Todays Featured Artist - Perri J. - Shaktipaj Designs

Perri is one of my favorite wire workers, her designs and creativity constantly challenge and inspire the imagination. Now I am a self taught wire wrapper - when I started more than 20 years ago, techniques were these closely guarded secrets, no one was willing to share. So I learned by studying finished pieces to work out the techniques for myself. Most of what I see today, I can figure out - not to copy - but for my own need to learn and understand. And not to say, that most designs are simple, and easily re-creatable - that's not what I mean - I am just very good at visualizing it in my head, since that's how I learned wire in the first place.
Perri's designs however continue to elude and astound me. Another point - I live, breath, and dream about wire and designs - it is my passion. I can't count the hours I've spent experimenting with what wire can and can not do. Perri designs have sent me back to the drawing board on those ideas too. I study her pieces, and can't help think, "you shouldn't be able to do that with wire", but she does - time and again.
She shares some of her wonderful designs in her shop on Etsy ShaktipajDesigns, and if that doesn't provide enough eye candy for you, many wonderful, wonderful pieces can be found on her blog.


Just make sure you don't drool onto your keyboard......
Thanks for visiting - see ya soon.....
~Bobbi
"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are located in the same individual". ~Arthur Koestler

Today's Featured Artist - MailleMystique

My first love has always been and will always be wire work, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate other forms of metalwork - I do. I have actually spent a great deal of time learning and working chainmaille. Despite being on the tedious side, it can be very relaxing - even calming. One dear friend on Etsy - who by the way swears she couldn't do wire wrapping to save her soul - runs circles around me in chainmaille. Meet Deb of MailleMystique. Now I know a lot of folks regard chainmaille as a 'Renaissance Fair' craft with images of maille clothing and such coming to mind first, but Deb creates beautiful jewelry that goes far past that. One piece in particular.
The weave is called Jens Pind. I actually have done this weave, although it took me almost a month to work it out, and complete a bracelet. The problem with this weave is getting the ratio of wire guage to ring diameter just right. If the ring size or wire gauge is off even by as little as 1mm, the pattern won't hold and falls apart. Now if that was not enough of a challenge, Deb does it in square wire jump rings. The thought of trying that makes my head hurt. I'll think I'll stick to my wire wrapping, and leave chainmaille to the pros - Deb of MailleMystique. Please visit her shop on Etsy for some truly beautiful jewelry......

Thanks for visiting - see ya soon......
~Bobbi
"The only place you find success before work is in the dictionary." ~May V. Smith