It’s been many months since my last post, and it’s hard to believe how far my work has come. I just recently finished my largest, most important piece to date: my first permanent public sculpture! It’s a “garden” of large scale metal mushrooms, installed at a new housing project in San Mateo, CA. It was the most challenging AND inspiring project of my career, and my entire life feels shifted from it. I finally feel like I could really focus on my sculpture as my main artistic focus, and let jewelry be a hobby. I have always been a sculptor more than a jeweler, and the fashion industry has never appealed to me enough to make me feel great about focusing on my jewelry. I *love* making jewelry- don’t get me wrong- but this commission inspired me and gave me renewed faith in my capabilities and the opportunities that could lie ahead of I really set my mind to this. I can’t keep up with all the new ideas in my head!

So check out the most recent piece in the “sculptures that grow” link on the sculpture page, and I’m adding some pages for the process of making the piece, as well as a photo journal about the place I worked at while making the piece. It was quite the adventure! I also kept a pretty in-depth blog during the process, detailing the trials and tribulations, as well as the metalsmithing processes I used… so if you are interested in my dorkiness and musings, check it out: www.shiraloa.blogspot.com

Hi there, it’s been quiet around here lately, but as the holidays are here and I have lots of metal bits that need homes, ’tis the season….

Please join me for a Holiday Sale and Open Studio! Friday, December 18th, 5:30p-9:30p, at my studio in the Franklin St. Lofts @ 1800 Bryant St. My studio is the corner unit, and still has the old gallery sign above the door- this was previously “Culture Cache Gallery”. My door is the closest one to Bryant on 17th, and says “Alloy415″ on it.

There will be Sculpture, New and Old Jewelry, and wine and snacks for your pleasure. Please join me!