The Zen of Bayou City Arts Festival

I have a line of mobiles that create rainbows when placed in a sunny window. They comprise about 50% of my sales. While over   50,000 of them are currently hanging in Windows around the world, mainly, only I can sell them. We don't sell many over the Internet. There is a wonderful store in Austin called Crystal Works that carries some of my classic designs. For some reason I can sell them hand over fist. Happily. 

I enjoy making them as well. Here are a few shots of a workspace that has proven very efficient for my purposes. 

 

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This mat is stained from using a brass brush to polish fire stain off of various metals in the production of jewelry and small scalp metal sculpture  

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The stump is a work in progress. Every so often I will spend 30 minutes or so sanding the surface. Same with the anvil. About every 6 weeks I will polish the face with successive grits of sand paper on a palm sander. These two surfaces are used in the forging of the cross beams of my mobiles.  

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Pile of tools, steel wool, scotch bright, paper shop towels, silver polishing cloths  

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A production list with the total value of the finished pieces. This is necessary not only to keep me focused on what to do-- the show is 18 days off  it also gives me a sense of the value of the inventory. I have a penchant for numbers 

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Design journal and wooden forms for making small vessels and bracelets  

Wire brush is an awesome tool

Wire brush is an awesome tool

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2 or 3 different hammers used in the production of the mobiles  

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This is Wednesday night. By Sunday night this area will be full of mobiles.  

then it will be special sculpture time.