don't forget

it's coming up soon, and i'm going to be exhibiting there.
find me in the purple section at booth 703 :D just north of Bay and Albert St.

supported

i'm really lucky.

being involved in the arts is hard - harder than you may think. there can be so much rejection, so much disappointment. it's hard to make plans, because you always seem to be waiting on something, waiting for someone to say yes.

it can be disheartening. it can make you lose your confidence. it can make you give up on your dream all  together.

but i have been so blessed. i have been consistently supported and encouraged in all my artistic endeavours by those near and dear to me, and i think that has made such a difference in what i've been able to do these past few years.

it's actually really hard to believe in yourself and what you can do - to believe in a future that seems so far away. 

so thank you all for being there for me and for having faith in me. you're why i'm still doing what i love.

a sneak peek

i finally took some pictures of my newer work. here's a select few.

some good and bad

i had some technical problems with my kiln today leaving me extremely frustrated. hopefully it gets resolved soon.

i felt better when i found my transitional cocoon was uploaded to this site. as well as when i found some of my work on flickrhivemind - which is apparently also known as a place for "the world's best photos."

the very first cocoon i made from my first year in jewellery was included in the set "the world's best photos of sterling silver and thread." though, the photo itself is awful. this was long before i knew how to document my work properly.

and my labyrinth bun cage, aka "sometimes goodbye's the only way," "jack's spoon," my rollercoaster earring, and my leaf knife were all included in the set "the world's best photos of design and metalsmithing."

i'm not sure who curated these sets but thank you for including me in them :)

class assisting

sometimes i really enjoy being a class assistant/monitor at OCAD's jewellery studio. yesterday was one of those good days. there are many times in jewellery where a technique doesn't work, or where there was something slightly off, and now the piece won't solder together. it can be disheartening at times and infuriating most of the time. sometimes you set up something to be soldered for an hour or more, and then it just...doesn't...work.

it's frustrating, but at the same time it's given me extreme patience that i don't think i would've gotten any other way.

but yesterday, every single piece i worked on with a student worked out, and well.

it's a good feeling. 

inspired

the world you desire can be won.

it exists.

it is real.

it is possible.

it is yours.

- Ayn Rand

newish stuff

prepping, always prepping

i had a fun but expensive day yesterday with my old friend Jon. after going to fabricland (again) and spending a lot (again), we went to ikea for some storage solutions for him, and display components for the outdoor show for me.

i was going to make my own display cases for the show, but time is running out, and i'd rather make more necklaces than sand and paint my display for the last couple days before the show.

today i'll be making more organza and metal necklaces. i would be enameling, but the thunder and lightning threaten the well being of my kiln :(

change of plans

i had a nice epic day of enameling planned. instead, after the kiln finally heated up (it takes about 3 hours to get to temperature), the power went out for an extended period of time. when the power goes out, it takes me another 2 hours to get the kiln to temperature again, even if it just went out for a minute - super annoying.

so instead, i started working on components of some new organza pieces by candlelight while i watched modern family (a new, very funny show i just discovered).

more prep

preparing for the outdoor show is turning out to be way more expensive than i thought. thankfully i still qualify as a student so at least i didn't have to pay the professional fee (an extra $200) to participate in the show.

i had to pick out some curtains today for my tent and that made a HUGE dent in my wallet. at least i can keep using them each year. though i guess it doesn't help much that i was also picking out different colours of organza (for some new pieces), matching ribbon (for necklaces) and matching thread to make everything all cohesive.  fabricland was having a big customer appreciation sale so i did manage to save quite a lot when i think about it...though i don't want to think about the cost of this purchase at all :p

busy busy busy

a lot of work goes into the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition each year. i am now officially more impressed with each exhibitor that i already admired from years before. you can find me in purple 703 this year (it's the student section just North of Bay and Albert Street). i'll be beside Vanessa Maltese, OCAD's 2010 medal winner for drawing and painting, and Jen Lipski, another student in the painting category.

i've put a goal in mind that i'll be making multiples in different colours of a new jewellery piece each week until the show starts. it's kind of crazy, but it's also kind of working out :)

i haven't taken photos of the new work yet. when i have more than 5 minutes of down time, i'll be sure to take some shots.

and i finally signed up for my domain name. i now officially own www.amandadelacruz.com :D

there's nothing there yet but i plan on learning some web design sometime after TOAE, and working on my site then. my name is really popular, i couldn't stand someone else taking my site.

i'm also on twitter now...i've finally given in. come follow me for more day by day updates.