Copper is a heavy, chemical element found naturally in the earth and has a ‘soft’ hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, (talc is #1 as softest and hardest diamond is #10). Copper is almost indestructible and as such, artifacts and relics showing its’ use throughout the ages have survived, allowing modern man to track the development of civilization through more than 10,000 years! 

Easily found in abundance, pre-historic man discovered the malleability of copper and used it to form simple weapons, tools and talismans. Some of coppers’ other historic roles include: being formed into statues and all forms of ritual and/or decorative art; used in the construction and protection of dwellings as roofs, gates and plumbing; shaped into eating and drinking vessels and utensils; used in thin sheets as a painter’s canvas and to protect the underside of ships from algae and parasites; used as trade barter and currency; and of course for personal and often functional ornamentation, copper and its early alloys of bronze and brass have been made into pieces of jewelry. (The following samples are from Morocco and can be seen at Epcot.)

The main property of copper that associates it with healing, is that copper is ‘biostatic’.  This means that bacteria will not grow on its’ surface. The ‘ancients’ realized this feature and made drinking vessels of copper to drink water from as a healing method.  Modern man uses copper in garden sprays to dispel mildew and other bacteria from plants. Copper tubing is used in air conditioning units to prevent the spread of bacteria. Copper-impregnated fabrics have many uses as socks, uniforms and underwear for the sports industry; gauze bandages, wound products and textiles used in healthcare such as gowns, masks, towels, etc; household pillowcases, mattresses and carpeting; and for military and industrial clothing. Did you know that some hospitals use copper doorknobs to prevent the spread of germs? I realize now that what I though were just gorgeous older elevators, they were actually made using copper and brass as disease resistant decor! (This example is found in a bulding on Liberty Ave in Pittsburg, PA.)

Copper is very important to the human body too. We all consume copper in the form of vegetable, nuts, dried beads, seafood and (thank goodness) chocolate! Copper is also present in the air we breathe and in the water we drink. A copper deficiency in a humans diet can be associated with many stomach diseases, chronic diarrhea and premature birth, as well as high cholesterol levels. So enjoy your chocolate desert!

I’ll bet you have more copper in your personal home than you think (I know I do). One of coppers alloys is brass. Look around your home. Do you see brass andirons and tools near your fireplace or woodstove? How about any brass lamps, bells, a Grandfather or antique clock, a brass bed frame, silver plated flatware or tea set?  Ok, now how about the construction of your home. Did you know that an average single-family house in the United States contains more than 400 pounds of copper? Think about the builder’s hardware, plumber’s brass fittings and goods and the electrical wire. Now look at all of your electronic devices (computers, game players, stereo) and regular appliances like the heat pump or furnace and AC unit, stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc.  Amazing when you think about this, isn’t it. (And I’m not even going to detail all of ways that copper is used within the transportation industry!)

Native or natural copper is a lovely pinkish color, however most of what we are familiar with has a reddish/orange/brown tone due to the fact that when copper is exposed to oxygen it develops a layer of tarnish. Copper also forms within several other minerals like chalcopyrite (fools gold), covellite, malachite and azurite. Copper is also the responsible color pigment for the mineral turquoise. Most copper findings produced today are polished, and most copper jewelry is coated with a lacquer both of which are temporary protection from tarnish. Copper will eventually turn a human’s skin green due to the reaction of the copper with the chemicals present in the human body.

 This is a photo I took of a basket of malachite in various forms. The specimens in the center show copper inclusions.

All of the pictures included in this article are from my private collection. The following picture is of a piece of ‘flow’ from a copper mine in Arizona. When it was given to me, it was explained that as copper is smelted to remove all impurities, all types of ore emerge, such as silver, gold and platinum. Taken in the morning sunlight, this piece clearly shows all of those metals!

This copper ‘drip’ is part of my outdoors collection as it weighs about 5 pounds and has very sharp edges. It is a solidified ‘drip’ from a smelting vat. The ’sheet’  and freeform mass are just more of my copper collection.

The only serious way to release deadly chemicals such as arsenic from copper is by heating it. Therefore all copper cookware is coated with a protective shield and anyone who uses any type of heat when working with copper needs to work in an area with adequate ventilation as well as wear personal protection such as a respirator. My husband is a boilermaker who is occasionally in situations where deadly fumes are present; such as repairs in the copper mines of the SW United States, and all workers there are required to wear respiratory protection. 

 All of the above information and facts are scientifically proven and true. Now let’s look at some healing theories associated with copper.

Many different cultures through the ages have used copper as a healing agent. Most of these cures were based on the fact that copper is biostatic or an antibacterial material. Second only to silver, copper is the best conductor of both heat and electricity therefore it is presumable that it would also help to conduct the flow of oxygen, energy, blood and other bodily fluids. 

Many people swear by the use of copper as an assistant with arthritic pain, however there is no scientific proof of this to date.

Based on scientific facts, it can be concluded that copper is a very important part of the human body and without it our entire circulatory and digestive systems suffer, and that copper peptides assist in cell regeneration that quickens wound healing.

I leave the rest up to your own individual judgment.

‘Stay Twisted!’

Dale/Cougar 

Over the past several months I have spent quite a lot of time in Utah, most of it between the Wire-Sculpture offices and warehouse.  As a serious rockhound and ‘outdoors person’ this has been extremely difficult for me, because I have had no time off to explore the beautiful countryside or to look for rocks!  During my most recent trip an opportunity arose and I was able to draw one of the staff and his family into a small adventure.  Wire artist ‘inspiration’ has been one of the themes around the office this summer, so we are pleased to present the first:

Wire-Sculpture’s Side Trip Adventure!

For Inspiration and Education

Located at Rozel Point of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture that was created by American sculptor Robert Smithson in 1970.  In a previous post regarding inspiration, I mention folks who use mathematical formulas to create physical art, as Robert Smithson did when designing the Spiral Jetty.  Read more about this amazing artist:  http://www.robertsmithson.com/index.htm

The Spiral Jetty is a form of art known as Earth Art, Earthworks or Land Art.  From other examples found around the world, Land Art has been a practice for thousands of years but became a recognized ‘movement’ of the art world in the 1960’s, led by Americans.  What I find so cool about this art form is that it uses only materials native to the natural area in which it is created, and over time the art is actually meant to erode back into the earth from which it came!  (Talk about recycling.)  This is a great video clip that shows Smithson planning this sculpture, as well as its’ creation by heavy equipment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTx4Pp4aPXA

The only Sign that told us were we headed in the right direction!

Our travel to the Spiral Jetty was enjoyable and it is ‘out there’!  As we rode through the terrain I thought of the first settlers traveling through the Utah prairies in covered wagons; women wearing all those cumbersome, hot clothes and what a challenge it had to be to find drinkable water.  Our first stop turned out not to be our end destination, but we were all glad to get out of the van and walk around on the salt flats, which seem to go on forever!

During our exploration of these flats, we checked out what appeared to be puddles covered with a thin layer of ice.

Ice in August in Utah??

Upon closer examination, the ‘ice’ was really a layer of salt crystals in the process of forming as the water evaporated.

Nope - Salt crystals!

The challenge for everyone then, was to find a formation of salt crystal that was different from anything we had already seen.  There were so many, really cool examples!  Although tempted to remove our shoes, as it was rather hot and we were in a wet location, I do not recommend it because these crystals can be razor sharp and some of them are as big as a dinner plate!  (Find out more about salt/halite crystals: http://www.galleries.com/Minerals/HALIDES/halite/halite.htm )

Loading everyone back into the van, our driver expertly maneuvered around not just rocks in the roadway, but miniature monoliths!  Continuing on to the Spiral Jetty location, we stopped to leave some water and fruit with a young couple that had not been as careful and had cracked the oil pan of their little car.  (Warning!  If you venture out to any remote location be sure to take along plenty of water and a few high carb snacks, as in some places cell phone reception is non –existent!)

The Jetty is awesome!

August 30, 2009

Talk about an ‘inspiration’ for everything beyond jewelry making, from: ‘we need to take care of the earth because it takes care of us’ to ‘one person can make a difference’.  Yes, we all walked the entire spiral and then explored the salt formations on the local basalt rocks that had been used to create it.

My only wish now would be to see this Earth Art sculpture when the water is up because the salt here is tinted pink with the salt tolerant algae that lives in this lake, and when the water level is up the black jetty jumps out of the blood red water, aligned with the bright white salt encrusted shoreline.

Leaving for the long drive back to Ogden, we each felt just a little closer to Mother Earth, and everyone has a nice salt crystal to remind us of this wonderful ‘Side Trip Adventure’.

Moral of this article: take an occasional ‘Side Trip’ in your local area and see what you didn’t realize was in your own backyard that may just be transformed into an inspiration for both your life and your art!

Stay ‘Twisted’!

Dale/Cougar

I’ve presented the title to this article as a quote because it has been my email  ‘signature line’ for more than a year, to answer to the question I am most often asked:

“Where does your inspiration come from?”

This is the most frequently asked and can be the most frustrating question for almost all artists in every medium, (be they authors or writers, painters, sculptors, actors, architects, chefs, clothing designers, etc.).  The various reasons can include that those who admire our work for whatever reason, would like to know if their thoughts align with those of the artist, or to have more of a story/explanation for the way an artist created and then named a certain work.

An artists’ inspiration does come from every ‘Where’ and every ‘Thing’!  Many artisans, whom I have the honor to know and to work with, take photographs of objects, people, and landscapes; every ‘Thing’ that catches their eye.  They carry a small digital camera or a cell phone camera every ‘Where’ they go, so a possible inspiration for future works is rarely lost. 

Resulting Pendant: 'Agate Butterfly'

Butterfly Pendant Inspiration

Some folks always have a small sketch book within reach for the same reasons, as often a simple rendering of the lines within an architectural structure or the way a tree branches that needs to be drawn to be remembered.  One freelance writer friend frequently begins his stories at the end and works backwards, while listening to a certain type of music, and another starts her adventures in the middle and then fills in the details on each side, (similar to laying out a stone and some corresponding beads for a piece and then figuring out how to make them all come together). 

Humm . . . pendant frame?

Occasionally, raw emotion is the total reason for a design and by using whatever shapes and colors the artist visualizes as their mind-set, he or she combines all of the ingredients with their art form, resulting in a physical release.  Then there are the folks to whom I personally refer as ‘scientific artists’.  These individuals actually ‘see’ their designs within written mathematical formulas and the like, transferring them into physical works of art!

Maybe Earrings?

Many years ago, I worked as an advertising artist and one of my resources was a collection of  ’cut-books’.  These were published volumes that contained a selection of black and white line drawings which an artist could use for free, to help speed up certain jobs.  Using this idea/inspiration within my jewelry training sessions, I cover the simple ways of creating your own inspirational ‘cut book’.  First purchase an inexpensive photo album and then browse through the variety of catalogues received in your mail, and cut out every ‘Thing’ that you find interesting.  (These items may include nick-knacks, prints of framed pictures or posters, the pattern of a piece of clothing, a colorful vegetable dish, etc).  Another idea is to ask a local salon to save all of their old magazines for you!  These can include many typical subject choices, such as fashion, wedding, and prom, but also wildlife and sports titles, where you will find ‘Things’ you may not have considered ‘inspirational’ before!  Put all of these pictures into that photo album, in a random order, (upside down, sideways), creating collage pages.  When your brain hits ‘artists’ block’, prepare your favorite beverage, relax and open your ‘cut book’.  Look through it from the front first, then turn it upside-down and look at it again!  You will be amazed at what can ‘happen’ within your designs.  (I do have to warn you though, often a design idea that you ‘think’ you are going to make sometimes develops a mind-of-it’s-own during the creation process, and when completed looks nothing like your original plan!)

A page from my 'Cut-book'

The ‘inspiration’ for this article comes from Wire-Sculpture’s ‘Inspired Druzy’ wire jewelry design contest, for which I currently judged the $1800 Grand Prize.  What an amazing chore!  ‘Amazing’, because the required 150-300 word essays, (describing where the contestant obtained ‘their’ inspiration for the design they created), and the appropriate ‘titles/names’ of each piece, (that ties the written inspiration into each artists’ piece), are wonderful.  ‘Chore’, because these pieces have got to be some of the most creative I’ve seen in a while and I had a most difficult time deciding which would win one of the largest prizes ever offered in an Internet wire jewelry design contest! 

 The Official Judging Process

 The requirements to enter this contest were basically simple.  Each participant was required to send both a front and a back picture of each design they wished to submit, accompanied by a 150-300 word essay that described the inspiration for their design, along with an appropriate title.  The only required purchase was for the participant to have bought their Druzy cabochon from Wire-Sculpture, (where prices run from just $17 to $48 depending on the size).  My judging was based on 100 total points; 30 for originality, 30 for creativity and 40 points for the ‘inspiration’ that combines each design with its’ essay and name.

(I do have to mention that several folks did not send a picture of the backside of their design, which was needed to properly judge the creativity of the techniques executed, and that a ‘formal’ essay was not required,  just the artists’ thoughts that transmitted into their piece.)

When YOU view all of these amazing pieces, please take the time to read the accompanying essay to discover if you can ’see’ through that particular artists’ eyes!  From the spectacular and calm ocean and water themes, (including delightful Pond Scum), to foods,  music, stars and star ships, odes to beloved pets, vacation memories and pieces that were from the artists’  heart of hearts, you will enjoy every piece more with their story and then realize just how very difficult my decision was.

We  invite you all to please participate in the Popular Vote.   Just click  http://www.wire-sculpture.com/pages/druzy_submission.html    and vote for your favorite!  (Voting ends on September 10, 2009.)

I’d also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank each and every wire artist who participated in this contest.  My goal was to encourage you to ‘think outside of your box’, enabling you to see your designs in a different way, resulting in more creativity for YOU and hopefully better sales at your upcoming festivals and shows.

Of course, these are just a few of the ways many artisans answer that age-old question.  I am sure that many of you have your own personal techniques, and I invite you to comment on this post and share them with our ‘Wonderfully Wired World’!

 Here’s wishing all of you Great Inspirations, (as for me, I’m already thinking of our next contest theme!)

Stay ‘Twisted’!

Dale/Cougar

Thirty years ago Lindi received a Stained Glass Lamp Kit as a Christmas gift from her brother. Little did she conceive that she would one day start a stained glass business as a result, not to mention branching into making jewelry!

For relaxation from the tedious glass work Lindi has been creating for nineteen years, she started ‘playing’ with glass fusing. Her husband, Larry Haefner, insisted that she find something to do with the numerous nuggets and glass pieces that were accumulating all over her shop. The answer came three years ago, when Lindi took a wire wrapping class with Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong and learned how to incorporate all of those glass pieces into beautiful, wire jewelry designs.

Lindi displays her work in local gift shops and boutiques, as well as in juried art shows and at bridal fairs. Her favorite jewelry venue is her own ‘Stained Glass by Lindi’ studio, located in Williamsport, PA.  Lindi is an awesome, stained-glass artist who also enjoys being one of ‘Cougar’s’ teaching assistants at various jewelry-making events.

At an early age, Suzanne was always busy in her dad’s shop, taking things apart just to see how they worked. The desire to work with tools has never left her. She blames Dale Armstrong for starting her down the seductively twisty wire path, and she hasn’t looked back since! Suzanne is a proud “Cougar Cub”.  She works with her husband in their family business in Gallatin, Tennessee and finds stress relief in beading and wire working. When Suzanne is not rescuing a stranded possum or bottle-feeding a calf, she also teaches classes at Beadin’ At The Barn.

She can be contacted via her website: http://www.suzannesjewelry.com/