Kalaya Steede

Bet you thought I died!  But I didn't.  I have just been on Cloud 9 since January.  There is so much I want to share. I'm just going to say it with pictures. Ready? First there was Mardi Gras preparations.  We had to decorate coconuts.  OOooooo...I wonder who got this beauty? Then mi amigo flew in and we did so much in two weeks it was ridiculous.  Here are the highlights I would like to share. We made shibuichi.  Which was hard as hell! I carved.  I like carving. Then cast... Then sawed a stump, ground a stump, ground an anvil, and made a dust collector. The dust collector was made using a powerful computer fan but evidently not powerful enough.  I should just buy one but they are so expensive!  The filter didn't stay put in the litter box there but I did have some suction.  :-/ Then the rolling mill broke!  Now that really sucked!!! We rearranged my studio.  Whaaat?!!! ...

My latest and greatest. This cuff was inspired by my friend being in a group called The Amazons . So... what would an Amazon woman wear as part of her battle outfit? That's when I came up with this cuff bracelet. The design was rolled on to the metal using a rolling mill with another piece of textured brass. I used my metal stamps, handmade by me, for the border.  The two pieces are held together with my hand made copper rivets. Inside I drew a labrys, or double-bladed axe, a symbol of the ancient Amazon tribes, with an engraver along with other symbols. Is it original? Ummm....not completely.  I'm sure... no I know I was influenced by someone or something.  The thing is I just couldn't tell you from where or from whom. Some people would like to tell you that a piece is original but         is it? The eyes and the mind are like cameras.   Storing and then filed away whether we want it to or not.  ...