I spent last week thinking about my portfolio and project proposals, and feel in a rut about the portfolio especially. This one will be completely new, and that’s a daunting prospect: in addition to excellent content it requires beautiful presentation. I also found a residency I’d like to apply for, and I’ll need a separate project proposal for that from the graduate program proposal. This is all good practice, but the unfamiliar territory piques my imposter syndrome.
I did a little silversmithing too. I finally decided it was time to change tack with the wire earrings, having recognized that the 3mm wire’s theoretical tapering potential did not pan out once struck with the hammer of reality. It appears I may even be able to successfully finish them now, probably as ear posts. I like the hammered texture achievable with a small ballpeen hammer available at the Buurtwerkplaatz. It seemed a little rough for hammering initially, so I brushed it with a few rounds of extra fine grit sandpaper and that improved the finish considerably. The bench block is quite rough, and thought I’ve sanded it several times over the last few weeks, the pits are too deep and require machining to polish nicely. I could do it in the metal shop below the jewelry studio, but it’s not my block and if I accidentally ground it into worse shape, I’d feel bad about it.