Do you have a book in you?

I think there is a lot of interest among our blogging group on how you go about getting a book deal. Right off the top of my head, I can think of two other people who are in the process of writing a book ... Heather Powers and Kerry Bogert (a second book). I know that a lot of you have questions about how it's done.

For me, it started like this. Some of my online blogging community, including Mary Jane Dodd, suggested that I write a book. I said, "Who? Me?" I'm thinking ... they've got to be kidding! But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the torch firing of enamel was really special. The immersion process developed and taught to me by Joseph Spencer, coupled with my understanding of the affects of the flame on oxide pigments in glazes and enamels ... was special. It's affordable, versatile, portable, easy to master ... So, when you realize that what you have to say is worth it for someone to read, you do the following.

Look at the websites of the publishers ... Lark Books, Watson-Guptil, Quarry, North Light. I went to North Light. Their books are works of art in and of themselves. The publishers' websites will tell you what they're looking for in a submission.

What I submitted to Tonia Davenport, a North Light Acquisitions Editor, was a Book Concept. A book concept, which I lovingly referred to as my "Oxyclean Commercial," is the pitch ... the focus of the book, what will make your book unique, is there a unique way that you approach your work, a unique technique. Put yourself in the place of the book publisher. Think to yourself, "How will the book publisher pitch my book to booksellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.?" "Why will people want to buy my book?" Think "the inside flap of the book."

I prepared a bio and artists statement. I talked about my education, teaching experience, the focus of my work, what challenges I enjoy, what skills I possess that will bring this book to fruition. Here's where I want to tell many of you that you DO possess the skills to do this. Don't be thinking ... "I've never taught ... I have trouble writing ... I can't do this, I can't do that ..." But, there are things you can do that I can't ... those are the things you'll focus on. However, you do need to be able to get your thoughts across to the Acquisitions Editor. You'll get help editing the book, but initially you need to be able to express yourself. Get help if you need it.

I prepared a Table of Contents of what I expected the book to cover. I came up with 5 jewelry projects where I briefly explained the techniques I would introduce. I sent a copy of the Belle Armoire Jewelry article to show that I had the ability to explain how to create a piece of jewelry or how to explain a technique. I submitted 20 digital imagines of my work.

When I had lunch last week with North Light's Editorial Director, I told her that people were mentioning their interest in writing a book. She said, "Great!" I said, "People think they have to have all of the projects for the book finished before they submit." She said, "No, in fact, it's the opposite. It's a fluid process. We want to work with the artist on this."

So, there you have it! The secret formula ... which really isn't so secret because it makes so much sense. Define your concept for the book ... talk to others about it who can help you solidify your thoughts about your concept. I'd be happy to be a sounding board if you need one.

Don't get overwhelmed. Just get started!

Love My Art Jewelry!

Please visit Love My Art Jewelry (LMAJ) and enter the giveaway of Kelli Pope's beautiful earrings. LMAJ is an association of several artists who are interested in promoting handmade components and jewelry. To qualify for the giveaway, you simply need to become a follower of our blog, leave a post saying so, and announce the giveaway on your blog. Make sure to indicate where your announcement was made. Here's hoping you win those beautiful earrings!

I Survived to Tell the Tale!

Okay, I'm going to write about the photo week, but I want you to check back on Monday for "Do you have a book in you?" Please tell your friends. Just to let you know, North Light is looking for artists who have something to say ... as I'm sure other publishers do. So, this will be what we'll talk about on Monday. I'll tell you what I did ... not that I'm an authority ... just the story of one person's pursuit.

The week was INTENSE. Today I'm in Florida and unpacking my tools and I was pronouncing the word in my head with the emphasis on the "IN" part of the word. Then I had a thought bubble, "Hey, maybe that's really what the word means "in tense" ... that you are in a tense situation. Oh well, this is how I occupy myself sometimes ... with crazy, nonsensical thoughts!

So, Monday morning arrived. I got to the "nice" warehouse-like building of North Light's studio ... it kinda looked like something from a movie set ... temporary walls, a kitchen-like setting ... many LARGE rooms with lights set up for photography. But I was like a deer in the headlights! I was so afraid I had forgotten something that, in fact, I couldn't find the "L" bracket and the hose clamp for the torch! So Rachel and I went to the hardware store ... which is something they admonish you about ... that the week isn't designed for the editor to be driving you all around picking up supplies you forgot! Ooops! It was only later in the week that Rachel showed me the bracket and clamp I had packed ... only I had stashed the box under a table with bubble wrap gently resting on top of them. So, technically, I didn't forget anything!

The days go like this. The editor sits at her computer and reads back to me the directions I wrote of how to make the projects. She reads it one step at a time as I recreate the piece. There were many times I modified the directions to something that worked a little better. Since I make nearly all of my own components, with the exception of most chains, it was a lot to do in a week.

We were shooting (no pun intended) for getting 5 projects done in a day. Monday we got 4 done, Tuesday was lunch with the sales reps and we got four projects done. Wednesday when Rachel picked me up at the hotel I told her we were getting five done that day. The night before I had looked through the Table of Contents and selected 5 projects, which I reread. I made notes of things I needed to do the minute I got to the studio ... like dipping metal into liquid enamel so it could dry by the time I needed to work with it. We got 4 projects done and had started the 5th.

The next morning I told Rachel, "We're getting 6 projects done today." She raised her eyebrows. By that I meant, 6 new projects. In fact, that day, we finished 7 projects, the one we had started the day before, and the 6 new projects I told her we would get accomplished. So, I don't know if you're feeling any tension when reading this ... but I am as I'm writing it!

However, during the week there was never a harsh word spoken ... only a supportive and encouraging environment existed. Rachel says the book will be "technique rich." There are a lot of metal pieces, which are simply made ... requiring no soldering, no sawing ... only cutting with metal snips and hammering. Most projects use a two-hole punch.

So these will be my last words about my book for a long while. What I want to talk about on Monday, is DO YOU HAVE A BOOK IN YOU!

Teaching at Art and Soul, New Orleans!

I am so lucky to be giving three great workshops at Art and Soul, New Orleans, July 7 -10, 2011. The Art Retreat will be at the Sheraton, French Quarter, right on Canal Street. Besides learning some great art techniques, NOLA is a great place for antiquing! I'm keeping my fingers crossed to make some unusual finds for my jewelry! We could search the shops together!

Two of the projects will be from my book and the third is the Painting with Fire technique, where we enamel 60 beads and several pendants in the workshop. We learn how to embed things in the enamel and talk about the effects of the flame on the color and texture of the enamel. Because I give so much attention to the workshop, students are surprised at how much they're able to accomplish and learn.

Every student has their own torch and work station for all of the workshops. I bring over 35 different colors of enamel for students to experiment with so that they can learn which colors they want to have at their own enamel inventory. We have a blast!

At Forging the Way and Luscious Links we start the workshop by learning the Painting with Fire technique. We'll enamel several beads, some of which we'll use in the project.

Forging the Way will teach how to change the shape of copper beads that we'll be enameling with millefiori, cat whiskers, lump enamel. We'll make this link ...

Luscious Links - Enamel Exploration Bracelets covers decorative techniques such as champleve, the use of stencils, underglaze crayons, graphite, ceramic underglazes, liquid enamels. We'll create 6 discs using these different techniques, which we will then use to create TWO bracelets. It's a really fun workshop and you'll take your enameling techniques to the next level.

We can explore some of New Orleans together or meet for Cafe du Monde and some beignets!

You can find out more about my workshops and those of other great artists by clicking on this link: http://www.artandsoulretreat.com/NewOrleans-2011-artists.php

Oh, any registration starts tomorrow, Friday, September 24th. My workshop at the Hampton Art and Soul Retreat filled in less than a month, with seven months to go before the workshop!

No experience is required for any of the workshops and you need not take the Painting with Fire technique workshop in order to take the other two.

Photo Shoot - Day 1

I am tired and my feet hurt! I want to spend some time tonight decompressing and sorting out everything that happened today. My editor, Rachel, picked me up at my hotel at 8:45 a.m and we drove to the F&W Studios. The Studios are at a separate location from the main headquarters ... only a short drive away. It's located in an industrial area. The building is quite spacious and has photographic areas set up throughout, a soundproof room, and tons of props. It was very impressive and a little intimidating. This is the space we used for Painting with Fire.

This is my bubbly editor, Rachel. She is extremely competent and a very pleasant taskmaster. She had all of the how-to's that were previously sent. Using those as a guide, we went step by step through 4 projects and several techniques. Rachel is a joy to work with.

This is Christine, photographer extraordinaire! She stands up over me to the side as I'm performing something ... wrapping a bead, filing a wire, enameling a disc. Look at the size of her monitor. I would look up periodically to see the beautiful photographs she was taking of the making process.

Tomorrow we have lunch with the sales staff. This should be interesting. Talk to you tomorrow.

My visit at Thompson Enamel!

I'm in Cincinnati getting ready for the weeklong photo shoot for my book ... finally! When I found out that Thompson Enamel was only about 20 minutes from my hotel, I jumped on the chance to take a tour and to meet the good folks there.

I had the pleasure of meeting Woodrow Carpenter, owner of Thompson Enamel, and his lovely wife; Guido Maehren, President of Thompson and in charge of day-to-day operations; Tom Ellis, education guru; Teresa, the lovely lady who I place my orders with and I believe knows the Thompson catalog like the back of her hand; and last, but not least, Bill Helwig, scientist, artist extraordinaire and my tour guide! Many of the people at the helm of Thompson are a blend of scientist and artist ... unique qualities to say the least ... Having struggled with glaze calculation as a ceramics student, I am in awe of the knowledge they possess.

So, on with the show!

This is Bill Helwig, our knowledgeable and very tolerant tour guide. :-) I knew just enough to be dangerous ... and a nuisance! As I peppered him with questions, Bill would patiently say, with a smirk on his face, "We're getting to that."

Part of the interior of the factory. Those bins are filled with enamel!

The smelting area. It seemed that everywhere I turned, there was heat. Not uncomfortably so, but enough to make you aware! I definitely would not want their utility bill!

We kept a watch on the clock because at 3 p.m. this is what happens. A fellow, who still has hair on his arms!, dips a metal ladle into that bucket of water on the lower right, reaches into the kiln, and brings out a ladleful of molten glass. The water creates a vapor that prevents the glass from adhering to the metal ladle.

The fearless fellow pours the molten glass between two rollers that crush the glass into super thin shards.

This is the base to which colorants are added to make the beautiful enamels that we work with daily.

This is some enamel that is waiting to be sifted.

This is the sifting machine. The area behind the white paper conceals magnets that attract any iron particles that result as a part of the sifting process.

Thompson Enamel ... as we know it!

I wish I had more pictures to share. Getting this many was quite difficult because I got so engrossed with what Bill was saying, I forgot to take pictures! By the time I got to the building of the W.W. Carpenter Foundation, which houses the large and beautiful classroom and a comprehensive exhibit of some of the finest ... and oldest ... examples of enamel ... I was gaga! I would like to thank Tom Ellis for taking us through the entire exhibition and for giving us such good information on the pieces.

I took a few pictures of Bill's works of art, which I dare not post here because the lighting was bad. Better for you to look in Linda Darty's book, The Art of Enameling, which I call the bible! There are so many fine examples of his work. He was a watercolorist before turning to enamel, which I think will be obvious in his work.

I'd like to thank everyone at Thompson Enamel who were so warm and welcoming. My husband and I definitely felt as though we belonged to this big, happy family. A belated birthday wish goes to Mr. Carpenter, who celebrated his 95th birthday last Saturday. He and his wife come to work every day, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ... and many times on Saturday! I guess it really is just plain old-fashioned hard work that is the fountain of youth!

Running out of excuses!

It has just occurred to me that when the book is over, what excuses will I have for not cleaning the house! What to do, what to do? I think it will be just easier to move!

A little over a week away ...

Okay, imagine Elvis Costello singing in the background to music written by Burt Bachrach ... the album, "Painted from Memory" ... a studio that looks like all windows were open during a tornado ... but with exceedingly good order for the maniac who works inside ... and a deadline of today!

Here are the REAL tools of the trade ... the laptop and print-outs of the projects. I decided to work with hard copies in order to make notes about materials I need to pack for recreating the projects at North Light's studio. But secretly I'm thinking if I bring everything I own, I won't forget anything!

The jewelry trays contain each of the projects and the materials needed to make the projects.

Another view of the wreckage. I'm thinking that once everything is packed for the trip, I'll have a clean studio! I remember this being the phenomenon when the kids were toddlers ... once we got the playpen, the high chair, the stroller, the toys packed in the car, the house looked great!

Another perspective!

The final jewelry projects are mailed to North Light today. We're getting dangerously close! Butterflies! Pray for me ...

Workshop Update!

We've just added a Painting with Fire Workshop on December 4 at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD in order to accommodate those on the waiting list.

We'll embed jump rings into enamel, work with millefiori wafers and cat whiskers. You'll learn how to adjust your torch's flame to create unimaginable colors!

For more details about my workshops, please visit my website: www.paintingwithfireartwear.com. :-)