Noël Yovovich

The Teapot is Done!

2011-02-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

I just finished the teapot I've been working on-- the one that this set of three pins is part of. I took a little video to give a first glimpse of it-- better pics when I get my photographer (Larry Sanders, Sanders Visual Images) on the job.

It has a beautiful 3-carat faceted sunstone on top, a fossil coral handle and spout, and tigereye feet. It is fabricated from sterling silver, 14 and 22k gold, anodized titanium and copper.

LOTS of pictures

2011-02-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

I just created an album on Facebook that contains most of the images I use when I am asked to speak about my work in general and titanium coloration in particular. Here's the link if you want to take a look!

All the News that's Fit to Print

2011-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

First, I want to mention that I've set up a Facebook Page for my art business. I hope you'll enjoy it.

I've continued to add to my Ganoksin Blog, so be sure to take a look at that.

My teaching schedule for 2011 continues to evolve. I'll be at BeadFest Santa Fe March 10-13 and BeadFest Philly in August, as well as the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee June 5-12. And, of course, I teach year 'round at the Evanston Art Center, as always, with the addition of a teen class on Tuesday afternoons, 4:30-6. My Exploring Metal Clay class is a fun addition to my beginning-through-advanced metalsmithing classes.

We are scheduling a 4-hour workshop on April 30 to make a very cool watch by what I call the "drape and hammer" technique.

Shows are still mostly pending, but I will be doing my first-ever show in Manhattan, a benefit for the CERF (Craft Emergency Relief Fund) at the beginning of April, so if you're in New York, come say hi!

A Gem of an Idea

2010-07-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

I've written a column with this title for the quarterly newsletter of the Chicago Metal Arts Guild for about 6 or 7 years now. I'm expanding that idea into a blog by the same title, and you can see my first post (and subsequent ones, I trust) at http://noel.ganoksin.com/blogs/

I plan to share a lot of the same kind of information that makes me popular, if I may say so, as a teacher. I expect to offer tips and tricks, tool reviews, and tidbits about life, from basic to advanced. I hope you'll check it out.

New Piece that is PART of a Piece

2010-07-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a set of three pins that interlock. They can be worn individually, or in any combination. The mechanism that links them together folds to the back when not needed.

They are sterling silver, 14k gold, copper, and anodized titanium.

They are PART of a piece because, though I have not finished the next phase, the pins will form the center of a teapot entitled "House in the Woods". They will fold into a triangle, hinged at the corners, and sit under a dome of pierced silver trees (the woods) with a handle and spout of white fossil coral that look like tree limbs.

I began this piece at an artist's residency at Ragdale Foundation, which permitted me the kind of uninterrupted work time it takes for me to create complex work. I'm not sure when I'll manage to finish, but meanwhile, I want to share this triptych of fully-functional pins.

Note the teapot next to the chair in the living room, and the cat looking out the window of the dining room (bedroom?)

Updated Class Info

2010-02-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some links to classes and workshops I am teaching at events around the country. Click here for my classes at BeadFest Wire in Philadelphia; here for BeadFest Santa Fe, and here for Bead Fest Philly.

I will be teaching a couple of terrific workshops this year at the Peninsula Art School in Door County, WI-- you can see them here.

I have a full week of classes at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, and you can see those here.

I guess you could say I'm on a roll!

2009-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

The bracelet pictured in my last post was, as you can see, used on the cover of the January issue of Art Jewelry Magazine.

On top of that, I'm happy to report that I applied to three artist's residencies for next year, and was accepted by two of them, so I'll be spending a week at ArtSmith on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington State in March, and two weeks at Ragdale in April or May!

For those interested in classes-- I'm offering two very cool workshops at the Peninsula Art School next year. One is a three-day on soldering techniques, June 25-27, in which we will make a soldering sampler pendant (the picture with the turquoise is my sample). The other is a metal clay class September 30-October 2. The silver piece, "Fish Kitchen" is one of my silver clay pieces.

Also, I'll be teaching once again at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, June 6-13, lots of classes (registration begins January 12th) and at the three currently-scheduled Interweave events. These are: BeadFest Philadelphia, BeadFest Wire and BeadFest Santa Fe

And I'll be a presenter at the http://www.pmc-conference.com/, talking about using metalsmithing techniques on metal clays.

Shows and more classes are still up in the air, so stay tuned, but I am always happy to talk to interested folks directly about pieces they may wish to buy, or classes they may wish to take, or have me teach. You can always reach me at NoelYovo@gmail.com.

Welcome to my Blog

2009-08-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-05-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-01-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-06-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-05-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

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.

They-Won't-Believe-You-Made-It Ring

2008-01-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

I just have to make a plug for this class, offered this year at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee.

This ring is a real stunner, an 18k gold tube setting with a sparkly 3mm stone on a wide hammered sterling silver band. And it is so much easier to make (with my help, of course) than you would ever dream! It has two solder seams in it, and I will guide you through them, personally, one at a time. That's why the class is very limited in size.

Most of the students who have made this one with me wear their rings every day.

And if there is a special color of stone you want, I'll try to accommodate you. I already have a couple dozen tourmalines in shades of green, blue, pink and orange; some yellow sapphires; amethysts, and others. You choose!

And if you are planning to attend one of the other beading/wire/jewelry events I will be teaching at, and you wish YOU could make this fabulous ring, let the management know-- maybe we can get it arranged for next year!

Can't get to a class you want?

2008-01-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

If you just can't get to a class you had your eye on, I offer kits for some of them. These include detailed, step-by-step instructions just like the articles I write for Art Jewelry Magazine, complete with close-up color photos, and all the materials you need, including copper practice wire and specialized tools. General tools such as hammers, ring mandrels and pliers are not included.

The kits available at this time are Etruscan Style Ring & Chain, $68; Sinuous Silver Bracelet (aka Flowing Hammered Wire Bracelet)$87; Knit Wire Bangle (aka Bead-filled Bangle, but the kit does NOT contain beads),$87; and Lively Loopy Ring,$50. This last one requires soldering; instructions give all the details, but it is always easiest to learn soldering directly from a human being.

Contact me at Noelyovo-aj@yahoo.com for more details.

Welcome, 2008 students

2008-01-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings to anyone accessing this blog, and especially to my bead event students. Please feel free to email me with any concerns or questions-- noelyovo-aj@yahoo.com. Please be aware that I am teaching at 6 different events this year, so be sure to tell me where you will be taking my classes.

Once again this year, I am offering to take orders for my favorite hammer. You will need a hammer with a rounded, polished face for the Lively Loopy Ring, Sinuous Silver Bracelet and They-Won't-Believe-You-Made-It Ring. It does not have to be this one! I just like this one, and students find it convenient to have me bring a box of hammers to class for them. The details and a picture can be found by scrolling down to last year's entries. The difference is, not surprisingly, prices have gone up. I can bring you a hammer for $35. I also have some simple bench pins for $8, for those of you taking Magic Metal Menagerie.

If you are taking either Magic Metal Menagerie or the Charm of Color, it would be great if you can bring a handheld butane torch and a soldering surface or firebrick, and/or a Dremel tool with a 3/32" collet. Other collets may also be useful. A jeweler's saw and 2/0 or 3/0 blades will also come in handy. I will have tools there for you to use, but there will be much less waiting and resultant frustration if you can bring your own.

At events other than Bead & Button, an extension cord is a good idea. A task lamp can be a big help as well.

I hate to admit it, but there may be other needed tools I forgot to put on the official lists, so try to check back here for additional information as class draws nearer.

2007-09-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased with my new booth shot, done by Larry Sanders at One of a Kind last December. I spent about an hour before he arrived "primping" my booth to remove anything extra or distracting.

The empty blue space in the back normally frames a black banner with my signature/logo on it in silver. You have to remove all identifiers for a booth shot.

Update for students

2007-08-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

If you have not already ordered (and paid for) a steel block to use in my hammered bracelet class, you will need to obtain and bring one on your own-- they are very heavy, and my luggage gets over the limit. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but this is a pretty easy tool to find. Chances are pretty good you can even buy one at the show.

I will still be accepting orders for the hammer I like best, as this is a less-readily available item (described below).

If you are planning to take Magic Metal Menagerie-- I neglected to include a bench pin in the tool list. While not absolutely essential, it is pretty helpful when sawing. Please bring one, or order one for me to bring to the class for you. They are $8, and just consist of a piece of wood with a V-shaped cut-out, and a clamp to hold it to the table. A small towel would be convenient, if you can bring one. And one more point-- your Dremel should have (at minimum) a 3/32" collet.

Please do not hesitate to email me with questions or concerns: Noelyovovich-aj@yahoo.com.

To my students

2007-03-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome! If you are at this site because you are signed up for a class with me, or you are considering it-- this is where I will post information that may be of use to you. You can also see some of my work in previous posts, below.

I will be ordering some of the tools my classes will need so that I can make them available to students at lower cost than you would pay ordering them individually, and conveniently bring them to you at class. For those trying my bent-and-hammered bracelet class ("Sinuous Silv er Bracelet and Earrings" or "Flowing Silver-Wire Bracelet "), you can order the hammer and/or steel block through me, if you wish. This hammer (see picture) is my very favorite hammer. It has a good weight, the heads are well-polished, and it has no corners to ding up your metal. The price for these hammers is $30 plus local sales tax, and the steel block, 2 1/2" square, is $10.

You will need to order the tools ahead of time if you wish to be sure to get in on the group order. Contact me at noelyovovich-aj@yahoo.com.

As for other classes, I will have extra materials such as sterling wire or titanium sheet available according to the subject of the class.

Those taking the knit wire bangle class: You may want to put some pearls or beads inside your bangle! If you think you might, bring them along to class-- any size up to about 8mm, any color, any type you think might be good.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at any time!

fusing

2007-03-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Fused pieces, sterling with 22k or 24k, framed in 18k, various stones.

2007-01-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

This appears to be a piece of petrified wood, found in Arizona in a field sprinkled with small pieces of petrified wood. It is one inch across. I would love to know why it has these great bumps.

2007-01-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

This pendant was made with a piece of incredibly vibrant sugilite that I purchased, believe it or not, on eBay. I have been unable to find any more nearly as nice.

The metalwork consists of 24k gold fused to 20g sterling, then rolled flat, then rolled again with a sheet of saw-pierced titanium so that the pierced designs are embossed on the silver/gold. This raw material was then used to make the pendant, framed in 18k and accented with the sugilite (set in 22k) and a small diamond. It hangs on a 5-strand cable of silver and 18k.

2006-10-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a sculptural teapot I just finished. It is 7" x 7" x 3", silver, copper and brass, plus black coral (handle) and onyx (feet). It holds a removable, wearable window pin of sterling and anodized titanium, and there is a tiny (1") table in the top, complete with tea set (attached to table).

2006-09-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, here's a silly bird pin I made. The design came to me as a flash just as I was waking up from a short nap, so I made it. I cut the stones for it from some unidentified Mexican agate I bought on eBay.

2006-09-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot I snapped of a couple of solder weights, as described on Orchid as follows: "You can make these pretty easily. In Charles L-B's book "Cheap Thrills in the Tool Shop", he describes how to make solder weights. I don't remember exactly how he put it, it has been so long, but I keep a couple on my bench. Start with a rectangular tin, such as from Altoids or Band-aids. Drill a hole at one end, like at the narrow end of the lid of the band-aids tin, and insert a piece of steel wire heavy enough to stay straight. File a rounded point on the wire and bend the last half-inch at right angles away from the tin. I also bend the part inside the tin into a zig-zag so it won't rotate but will stay in one position in the tin. Then fill up the tin with nuts and bolts, rusty tumbler shot, or something else with some weight to it. To use it, you set it on its side so the weight rests on the wire tip, and one edge of the tin. The wire tip acts like a "finger" to hold parts in place while soldering. You can adjust the amount of pressure by raising or lowering the base of the tin with bricks or whatever."

Noël

2005-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

"More Than Meets the Eye"

4"high x 2"wide x 2 1/4" deep
Sterling silver, 22k, 18k, 14k, anodized titanium, iolites

This miniature chair consists of a reversible pendant (the chair back), earrings (left and right, at top), pin (seat), and box (seat) holding the earring backs and chain for the pendant