CMAG Board
Bruce McKay
Daniel Baca
Ken Patton
Barbara Covey
Lyn Simon
Earl Lovejoy
Susan Lovejoy
Wayne Acton
Lee Haga
CMAG Board Meetings
Board meetings are generally held prior to the General Meeting at 6 pm in Room 33.
Members are encouraged to
attend and contribute.
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
guild@actonjewelry.comWayne Acton email
Membership
Please visit CMAG's website:
www.cmaguild.org
Annual membership dues are
$60; students $30
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Newsletter
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. |
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Member News:
Calls for Entries
Web Stuff
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June 14, 2011 - GENERAL MEETING PROGRAM
"USING THE MINI LATHE"
Thanks to Ken for this detailed program précis.
Because much of my art is kinetic, I have to deal with bearings and bearings need hubs to hold them in place. To make a bearing hub you need a lathe so a few years back I bought the cheapest lathe I could find which was a Harbor Freight 7"x10". This is the low end of the low end but it does work. I have managed to push this little lathe beyond its capabilities to make bearing hubs for kinetic sculptures as large as 17 ft tall. For jewelry this little lathe is plenty big enough but does have some issues. These inexpensive lathes have a lot of "backlash". When you change from turning the crank to move the cutting tool into the work to moving it out, the tool just sits there until all the slop in the threads is taken up and then it begins to move. The good news is that even with slop in the system you can still control the tool movement to within a couple thousandths of an inch by using proper techniques. I will be demonstrating that at the meeting. The other major issue with these Harbor Freight lathes is the amount of time it takes to get spare parts. It isn't days or weeks, it's months! If you buy the lathe you should order a couple drive belts and gears immediately so if you ever need one you will have it. Also, 20% off coupons are easy to find and the last time I checked the coupon worked on the sale price so I think you can get one of these lathes for about $400.
After learning to use the lathe for my kinetic sculptures I decided to give it a try with jewelry. The jewelry I make is "Steampunk" style, very mechanical with geometric shapes and mechanical components. The lathe lends itself well to this style, it can easily turn a piece of copper, brass or bronze plate into a piece of jewelry. The lathe is good at cutting perfect circles either on the outer or inner edge and for machining the surface of the piece. I use an old watch movement for the center piece of my jewelry so I bore the plate to exactly fit the watch diameter. The lathe is also useful for adding surface texture or polishing the piece. I will demonstrate how that is done.
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The biggest challenge faced when using a lathe is figuring out how to hold on to the work piece. I use a number of different arbors for that and there are some shapes that are easier to hold than others. Most lathes come with a three jaw head. If you work with pieces that are round or three sided or six sided or nine sided (see the pattern) the piece will always be nicely centered on the lathe when clamped with the three jaws.
When I brought my first lathe home and took it out of the crate I was anxious to get to work cutting on metal but I found I needed a collection of tools to make it function. The lathe is the center of the process but that is just the beginning. Some of the other tools that I use in conjunction with the lathe are: Drill press, band saw, angle grinders, cutting tools, drill bits, files and sand paper. I'll bring some tools to show you how to use them.
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July: Swap Meet... The July program will be the annual Swap Meet. This is one of those ever popular programs where the members in attendance all get to talk at the same time; nobody has to pay attention or learn anything. Bring metal working, sculpture or jewelry making stuff to sell. And cash.
August: Safety Workshop... In August Barbara Kennedy will lead a safety workshop. Probably other people will get to talk, but a certain level of orderly decorum will likely be required.
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Report of CMAG General Meeting May 10, 2011
Board: The board met at its new appointed hour of 6.30 with a couple of new members, one of whom was Karen Craig who's agreed to be our secretary and who seems to be doing such a good job that I'm going to spare you my usual synopsis and refer you to her minutes which are published below.
Visitors: A handful of visitors were subjected to the accustomed ritual introduction. According to my always too meager when I get to them notes, Mark Jefferies works in repair and Angela Sexton at Fred Meyer Jewelers, as does also, probably not coincidentally, our esteemed prexy. My note for Cheryl Smith says sterling silver. For Molly Brooks it's glass and for Rex Brooks it' metal-wood-stone sculpture. I didn't note a connection between the last two, but I suspect it. As usual, spellings of names are approximate. Thanks for attending, hope to see you again soon.
Membership: Margaret Frison lead off with her first report as membership coordinator, presenting the idea of a differential membership fee depending on if you renew in a timely manner or not. Call it a discount or a penalty depending on how nefarious you want to be. Surprising to me, the gathered miscreants supported this idea. As of this writing, to my knowledge, implementation is still pending. Naturally this led to frenzied discussion of what the fee ought to be, how much money the guild has and if we ought to spend it sooner or later. Stay tuned.
Spring Show: A preliminary report of total sales is disappointing, less than last year but a bit more than the year before. What can I say, times aren't the greatest, economically speaking. It was nothing like a flop though and the seed money for next year seems pretty safe. The big discussion was the new venue and if we like it and if we can afford it in the future. Seems like most of the Steerers have decided to return but a Steering Committee Treasurer is needed.
Co-operative Endeavors: Mandy Allen reports that the Guild Council (?maybe it's Circle now?) that the MoCC sort of sponsors is going forward and has dropped the Guild membership fee from $350 to nothing. CMAG has participated in this association of local craft guilds right along, through thick and thin and it seems to me we ought to stick with it. We're going to need a new rep though, cause Mandy sez she's gonna quit and she really means it this time. I believe her; anyway she's more than done her bit.
Programs: Most, if not all, of the programs for 2011 are in place, including yours truly who'd better get in gear planning something for October (ideas?.) But we don't have a coordinator and greatly need one on board to start getting 2012 in hand. It's eleven programs, half of which or so are pretty standard and lately there's pretty good support in the form of a programs committee. These monthly programs are a unique and distinguishing feature of our guild so I hope somebody decides it's their new vocation in life to work on this.
Workshops: There's a ton of them upcoming, which Bruce has outlined in his message. Most of them are of the back by popular demand variety and ought to fill up pretty quick.
CMAG Board meeting minutes 5-10-11 ... This is by Karen
Members in attendance: Bruce McKay, Wayne Acton, Daniel Baca, Margaret Frison, Susan Jones-Lovejoy, Barbara Covey and Karen Craig.
Margaret is taking over the Membership position from Susan. Susan will be a “member at large” and will continue to help Margaret. Karen is the new secretary.
TOPICS/ DISCUSSIONS/MOTIONS:
1. Wayne and Margaret discussed whether or not we want to have various member information included on a website. Pros and cons of having info available were discussed. Bruce made a motion that we no longer print a membership roster but have it available to members by request. After further discussion this motion was tabled for the time being. We may revisit this at some time in the future.
2. Wayne made a motion to fund a renewal mailing drive for membership. Bruce seconded this motion and it passed with a unanimous vote of all present.
3. A motion was made to increase membership fees following a grace period as a way of encouraging members to process their fees in a timely manner. Bruce seconded this motion. Wayne opposed this motion. All other members approved this motion. An addendum was made that we discuss it with the CMAG General Meeting tonight and if not approved by the general membership we would revisit the topic next month. Of note it was presented to the members and the general idea of having two levels of membership fees (one for members renewing within a short window and a higher fee for those sending in a late renewal) was approved by the general membership at the CMAG meeting tonight. We will further discuss this topic at the next board meeting to decide on the amount of fees for renewal in these two levels of fees.
4. Wayne noted that we need a Program director so that he can get info in time for the news letter. Bruce said he will cover that position until a replacement is found. Bruce said that we have programs scheduled through August as well as a wax workshop on September 25th. Bruce had initially suggested that he wanted to teach a brief workshop on stone setting but is at this point considering teaching a full length class through the Multnomah Art Center rather than the shorter workshop. This is still being negotiated and he will let us know the outcome.
Meeting adjourned
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President Bruce:
Summer of Fun and Workshops
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By Bruce McKay
As Summer keeps promising to arrive, we have been putting together some fun and learning for CMAG members.
At our meetings, we have a Lathe Work demonstration with Ken Patton this month, the always fun Swap Meet in July, a Safety Workshop with Barbara Kennedy for our August meeting and a field trip/potluck to Greg Wilbur’s shop in September.
We are having a CMAG Field Trip to Central Oregon on August 20 and 21. On Saturday we will meet in Maupin for a ten mile rafting trip down the Deschutes River. This is a safe, fun run that I will be guiding. I have run this section for over 40 years. Then we will stay over in Madras or camp along the Deschutes, depending on what the group wants to do. Sunday the 21st we head to the Richardson Ranch for digging agate or opal or both. If you are interested in going with us on this trip, let me know by calling or emailing me, 503-796-5966, bruce@mckaydesignsinc.com. Ed. note: More details in last issue.
Now on to workshops:
Etching Workshop
Alma Rands will be doing an etching workshop in late August or early September. This 2 day workshop has been a hit in past years so sign up soon. It is weather dependant as ....
(Hi Wayne, URGENT.
Hope this gets to you before you go to press. However, please delete the part that Bruce mentions about working outside because of "stinky fumes and safety." There are NO fumes. We will work outside in order to take advantage of the warmth of the sun which will speed up the action of the Ferric Chloride. Also, there is more room for everyone to spread out, and we don't have to worry bout FC drips staining things.
Cheers. Alma.)
The cost of the workshop will be $75.00. The fee includes almost all materials, such as copper, PnP, masking supplies, foam floaters, latex gloves, neutralizing agents, etc.. However, participants will need to supply their own ferric chloride, as it can be re bottled after use, and re-used time and time again. Each participant will get a list of supplies and sources well in advance of the workshop. Aside from the Ferric Chloride, and Staedtler lumocolor permanent pens, almost all the other items will be found around their studio, or in their house (goggles, plastic trays with lids, household iron, etc.).
Ferric Chloride etching is ideal for etching copper to be used in champleve enameling. For this, one would use heavy gauge copper. 16 gauge or even thicker. This will allow enough depth for a deep etch. One can etch clear through the copper if one wanted to make openings. . Nice alternative to piercing with a saw.
Contact Alma at 503-644-1286 or arands@comcast.net
Wax Working Workshop
This will be held at the Glencoe High Art Department on September 24th, a one day workshop.
This will be a repeat of the wax working workshop that Mary Wong and I gave back at the old Contemporary Crafts Gallery. Basic wax carving will be taught. Participants will carve a wax ring with a cab center stone. The good thing about this team teaching is that Mary and I point out the different ways we each approach this project, resulting in more skills shared.
Tig Welding Workshop.
ITW Miller, the company which manufactures the Tig Welding equipment that Kevin Lindsay used in his demonstration last meeting has generously agreed to let Kevin use their distribution center on Airport Way to put on a workshop on Tig welding. The warehouse hours are from 7:30am to 4:30pm Monday thru Friday. There are six weld stations and the room can hold up to 20 people. Six to eight people would be the size allowed for this workshop, so get your name in early.
Cost will be $200 per participant.
We need to know how many people are interested so we can schedule a date to do this workshop. I believe it will be a multiple day workshop. Contact me if you are interested, 503-796-5966, bruce@mckaydesignsinc.com.
Diamond Setting Workshop
I was planning on doing a workshop on Diamond Setting but I am not going to as I am planning on teaching a basic diamond setting course at the Multnomah Arts Center this fall. Kristen Shiga and I are working out the details and I will give more info in the next newsletter. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn the basics of setting facetted stones, and have some of the essential tools to take home with you after class. I would love it if CMAG members filled this class up.
See you at the next meeting, Bruce
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 Madeline's Book
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This message is written by Harriet Levi and forwarded to me by Karen Swallow.
Dear Friends and Family of Madeline,
The book committee met for the first time at Norma's home and we outlined a beginning for the book about Madeline's art and life. An account has been set up in the Geezer Gallery, where Madeline has many pieces of her art. If you want to donate to the fund, send a check for any amount to:
Amy Henderson, Geezer Gallery
7710 SW 31st Ave.
Portland OR, 97219.
Make the check out to Geezer Gallery,
with Janovec Fund in the memo line.
If you would like to be on the book committee, let me know and I will forward your name to the committee. Also, the committee will be interviewing people about Madeline's art and life over the next year. We want the book to be personal and show how Maddie impacted artists and the art world, so please share your stories. You can also send the e-mail directly to Brenda Morgan, who will be heading up the writing of the book. Her e-mail is:
bmorgan312@gmail.com
We will keep Madeline's memory alive, and her spirit is with us as we move forward to fulfill her dream of having a book about her life.
Visit our community site: Maddie's Friends
(Ed note: This is the login page for a monitored "community" site which you join by leaving an email address. Then a message will be returned giving enrollment instructions. Click to the "Lotsa Helping Hands" home page to learn more.)
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Inspirational Quote
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By Mona Mozeico
Wayne:
My husband ran across this quote and I thought it would be much appreciated by all in our guild. All my best,
mona
Agnes de Mille on Martha Graham:
"The greatest thing she ever said to me was in 1943 after the opening of Oklahoma!, when I suddenly had unexpected, flamboyant success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I was bewildered and worried that my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha. I remember the conversation well. It was in a Schrafft's restaurant over a soda. I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be. Martha said to me, very quietly:"
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."
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  SNAG Conference or
What happens in Seattle stays ...
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From Margaret and Mandy
Report from the SNAG Conference; Margaret and Mandy give impressions from their northern sojourn.
CMAGer’s,
I just returned from my first SNAG conference - which was a great experience. I am not sure of the final number of CMAG attendees, but I think it was nearly a dozen!
I was lucky enough to first attend the Demo Days (A SNAG pre-conference event) on May 24, 25 at the Pratt Fine Arts Center (which is a fabulous art center with amazing resources and mad community involvement). Highlights for me were the shell-forming demo co-led by Betty Longhi and Cynthia Eid, the mokume gane lecture by Jim Binnion (plus a bonus demo of his favorite new toner etching technique), and a killer chasing and repousse’ demo by Megan Corwin. There were 8 1-1/2 hour demos in all.
I thought the SMG (Seattle Metals Guild) along with SNAG really did a great job of the conference.The event was reported to have been one of the largest at 1000 attendees from the US, Canada, and Europe. It was jam packed with presentations, discussions and of course - demos. The highlight demo for me was David Huang’s chasing a vessel. You can see images of his vessels, studio, tools and techniques on his website www.davidhuang.org
In addition to the events held on site at the conference, there were numerous galleries around Seattle that had jewelry shows - and all were open friday night for an “Exhibition Crawl”, oddly the same night as a “Zombie Crawl” in Seattle which made riding the mass transit very interesting. My favorite exhibit was the “Ring a Day” at the Punch Gallery. 65 artists, 365 days, 16,000 rings - 365 rings were in the actual show www.punchgallery.org
-Margaret Frison
Hello, Mandy here.
The SNAG conference was an incredible four days, jam-packed with lectures, demonstrations, exhibits and plenty of opportunities to meet with fellow artists. So much happened that I hardly know where to start and since the newsletter deadline is fast approaching, I'll keep it short. I definitely want to acknowledge the Seattle Metals Guild for all the work they did to make this conference fun and welcoming for everyone. They rented a photo booth for the opening night pin swap complete with costumes to dress-up in. They rented out a nearby bar for the rest of the evening in which we danced the night away. And they provided a hospitality suite in the hotel in which anyone could get away from the crowd and meet with people over a glass of wine.
The most nut-and-bolts/informational part of the conference was the Professional Development Seminar, in which a panel of experts discussed niche marketing and digital photography. Anyone can download the handouts from www.tinyurl.com/3umq8l8
-Mandy Allen
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Summer Classes
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Hi Wayne -
Here's the information from MAC for the June newsletter.
Thank you!
Kristin Mitsu Shiga
Don't miss out on the Traditional Japanese Inlay Workshop with Momoko Sanderson (photo attached) July 9 & 10 at Multnomah Arts Center! Learn to make your own set of inlay chisels and explore three different traditional Japanese techniques including dot inlay (Ten Zogan), line inlay (Sen Zogan) and Japanese cloth weave overlay (Nunome Zogan). Nunome Zogan is most often used on hard metal such as iron or steel, but in this class you will learn the Kashima-style Nunome Zogan, which is overlaid onto various metal alloys such as shibuichi, kuromido, shakudo, brass, copper and more. Traditional Japanese patinas will also be covered. Tuition of $350 includes imported Japanese materials and tool kit with 10 chisels, Nunome hammer, Japanese alloys and more.
There's still room in most of Multnomah Arts Center's metals summer classes and workshops. Register today at http://www.multnomahartscenter.org/about-mac/classes/.
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Beader Contest
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Here's a different sort of contest from the Revere Academy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - San Francisco: May 24, 2011
CONTACT: Alan Revere or Christine Dhein at 415/391-4179
Revere Academy Announces New Scholarship Contest for Beaders
The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts is offering a new scholarship aimed at the beading community. The respected jewelry school is now offering a complete scholarship for any of its 3-day classes to the winner of its new contest for beaders. The winner will chose from dozens of classes offered each year in a wide range of subjects such as fabrication, stone setting, jewelry design, and more.
The new scholarship contest is open to anyone who makes beaded jewelry and would like to learn more about traditional jewelry making. The winner can select the class of their choice and receive full tuition plus airfare from anywhere in the U.S. as well as lodging in San Francisco, and kit fees. Applications ask for examples of your beaded jewelry along with a statement of why you want to attend the Revere Academy.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about making jewelry and would like to take their skills to the next level,” says the school’s director and founder, Alan Revere. “In just 3 days, the winner will learn an incredible amount from professionals who are eager to share their skills.”
Leslie Strong, a beaded jewelry maker from Bellingham, WA summarized her experience at Revere by saying, “I started out working with beads but soon felt limited by what I could find in catalogs. As a designer, I wanted each element to be of high quality and fit my design. I needed to know at least the basics of fabrication. After a few Revere classes, I learned so much that the possibilities of what I can create are wider than ever before. And the jewelry I make is of greater value too.”
The application deadline is August 15, 2011 and the winner will be announced October 1, 2011. There is no fee to complete the online application. For more details, visit http://www.revereacademy.com/guide/scholarship/scholarship-for-beaders/
Pictured: Beaded necklace with handmade silver clasp by Revere student, Leslie Strong
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2011 CMAG Spring Show & Sale
The 2011 CMAG show was successfully held April 29-May 1, in the Oregon Convention Center. We were not in our usual spot (the "B" meeting rooms) but everything worked out okay. Watch this spot for the 2012 show dates.
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MONTHLY MEETINGS &
PROGRAMS
General Meeting
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.
Board Meeting
Before the general meeting ... at MAC ... in room 33 ... starts at 6 pm.
CMAG Webpage |
What to send: By far the most important would be reporting any CMAG event you participated in or attended. Visiting the SMG exhibit as Lisa does this month. Going on a car pool to an exhibit or symposium. Taking a CMAG workshop. Our newsletter depends completely on the members to report on these activities. Sharing this experience is a main purpose of the guild, it's in the credo. Also important in this vein would be metal art events you participate in outside CMAG; galleries, shows, workshops, books. We love to see what you've invented lately in your studio. Too much to list.
How to send: By email. By email. Send to guild@actonjewelry.com (that's me.) Put text in the body of the email. It's handy, sometimes, if you attach it in a file too, if it's a format I use then it saves a bit of effort, but copied into the body is foolproof. Try to send some text. Even if it seems a bit random. It'll work in fine. Send pictures. The internet is all about pictures. Best format is jpeg. If you're into editing pictures, usually something cropped for effect and under about 400 px sq is what will be published. I do a lot of cropping and resizing for each issue, on full sized submissions. Sending edited and raw both works too.
When to send: Send it by the deadline. I've sent out a one week, deadline warning for some time, to a list of contributors. Now I'm also going to try publishing the deadlines farther ahead. The deadline is anytime before I get up the next day so a June 6th deadline is really breakfast on the 7th. The July time limit is shorter to accommodate ;my trip to country fair.
How to start: Take pictures at the event. Ten is a good number. Pick the best and type out a sentence saying what it is. Repeat at least twice, numbering them. Next list who what where when etc. Send this or embellish as the muse dictates. Many of you guys are already very creditable writers, and the rest are, I'm sure, even more interesting. In a situation like ours, everybody has a voice worth listening to, sometimes it's just hard getting you to talk. Read some of the articles other members have submitted.
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I have moved Bruce's June president's message, which is full of workshop details. It can be found 
Hi All,
It looks to me like there might be some opportunity here for work on a sculptural scale. 
We have this from LeRoy Goertz. I didn't get anything from Kristin. I know several people who've tried Kickstarter, with varying results. I think it can be a very useful ancillary for a fundraising campaign. This workshop's coming up quick.