KRMS Auction Items

For those of you residing at Lake of the Ozarks, be sure to listen to KRMS radio on February 7th. There are going to be some GREAT items from Midnight Blue up for auction ... check it out!


My Heart Valentine Jewelry Set

There really will be no doubt about your feelings with this set of jewelry...

This set of jewelry includes silver lever back earrings, a pendant necklace, and a matching bracelet. All have been created with Rose Quartz, polished silver, hammered silver heart, bright Bali spacer, and freshwater pearl beads. GORGEOUS!

The bracelet has been hand-beaded on steel beading wire, crimped with silver. The clasp is a simple silver lobster claw, so as not to compete with the heart. It is approximately 7/12 inches long. It may be adjusted if needed, please ask.

The necklace includes a pendant hand-beaded on a silver headpin, wire-wrapped and attached with a large silver jump ring. It hangs from an 18" snake chain with a spring ring clasp. The pendant is 1 7/8 inches long.

The earrings are also hand-beaded on silver headpins and wire-wrapped for security. They are approximately 2 1/4 inches long.


Great Falls I - Framed Photograph

This is a 8" x 12" black and white photograph on metallic paper that is custom matted, museum-style in an 16" x 20" white mat and custom framed in a thin, black metal frame. This image was taken in April 2003 at Great Falls on the Potomac River, just north of Washington, DC. The river was in flood due to all the spring rains.

"Midnight Blue" does not appear in the print, it is just there to help protect our copyright.


$25 Gift Certificate for Midnight Blue Products or Services


Don't miss out!!

Do You Have Small Photo Prints?

Yes, we do! Almost any of our images, with the exception of limited editions, can be printed small. We usually make these small images into notecards, but we have sold just the image, when that is preferred. They are generally a minimum of 2.5x3.5 and no larger than 4x6 ... it depends on the image dimensions. The photo notecards are $3.50 for one, 4 for $12. The images alone are $2.25. Send us an email through Etsy or at inquires@12amblue.com, if you are interested.

Do You Have a Favorite Photographer?

That is a tough one ... Jaree actually likes selected works of quite a few photographers. The first person that comes to mind is Imogen Cunningham (well, and actually quite a few of Group f/64). There is something deep and thoughtful about her work. Of current photographers, probably Joyce Tenneson would be her favorite. The dreamy, ethereal nature of her photographs is absolutely captivating.

Check out some of their photos using the links ...

Tell me the story behind some photos ...

Every photo has a story ... here is the first of many ...

Evening at Ha Ha Tonak #1:

This photo actually was done as part of a series of photos, taken in preparation for a charity event. It was a gorgeous autumn day and I had been anxious to get out to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. I had not been there since I was a young girl with my Dad and I could remember how pretty it was and also, in the heat of summer, how lovely it was to be down by the spring, where the air was so much cooler in the valley.

I had a vision for the photos I wanted, so I had been collecting the props I needed for a bit of time, picking up a last few things on the way to the park.

I went up by the "castle" first, to scope out the setting, since my memory had faded of the details. I took some photos then, but light was still quite bright and not conducive to the image I had in my head. So I went down to the spring and photographed there for quite awhile, enjoying the beauty of the spring area.

When the light started to turn that lovely late-day golden, I went back up to the castle. I got out all my equipment and props from the car, hanging bags all over me, and hiked up the path back to the castle. I walked around the ruins one more time and tried to observe the best locale. The left window frame seemed like an ideal spot.

I set up my still life props and took a few test photos, moving the items around until they were pleasing to the eye. I then got out the red food dye and bottle of water, making my "wine" for the photos. I ended up taking close to 100 photos, moving the items around and changing my angles, throughout the process And also stopping to chat with a few people, interested in what I was doing.

When I felt like I had what had been in my head, I packed it all back down to the car, just in time for the park closing for the evening.

This photo was a result of that series ... it has been worked with in Photoshop to get the romantic quality, but the image remains what was there that day.

Hope you like it!!

More stories of other photos to come ...

Thank You!

To everyone that has been visiting the Etsy shop to check things out, a big "thank you"! We appreciate it so much!

For you, our faithful followers, we have decided to try a little fun game of seek & find and have taken one of our items and are offering it at a a seriously amazing price ... you'll have to look to find it, but until its snatched up by a lucky person, it'll there and has been marked as such in the description. Have fun!!

And thank you again for being part of our creative journey ...

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

Just a reminder, today is the LAST DAY for the GIVEAWAY! Check out the link in the blog entry below to enter ... we can all use a chance for cool, free stuff, right? But you can still be a winner, even if your name is not the one drawn, we have cool stuff at great prices and there is a discount if you buy from us by the end of the day ... Valentine's Day is coming!

Update: January 23rd - Congratulations, Amanda! Your earrings are on their way ... :0)

Do You Teach?

This is a question we get quite a bit, actually and Jaree does teach ... both children's visual art and photography. Her schedule has been a little too busy the last couple of years, but it is something that she loves to do and hopes to get back to it some this year.

For kids, she has taught all ages ... from 3 years to 12 years old. Classes have planned projects to build skill and technique, but are kept free-flowing enough to encourage critical self-expression.

For photography, she has taught both kids and adults ... the classes are planned as explorations of techniques and materials, focused on building skills and knowledge.

She was the Arts Coordiantor for the Gaithersburg Arts Barn for several years and was responsible for scheduling the arts classes, workshops and visual arts events held there.

Currently scheduled, Jaree will be leading a discussion on composition for the Lake Area Photo Club on March 10th.

If you are interested in a class, please drop us a note ... if we get enough people, we will definitely put something together.

How Did You Get Started With Jewelry?

Honestly, I think we just thought it would be a cool class to take and something fun to learn together. And it was! We took an evening class at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland on the basics of jewelry-making. We learned how to use all the different types of equipment, learned a variety of basic techniques (soldering is harder than you think when its a little, tiny object!), and came away with a love a new art form. From there, its been practice, practice, practice. We have also found mentors that have further helped us along the way and continued our education with workshops.

"Rattle Ring" - Silver band with silver and gold rings that are loose and move

"Modern Pendant" - Silver with bezel-set cabachons

"Anniversary Pendant" - Silver

The beading work, Jaree is self-taught in, as a follow-on to the silver-smithing and a request from a friend. There is TONS of great and detailed information out on the web, in books, and the very best place is your local bead store ... they can answer questions like no one else. It is also fun to go to the gem and bead shows that pop up through the year around the country. The vendors there are also a great wealth of information. Again, its just practice. You can see a lot more beadwork on Etsy ... these are in Jaree's private collection.

"Midnight Blue Earrings" - Silver with navy Swarovski pearls

Jaree has worked a little bit with PMC, taking a workshop. But we don't have a kiln at this time, so that is something not pursued. But it is a very, very cool way to create unique jewelry in silver without all the sawing, hammering, soldering, etc. Try to find a local workshop or class, you will need some help at first, there are tricks of the trade, but if you can work with clay, you can work with PMC.

Jaree has also taken a class at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia in wax carving and casting. Most commercial jewelry is made this way ... a model is made in wax, which is used to cast the jewerly piece in a choice of metals. This is actually Jaree's favorite way to work ... the wax is fairly forgiving and fun to work with ... the pieces created are more intricate and interesting. Again, this is something you will need to study in person, there are a lot of tricks of the trade! And you need to find a great caster ... that is serious equipment to melt metals.

"Hidden Bark Ring" - Cast Silver

That's how we got started ... now its your turn ... tell us about your jewelry work and send us some photos!

Portraiture

Do we take portraits? Yes, we do! Its one of our favorite types of work ... its fun and rewarding to spend time personally with our clients.

We can work in the studio or we can go on location with you.


Jaree has been to California to study with Tim Meyer the technical aspects of "Old Hollywood" style portraiture and its become a specialty of our studio. She has also studied with photo-painting with Arthur Rainville, which is a beautiful, unique method of portraiture.

We have taken photos for actors, musicians, families, couples, and individuals. And we love working with pets, too.

We have a ton of photos to show you in our portfolio, which will be up on the main website, soon ... but in the meantime, please just ask if you would like to see examples of our work. We are happy to email you copies.

Arts Barn in the "Manmade" Exhibit with the Saint Louis Artists Guild

This last weekend ended the "Manmade" exhibition with the Saint Louis Artists Guild at Oak Knoll Park. On exhibit was Jaree's photograph "Arts Barn" and she was very honored and excited to have been chosen as one of the photographers for the show.

Next, we will probably take the photo back to Maryland to the actual Arts Barn and see if they would like to display it there. If you are in the DC area, check it out!

What is Up with Your Website?

Have you ever heard the story of the cobbler's kids that had no shoes? Well, we are the web designers without a current website. Seems it always gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list, because we are putting everyone else first. Of course, it is not a bad thing to take care of all of you first and foremost, that is what we are here for, but we are making the commitment to get it done ASAP, because, well its kind of silly to keep dragging it out any more, especially because it is actually is almost there ... just needs the links put in and final touches on the portfolio pages. And it is part of taking care of you all, that you can see what is going on in our creative journey with a link to our studio.

So ... stay tuned ... we will announce it here when it is (finally) on display.

Hey, Where Can I See Midnight Blue's Work In Person?

As you can see, we are trying to make it easy to see what we are up to from the comfort of your desk, but sometimes we like to look at stuff in person, too. So ... to answer the question above, where can you find us?

Currently, we have jewelry and notecards available at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn. These are pieces that are NOT necessarily available on Etsy at this time. There are earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more photos in the form of notecards that were taken primarily in Maryland. Please click on the link above for hours and directions, if you are in the Washington, DC area.

At Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, we have our work on display at the Palisades Village Center, located at the intersection of KK & 54. There are jewelry pieces and photos all available, along with the work of some other great artists that are part of the Art & Ambiance Trail, including Jacque Stanfield and Yetta McConnell. There is someone to show you the work in person most weekdays or you can call/email for an appointment and directions.

And do you want to see more of something on display on-line, but would rather stay comfy where you are? Just drop us a line through Etsy, we will be happy to send you more photos or details of anything we have.

When the season gets rolling again, you will find us out at the art festivals and shows. We will put our calendar up as soon as we can and hope to see you there!

We are always looking for places to show our work and we are happy for any suggestions.

GIVEAWAY!!

For a very limited time, Midnight Blue is participating in a great, fun giveaway ... check it out at Summertime and a Glass of Lemonade. Free stuff, woo-hoo!!

Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to Midnight Blue's blog space ... our goal is to keep you up on the latest happenings in the studios.

Our BIG accomplishment over the last month has been to get all of our artwork currently for sale up on Etsy where you can see it. We hope you will check it out the shop: 12amblue.etsy.com. Leave us a comment here or there if you like what you see ... or if there is something else you would like to see, share that too! And please, if you do like what you see, help us out with spreading the word. We can use all the help we can get and please know your personal referral means so much to us.

With the holiday rush over, we are back in the studio again ... working on perfecting photos taken over the last year, creating some jewelry treasures to share with your loved ones for Valentines Day, and pondering some brand new projects.

We know its not going to be an easy year with the current economic conditions, but our creative juices are flowing, those never stop and we are excited to see what 2009 will bring.

To you and yours, a very happy and blessed new year!