Long time no see.

It has been forever since I did a post! The summer has just flown by what with graduation, moving back to Surrey and starting my four jobs! It was such a whirl-wind, I had be trawling and trawling the job sites, applying for jobs left right and centre and I had even been to a few interviews but when I moved back to Surrey in July I was still unemployed. However, after a few weeks of being home I go an interview and a trial at a local goldsmiths and got the job :) I also was asked to do some glass workshops at a local craft studio - Glazed all Over in Wallington as well as being their new Saturday girl. This all happened in the same week so it was all so sudden! As well as both of those I had also been offered the role of Jewellery Tutor at SCOLA on a Monday night - so so exciting. Now thats only three, but to keep my busy during the summer I became my dad's assistant to help him out and since it was going so well, I go up to London once a week to help him out and get paid!

So my life if packed, which I'm so grateful for! So no only am I working four jobs, I am trying to go to the gym (got some stubborn weight to lose!), working on my own collection and reconnecting with friends and family after being in Nottingham for the last 3 years.

Working at the Jewellers if giving me such valuable experience in techniques, general runnings of a jewellery business and amazing contacts. I was able to attend IJL - the big UK jewellery show at Earls Court as I am now officially 'Trade'. It is amazing what I am learning and how differently things are done in the real world, there are so many little things that I was taught at uni that I have since found out is totally wrong.

By learning all these new things I am able to pass them on to my students at SCOLA, I teach a small group of complete beginners once a week. They are such a lovely group, really enthusiastic and interested in the course. I am really enjoying it and teaching gives me such a buzz - I can barely sleep on a Monday night as I get so excited what I can show them the following week.

Anyway... enough about the other stuff, more about me! I have finally put my favourite rings in some frames and I am really pleased with them. I am hoping to put them up in my studio when I finally get one.

And I have been exploring a new range of jewellery, which I am hoping to launch in the New Year. I have a few examples; one is completely melted frit and another is partly melted frit. The partly melted one is a frit mix of transparent and opaque glass and the opaque has sat at the top - not an effect I really like but this is the start. I have a few more siting in the kiln at the moment so lets hope the kiln fairies have been kind :)

Real life

So university is over, I have moved back to Surrey (give or take some boxes) and am starting to figure out my life as a grown up! I have been applying for jobs, competitions, professional development opportunities and developing my work. I have once stockist so far in Leicestershire - JG Jeweller, so if you are in the area check it out! But I have put together a catalogue of work so that I can approach fairs, galleries and shops to stock my work. I have had quite a bit of interest for some Christmas fairs which I am very hopeful about :) Keeps your eyes peeled for dates.

And here is a preview of my catalogue, if you are interested in anything either from the catalogue or as a commissions please get in touch s-j-walsh@live.co.uk.

Download catalogue here.

Final assessment work - the final push!

No only did we have to set up the degree show but we also has to submit out sketchbooks, samples and research for assessment as part of our over all grade. I set this up last weekend but haven't had a chance to make a post. 

A full overview of my set up, I was lucky to have a corner where I could use the wall to put up my design sheets.

Close up of my design sheets, I showed my colour work (which rods and frits I was planning to use) and the designs for both my blown pieces and my jewellery.

I added two shelves to my board to add some interest, on the lefthand self I have two photos of my rings that are included in my show. Underneath this I have my final frit colour swatches and their samples next to them. At the top right I have the rest of my frit samples (on white and clear donut beads), with my initial colour samples strung together. At the bottom I have a photograph of my blown pieces and my ring samples, including; copper, copper clay and initial silver rings.

And then this is my desk. I have all my books and research, my boxes and boxes of glass samples. I also have my professional portfolio as well as my evaluation and my initial blown glass samples.

I am really please with both my assessment and degree show, just waiting for the results now (Friday 14th June)!! 

Its up!

So I spent two days setting up my degree show, I had lots of trouble but after hours the boards were up with the help of my lovely technician Andy. 

These were the bane of my life over the two days, but I love them, especially against the window!

Then I had three plinths, at different heights, much to my tutors hatred! As he wanted me to have three low plinths (50cm tall) that just ran along the bottom of my boards. 

The final result! Due to the window it was difficult to photograph but I am really pleased. Especially with the boards, and the 7 hours they took to put up! Now just a few bit of paper work and I will have finished uni! Ah. 

Getting ready for the show

So this weekend I looked through all my work and realised that I had all but one of my final pieces finished. I just needed to polish them up and they will be ready! Ah! 

I then needed to sort out my display, something my tutor promised to see me about on Friday... but never did. So I began preparing what I wanted to create this, my new revised degree show layout. 

My plan is to have two plinths (50x50cm) with three hanging boards (40x40cm) above with mini plinths (9x9cm) and photographs. 

So I began with 6mm mdf, which I primed with PVA.

And then I began painting :)

So tomorrow I shall finish them up and try and get them ready to hang! 

Degree show layout

So today the official plans for the degree show went up. I have been given two boards on the main stretch next to a ceramacist.

So I had originally planed for one 8x4ft board and shelves, however the boards cannot take a huge amount of weight so I had to come up with plan B; plinths. And now that I have two boards, I had to make a plan C!

So this is a rough idea of my plan. Two boards which create a 'corner' and two plinths which hold a selection of my blown pieces. I think that the plinth on the right will be lower and larger. But this is something that can be adjusted nearer the time. Its getting so close now! 

Signed limited edition

I decided it was best to sign my blown work, as much as I'd like to have my jewellery Hallmarked with my own stamp for the degree show its just not plausible (both cost and time wise) but hopefully in the future I will. But I wanted to sign my blown pieces as if I was to sell them in the shop/degree show I want my name on them. 

Before I could sign them I dremeled the bottoms to create a smooth finish and them covered them with a felt bottom, one, to make them smooth on the surface they will be on and two, to add some stability so they don't roll around. 

I bought a GlassPainter (1mm) pen from eBay for £2.50 which does not require any fixing, however you can pop it in the oven if you want to wash it higher than 40'C.

So after a bit of practice, I took the plunge and wrote on my yellow pebble. 

My pieces will all be signed and either avaliable from the Notch Show or popup shop. 

Keep your eye peeled :)