molliemade design: doing benchwork

This Christmas, I made gifts for my good friend, Stephanie's parents using a photo from her childhood. A brooch for mom and a bookmark for dad. These are designs that I have been refining in order to begin a marketable line of work. Most of my work thus far has been geared towards my academic career and is very biographical conceptually. Which means that it is all NFS (not for sale) as it is a body of work for exhibition. My days have been filled with the many jobs I hold down and focused on wrapping up some of these obligations in Lawrence. Soon we will be re-locating and a new adventure will begin. Something to dream about! More sister silhouettes below. These were gifts sent to my married friends serving overseas. They have gorgeous girls that missed them very much back home, so this pendent (for mom)and dog tag add-on (for dad) was a physical reminder of their love.

I am pretty positive that I do not have a blog following, but in case there were any concerns regarding my one year (almost exactly) time lapse from Blogging, here is the haps. This past year has been a whirlwind schedule, full of all of my part time jobs. My husband started his stint in grad school as soon as I completed my Masters. As the official, head of household, I took on several new occupations! As my facebook page with tell you, my occupation is:   master metalsmith/jeweler extraordinaire, educator, and caretaker at The School of Life I teach at the Lawrence Arts Center. I apprentice/production & design at Shellie Bender Studios I substitute at Eudora Elementary & Middle Schools I am a caretaker for pair of siblings (3 & 9) All is well, my first year being out of the academic realm has been full of new experiences and people. Teaching without grading or attendance policies is fresh! Participating in the Art and Craft show circuit has been eye open...

started out as my sawing demo for last sessions Beginning Metalsmithing class at the Lawrence Arts Center. That night I brought animal crackers to share, which inspired one of my regular students, Kellie to call out "make the world's tiniest giraffe" when I took requests for what shape I should cut out for the demo. The next class I used the negative relief as my riveting demo (that's the little tree in a square scene). This session I posted on facebook asking people what to cut out for my demo and received a huge list of requests. I have been making about one animal a night since then and have really been enjoying it. I think I might need to make them two by two though. For an Ark, of course! I cut these animals out of copper using my hand saw and my minds image of each animal...it is free hand sawing...no drawing on the outline first or looking at an image while in process. Which, might explain my six legged octopus! I have also run into a scale problem bec...

A Handful Of Growth Home Is Where The Heart Is this tower of my heart w/o its bracelet...2nd in my STACKABLE WEARABLE SERIES Love, Lace and Fences - brooch on Cut Grass - base Heart At Home - ring up close & personal w/ Everything Is Roses - cuff bracelet detail of hand-pierced, silver lace bottom of bracelet

A Letter to my Future Children Pierced Nest with Stylized Ovum & Silver Birth Control Pills with Golden Wings Envisioning Our Future Nest A Heart Well Tethered (Human Heart Locket) Keys to My Identity (detail shot)

It was hectic right up until the end, but last Friday I finally walked across the stage and was hooded by my committee chair, Lin Stanionis. Thankfully, I am allowed to stay in my studio on the KU campus until mid-July. After years of pursuing fine art academia, a sense of accomplishment is beginning to sink in. Next up: reality The career hunt begins. What is my next adventure to be? I am currently working on the latest piece in my Stackable Wearable series. It is my most ambitious work to date. I am constructing a Dream Home...complete with elaborate fencing, towers and turrets! In progress images coming soon. & now...many thanks to Sean Rosner for writing an article about my work that I truly enjoyed. http://ereview.org/2010/04/30/traveling-light/

http://ereview.org/2010/04/01/e-pluribus-even-more-pluribus-mollie-rice-blackburn/ Thanks to the article Steve wrote covering my thesis exhibition on his website artkc365.com. I have been contacted by the kindly staff of Review (Mid-America's Visual Arts Publication) for an interview and article about my work. It is exciting to come off of finishing my show and be given the opportunity to speak about my work and share images with the community. I will keep you (whoever you may be. For surely, I have never had a single comment, but I have faith that silence does not mean absence) updated on publication! http://ereview.org/ New friends: nice to make your acquaintance.