Welcome to my Blog

If you are visiting this site for the first time, I invite you to look back through the older posts. Though this is not a commerce site, I am more than happy to hear from you about interest you may have in buying or commissioning a piece, or for any other inquiry. Noelyovo@gmail.com

Come See Me and my Work

I will be exhibiting at the Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair, September 26 & 27, 2009 in Peoria, Illinois, booth 6. Stop by and say hello! If you mention this post, I have a gift for you.

New Pieces: Bird Series

I seem to be putting birds in everything I make lately. I think they represent freedom, the ability to be natural, and living in the here and now. The two bracelet images are actually the two sides of a reversible bracelet, called 25 Birds. The vertical piece is a pin/pendant called Snow Birds, of copper, titanium and silver. Both these pieces are already sold, though I could make something similar to order. The last piece is called Taking Flight. It is a pin/pendant, silver, titanium and opal, on a copper display environment that can stand or hang. The titanium work in it represents a new direction I hope to push much further, working in a more painterly style.

Workshop Update

For those wanting to learn titanium coloration, here is an update on the classes listed below.

The titanium coloration workshop through the Chicago Metal Arts Guild has been rescheduled for *October 17 & 18, 2009* at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

And you can learn about Rivets, Hinges & Titanium in the beautiful setting of Door County, WI, as listed below, at the Peninsula Art School on August 6-8.

I want to point out that the pendant in the picture has a titanium fish and river, along with copper, brass and silver layers, and that everything except the hinge is riveted together. You can make a hinge with rivets, too, without soldering, and I'll show you how. We will explore all three techniques in this three-day class, plus plenty of tips, tricks and technical "secrets" that I've figured out the hard way so you don't have to. And class ends early enough each day for you to have time to enjoy spectacular Door County!

New Kits!!

I have two new kits to offer you.

The first is an introduction to titanium coloration, in the form of a project to make a wire-wrapped heat-colored fish pin. It includes enough titanium to make two large pins, or a pin and a pair of earrings. I am also including a paper I put together on how to anodize, and a print-out of approximate colors titanium can produce. Everything you need to know to get started! You will also need a saw frame, a bench pin, a rotary tool (I include a ball bur and 2 saw blades), a torch (hand-held butane is fine) and a clean fire-proof surface.



The second new kit is the gold and silver ring you can see below, They Won't Believe You Made It Ring. I've written it up as a beginning soldering project, very detailed, and I include a small packet of borax for flux, citric acid for pickle, and a piece of easy solder. You do need quite a few tools, though, so feel free to contact me for the full list!

The Fish Pin kit is yours for $62 including shipping, and the ring kit is $72, including your choice of stone color.

Upcoming Classes

Worth noting, though not a class-- I had an article in the January issue of Jewelry Artist Magazine showing the construction of a brooch that uses three different styles of stone setting. Take a look!

I am scheduled to teach a two-day workshop on titanium coloration and use March 21 & 22 in Chicago through the Chicago Metal Arts Guild, location details not yet all settled. (See the pendant above)

I will be offering a similar class at the Bead & Button Show, June 5 & 6, with more emphasis on assembly techniques ("Rivets & Hinges") and again in Door County WI at the Peninsula Art School August 7 & 8

Also at Bead & Button this year will be a one-day workshop on titanium, They Won't Believe You Made It Ring, and the Sinuous Silver Bracelet-- pictures for these classes can be found by scrolling down. You can also purchase kits for some of them if you can't get to class.

And I will be offering three classes in King of Prussia, PA at Beadfest Wire on May 2 & 3. Your choices will be They Won't Believe You Made It Ring, Flowing Hammered Wire Bracelet (same class as Sinuous Silver Bracelet, different name) and Bead-Filled Bangle-- again, details further down.

More to come, most likely, so check back!

New Work 11•2009

Here are a couple of images of recent pieces, a pin entitled "Leaf Forest" (sterling, titanium, 18k, sapphire) and a not-so-good image of a champagne flute entitled "Land of Plenty", currently on exhibit at Gallery I/O in New Orleans. The head is called "dream On", and the "dream" is a pin/pendant, shown in the detail.

Saul Bell Award Finalist

I have received word that the bracelet below has been named a finalist for a Saul Bell Design Award, in the silver category. Naturally, I am very pleased to have been accorded this honor. The awards are given in May at JCK in Las Vegas.

My Recent Ambitious Piece

Here is the piece that is on the cover of the July 2008 issue of Art Jewelry Magazine-- a fully reversible bracelet of sterling and titanium.

Upcoming Classes

Later in the year, I will be teaching a one and a half-day workshop on draped and hammered wire jewelry, followed by another day and a half making the "They Won't Believe You Made It Ring" described in a post below. These will be at the Peninsula Art Center (https://www.peninsulaartschool.com/), Door County, Wisconsin (a very lovely area to visit in any case. These will be on November 13-15.

I will also be teaching two sessions of a workshop entitled "Getting Started in Metal Clay" at the Evanston Art Center. The one on October 18 & 25 is full, but there are spaces in the second one, November 1 & 8. WWW.Evanstonartcenter.org, 847 475-5300.

You can take classes from me at the Bead Fest Wire in King of Prussia, PA, May 1-3, 2009.http://www.beadfest.com/beadfest/wire.cfm

I will be demonstrating Soldering on Metal Clay at the Metal Clay Conference in Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, July 16-18 2009.

Upcoming classes

As of now (September 2008), I am offering three classes weekly at the Evanston Art Center. This session begins next week (September 9, 2008) and runs 12 weeks. The details are available at http://www.evanstonartcenter.org/

Upcoming Classes

Students have asked me to provide a list of my upcoming classes, so I will try to keep such a list current.

I will be teaching a three-day workshop at the Peninsula Art Center in Door County, Wisconsin (https://www.peninsulaartschool.com/)on July 28-30. Here is the class description:

Casting in a Flash

Imagine creating finished cast pieces in unique organic shapes in record time! That’s just what you can do in this exploration of casting methods both ancient and modern, with no carving, no previous skill necessary—and almost no time! Sand casting, water casting and broom straw casting are among the fun, fast, easy and inexpensive methods you will try in this three-day class. Use leftover silver scrap from previous projects! Silver will also be available for purchase from the instructor. You may bring small hard objects such as twigs to duplicate with sand casting. Finishing and adding bails and findings will also be covered.

Want to learn to silver solder, but can't get to a class?

I have just put the finishing touches on a new kit that is just for you. I'm very proud of it. It is listed in a post below-- the Lively Loopy Ring. Here's the thing, though. I've written it in minute detail, intended for someone who has never soldered at all. The kit includes powder to mix up flux and powder to mix up pickle-- and text that explains what to do with those things. There are 17 close-up color photographs.

There is a fair amount of "stuff" involved in metalsmithing.Here is the first page of the instructions, telling you what you get and what else you need. The kit is $50.

Lively Loopy Ring
By Noël Yovovich Noelyovo@yahoo.com
Copyright 2008 Noël Yovovich: Do not copy or reproduce without permission

Kit contains:
1’ copper practice wire
1’ sterling silver wire
*1” "easy" grade wire solder
*boric acid powder to mix with denatured alcohol as flux
*citric acid powder to mix with water for pickle
detailed instructions and photographs
ring blank sizing chart furnished by Contenti Jewelry Making Supplies

You will also need:
Steel ring mandrel
Wire cutters
Chain nose pliers
File, preferably a 6”-8” half-round #2 cut
Torch (can be butane hand-held)
Soldering pad or other fireproof surface
Solder pick
*Bowl of water for quenching hot metal or tools
Mallet (leather, nylon or wood) or a 10” length of lumber
Hammer with rounded, polished face (steel)
Steel block (not strictly necessary)
*Tumbler, polishing lathe, rotary tool with buffing wheel, or polishing cloth

* If you are receiving this kit as supplied in a class, these items will be available in the classroom

SAFETY CONCERNS
This project involves the use of a torch with open flame and high heat. It is essential to work on a flameproof surface, away from all flammable materials, including on the floor of the work area. Hair should be tied back. Natural fabrics should be worn. No loose, dangling hair, clothing or other objects should be worn or nearby while working with heat or power tools such as polishing equipment. Use tweezers or other tools to handle potentially hot metal. It is also important to work in an area with very good ventilation, as soldering and pickling produce fumes that are not good to breathe. These warnings cannot, of course, be comprehensive, so if you are in any doubt, seek professional instruction.

• For best results, read all the instructions before you begin.