to the passage of deep time and the wonder i have for the repetitive use of recurring forms in nature.

Perhaps i can work them into some wall pieces i'm designing for the Industrial Revolution themed show i have with Randy Wix and Justin Reddick at the Sangre de Cristo Art & Conference Center in 2010.

Time will tell.

Mobile Metals Program

2009-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I assisted Michael Boyd with the Mobile Metals Program, which takes our love of metalsmithing into the public and charter schools arts classes.

It was a great trip out of town and teaching these kids a new skill was very satisfying. To see there eyes light up as they have an aha moment when the solder flows at just the right heat and the two ends of their silver ring come together and become one was something i'll never forget.

It's important to show these kids that beyond the realm of school subjects there are so many other opportunities for careers and artistic expression. Metal working can be a place where the mechanically minded kids find a love of crafting and creating something with the materials they are familiar with in other applications. The artsy kids find a common ground with the gearheads and vicaversa when they both arrive at a place of creation. The act of creating something in the mind and then acquiring the skills to manifest those ideas in the physical world is a powerfully attractive thing to a wide swath of humanity.

You can see the cogs in motion as they talk about their ideas for other projects, many of which are currently beyond their skill level. But, to me, it's this inspiration and desire to learn and figure it out, to create, which is satisfying.

To see kids excited about something healthy and constructive these days is more than refreshing. It renews my faith in the creative and cooperative future of humanity.

Cold Days Give Time To Reflect

2009-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a snow day.

The last few days have been pretty cold around here. Even what start out as gray days usually end up with the old Colorado sun coming out. The sun streaming into the living room appears golden and warm, but as i look out at the thermostat on the little greenhouse i can see that is only appearances.

Days like this make me welcome the sun, and as i sit on the couch in a sunny spot i put my face into the sunbeams and let the warmth soak in, melting away thoughts of much else. I revel in this for awhile, and memories of springs gone past return. I remember the day my friend Ann and i let our butterflies go. They had hatched from their cocoons in a large pickle jar in the house. It was great to see them flitter and flutter about and head straight for the large yellow flowers.

Some days are good for reflection, and this is one of them. I find that i can place myself in those magical moments of yesteryear fairly well. The smells of the evergreens, the sound of birds and snowmelt running and dripping down rocks and the nuthatches and sapsuckers tap-tap-tapping away, the feel of the new spring sun on my skin and the still cool breeze in my hair, the sights of new colors emerging from the whites and grays of winter and my friend smiling and laughing in her own reverie.

I look forward to these times, but in the meantime, i have the color palette of my stones to gaze out. The many greens i am so attracted to as well as the other colors reminding me of various associative things in nature.

Today it's the birds which come to mind.The red of the finch' s breast, the flash of surprising yellows and oranges from the tanagers and goldfinches, the bluejay weaving deep green boughs of pine. The crazy stitch of the humingbird with its blurred and buzzing rubies and emeralds pulling it all together with its zipping curiosity of everything.

It may be a cold gray and snowy day outside, but inside the promise of spring is already blossoming in my heart.

Polishing The Stone

2009-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Stone polishing is a process which takes sometime. Stones vary in hardness and so the time it takes to polish them varies as well. Some take a shine quite easy and others . . . well, they become a labor of love.

The process of polishing a stone starts with raw stone material (called "rough") and then cutting an approximately sized piece, remembering to leave room for polishing which is the slow removal layers of stone. After this one can take the stone to a lapidary arbor which is a wheel or a seriese of wheels of varying grit from coarse stone wheels to soft padded wheels covered with belts embedded with fixed polishing grit all the way down to fluffy buffing wheels which are designed to hold loose polishing compound.

Beyond this i do a lot of polishing by hand at my bench using my hand tool (much like a dremmel tool) and various grits of diamond paste. This takes time.

I have found that this process has similarities to the maturation of an individual throughout life, slowly refining and removing the smaller and smaller deficiencies to arrive at a polished state.

I have also found that polishing a stone by hand through the lenses of my magnifying eyepieces takes a lot of concentration. Mindfulness over a period of time gives one the attention to detail needed to get a nice evenly polished surface.

And so, polishing the stone becomes a meditation. Just sit . . . and polish the stone. Don't worry about the bills or the kids, just be here now . . .just sit . . . and polish the stone.

. . . and don't forget to breathe.

Chop wood, carry water.

2009-01-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today is a cold day here in Southern Colorado. The morning brought with it a fog which turned out to be a freezing mist, or micro-snow of some form. Any work done in the studio would require me to start a fire.

When i got into the studio this morning i realized that all of my water was frozen and so i was going to have to carry water from the house out here to the studio if i was going to be polishing any stones. I will then warm this water on the small 1950's U.S. Army stove . . . once i get that fire going.

I'm a little low on firewood this year as the inspiration to install the little stove in the studio came late in Autumn and i had not prepared a supply of wood. I have been going through the supply of wood from my little greenhouse, (mostly used for warming the gathering of friends during the winter celebrations) fairly quickly. I enjoy the task of making kindling and starting the fire, it is a somewhat mundane ritual rich with memory for me.

Today this all reminds me of an old Zen saying, "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water." Chopping the wood and carrying the water, tasks that are not always fun, especially when the fingers are cold and stiff. These things at first seem like mundane tasks, work that is not as fun or satisfying as the making of art. But these things are just as important, and are in fact, part of making jewelry, not something separate.

I could easily fall into a loathing about the parts of my life which seem like "work" and be dreaming of being somewhere else warmer and doing something else more satisfying or fun.
But the truth is, that when i do these other things it is all part of the whole of my life. I try to be mindful that what i am doing now is every bit as important as any other part of my life's work.
Without letting my mind wander too far, I need to be grateful for all the circumstances that put me where I am that moment with that hatchet in my cold hand and that water in the bucket on its way to the studio.

When i look at some pieces of jewelry, I can remember the day i made some of them. I can not only see the stones and the story of my acquisition of them, the silver and the process of metal working, but also the chopping of wood and the carrying of water.

When I am open to the awareness of the mundane tasks in my life and how they are connected to my artwork and my intentions, those tasks become lighter. When I am able to be in the moment, I no longer feel compelled to watch the clock or dwell in feelings of resentment for the work at hand.

Wood is chopped.

Water is carried.

Life happens.

In Search of Material

2009-01-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

My father instilled in me a love of hiking in the great outdoors. We did some family camping of course, but what i recall most when thinking back are the times we put on backpacks and hiked for days out into the back country. Living in Washington State allowed us to explore amazingly secluded and magical natural places. These places resonated with the same amazing beauty and mythic quality and power as the world of The Lord Of The Rings which my father would read to us in the evenings before bed.

We would set up camp and explore the area, then, at nightfall we would observe the stars and talk about the heavens. Sometimes, when permitted, we would have a small fire. In the morning we would break camp, following my families leave no trace policy and hike further on and in to our next campsite.

When exploring the various campsites i would often find treasures. Sometimes it was a gnarly fallen tree limb which became my new walkingstick. Other times it was an amazing display of micro plant life, tiny fairy castle fungi or mossflowers. But mostly, my eyes would sieze upon remarkable stones.

My eye has always been drawn to white stones and green stones, but i would find stones of all beautiful colors. A favorite place to find beauty in stone was always a lakeshore or more likely, a creek bed. These stones, wet with glacial melt, would shine and show their colors wonderfully upon their glossy surfaces. I would pocket favorites to take back home to show mom.

Unfortunately when i pulled the now dry stones and pebbles from my pockets full of feathers, acorns and moss, they wouldn't shine with the lustre they had when wet. I would have to wet them to show her the beauty i had seen in the wild places.

When i learned basic lapidary skills i suddenly realized that i was learning how to make stones shine permanently as they would if wet. It has been very satisfying to now be able to do something with the beautiful stones i find, polish them and frame them in silver, creating treasures to be worn and displayed for ages to come.

I still enjoy hiking and now when i find those stones, i also know what i'm going to do with them. This has allowed me to turn my love for hiking into material collecting expeditions, combining doing what i love with making a living which has been a desire of mine for years, and now a manifesting intention.

A Lifelong Love of Beachcombing

2009-01-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

Some of my most magical childhood memories are of beachcombing with my family on the North West coast of Washington State. My brother and i would play all sorts of games, hiding from each other, making or discovering huge driftwood forts where the sand had drifted and created caves smelling of the sea.

Flotsam and jetsum abounded on the coast and we revelled in most of the treasures we found. There were of course the seashells; sand dollars, mussels, limpets, oyster, clam and crab. Some beaches were covered in wonderfully polished stones and pebbles.

Occaisionally we would find beautiful glass balls used as floats for the nets of Japanese fishermen. Red, blue, clear, yellow, green they came in all colors and sizes often ranging from tennis ball sized to basketball sized. These were greatly prized and sought after for years and years of beachcombing. I have not lived on the coast for some time now and wonder if the Japanese fishermen still use these hand blown glass floats or if they, like most of the world have moved on to cheap plastic floats. I hope not.

Another favorite find was sea glass which was glass from broken bottles that had been rounded and worn by the rhythmic motion of the waves and the beach sand. This gives the glass a frosted look. The colors are wonderful, there are lots of brown pieces from beer bottles of course, but the light blue and green are also fairly prominent. Other colors are more rare, such as yellow, red or that dark lapis blue.

My brother recently sent me some of this sea glass from his beachcombing and hiking. As a lifelong hiker and photographer he often travels the beach and rain coast forest between First Beach and Third Beach as well as digging Ruby Beach and hitting Ocean Shores with his family where the love of beachcombing has been passed down to his children. I am working on designs for these pieces of sea glass in rings, earrings, pendants and necklaces.

Poppy & Citron Blossom Ring

2009-01-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

When in Taos, New Mexico there are a few things i always do. I get anice Porter at Eskes Brew Pub, eat breakfast at the Dragonfly Cafe, treat myself to a book at Moby Dicks and i always visit the same wonderful fabric store, Common Threads.

This time while at Common Threads, i found some wonderful raku fired buttons made by a local potter and artist, Kerrie Lynn-Cohn. She uses her own glazes, and in this case they are Poppy and Citron. I fell in love with these small pieces immediately and came up with some ideas of how to use them as jewelry right there in the fabric store!

After crafting the ring shank and the stamen cluster, I connected them through the existing button holes of the stacked buttons. I have a few more of these buttons and plan on making a slightly smaller version soon.

Artist Statement

2009-01-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

As a native of the Olympic Penninsula of Washington State i grew up in a heavily forested area which verged on raincoast. In my childhood i would always bring back stones (and sticks and feathers and found baubles)whenever i went hiking or our into the woods around our house. I never really knew what to do with them though, i would keep them around as beautiful momentos of the places i'd been and the things i'd seen. They were often testaments to the mystery and miracle of nature. Years later i still bring home stones, but now i know what to do with some of them so that they can become keepsakes and reminders of the wonders of this planet and the workings of the universe.

As an adult I reached a point where i needed to get the arts back in my life, not in an academic way, but in a hands on physically creative way. I was still a poet and a writer, and an occaisional painter, but i needed something more. My friend Michael Boyd suggested i come and learn a few things from him and help him out in his shop. I was a quick study and loved the creative possibilities. My precise craftwork in other areas of life (remodelling, carpentry, jack-of-all-trades maintenance man) crossed over easily and in no time i was helping Mike in the fabrication of his jewelry.

After working with Michael Boyd for several years where I learned metalworking and lapidary techniques i have been lucky enough to venture out on my own and have begun creating my own creations arising fom my own inspirations.

I love nature and my work often reflects it's inspiration in form, emotion and essence. Often when working on a new series, instead of sketching, my poetry and mythology and studies of world religions and language combine and lead me to create lists of words instead. Often compound words made from the roots of other words in many languages which give a feeling or a sense of meaning behind the ideas and images i am fabricating when looking at stones and material. I may end up with two to three sketches, but for the most part, my sketches are surrounded by words and word-bits, the pages covered in odd biological and sacred hybrids.