i love my studio space. it has taken me a long time to get it this far along and it is still evolving, but it makes me happy. just having a space all to my own to create, that i can leave out and not have to put away is huge. if i only have a small amount of time i can jump in and work on a piece right where i left off. i think this is what satisfies me the most . . . though i do get a lovely amount of natural light in the afternoon which is a close runner up.

i used reticulation to create a piece last year and did lots of test pieces. i am slightly obsessed with the texture of reticulation at the moment so i am pulling out all those scraps of metal and creating pieces from them. most recently i made a ring with a labradorite cabochon using a tiny bit of reticulated metal that i had cut away from another piece. here it is.

one reticulated piece that is still in production is this one. the scrap metal had a nice triangular shape i wanted to play with so i paired it with a nice mexican black garnet drusy to see what i could come up with. i finally decided on using a partial bezel, after much consideration as to how to best showcase (and hold) the stone, but still playing around with the design of the bail. hope to work on that tomorrow!

my immediate wish for my work is to create an appropriate tool holder for my new fretz stakes! i am itching to use them but haven't been able to complete the holder just yet. fold forming has intrigued me and i hope to incorporate this technique into my work this year. the stakes and hammers are beautiful and feel so nice to use i can almost feel the creativity flowing from them. once i finally get to use them with the stakes held firmly i am sure there will be ecstasy!