Etsy Metal Clay Team in Holly Gage's calendar

Like every year, wonderful Holly Gage released her unique calendar, featuring remarkable metal clay designs from around the world. We are so proud to announce that 8 of our team members have their work included in  "The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry and More Calendar 2013".
Take a closer look at these amazing pieces and get to know some interesting things about them :).

Stunning "Sea flower brooch" by Evelyn Dombkowski is a perfect example for how important surprising details are. These three tiny pearls placed in concrete cabochon make this project really stand out. I asked her how she came up with this idea. Evelyn said:

"I was experimenting with concrete to make my own "stones". I decided to put the concrete into a mold I had made. The mold had this lovely bumpy texture. I also had these beautiful tiny pearls. And I thought, wouldn't it be cool to pair pearls with concrete? Plus the pearls mimicked the bumps in the mold. That is how that came about."

Colorful, enamelled piece by Joy Funnell, "Wot! No Fish?", makes you feel the smell of the sea. I asked her if seagulls were special for her in any way. Joy explained:
"Living in a seaside town with a fishing fleet we have a LOT of seagulls around. When the boats come in they are always waiting in the hope of a free dinner. This was the inspiration for this piece."

I also found on Joy's blog a Haiku she wrote to go with this piece.

"Last year I was writing a Haiku for each Bird a Week Challenge piece I made. Actually, I miss doing that, so maybe I will start writing more Haiku for my pieces again :)."

"Rejoice" necklace by Lorena Angulo rivets one's attention with delicate, detailed flowers. I asked Lorena if they had any special meaning in this necklace. She said:
"I have always included flowers into my work. They are a big inspiration for all my designs and in this piece they play a big role.
Flowers are full of life but at the same time they have a short life too. After loosing three family members last year in less than 3 months my heart was broken and I was not able to create jewelry for a little while. When I was finally feeling better I wanted to create a piece that would symbolize my journey and how I felt. The cross and the flowers for me represent how my heart felt and how I wanted to remember all of them with lots of Rejoice. Rejoice of their lives and all the wonderful memories I have of them, rejoice for having them in my life. "

"Winter solstice" pendant by Liz Hall is a perfect example of her distinctive, amazing style. Her pieces always seem to be very well thought over, so I asked if she draws out her designs before making them:
"I only occasionally draw a design out and that is when I think of something, but don't have time to get to it, I don't want to forget it.   Most of my designs including the one in the calendar are usually something that happens as the piece is being constructed.  I have a general design in mind, but the concept develops as I'm working on a piece.  I work with a lot of different metal clay components and I sometimes construct a piece like a puzzle, putting an element here or there to see if that works with the overall composition.  I photograph everything I make, even insignificant pieces, then a lot of times I will look back at my work and see a piece that I've already done and think "Yes, I like this but how would it be if I added or subtracted this or that."  The piece in the calendar helped me to design another piece that I've entered into the Saul Bell competition.  Hopefully reworking and rethinking certain pieces helps to make them even stronger future designs."

Gorgeous "Flower storm" necklace by Anna Mazoń is a part of her latest bronze collection, featuring organic twig-like forms. I asked her what was the most important thing she learned in the process of making this piece.
She told me:

"This piece was an experiment I made with a new bronze clay that entered the market recently. By making such a big, openwork piece I learned a lot about this new material, it's properties and constraints. This project also taught me to think "big". Literally :). I usually make rather small pieces, and this showy necklace broadened my horizons of design. Definitely more big pieces coming! My only worry is if my kiln is capacious enough ;)."

Beautiful mezuzah by Rachel Miller is a very personal piece. Rachel says:
"I love to make mezuzahs because for me they automatically elevate the piece to something that I can call art.  Maybe it’s the religious ritual aspect of the object that  gives it a certain significance.  I make a lot of mezuzahs that look like homes or buildings because I personally believe that Jewish traditions and customs that are practiced in the home are such an important part of my faith. This particular mezuzah house was inspired by a Tudor style home that is near the neighborhood I grew up in in St. Louis.  I drive by it almost daily and I remember that as a child my school bus would drive by the house and I would try to imagine what the inside was like.  It recently went up for sale so it has been on my mind. But the point of it is not what it means to me, but what it inspires in others."

Brillant "Tiger Reliquary" by Wanaree Tanner is a masterpiece of construction. I asked her what was the most difficult thing in making it. She told me:

"Finishing the base. It completely ruptured apart during the first firing. I had to hammer and piece the entire thing back together, fill with lots of clay, re-fire, then file and sand it back into shape. Originally, the base didn't have a slot for the pendant. The decision to drill into the base to create the slot for the pendant took three months to make, particularly after all that repair work."

This beautiful, commemorative piece by Lisa Barth is called "A Mother's Memory". I asked her if involving precious memories and emotions into the process of creating jewellery does influence the design. Lisa said:

"Yes, it does. At least for me.  With this piece, the marble itself holds the memory of my son who gave this treasure to me when he was four.  The marble reflects light, so I wanted the piece that held it to resemble a small lantern, protecting the light inside.  The choice of Celtic style was influenced by our family heritage and I chose to make a pendant so I could wear this memory close to my heart."



Stay tuned. More wonderful pieces from Etsy Metal Clay Team comming soon! :).