Series #2 of "Ask Me, Who Knows"

There are people I "know" in a virtual sense, that I've never met in person. Only interact with online, through email and blogs. 

I still consider them my friends. Andrew Thornton is one of those people. He did a giveaway with some of my french-themed beads, and I was thrilled.

I feel that I sort of "know" him from reading his blog and following along on his adventures in writing and art. He's very talented in many different media.

He has used several of my components in gorgeous designs, this one called "Sanctuary" was featured in a well-known beading magazine in 2009. I always love when he incorporates something I've made into something he's making. They become more fully developed, and have his story added to their own.

He has a wonderful, quirky talent for pulling things together, and making the whole more beautiful than the parts, like this pair of skully earrings.

His question to me on the "Ask Me, Who Knows" post, was this:

"What's your favorite medium to work with and how did you find it originally?"

That's a long story, I hope you'll be interested in the answer.

I wish I was the kind of person who tried many media, then found one that made me say "AH-HA!" or "EUREKA" and made me stick to that one. This is it! - I've heard many other people say that, once they found that one, they KNEW it was the only one for them.

I think I'm easily bored, I move from one to another, basically keeping myself interested by not repeating myself endlessly. And seeking ways to get the "look" I want, by finding the medium that gives me that look.

I work in polymer clay.

I fuse and cut glass.

I pour resin.

I cast molten pewter.

I do wirework.

I enamel glass to copper.

I solder glass and copper foil.

The main thing is to get that faux vintage look, the reproduction of metal, hand dyed costume pearls, gems, ivory and jet. The antique image. I use whatever medium I think will get me to that "look" I'm after. The texture, color, weight and feeling that brings back that image of the original antique.

BUT If I absolutely HAD to choose a favorite .... just ONE medium ... and ONLY one ...

It would be casting pewter to create metal replicas.

I wanted to do it for a long, long time. I did a lot of research and testing on my own. I'm basically self-taught, with all the accidents, failures and bad results that come with that.

I continue to learn new things with it. To build on what I've figured out so far. And I love the look of the pewter patina.

It's what I do most of the time now. 

I take a little time for paper, resin, glass, fiber and polymer clay.

But most of the time, I'm working with hot, molten metal. 

Grinding, drilling, finishing and polishing.

I also enjoy combining the pewter with the glass, resin and polymer clay.

Bringing it all together.

I'm a MIXED MEDIA mixed up ALL AROUND creativity hunter! 

Thanks, Andrew, for the great question...