This is my 2012 wrap-up video, just finished this morning. 
http://youtu.be/U5aWvYl6dQk  

If you're seeing a blurry thumbnail it should update at some point, when Youtube gets around to it.  Here is some of the video description:

www.suelacydesigns.com (blog: SueLacy Wired.)  These are selections of my foldform work from the year 2012.  Foldforming is a metal technique developed by world renowned goldsmith and educator, Charles Lewton-Brain. The technique results in three dimensional organic designs. 

I’m fortunate to have learned foldforming from Charles at the Center for Metal Arts in Florida, New York.  He visits annually to offer a 4-day conference / workshop that is simply off the charts.  The next one is Aug 2-5, 2013; for information contact info@centerformetalarts.com .  Seating is limited but I don’t mind sharing the news since my seat is already reserved.  Can’t wait-- this will be my third visit!  

I was the official live blogger of the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference in 2012.  If you’d like the insider’s view to last year’s shindigs, here you go… press your nose up to the studio glass and catch some precious moments.  www.suelacydesigns.com/1/post/2012/08/blog-index-for-5th-annual-charles-lewton-brain-conference.html .  

Metal artists:  The annual Lewton-Brain Foldform Award competition coincides with the conference each year.  If you want to compete, stay tuned to www.centerformetalarts.com for this year’s details.  View this video to see the 2012 results:  http://youtu.be/r2s0d1HqU7Q 

Over the past couple years I’ve worked with Charles and Center for Metal Arts to build community around foldforming.  Visit the public Facebook page at www.facebook.com/foldforming.  Or if you are a metalsmith join us at Foldforming Central, a specialty group for metalsmiths around the world at http://www.facebook.com/foldforming .  (Contact me directly via Facebook to request membership if your profile doesn’t show your metal work.)

Thanks for visiting!  
Sue Lacy / Jewelry artist, metalsmith, and community organizer
www.suelacydesigns.com

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Hey my thumb is all healed up, so I'm finally ready to start on 2013 metal projects.  Yay!

Winners of the inaugural Lewton-Brain Foldform Competition were announced on Aug 6, 2012 at the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference hosted by the Center for Metal Arts in downstate, New York. This video showcases the winning entries and also twenty Jurors' Choice pieces selected from among the hundreds of entries submitted by artists around the world. 

"It is wonderful to see the beautiful objects and new developments in foldforming that are occurring. The pieces here represent the best of what is being created today using foldforming." - Charles Lewton-Brain 

Jurors:  Charles Lewton-Brain, Tim McCreight, Ed Mack.

Competition Winners 
First place: "Undersea Candelabra" by Rauni Higson; Second place:  "Spiritus" by Theresa Nguyen; Third place:  "Quadrant" by Kaiya Rainbolt; Honorable Mention:  "Pleated Silver Drinking Set" by Grant McCaig.

Jurors' Choice featured artists 
Alison Antelman, Melody Armstrong, Peter Danilo, Christine Finch, Deborah Jemmott, Sue Lacy, Evelyn Markasky, Theresa Nguyen, Aimee Petkus, Judith Renstrom, Anna Robinson, George Sawyer, Brad Severtson, Lyn Stoll, Patricia Tschetter, Paul Wells, Anne Wolf.

Resources
The annual competition is open to artists everywhere and coincides with the Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming.  Both are hosted by Center for Metal Arts in downstate, New York.  Visit www.centerformetalarts.com for more information and visit this SueLacy Wired post for an extensive live blog documenting the 2012 conference in text, photos, and video. 

If you work with metal and would like to join the official Foldforming group on Facebook, visit here:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/foldforming .  (If your public Facebook profile does not reflect your involvement with metal, please message me with details.) 

Yeah that was probably too long for a blog post title.  Tinyurl.com, here I come.  But guess what?  I'm the official live blogger for the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference!!!!!!

Maybe I'm a little excited :-D

LIVE BLOG AUG 3-6, right here on SueLacy Wired! 

What have I been up to this week?  Well, about that.  Grrr

Cuffs, cuffs, cuff... they are so much fun to make.  Recently it occurred to me that I almost never plan a cuff.  Literally, I often pick up a sheet of copper with no idea where it's going.  There must be a big piece of my brain operating under my radar because next thing I know, I'm banging away.  Kind of freaks me out.

Since that seems like a weakness rather than a strength, I sat down with pencil and paper to plan out some cuffs.  Because I so admire and envy all you artists with your little sketch books filled with ideas.

Instant brain freeze.  Jeesh.

So I decided to peruse my cuff photos to get things going again.  It seemed like a good idea to collect a bunch into a collage for future reference.  And that's where I stand at the moment -- with a collage but no new cuff this week.  LOL.  Might as well share the collage.

On a positive note...

I did finish up a made-to-order, wire-wrapped Tree of Life this week.  It's fine silver, amethyst, and peridot -- very nice combination!    I like making these by request because it's always fun to see new colors unfold.  I seem to tweak the frame design a bit every time.  But I try to make just one every month or two, to keep it fresh and fun.  Trees should not be tedious ;-)

Let's get my little post out of the way first, and then to the important stuff.

One of the first things I ever grabbed to foldform was a piece of plumbing pipe.  It just happened to be laying around the house.  I liked the result but that's as far as it went.  Then last week I saw a demo for making a puffed ring with dapping tools, and thought about that pipe again.  So I cut off some short lengths, annealed them with my torch, and started hammering them into my dapping block.   Here is what I got.

Too bad I can't get any two to look alike, because don't you think the one in front would make a great eye?  (Hehe little things make me happy.) 

Yes, I know.  Get back to jewelry, crazy girl.

Anyway.

Guess what's coming up?

A Foldforming Conference with Charles Lewton-Brain
I have a VERY exciting trip coming up in a few short weeks, Aug 3-6.  I will be at the  Center of Metal Arts in New York for more incredible foldforming instruction from Charles Lewton-Brain.  YOU COULD GO TOO.  There are still spaces left!  Check out the web site http://centerformetalarts.com and click on Upcoming Seminars in the left column.  
NOTE:  Ask about available housing and work-trade opportunities!!

And a foldform competition DEADLINE JUNE 30
After registering, keep scrolling down to see the Call for Entries for the inaugural Lewton-Brain Foldform Award.  If you do foldforming, enter your pieces!  It's a great way to get your work in front of amazing judges Charles Lewton-Brain, Tim McCreight, and Ed Mack.  And if you do metal at all, I'm absolutely sure you own a copy of The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight... or have received copies of those pages as handouts in class-- Right?

Now enter the competition and get your work in front of these world class judges!!