Competition is Complete

Well I have now obtained "Master" status on gem tree design at the Regional and National level. Big sigh of relief. I didn't get the perfect score that I might have dreamed of...but that was just a dream. Too many variables and subjective areas in judging to get 100 points. At the Regional level I obtained 93 and at the National level 92, which qualifies me for "Masters". So now what do I call myself? Do I say I am a Master Gem Tree Designer? I guess I'll have to find out from the powers that be.

I know that the biggest point off was for my labels, they were perfect in spelling and mineral identification, but I didn't include that the tree was also made of craft wire. You would have thought that indicating on the label "AMETHYST, 24 gauge silver craft wire (Amethyst)" would have to be spelled out on the label. Oh well, I may write some guideline suggestions for additions to the rules for gem trees so that it is clearer for the next competitors.

We are still here in Montana and I have two more days of teaching workshops and selling books. I had two students today with several lookers and sold several books, so I'm happy. There are no other gem tree artists here so I'm pretty much it. I've been telling everybody that I wrote the book on gem tree design....so I'm exaggerating a bit, but no one else is writing books on the subject.

The picture shows me with my tree display and my first blue ribbon. The second blue ribbon was awarded this afternoon and I haven't been able to get a photo of it yet.

Once I gather up all my awards, I'll take another picture and post it. Also, if anyone is thinking about competing with gem trees, I have a lot of tips to help you out. Just ask.

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Tenino Gem & Mineral Show

Well we made it through the weekend and now we have to get ready for Montana. My palm tree didn't turn out like I wanted it to... (not "Master" quality), so it won't be in my case. Maybe for my National title I'll get it all figured out.

These are a few pic's from the show with me and my student, he learned quick and then his sister made a tree with his help. He was 11 and she was 7, just the right ages and they were very attentive. As you can see I did have some of my books there and sold several to the vendors and show goers. The biggest seller was our small "recession" trees. These are little $5.00 trees that we make on little bases that were either given to us or we were able to pick up for less than $1.00. At small shows like this, it is always best to have reasonably priced items, so my show type trees were not at this show. I think the most expensive tree was $50.00.

The book is so self explanatory that I don't think a beginner will have any problem making a tree for the first time as long as they start with the small mini tree and not start with a tree that has 5 limbs and 15 branches.

As we are in Montana next week with the show and my workshops, I most likely won't post an update on whether I get "Masters" until I return...but just in case I have free time, I'm taking my net book computer.

Stay tuned and wish me luck.

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Book is Finished...Yes Again

I received the final proof copy and it is good. I've order my copies and the book is available on the Trafford web site HERE. It has been a long road and I won't really consider it complete until I have all my printed copies in hand (end of next week), but just knowing that what the publisher has available is good is making me happy.

Next on my list is my two additional competition trees for Montana that need to be completed by the end of this month as well as my display case liners. I have the first tree almost completed, but I'm now trying to decide if it needs more stones. It is the Down Under tree (instructions in the book) made with faceted carnelian briolettes. I thought adding some peridot would bring a little bit more life into it, but it isn't working for me....maybe some freshwater pearls. I'll post a picture when I have it completed. The second tree I haven't even started and it will be the most challenging. It is a palm tree with braided wire branches and a woven wire trunk. This one may have to be on the small scale in order to complete it by show time.

I hope everyone is having a great Summer so far and I'll try not to wait so long between posts this next time. If you just can't get enough of me and want to read my daily blog about all the happenings check out THIS.

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Competition

Well we made it back from the Regional competition in Ontario, Oregon. Boy was it hot. Going from 60 degrees to 90 degrees was a bit much and drained us completely of energy by early afternoon. I set up my display case on Thursday and the judging was on Friday. I had the unfortunate luck of not having any lights in my display during judging. Thankfully, they did not count that against me....not something I had control over. I was dinged on a couple of other items but that is fixable. The trees however were a big success and everyone including the judges thought they were great. Here is a picture of my display case showing the trees and the blue ribbon earned.
The pine tree in the back row seemed to be the favorite from most everyone I talked to with the bonsai tree front right was next.

I was able to promote my upcoming book as several people came up to me and wanted to know how to make them.

I have a couple of additional questions out to one of my judges for clarification of labeling for my competition next year. Next year it has to be perfect to take the Sweepstakes award at the National level.

Of these trees, I will be holding onto the Smoky Quartz (top left), Malachite Pine tree (top middle) and the bonsai which is a Pearl tree on Carnelian (bottom right). One of the new trees I will add to this collection for next years competition is a palm tree made with Labradorite stones. The palm tree is a completly different style as the limbs wire is braided vs. twisted and the trunk wire is woven on a support core of copper tubing. I have a year to make it so I'll have to get started on a prototype. I'll post a picture out here when it is finished.

If you have any comments, I would love to hear from you. As I have mentioned before, some of my previous posts for 2007 in this blog do have instructions for building a gem tree.

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