Pendant
3.625in (high) x 2in (wide) x .0125in (deep)
Weight: 40.5g
Designing in my Head: 730+ days
Time to Create: 20 hours
Inspiration
I have always loved the work of Ernst Haeckel in “Art Forms of Nature”, and this piece was certainly inspired by Haeckel’s drawings. I am also fascinated by erosion and how it co-creates new forms from old. Steel is a very hard and permanent material, but not impervious to water, air, and time. All things are affected. The silver provides a glimmer of optimism and timelessness for things to come.
The concept for this piece has been Stuck in My Brain & Under My Skin for at least the past two years. During that time, my husband and I relocated, with all the chaos that buying and selling houses and moving a household and studio entails. All of which was further complicated by a pandemic. Studio time was a luxury out of reach. However, I knew it was time to see the project through for this competition and to get myself working again.
Techniques
This project started as a thick slab (6 mm) of dried steel clay, roughly in the shape of the inverted tear drop. Using a micro rotary tool, dental bits, and burs, I carved the coral-like structures along the outside of the piece and the interior depressions. I added a sculpted bail to the back of the piece.
The carved steel piece was fired in carbon in a two-phase schedule for burnout and sintering, and then cleaned thoroughly to remove any fire scale or carbon residue.
I inlaid the fine silver metal clay into the interior depressions. The piece was re-fired in carbon to prevent uneven fire scale on the steel, using the recommended firing schedule for silver.
After another thorough cleaning, I applied a cold-bluing agent to prevent rust and to darken the steel. The silver areas were polished to create great contrast against the blackened steel.
Materials
Hadar’s Clays One-Fire Low Shrinkage Steel XT
PMC Flex (fine silver)
Photos by Simone Palmer
About the Artist – Paula McDowell, USA
Paula is a second career jewelry artist, utilizing metal clay, traditional metalsmithing, and mixed media techniques to create wearable objects that echo nature’s textures, forms, and movements.
Paula has been working with metal clay since 1999 and is an Accredited Teacher for Hadar’s Clay. She holds PMC certification from Rio Rewards and PMC Connection.
In addition to being a cofounder of AMCAW, in 2011 Paula formed L’esprit du Metal to promote metal clay and support its artists in the Lafayette, LA area.
Paula regularly takes classes in metal clay, metalsmithing, and alternative metals to continually challenge her artistry and develop her skill.
Now living in Southeast Alabama, Paula is busy re-inventing her creative community and business.
Paula will be offering classes in her local community soon and is available to travel to deliver unique workshops.
You can find Paula online at studiofiredance.com or by email
Superbly Sintered: Masterful Designs in Metal Clay celebrated the very best designs from metal clay artists around the world.
22 pieces of exceptional work were chosen by a distinguished jury. The exhibition was shown at the Sinter Conference in Pittsburgh, May 2022
