Fantastic Birthday Gift - Best of Show!!!

I couldn't believe it when I was given the top award at the Winter Garden Art Festival.  There was only 3 awards for the entire show....First, Second & Third.  I never even thought I would get an award since jewelry is not always recognized by judges as art and when they came to present the award I was excited thinking is was third place.  But when they handed me First place I thought I was going to cry because this is the equivalent of Best of Show.  There was so much beautiful art there in pottery, oil paintings, wood working, etc etc.  I will continue to tingle for a long time every time I relive being handed an award like this.

The two judges and myself.

What a pretty ribbon!!!

Tucker - Bull Duram's Great x3 Grandson

At the Historic Cocoa Village show, I had a lovely lady commission me to make a horse pendant for her daughter.  The story behind why she wanted this piece is a wonderful one.  Her daughter rescued "Tucker" who was the famous Bull Durham's many times Great Grandson.  Remember the movie Secretariat.  Apparently when her daughter acquired Tucker, he was close to death because the people who owned him were elderly and could no longer care for him.  Over time her daughter has nursed Tucker back to health and although he still needs to gain another 70 pounds, he now has a loving home.

With a story like that, how could I not take great pleasure in creating this piece.  There were challenges, however.  Because I wanted some 3-D effect (the horse's mane & the grass were individual pieces), I had to take the torch to it 10 times with each time the risk of undoing a previous join or melting the piece a possibility.  But the metalsmithing "angels" were with me the whole time.  Below is a copy of my sketches & planning and then a copy of the finished piece.

I was so happy that Patti said the piece was exactly how she envisioned it and I so hope that her daughter will be pleased with it when she opens it on Christmas day.  Having someone get joy from my work is one of the top pleasures of doing what I do.

What an Honor

I feel very honored to have received First Place in the Jewelry category at the November 2012 Clermont Art Festival.