Opening Reception!

Ahhh! Tonight was the opening reception for the holiday sale at the Neighborhood Collective. I had my table filled with goodies and saw some pieces find good homes! I got prime real estate for the show, right by the front door, and cashier.

I love to see how people react to my jewelry. I had a man-who had a bit too much to drink, fumbling around with one of my etched pieces. I told him how I made it and he said he really liked it... however, he blatantly told me he didn't care too much for the "jiggly wart pendant" that was displayed on the neck pad. For some reason, I really got a kick out of that. Honesty is a characteristic that I appreciate when it comes to my work. Most people really responded well to that piece, and I sold a smaller version later on!

The show had a great turnout. There were 30 local artists who had work displayed. It was fun to see all of their beautiful work.

It's Getting There!

I just finished pricing the last of my Christmas merchandise! I'll be sending it off tomorrow to the final gallery that will display my work for the holiday season. After getting all the production work done- now all I have to think about are Christmas gifts, and then fun stuff.

The fun stuff for me- are the larger, more challenging pieces. Above is a polka dot jasper necklace. The centerpiece has been carefully fabricated, and the links were cast (finally- after my waxes kept blowing up in the kiln!) I tried a different casting company-with much better results.

The tube setting above the cabochon will be set with amber. Each pin that attaches the links to one another will also be capped with an amber cab. The jasper is a cream white with brown with a slight amber color. The added amber cabs will help make the jasper pop.

It will be a little while until this piece is done, but until then- I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I'd post some of the things I am thankful for- there are so many.

*I'm thankful for Mike, and his encouragement and support for my interests. Also, his patience and love...and sense of humor.

*I'm thankful for my family and friends- both two and four legged.

*I'm thankful for good health.

*I'm thankful for my job and a wonderful boss.

*I'm thankful for my other job-metalsmithing, which is also my passion. And the motivation to create- and the thirst to learn as much as I can about it.

*I'm thankful for a welcoming home(and thankful that it happens to be clean right now!)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all have much to be thankful for.

Grumbly Ramblings

I finished a beautiful pendant that I had been working on in between some production pieces. It was one of those pieces that brought excitement at every new stage.

*

Well, I finished everything and all was well. Then I went to set the giant plume jasper in the bezel. I gave the bezel a final go-around with the prong pusher and felt a slight wiggle. A wiggle that brought me back to when I was a kid and starting to loose my baby teeth. Slight at first, and then you couldn't keep your darn finger off it, and then bam! The dang thing just came loose.

*

Ugh. This pendant will be re-thought, and re-made. Waaaahhhh- But I thought it was done. Woe is me. But I'm glad woe was me and not a buyer who found out I had done a not so perfect job on a seemingly perfect pendant. Back to the bench. Perfection is my middle name- along with Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, Smiley, Happy, Gassy and Doc.

*

5th Annual JEMKohl Memorial Fishing Tournament

The JEMKohl memorial fishing tournament is a day that Mike sets aside each year to go fishing in remembrance of his mother. This year he wanted to go fishing in the lower Niagara river with me, and our good friend Sue. He booked a charter with Captain Frank Campbell, one of the most praised captains on the river.

Here are the results:

Katie "The Spanker" Miess
1st Place with 24 points
Steelhead x 3 = 3
Smallmouth Bass x 1 = 1
Lake Trout x 5 = 10
Brown Trout x 1 = 3
* Most Fish (10) Bonus = 3
* Most Species (4) Bonus = 4

Sue "Barfy" Rusch
2nd Place with 13 points
Steelhead x 2 = 2
Lake Trout x 3 = 6
* Largest Fish (12lbs 4 oz) Bonus = 5

Mike "Camera Man" Kohlhagen
3rd Place with 8 points
Lake Trout x 3 = 6
* First Fish Bonus = 2

Frank took us up to Devil's hole to start our tournament. We traveled up river between the Canadian and US power plants, to where the rapids from Niagara Falls, and the Whirlpool are still very evident.

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We fished from devil's hole down to Art Park, and then made our way to the opening of Lake Ontario to fish the ledge where the fish hang out. We got to see some beautiful houses facing the river, along with Fort Niagara, which is a pretty impressive sight.

Mike, Sue and I had a great time. We love going fishing with Captain Frank. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and we can razz him while he teases us right back. The day will be a great memory for all of us, and Mike's Mom would have been proud of all our beautiful fish.

Sue and I posed with our Captain Frank as the winners of the tournament

Artvoice!

I have a little bio, along with a photo of my jewelry in this weeks edition of Artvoice. A free publication in Buffalo that lists all of the local upcoming events. Yeay for me! Here it is in a nutshell:

Katherine Miess of KM Jewelry Studio comes from a family that is rich in artistic interests, from music to creative writing to painting. It was not a surprise, then, when Katherine became involved in making jewelry. She attended Buffalo State College, where she fell in love with metal work and learned the many techniques used in her craft. Katherine works from her home studio creating handmade silver jewelry, and thrives on finding new ways to manipulate precious metals to create beautiful pieces of wearable art. She has a passion for exploring innovative and challenging methods from the limitless processes available in her medium. As a result, her designs continue to grow and evolve, keeping her creations fresh and exciting.

Fly Fishing With My Mike.

Mike took me out fishing today at Eighteen Mile creek with fishing guide, Mike Augat. We woke up at 4:30 am to get to the creek just before dawn. The morning temperature was about 28 degrees, with a dusting of snow. We bundled up accordingly.

Mike had prepared us for our day the night before by filling up our vests with our fly fishing accessories. I got to pick out the flies I would use, and loaded up my little foam box with the most beautiful works of art. The flies come in all shapes and sizes. Each handmade from all types of materials to accurately resemble the natural prey trout feed upon. Mike strung our rods, and I couldn't believe the tiny hooks that we would be using to catch our trout! We fished using the pea sized "blood dots" in the top row of the picture above. They mimic a salmon or trout egg.

We also used the small nymphs shown in the top left of the picture above. These "bugs" are about the size of a slim tic tac, with a minuscule hook. If these don't spark a jeweler's interest, I don't know what will!


Mike and I kept pretty warm in all of our layers. We fished in the brisk creek between the beautiful snow powdered cliffs. We both caught a great amount of fish within four hours. It was the most success we've had trout fishing together. The steelhead (or rainbow trout) displayed colors from bright silver to a beautiful plum and brown. Fly fishing is my favorite type of fishing. It is amazing to stand in the middle of a creek, and see the large shadows hovering in the currents.

The first fish I caught was 4.5 lb, and Mike's biggest fish was about 10 lbs. All caught on a hook about 1/4" long and 20 gauge thick. Now that's pretty amazing!

That's a big fish!

This is Fox.

Mike has four Devon Rex cats. Yup-four. Then I came along with my little doggy, and now there are two humans, and five beasties. That makes...24 legs, 5 tails, and some pretty darn good entertainment.

This is Fox. He's the most rambunctious of the animals. He's very independent compared to the rest of the clan. But he loves being scratched and scrubbed the most (besides Milo, that is).

I had to post these pictures. This little guy is so sleek and trim, but here he looks like a bar bum who's had just a little too much to drink. Good thing he's safe on the couch, and not on a bar stool, 'cause it doesn't look like he'd land on his feet if he fell. I love this guy!

Come on! Big Money, Big Money!

Yesterday I set up for the Christmas show I'm doing at the Annie Adams gallery. My table is in prime location.... first table as you walk in the shop, and right near the cashier. Couldn't have asked for a better spot!

I forgot to take a picture, but I have a festive, but subtle table cloth and runner. All of my goods filled the table! I can't believe how much stuff I've made in the past two months! The director of the show thought my display was really nice. I'm so proud. I had some very good help getting last minute things together. And I'm very very appreciative that I had an extra hand to get this bonanza done!

I'm so happy my table is up...now lets make some money to pay for all that silver!

Christmas Show!

Click the image to enlarge.

Yeay Dennis!

I studied jewelry design at Buffalo State College under Assistant Professor Tara Stephenson Nahabetian. She and her husband, Dennis, were very successful with getting the class excited over exploring every aspect of design and technique. Dennis was also extremely involved with teaching us how to promote our work.

Dennis has acquired many awards and honors with his delicate and unique jewelry and sculptures. He is featured in this months issue of Jewelry Artist (Lapidary Journal) magazine. He was interviewed for the Doer's Profile article. Congratulations Dennis! Check out his website here .

Oh Happy Day.

Today is a good day.

Even though I missed my monthly banjo progress report (very bad since I'm only on month 2)... but I've been getting ready for a show next week, and between the long hours in the studio and battered fingertips, I think I have good enough reasons to put it off until things slow down.

I don't have any jewelry photos yet, I've just had my nose to the bench. My tunnel vision can get pretty serious sometimes. Tonight I took a break from the studio. I'm starting to feel the physical effects of the "go go go syndrome" (not the cool go go, like with the boots and all).

I ordered two glass display cases and a folding table for my upcoming shows, and feel pretty good about my display. It's very professional looking. Yippee!

I'll be going to bed shortly, after making a list of things to do for tomorrow- when I'll start pushing again. But for now I'm going to relax a bit, and enjoy the day that has been.

Here are some pictures of my pet dragon named Milo. Just spreading some of my happiness around.