I’m so excited! My Woodland Chic Stamps are now available at Rio!

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Dynasty Stamps, metal clay, metal clay tips, metal clay workshop, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, PMC texture tools, polymer clay, Rio Grande

Made with the new Woodland Chic Texture Sheet by Patrik Kusek. Part of the Artisan Series by Dynasty Stamp. Available at Rio Grande.

I so thrilled to announce the Woodland Chic Texture Sheet officially is available at Rio! It seems like it’s been forever that Candace Gates of Dynasty Stamps asked me to be part of her Artisan Series. She’s asked a handful of artists to participate by designing texture sheets. Wonderful artists like Gordon Uyehara, Wanaree Tanner, Christi Friesen to name a few also participated by creating their own texture sheets. It was a fun and exciting challenge.

Now I’m able to announce the fruits of our labor! I was able to extend concepts that I’ve outlined in my book Woodland Chic: Metal Clay Jewelry as Nature Intended. It’s the perfect companion tool the book!

One of the reasons that I’m so excited is that I know that the quality of Dynasty Stamps is the best! Clean sharp impressions. Another reason is the size of the sheet. I’ve heard from a handful of artists who have seen the sheet. They all commented that it’s HUGE! Not the usual 2″ x 4″ sheet. BUT a full 7-1/4″ x 8-3/4″ Chock full of designs inspired by the forest. Over 30 design elements! Check out the email screen shot from Rio below.

Woodland Chic Texture Sheet by Patrik Kusek available at Rio!

Also check out the free tutorials online at Rio!
As part of the introduction to the Woodland Chic Texture Sheet, Rio asked me to write 2 tutorials. I’ve used 2 of my favorite textures from the sheet. The fern leaf and the wild roses cluster. Check out these 2 tutorials on the Rio site at Rio Tutorial. Thanks to the team at Rio for making this happen. Yvonne, Tara, Diana, Jeff and Shelby! You guys are the best! Also a HUGE thanks to Candace Gates the woman extraordinaire behind Dynasty Stamps. HUGS!

Also in the next few days I’ll be announcing the members of the Woodland Chic Design Team. These fabulous artists have been working with the new Woodland Chic Texture Sheet and they have created some stunning work! I’ll can wait to post them and show you the creative work that they have made!

Join me in San Diego in August. Sign up today and save!

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BarbaraBecker-Simon, Carol Douglas (UK), Holly Gage, Jackie Truty, Janet Alexander, Jen Bethmann, Lis-el Crowley, Lisa Barth, Lorena Angulo, Louise Shadonix, Metal Clay by the Bay, Michelle Glaeser, Pam East, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, PMC Conference, Rio's Thomas Flores, San Diego Metal Clay, San Diego PMC Classes, San Francisco PMC Classes, Southern California PMC Classes, Terry Covalcik, Terry Kovalcik

Hi everyone, Join me and 15 other metal clay artists in San Diego this August. It should be a wonderful event. Plus San Diego is a great place to sight see, enjoy good food, the sun, the beach, who could ask for anything more!

Oh yes, how about a discount!

See the information below to save, save, save. Be sure to sign up for my class as part of “Package I” with Holly Gage!

Seasons Greetings

The 12 days of Christmas brought to you by:
www.metalclaybythebay.com
We’re celebrating the 12 days of Christmas by giving you and a friend $112 bucks ( reindeers ) off your dual registration! But you must register under the same invoice.  Keep in mind that we have worked out double occupancy at the Westin Gaslamp San Diego (our venue) so you can even share your hotel with a friend and save on hotel accommodations.  Also, it’s important to remember that on December 31st at 12am, the price for registration for this PREMIER Metal Clay Conference will increase from the early registration fee of $550 per person to $650, so now’s the time to take advantage of our holiday gift to you and a friend….

Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas
by taking $112 off Registration for Two!

Take advantage now of this special offer.  Find a Metal Clay Friend and pack up to come to the Best U.S. Destination: San Diego, California!

Our ’12 days of Christmas” Price for 2 registrations: $988 (exp. 12/12/12)
List Price: $1100

register now or get more information at:

www.MetalCLaybytheBay.com

Save $112!    Grab a friend and register 2 or more individuals for this Conference and get $100 off your total.  Early Bird Registration is $550 per individual.  If you register, do so by credit card and we will take $100 off your $1100 total.  That’s 2 for $988 or $500 each!

When you REGISTER 2 PERSONS UNDER ONE INVOICE, use coupon code: CC$112 in the “COMMENTS” SECTION UPON CHECK OUT and we will only charge your card for the total amount less $112.  (MUST register 2 or more persons).  Please call us if you are using PAY PAL.  Does not apply to prior registrations.

HURRY!!! Offer Expires: 12/12/2012, use coupon code CC$112

How to measure gemstones

In case you’ve always wondered how to measure a gemstone this handy chart shows where to take the measurements from. Found this on the Rio Grande website. I know I’m a little bias here, but gotta love Rio Grande!

Source: riogrande.com via Rio on Pinterest

Veteran’s Day Sale Save 20% on Woodland Chic Book

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metal clay, Metal Clay Classes, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, Pinterest, PMC, PMC texture tools, Rio Grande, Woodland Chic

Woodland Chic: Metal Clay Jewelry as Nature Intended by Patrik Kusek

Veteran’s Day Sale save 20% on Woodland Chic: Metal Clay Jewelry as Nature Intended by Patrik Kusek. Offer good til November 13, 2012. This offer only good on at the following link.

Use code: VETS2012 Offer not good on Amazon, or other outlets. Only available on Lulu.com.

Wanna win $1000! You just gotta have a heart!

Hi everyone!

Check out this new contest by Mitsubishi. It looks like it will be great fun. I’m looking forward to seeing some great entries!

Details: Competition sponsored by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Competition details:
All objects submitted must contain a heart.
At least 50% of the piece must be made from PMC: fine silver, sterling silver, or gold.
Designs should go beyond familiar heart molds and cutters.
Images of up to 5 pieces per artist may be submitted.

First prize: $1000.00
Second prize: $750.00
Third prize: $500.00

The judges are: Bill Griffith, Patrik Kusek, and Annie Pennington.

Submission details:
One image per piece, plus one detail image, if necessary.
Good quality images are essential.
Photos should be JPGs
100 dpi (dots per inch)
RGB color format
The final size will likely be 2 MB (megabytes) or less.

Submit:
Please send images, along with your name, the title of the piece, size and the materials used to info@talesoftheheart.net.

Deadlines:
Images must be received by midnight January 14, 2013 (US Eastern time). No exceptions.
Notification of winners will be on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013.

Questions:
Email: Jeanette (Nettie) Landenwitch at info@talesoftheheart.net.

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The Judges

Bill Griffith is a ceramic artist and the program director of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He received a B.S. degree in Art Education from Indiana State University and an MA in Ceramics/Art Education from Miami University, Ohio. His work has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally and is included in several museums and many private collections. He has lectured and demonstrated as a visiting artist nationally and regionally for conferences, universities and art guilds and has served on the jury panels for the Ohio Arts Council, the Kentucky Arts Council, the Arkansas Arts Council’s Individual Artists Fellowship Awards and the Windgate Fellowship Awards. www.billgriffithclay.com

Patrik Kusek‘s unique vision for his jewelry designs have won praise from jewelry collectors both nationally and internationally. He is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and The Academy of Art University. He worked as a Fashion Stylist at Macy’s San Francisco and was the owner and creative director of Wallop Design Group, a graphic design and branding company. Patrik is well known in the metal clay community and teaches metal clay workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. He was a featured artist on HGTV’s “That’s Clever.” Patrik’s work has been published in numerous books and publications. He is also the recipient of the 2007 Saul Bell Award 1st place in PMC. www.patriksstudio.com

Annie Pennington received her BFA in Jewelry Design from Pittsburg State University in 2006 and her MFA in Metalsmithing from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2009. In August 2011, she joined the staff of Art Jewelry magazine as Associate Editor. Her jewelry has been published in several books, including the Lark Books publications 500 Bracelets, 500 Felt Objects, and Steel Wire Jewelry, and she has an extensive exhibition record, both nationally and internationally. Annie currently lives in Waukesha, WI, where she continues to create work for juried and invitational exhibitions. www.anniepennington.com

The beauty of aged and weathered things.

Tags

antique maps, Bead and Button Show., design concepts, ephemera, maps, metal clay, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, PMC

 

Paris Map

Some of you might know that I’m a collector of beautiful aged weathered things. Anything with rust, or fox spots, or stains is a certain addition to my stash. Anything with cracks moves to the top of the list. My friend Paulette gave me an old resin shield with cracks. I love it! Ended up making this ring. It won honorable mention in last years Bead and Button Show.

This ring also was an honorable mention in the 2012 Bead Dreams Competition at Bead and Button.

Honorable mention is great! See them here.  I also got first place in the Metal Clay Category for my Fragmented Memories Series of shadowboxes ! See them here.

Be that as it may, my collections range from old antique medical instruments, old photos, to stacks and stacks of ephemera of any kind. Boarder line hoarder, but I love it!. I’m particularly found of old botanical illustrations from books and now maps. There is something kind of cool about seeing how cities have changed over time. The beauty of old maps as astonishing, every detail, every ornament, stunning typography and wonderfully detailed icons. A stark contrast to my iPhone map and Siri giving me directions to the nearest Starbucks.

Old antique maps carry with them a mystery of new found places. A time when we didn’t know exactly what might be behind the next corner.

An adventure.

 

 

2,000 Suspended Dandelions

Saw this article on line, AMAZING! Check out the full article on this artist. She collected all of the dandelions by hand, secured with an adhesive and transported by car. Check out this link. Well if you are like me, all you’ll be able to read are the photos by still worth the look. http://www.regineramseier.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=79

Here is the google translate version:

calm

I have directed this work to the small room in the art lab. Around 2000 withered dandelion flowers commute easily and alive from the ceiling. A symbol of life and birth. A symbol of the transience. Pause a moment. Hold your breath and the ephemeral a breath turn. Amazement in the Wunderkammer.
Hermann Hesse has expressed my feelings in words. In the poem, instantaneous flashes.
The small white room contains a large window, which blocks out the green of the park.
The Dandelions sky curves toward the door to the window and it seems as if the flowers carried out of the space, the light and the day counter. But soft hang in space and are permanent. Arrested in my memory. They will not return. But the golden meadows, this I know, the dandelions, they will return next spring.

Regine Ramseier

Still a few more spots open for Hollow Forms in beatiful Mendocino! Sign up today!

HOLLOW FORMS – METAL CLAY
November 3–4, 2012 (Saturday–Sunday, 9:30 am–4:30 pm)
Instructor: Patrik Kusek
F12J604 • All Levels

Tuition & Fees
Current Mendocino County MAC Members: $187
Current MAC Members: $198
Non-members: $220 plus a non-refundable $25 non-member registration fee

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Fall12/Kusek.html

So excited about my article in Metal Clay Artist Magazine!

Tags

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, jewelry, metal clay, Metal Clay Artist Magazine, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, PMC

Fairy Ring No 816 by Patrik Kusek, Photo by Abby Johnston
Sterling Silver and 22K

A few months ago I proposed an article using PMC Sterling to Jeannette at MCAM magazine. It’s been like waiting for Christmas waiting to see it in print. Yesterday I got the magazine in the mail! It’s always nice to see your work in print, on-line and included in books. Two of my favorite things are to 1) Open up the kiln and see how the work came out. That edges out even seeing the final completed piece sometimes. and 2) Seeing my work published. It looks great! Thanks MCAM!

PMC Sterling article by Patrik Kusek in Metal Clay Artist Magazine

It reminds me of my first design job at a large package design firm. (We worked on small little jobs like The Olympics, Henry Weinharts beer etc. ) My first contribution as a Jr. Designer was working on a redesign of the Brown and Haley Logo. Brown and Haley makes Almond Rocca. Yum!  My little tiny contribution was adding the flourished cross bar on the letter “H”. I remember that time in my life and the sense of accomplishment I felt every time I walked into a super market and happen to see Almond Rocca on the self. When the package first hit the shelves I even took my college roommates to the local supermarket to point and stare at it!

I didn’t last long at that job, preferring smaller design firms where I could make larger design contributions, but I still feel that sense of being a part of something bigger and being able to share my art to whoever is willing to look at it.

Today I get that same feelings when I complete a big project, teach a great class, hear from students about the what they are doing and yes seeing my work in a magazine! It’s a great job! Making things from a lump of clay and magically turning it into something beautiful. I guess the concept of transformation is the thread here. Transforming ideas into reality, transforming thinking, transforming a mind set. Ok… so now, I’m rambling a bit.

But transformation does not happen on it’s own.

PMC Sterling and Aura22 by Patrik Kusek
Photo by Abby Johnston

The editors at MCAM are fabulous, picking up on the grammatical inconsistencies, technical nuances and tons of other untold details. Making it look good takes work too. Special thanks to my photographer Abby Johnston who took the fab hero shot. Thanks Abby!

3 day sale, save 15% on Woodland Chic the book

Tags

metal clay, Patrick Kusek, Patrik Kusek, Woodland Chic

Hi everyone, I know a lot of you already own a copy of Woodland Chic, thank you! BUT if you don’t have a copy, for the next 3 days until the 21st,www.Lulu.com will be having a sale. Save 15% off of the list price. Buy one for a gift, Xmas is coming! The promo code is: PIRATA. Follow this link for the special deal http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/woodlandchic

This code is ONLY good that the above link.

Thanks!