Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Photographs!   I have a computer full of photographs I’ve taken and I bet a lot you do too!   While I love to look at them and remember the events, emotions and friends, I want to do more with them.   Since I make jewelry, I’ve been experimenting with ideas.   That’s what I do- experiment with ideas and then turn them into wearable art – jewelry. So as I went through my photos one day, I saw that I had a lot of animals.   Especially animals from Africa (what a surprise since I only brought home hundreds of photos from Africa!) and I decided to make a silver bracelet with a cat family.   I had great photos of a cub, a lion and a lioness.   I experimented with photo sizes and charm sizes and eventually figured out I could use 3 charms on a bracelet and have room for tiny beads.   And then I realized that this bracelet had endless possibilities. It could have photos of birds for a birder.   It could be a friendship bracelet.   It might be a reminder of a trip.   Mothers and grandmothers m

My camera and I keep capturing images that inspire my jewelry making.   This time it’s about LINE ! My mother was an artist and a teacher.   She taught me that line is the foundation of art and that there are unlimited kinds of lines.   Some join to make a shape.   Some intersect.   Some wander.   I learned about vanishing lines where the land meets the sky and you aren’t quite sure where.   Mother made line drawings of people that told wonderful stories.   This is one I found in her sketchbook. This line drawing was made during a faculty meeting and I can imagine just what each person was saying or thinking.   Bet you can too! In one of my college art classes, we were to make 5 drawings using only line to depict recognizable objects without drawing an outline of the object.   See if you can draw a broom using only parallel lines!   I’ve been thinking about lines and how we use them in our daily life.   Think about and look for the lines in your life.  I’d love to hear some of your exp

I love to take pictures.  My Nikon 7000 goes with me most places.  I try to be aware when something catches my eye and find what caused me to stop and look.  Usually it is in the details! Today I'm sharing some photos I've taken of circles and their many origins.  I keep a file so I can review and many times I use the textures, rhythm, color, lines and themes for my jewelry.  I hope you enjoy the details of these circles too!  Stacked Sewer Pipe  Farm Equipment Rows of Feathers Flamingo - the difference is in the details My Gourd Purse patterned from a flower in circle Christmas Ornament Glass Balls Take time to really see - not just look-at the beauty of the details.  These are circles but more important is what we find within those circles.  Lyrics not just words. Visual poetry.  The details of Life.

 Male Bluebird Have you been to one of those memory classes where they ask, “How many dresser drawers do you have?” and did you know? Or care?   It seems that details, seeing them, creating them and remembering them opens the worlds around us.   Details are the difference between the mundane and the wondrous.   They are the difference between ordinary and extraordinary, between good and excellent.   Details amaze me or maybe it’s my ability or inability to observe and remember details. About 6 years ago I started birding.   I met a man, my Peter, who was an avid birder and, of course, I became one also.   I thought it would be a breeze.   I was used to looking at and creating details in my interior design work.   Booted Racket-tailed Hummingbird I saw him in Ecuador and look at his details! I started out knowing there were big birds and little birds, colorful birds and plain birds, birds that flew and birds that stayed on the ground and I knew I liked to watch birds. I lo

I walked through the forest on a sunny day. Butterflies flitted from flower to wildflower gathering nectar. Bird songs filled the air.   I took a deep breath and was at ease with the world. Sunshine flowed through swaying pine branches. Rocks glittered with the light. Moss grew in the shade on the north side of the trees. Wildflowers scattered color and scent among the stones and trees. The yellows, greens, browns, rust and gold fed my soul. Here I sit with my beads, my wire, and my photographs. I dream of that walk again and create my ‘forest walk’ necklace.   The silver clay setting has a small polished dark stone surrounded by memories of flowers and leaves in relief.   A little engraving of vines and a hint of yellow (Gilder’s Paste) complete the silver part of the design.   My picture of a butterfly on wildflowers is set in the upper bezel protected with Ice Resin that magnifies the details.   Small tumbled beads, the colors of my walk, are amber, glass, malachite and turquoise.  

Tomorrow morning, Sunday, I will be turning on my computer and signing into Facebook.   Jewelry artists from around the world will be meeting on Tonya Davidson’s Whole Lotta Whimsy Sunday Social Club.   We meet every Sunday and often during the week to share experiences, seek answers, gain inspiration and build friendships.   I had no idea when I signed up for this Sunday event how much I would enjoy and look forward to interacting with these creative people. You might like it too! If you are an artist and want to increase your network, learn new things, get inspired and see what is going on in the world, please join us.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/119787814767278/

When groups of people combine their energies and talents, great things can happen.   The jewelry artists from Whole Lotta Whimsy Sunday Circle are no different.   The circle on Facebook formed by Tonya Davidson http://www.wholelottawhimsy.com   consists artists from around the world.   This group (and yes, I’m part of it) shares experiences, talents, friendship and the commitment to ‘connect, create, and collaborate’.   Take a look at the fan page to see how to join https://www.facebook.com/WholeLottaWhimsy It did not take the group long to realize we could make a small difference in not only our community but the world community.   So we decided to create a project to benefit the victims of the Joplin, MO EF5 tornado that struck at 5:41p on May 22, 2011 killing at least 154 people, and injuring at least 900.   Our Collaboration Charms for Charity project was born.   More than 20 artists from the group produced unique handmade charms to create 6 charm bracelets to be auctioned at

Have you ever started a project and all of a sudden you realize your concentration is focused on a part of the project and you aren’t progressing?   You’re just stuck thinking about the same thing over and over?   Well, as most of you know, I make jewelry using silver metal clay.   I like to put the Mojave Stone cabochons that my dad cut and polished in bezels and design around the stone.   Let me share with you how I got stuck in the process.     Bezel shaped to fit a stone  I decided that I would make the bezels (the thin strip that goes around the stone and holds it in place) out of the same silver metal clay as the setting.I made a mold for the stone by pushing it into polymer clay (plastic clay that holds its shape) and carefully removed it.   Then I poured jeweler’s investment (that is a type of plaster) into the mold, let it dry and used it as a plug.   The plug holds the space for the stone and can be fired with the clay in a kiln.   Some stones can be fired in the k

Art Unraveled is a gift I give to my creative self.   Linda and Chuck started this art workshop in 2003.    A variety of classes are scheduled all day and evenings.   It lasts a week in August in Phoenix AZ.   Hot! But we are all inside the hotel playing and learning.     Deryn's Balanced Bangles  This year I met my good friend Judi from Tucson.   We roomed together for 2 nights and had catch up friend time.   We also took Deryn Mentock’s class “Balanced Bangles” on Friday and went shopping at the ‘Shopping Extravaganza on Saturday.   The attendance has grown to 400 people and I’m sure will continue to expand both in number of people and classes.   The website lists the classes and instructors and also has the information on ‘Adorn Me’.   www.artunraveled.com  Deryn's Work Table and Her Tools   My Stash for Charms  I took my tools, hammers, pliers, torch, wire, found objects, charms and more.     We drew beads on 14 gauge bronze wire, then hamm