January 2009

CMAG Officers
President: open
Vice-president: open
Secretary: Wayne Acton
Treasurer: Mandy Allen

Members at Large
Lisa Ciolli (Membership)
Linda Apodaca (Programs)
Barbara Covey

CMAG Board Meetings
Board meeting are generally held the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm. Members are encouraged to attend and contribute. Contact Mandy for location.

How to Reach Us
Website:
www.cmaguild.org
Write:
Creative Metal Arts Guild
P. O. Box 8946
Portland OR 97207

Newsletter
Contributions, comments,
classified ads, display ads
metal_fx@comcast.net
Lyn Simon email

Membership
Please visit CMAG's website:
www.cmaguild.org
Annual membership dues are
$60; students $30

The Creative Metal Arts Guild, a non-profit organization, exists to create a community for metalsmiths, jewelers and metal artists, by facilitating communication, providing information and benefits, promoting a positive image of the creative metal artist and increasing public awareness of the artist's contribution to the community.

Editor's Comments

I get a lot of questions about where to send things for the newsletter. Right now CMAG has two newsletters, pretty much the same, although not completely. Lyn Simon, whose email is at the left here, does the print version which is sent to people who can’t use the email version. I do that one and my email for that is guild@actonjewelry.com. Any of my actonjewelry addresses will work though, they all go to the same place. My sorting idea didn’t work out very well. (Starting this month I have Lyn’s newsletter up in the members archieve of the website. Go to www.cmaguild.org/picts.html. I have also put up the enlargements of the pics from Cary’s bio and LeRoy’s article there.) Lyn’s deadline is around the middle of the month before publication and mine is by the beginning of the publication month......... Wayne

Contents
Programs
Member Bio
Craft Review
Member Submission

Announcements
Member Exhibits
Call for Entry
Web Stuff
Meeting Times

Programs Go back to contents

January 13, 2009 - GENERAL MEETING PROGRAM
A SOLUTION FOR BOOKKEEPING - USE QUICKBOOKS!
By Marie Escamilla

The New Year is a great time to resolve to get your business bookkeeping in order and there are tools to help you make this least-favorite-part of business far easier.

To get a jumpstart, come to our January program to learn about using the QuickBooks computer program. Marie Escamilla of Sterling Office Services will give a teaching demonstration of an overview of QuickBooks’ many functions. Marie already works with some CMAG members and is a valuable resource for QB, as well as providing solutions to a wide array of office, business and professional issues on an as-needed basis.

Among the many QB functions are having a chart of accounts, check register & writing, bank balancing, invoicing clients & receiving payments, maintaining a client address list, plus being able to instantly print out year-end figures. And there will be plenty of opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

If QuickBooks seems like a possible solution for you bookkeeping needs, Marie will give anyone attending her card for a one hour free consultation at your office. She will review your situation and help you analyze if QB is what you need. If you decide to use QB, her services to help you set it up and train you to use it are available for a fee.

FEBRUARY 10, 2009 - Metal sculptor and CMAG member Daniel Baca will give a presentation about making surface patterns, textures and colors on different metals as well as ways to maintain the finish.

MARCH 10, 2009 - Kristin Shiga will give her presentation "Inspired by Actual Events" about her life as a tinker and a metalsmith, about producing and selling jewelry and about many other inspirations and observations This is the presentation she made for the 2008 NW Jewelry/Metals Symposium in Seattle.

CMAG BioGo back to contents

MEMBER PROFILE : CAREY SMITH
By Linda Apodaca

Born in the tiny town of Bryn Athyn north of Philadelphia, Carey Smith always liked to make things throughout his childhood. Although his grandfather was an architect and painter, Carey had never met him and his own parents had no arts interests. In the schools there were no arts programs until high school. Then the one art class was scheduled during Carey’s sports activities.

After high school he enrolled at Penn State University where he had his first art course as a freshman. He declared himself “an art major” although in his naivete he had no idea what that meant. A couple of years later he declared himself an “art education major” although he had no intention of teaching. But at the end of his senior year he did student teaching and found that he loved it. He had a new direction.

In 1965 he got his first job teaching art in the high school back at Bryn Athyn. During his summer vacations he returned to college and took metals classes at Temple University with Stanley Lechtzen, a noted pioneer in the metals field who is still teaching. Stanley convinced Carey to return to get his MFA. He took two years and worked full-time majoring in metals and minoring in ceramics.

In 1974 he returned to Bryn Athyn to teach metals and ceramics at a small college there as well as still teaching a couple of high school classes. In 1996 he took early retirement and left the area.

He and wife Devon ventured far from home with their move to Portland. He worked for a time as a bench jeweler but realized that doing bench work was not where his future lay. 1996 happened to be the year of excessive rain and the big floods in Portland so their next move in 1997 was for better weather to Santa Rosa, CA. There he discovered that he was still “an ivory tower guy” at heart and went back to teaching metals part-time at Santa Rosa Jr. College.

Their continuing wanderlust had them move back East for one year in 1999 and then down to the Southwest to live in Tucson AZ for five years where his son lived. The birth of Devon’s first grandchild in Portland saw their return here in 2005. He was thrilled to find that Portland had changed into a wonderful, vibrant city full of the arts. He set about becoming reacquainted with the cultural scene and many of the area craftspersons. His only teaching since arriving is conducting an occasional workshop.

Although over the many moves his studio has been pared down to a small size, he still has the passion of making things and works in his studio regularly. His fascination with incorporating plastics and alternative materials into his work goes back to grad school days. He likes to work with Lexan and likes the machinability of Delrin. Polyethelene and vinyl tubing are soft, supple and work well for “neckwires”. He just had a show as featured artist in December at Beet Gallery in NW Portland which showed his jewelry and candlesnuffer pieces many using an interesting mix of unusual materials.

You can see Carey’s work at www.careynsmith.com or www.beetgallery.com

Craft Show ReviewGo back to contents

Best of the NW : by Mandy Allen

In mid-November I participated in The Best of the Northwest show in Seattle. This show is organized by the Northwest Art Alliance (formerly the Northwest Crafts Alliance), which produces several other shows throughout the year, mostly in the greater Seattle area. The application process is a little different then most shows in that you apply for membership in the alliance through an image jury process. If you are accepted as a member you are then eligible to participate in all their shows on a space available basis, but membership does not guarantee show participation. I found that while all the work in the show was handmade and there was a lot of nice work, there was a larger spectrum of quality level then I was expecting.

The portfolio review fee was $30. The 10’ X 10’ booth fee for the Fall Best of the Northwest was $550. There was a $30 fee for a Washington Business license – giving you an UBI number to pay the sales tax you collect. Finally, there was a $15 fee for a City of Seattle business license. Electricity was included.

The venue they had been using for years became unavailable so they returned to the Seattle Center in the heart of downtown. Because the show was so large - about 230 vendors - it was split into two parts, the large exhibition hall and the Northwest rooms, which were a series of connected smaller rooms about a block away from the exhibition hall. There was an $8 entry fee with a $2 refund to customers who visited both parts of the show and it seemed that most people did visit both parts. They also send you some free passes and discount postcards you can send to your mailing list. There wasn’t a huge crowd but it was steady. This was my first year doing this show so I’m not familiar with how busy it usually is. The change in venue and general economic climate may have affected attendance. There were several shoppers who said how loyal they were and how they came every year.

It was a three-day show with setup from 2pm to 10pm on Thursday or early Friday morning. There were no scheduled setup times. I arrived around 7:30pm on Thursday and didn’t have a hard time setting up, but I did hear about some people having to wait a long time for a spot in the car loading lane earlier in the day. They had large flatbed carts available for use. I did have to deal with a lot of traffic getting to the Seattle Center because some other event was happening at the time. You will have to pay for parking. There are several lots in the area that range from $5 to $12 a day.

There were a couple of food vendors at the show but I stocked up a grocery store across the street that had a very nice deli. The only artist hospitality was some coffee in the morning. There were no booth sitters.

Like I said, this was my first time at this show and I felt a little unsure about what was going on. It was like I missed a mailing or something. I almost forgot to pay my booth fee in time because I was expecting a reminder. Luckily they called me a couple weeks before the show to get my UBI number, which I had totally forgotten about because even though the show was in two weeks I hadn’t received any information about load in, etc. FYI, if you go to the Washington Master License Service website you can apply for your UBI number online and get it in two business days. I did get several emails from the Northwest Art Alliance, but they were mostly relating to becoming a “Marketing Member’’ for an extra $180 a year, which allows you to sell your work through their website. This seemed to be a major focus for them and it does give them a presence year-round that promotes all their shows along with their other advertising.

For more information go to www.nwartalliance.com or write to:
7777 62nd Ave. NE
Suite 103
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 525-5926

MEMBER SUBMISSIONGo back to contents

THE ART OF RECONCILIATION : By LeRoy Goertz

In January of 2006 Linda and I visited Vicksburg Mississippi, and toured the military park there that commemorates the Civil War siege of Vicksburg.. On that same trip, we also visited Poverty Point, Louisiana, about 50 miles away. Poverty Point was the site of a group of Native Americans who we now call “Mound People.” These early settlers lived along the Mississippi River, trading and living peacefully. Living long before the wheel or metal implements were available, they nonetheless built large mounds of earth (the exact purpose of the mounds is unknown, but they were possibly for ceremonial gatherings). The one in Louisiana was about100 feet tall and is in the shape of a bird.

In a short span of time we had visited a place of violence and a place of peace. At the place of peace we saw artifacts left by the Mound People: polished stones that had come from the Great Lakes, and clay forms of faces and figures. It was those faces that helped me focus on the contrast between violence and peace. I had a vision that we should call together artists of many races and let these images influence our work. It would be a way of giving homage to the creative people who lived in this land long ago. By honoring their inspiration we might be able to bring some healing to cultural and historic memories. I call this vision “The Art of Reconciliation.” Recently, I shared my thoughts with Betsy Coddington, the executive director of Resolutions Northwest (RNW). RNW is a mediation service here in Multnomah County that works with neighborhood mediation, victim-offender resolution and family mediation, as well as teaching peer-to-peer mediation in the schools. Once a year they host a peacemaker’s conference for Oregon’s high school students. I am very proud that in the mid-1980’s I was involved in helping to create the precursor to this program.

Betsy was moved by my vision and suggested that we incorporate The Art of Reconciliation with the 25th anniversary celebration for RNW in 2010. We are now planning how this will all shape up. Here are some of our ideas:

Our desire is to find a way to open our hearts to Native Americans. The first step will be to listen to their stories. We hope to follow the format that has been created by the Restorative Listening project here in Portland. They have been working to provide a forum for listening to African-Americans who have been affected by gentrification in North East Portland. We want to provide a similar opportunity for listening to Native Americans. We also want artists to come and listen to these stories, meditate on them, and see if the process leads to work that gives homage to the first people of this country.

We are then looking at having one or more art shows in Portland to display the work that has been created. It would be a celebration along with our Native American friends in the spirit of peace. Does this strike a chord with you? I’m looking for people who’d like to help organize events for this celebration, as well as artist participants. We are especially interested in seeking guidance and involvement of artists with Native American ancestry.

See www.artofreconciliation.com for additional information.
LeRoy Goertz
503-775-2209
info artofreconciliation com

Member Announcements Go back to contents

Member Ehibit

This from CMAG member Lee Haga. I believe this is her second trip to this gallery.

Lee Haga will be attending the January 15th opening reception of the invitational jewelry show entitled "Fresh Start : New Directions," presented at the Aaron Faber Gallery ,located at 666-Fifth Avenue,New York City,NY. The show runs from January 9- February 21, 2009.

Calls For EntriesGo back to contents

High Desert Festival

Dear Artists:

The application for the 2009 Art in the High Desert festival, in Bend, Oregon, is now open on Zapplication.org

Join us in Central Oregon for the 2nd annual Art in the High Desert Festival. This juried fine art and craft festival is produced by artists for artists. It takes place in Bend, Oregon, a sophisticated community of art lovers and art buyers.

Bend, Oregon is an area of upscale destination resorts and year-round residents living in vibrant neighborhoods. It is an outdoor and cultural destination. The festival site is set across the Deschutes River from a high-end shopping area. Art in the High Desert is scheduled during the peak of the Central Oregon summer tourist season.

Come for the festival. Stay for your vacation.

Deadline Febuary 28

For more information see website at: www.artinthehighdesert.com

Lake Oswego Festival

Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts - June 26, 27, & 28, 2009
PO Box 385, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Phone: (503) 636-1060
email: festival lakewood-center org website: www.lakewood-center.org

You can download applications online at the Lakewood Center for the Arts main website. The deadline is Jan. 12, 2009.

LOCAL 14

LOCAL 14 Art Show & Sale invites all Northwest women artists to apply to our 42nd annual show to be held at the World Forestry Center, October 1- October 4, 2009. The annual LOCAL 14 Women’s Art Show and Sale represents the artwork of approximately 95 women artists from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The original goal of the founders in 1968 was to promote women artists, and offer the public an attractive mix of well crafted, high quality and original artwork. The concept has not changed over the years and the show has become a highly anticipated, very successful and well attended event and one of the premier fine art and craft shows in Portland.

Artist applications will be available on Jan 15, 2009 at www.zapplication.com.
Applications are due by midnight, March 9th, 2009.
More information available at www.local14.org. or call Betsy Bensen at 503-650-0046.

PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS

Deadline March 15, 2009

Metro Portland Artists wanted in all media to open their studios to the public on October 10 & 11 for studios east of the Willamette River and October 17 & 18 for westside studios. Artists may choose to be open both weekends. Portland Open Studios is an opportunity for artists to show their art processes, sell their artwork, build an audience and communicate with the public. Artists who are selected for the event by a panel of three art professionals will have an image of their artwork published in the Tour Guide and on the web.

Special Scholarship Opportunity for artists between 20 and 30 years old: Kimberly Gales Emerging Artists Scholarship to Portland Open Studios. The recipient will have all fees waived and receive a $100 stipend.

Information, directions and the online application at
www.portlandopenstudios.com. Application available online January 15, 2009.
Deadline for artist's application and scholarship both: 3/15/09.

Bonnie Meltzer, Public Relations Coordinator
503 285-3131

PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS
WATCH ARTISTS AT WORK
OCTOBER 10,11 & 17,18 2009

On the WebGo back to contents

Revere Academy

Christine Dhein sends, monthly or oftener, to the CMAG email, wonderful press packets for The Revere Academy. These are thorough productions, each greater in scope than my meager effort here. For a brief sample:

1. Revere Holds 30th Anniversary Masters Symposium
The Revere Academy will hold a world-class series of workshops during its 2009 Masters Symposium, held from April 3 -29 in San Francisco. The Academy will host 14 master classes taught by leading goldsmiths and other experts from around the globe. Classes are open to students at all levels

2. Revere Announces Mort Abelson Scholarship
Here’s a new contest in which jewelry designers can win something that will truly help them. San Francisco’s Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts has announced the Mort Abelson Scholarship for its upcoming International Masters Symposium in April.

3. Yurman Class on Creativity Sold Out at Revere Academy
Jewelry designer David Yurman will teach a class called The Complete Designer at San Francisco's Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts on April 27-29, 2009. Mr. Yurman, who is widely regarded for his signature designs and marketing acumen, is one of the most successful American jewelry designers of our time. For the first time, David Yurman will share his experience and expertise with a group of students.

The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts is a professional jewelry school located in downtown San Francisco’s historic Phelan Building. Schedules, information and a free video tour are available upon request from the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, 760 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, Ca 94102. Tel: 415-391-4179 Web Site: www.revereacademy.com
E-mail: info revereacademy com Fax: 415-391-7570

Chasing & Repoussé by Fabrizio Acquafresca, photo by Ronda Coryell

OCAC

OCAC has sent a .pdf of their spring catalogue. They have great web presence too. They say in part:

The spring semester at Oregon College of Art and Craft offers a relaxed yet inspiring setting for students of all skill levels. Adult workshops and classes bring visiting artists from around the country to share their knowledge and experiences.

Tours
For those interested in getting an in depth view of OCAC and its programs, the College offers weekly campus tours to the public. Tours leave from the Centrum Building each Friday at 2:00pm.

www.ocac.edu

Sarah LaBarre
Extension Program Assistant
503.297.5544 ext. 159
503.297.1844 f
slabarre ocac edu

Ganoskin

Last time I printed some blog stuff from Ganoskin and wondered if anyone had visited there. I followed some of the links in their newsletter recently and found at least a couple of the articles interesting with maybe some utility in my work. Below is part of their blurb and links to a couple articles.

The Ganoksin project provides a variety of quality services for the gem and jewelry community. We work hard to maintain the high standards of our services for the benefit of our visitors. Our services are provided free of charge and to the benefit to all.

Ganoksin is dedicated to serve the information needs of the world's jewelers. It is our mission to educate, improve working conditions and facilitate sharing between goldsmiths globally. Ganoksin continues improving access to information for productivity, safety, skills and education of all jewelers, professionals and hobbyists.

www.ganoksin.com

3. Pickling Notes : By Charles Lewton-Brain
Jewelers treat soldered objects with dilute acid solutions to remove oxides produced from heating and soldering as well as glassy flux residues. This process is called pickling. I believe the term comes from the chemical jewelers once used to do the job: Alum, such as is used traditionally for making pickles. Many jewelers today are not aware that they can use alum for this purpose. Here is what I think happened....
Complete Story: www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/pickling-notes.htm

6. Freeform Gem Carving - Demonstration of technique : By Hans Meevis
Firstly, these pictures were taken on my bench, as I went along. This is not National Geographic photography. Simply, it is there to illustrate the purpose. Also, this is how it works for me. And any questions are of course, welcome. I answer any and all questions, keeping in mind that the only stupid question is the one that is not asked!! So, if there is something that is not clear, ask!! There are many different methods of carving stones. From the beginning of history, man has changed found objects, ground and cut and polished them. There are many other ways to achieve the same result....
Complete Story: www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/freeform-gem-carving.htm

Meeting AnnouncementsGo back to contents

Spring Show Dates

The annual extravaganza is scheduled for April 24, 25 & 26.

MONTHLY MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

WHEN: General CMAG member meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month. Door opens at 6:45pm, meetings begin at 7:15pm, and adjourn by 9:15pm.

WHERE: Room 34 at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway Portland 97219.

WHAT: Meetings consist of a general business and a short break with refreshments, followed by a program which may be a demonstration of a technique or tool, a slide presentation, a panel discussion, or other presentation of interest to CMAG members. The CMAG Library is open before the meeting and during the break for checking out books and magazines.

WHO: Meetings are open to CMAG members and their guests.

CMAG Webpage