Evocative Objects

Studio, in progress...

2011-11-25T08:14:00.001-08:00

The new studio space is in progress! I can't wait to have it workable! So many boxes to unpack, shelves to hang, and tools to set up. Also, check out that huge clivia plant that I got from a friend... beautiful! And, I'm sure you'll agree that the color is a drastic improvement!

Repurposed Catalogue!

2011-11-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

The catalogue for Repurposed came out, and I have a two page spread! The publication looks great, and I'm excited to be featured alongside some amazing artists. Thanks to Georgia State University for putting on the exhibition.

The future is looking bright (yellow)

2011-11-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

So, I'm ecstatic to be moving into a new studio with some wonderful artists! The new space is located in the industrial neighborhood of Providence, so I'll be getting my studio closer to my home and work! The building is full of other working artists as well, and I'm really excited to have a place in a community of like minded people.

I've included some 'before' pictures below, which show off the space when we first signed the lease. Although it's really raw, it's pretty obvious how amazing it's going to be. Once the bright yellow is painted over, and the mulberry purple is gone... It'll be our future jewelry utopia...

Design Bureau Magazine!!!

2011-11-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to share that my Knuckle Dusters have been featured in this months Design Bureau Magazine!

It's really neat to be included in Design Bureau, which connects a like-minded community of design enthusiasts across the world with one common idea: discovering great design and the people who make it happen.

Check out the image below highlighting my work. The article is from their gift guide , where my pieces were suggested for you to buy for your fashionable friend...

Repurposed Opening Tomorrow!

2011-10-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the press release for the exhibition, Repurposed, that I'm currently participating in. I'm exhibiting two bodies of work, my mourning jewelry and my thesis work from RISD. The show will be on display at Georgia State University in Atlanta through November 18th.

The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design Gallery is pleased to present REPURPOSED on view October 6 through November 18, 2011. The public is invited to the opening reception on Thursday, October 6 from 5 until 8p.m. The event is part of The Downtown First Thursdays Arts Walk.

REPURPOSED, selected by Welch School Gallery Director Cynthia Farnell, focuses on group of twelve contemporary artists who are using repurposed materials to make their work. Farnell says:

“Over the years, like many other artists and art educators, I have grappled with the environmental impacts of art making. Although their methodologies and materials are diverse, the artists of REPURPOSED, each in their own way, ask us to reconsider our relationships to waste, both in the studio and in the world.

This exhibition focuses on a selected group of contemporary artists who are using repurposed materials to make their work. While found objects and readymades have been used by artists since the Dada and Surrealist movements of the early 20th Century, the artists of REPURPOSED share interests about the continuing influence of their material choices that often extend beyond aesthetic considerations. The refocusing of material context becomes an important and central concern.”

Sculptor Allyson Comstock’s recycled junk mail installation 303 Days occupies the small gallery. The works of the other REPURPOSED artists are on view in the large gallery, with natural and synthetic fabrics, found objects, plastics, metal and paper among the materials used.

Artists:

Mary Lee Bendolph

Allyson Comstock

Carol LeBaron

Thornton Dial

Lonnie Holley

Pam Longobardi

Rob Nadeau

Ian Pedigo

Leigh Peacock

Aurora Robson

Islay Taylor

Wendy Wahl

The exhibition and associated events are supported in part by Student Activity Fees, The Center for Collaborative and International Arts at Georgia State University (CENCIA) and Fulton County Arts & Culture.

REPURPOSED Events:

The following special events are free and open to the public:

Rob Nadeau artist’s presentation: Thursday, October 6, 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Nadeau will discuss his work on view in REPURPOSED. Nadeau’s talk is part of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design Visiting Artist series. Location: Large gallery.

Reception: Thursday, October 6, 5:00 – 8:00p.m. Location: Welch School Galleries.

Papermaking Workshop with Allyson Comstock: Friday, October 7, 1:00-3:30 pm. Location: Textiles Studio, room 157 Arts & Humanities Building. Learn to make paper from recycled fibers. No previous experience required. Materials provided. Free and open to the public but space is limited. Register today! To register email cfarnell@gsu.edu with your name, email address and phone number. Please put “Papermaking Workshop” in subject line. Sponsored by CENCIA.

Location & Hours

Welch School Galleries/ GSU

10 Peachtree Center Ave.

Atlanta, GA 30303

The Welch School Galleries are located at the corner of Gilmer Street and Peachtree Center Ave. Free evening event parking at the United Way deck at Auburn Ave. and Courtland Ave. The gallery is within walking distance of the MARTA Five Points Station. All gallery programs are free and open to the public and accessible to persons with disabilities.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Elizabeth Taylors Jewelry collection up for auction at Christie's

2011-09-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that Elizabeth Taylor is a legend on and off the silver screen... but it could be argued that her extensive collection of jewelry is just as legendary as she was. Since her death, the fate of her 269 piece jewelry collection has been in limbo; but not it's fate has been decided. Her collection of metal and stones valued at over $150 million be up for auction this December at Christie's New York auction house. As a jewelry enthusiast, I'm giddy just thinking about it...

Taylor stated in her 2002 book, My Love Affair With Jewelry, “As I look at some of my jewels I realize what a very lucky girl I am. Sometimes I wonder what will become of everything, because just like the Duchess of Windsor’s collection, they will all be up for auction one day. They will be scattered to the four corners of the world, and I hope that whoever buys each piece loves it as much as I do and takes care of it and realizes that having jewelry is a temporary gift. In truth, we ‘owners’ are just the caretakers. Nobody owns beautiful paintings. Nobody ever owns anything this beautiful. We are only the guardians.” Her sentiments seem oddly prophetic, but also realistic to the fact that jewelry is only a temporal asset.

The cache of jewelry will be touring internationally between now and December, and will be exhibited to the public from December 3rd through the 12th in New York. And, a portion of the money raised from these viewings will go to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. The auction of the collection will begin immediately following the New York viewing.

The Mike Todd Diamond Tiara An Antique Diamond Tiara, circa 1880 Gift from
Mike Todd, 1957 Estimate: $60,000-80,000

La Peregrina – The Legendary Pearl 16th Century Pearl Ruby and Diamond Necklace designed by Elizabeth Taylor, with Al Durante of Cartier Gift from Richard Burton, January 23, 1969 Estimate: $2,000,000 – 3,000,000

The Cleopatra Mirror, A Turquoise and Gold Mirror By BVULGARI, Estimate: $8,000-12,000

The Burton Wedding Bands, Estimate: $6,000-8,000

Jewels at The Worlds Smallest Art Gallery

2011-09-07T02:40:00.001-07:00

I'm the current exhibiting artist at The Worlds Smallest Art Gallery, a tiny little kiosk in Peace Dale situated on the Washington County Bike Path. I've put a selection of laser cut pieces of jewelry on display, along with the larger sheets of scrap neoprene that the pieces have been cut from. I like the concise framing of the presentation, it makes the work on display look otherworldly.

Thanks to John Kotula for taking on this fun project that gets art out of the gallery and into the public sphere!

at Sienna Gallery

2011-08-28T15:54:00.001-07:00

I love this new picture from Sienna Gallery, who is hosting The Opulent Projects exhibit, Costume Costume, through the 31st of August.

Things that make you go hmmmm...

2011-08-14T17:57:00.001-07:00

Gasoline, trading cards, Juicy Fruits, and the iciest bling ever makes for the best gas station shopping in a while!

Galerie Louise Smit, Amsterdam

2011-08-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've been saving the best for last. Out of all the galleries that I visited in The Netherlands, my favorite was Galerie Louise Smit, by far.

This Gallery, located on the Prinsengracht canal in Amsterday, has been open since the mid 1980's. Louise Smit specializes in contemporary studio jewelry, and hosts 10 solo shows in their small space while still keeping a large collection of contemporary work on permanent display. Additionally, Galerie Louise Smit publishes beautiful catalogues to accompany their solo exhibitions.

The gallery's collection of permanent work, including pieces by Doris Betz, Seth Papac, and Edgar Filipe Silva Mosa, represents a broad perspective. The 'result is a comprehensive and representative overview of the national and international avant-garde.' The Gallery has a great sense of exhibition design, and really let the artists install their work in non-traditiona ways, as you can see by the photographs of Volker Atrops' exhibition, Immortality, below.

Also, the galleriests on hand at Louise Smit were so gracious and helpful. The gallery seemed incredibly invested in the field of Contemporary Art Jewelry, and were also very knowledgeable about their house artists.

Rings: Globes/Fragmented 2011

Boxwood, colourd glue

Necklace: Untitled 2011

Boxwood, gold, silk

Necklace: Untitled 2011
Wood from a still living taxus(Eibe/Yew)tree mother plant, silver, pariser oxid

Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam

2011-08-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

This post is late... but, I still wanted to take the time to share some of the images and impressions of Galerie Rob Koudijs from my recent trip to Amsterdam. Galerie Rob Koudijs is located on the beautiful Elandsgracht canal, in the historic gallery district.

A small exhibition space, the gallery is laid out smartly, presenting the mostly european jewelry in a variety of manners, from conservatively placed in class cases to curating open air custom pedestals. There is also a smaller gallery section in the front of Rob Koudijs which features rotating solo shows.

From the website: The gallery specialises in contemporary art jewellery which communicates ideas, has sculptural qualities and an innovative use of materials. The gallery represents a very motivated group of jewellery artists who produce work challenging the borders of the applied and the fine arts.

As these artists come

from all corners of the globe, the latest international developments are

on display in regular solo shows and in the stock presentation of the gallery.

On display in the front gallery were some playful pieces by Felieke Van Der Leest (The End brooch pictured at right), that featured brooches, necklaces, and figures made of seed beads and repurposed plastic toys. I thought that the gallery used the color of the works that they had on display very well; the jewelry was like candies on display. I also appreciated the selection of works, as they utilized unique materials and were quite playful and experimental.

Finally, the owner/manager of Rob Koudijs was very helpful and knowledgable. I wish that I lived closer, because the upcoming shows look amazing. the Galerie will soon be showing Karen Pontoppidan, Ruudt Peters, and Mia Maljojoki: all artists that I adore!

Ruudt Peters, Lapis Prima Materia, gold, silver, copper.

Jantje Fleischhut, Thunbergia Grandfloria, gold, tourmaline, cork, resin, plastic.

Karen Pontoppidan, Boy Looking Down, silver, niello.

Neoprene Necklaces at The One Way Gallery

2011-07-29T04:01:00.001-07:00

So, I'm excited to have some newer work at the One Way Gallery in Providence for their current show. You should definitly check out the show that's up now... not just to see my jewelry, but also because this is the One Way's Providence Flagship location. The One Way has been in Narragansett, Rhode Island for around 7 years now, and I'm pleased to say that I've been there since the beginning!

The Providence One Way location is at 231 Westminster St, downtown by Craftland.

Summer Faculty Show at RISD

2011-07-19T04:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in RISDs' Summer Faculty Exhibit at the Woods Gerry Gallery this year. I included the Biopsy Brooches that I had made shortly after graduation. I also had an image printed of the brooches on the body, in order to visually explain the pieces a little better. I really like having the work hung on the wall, it makes the pieces seem less like jewelry and more like an organic entity.

The installation of the show looked good, if not a little heavy on the painting and 2D works. Actually, I was the only jeweler to include pieces in the show! The Woods Gerry Gallery is a beautiful gallery space located in an old house on campus, and I encourage everyone to go check it out... this show is the perfect excuse!

2011-06-28T07:34:00.001-07:00

This box of jewels is labeled 'One tablet after breakfast & one at bedtime'...

Don't mind if I do!

Amazing Diamond Rings...

2011-05-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Hope Diamond's got nothing on these rings... Care of Amsterdam's Albert Cuyp Market, you could be the happiest girl in the world. By my estimation, each diamond weighs in at about 5 thousand karats... those are some seriously large rocks! I can't believe that the vendor isn't afraid of these tempting babies getting stolen. Customs requires international travelers to make claims on any purchase over 350euro, so I had to refrain from buying one, but I just had to take some pictures to remember what I passed up on.

Galerie Ra, Amsterdam

2011-05-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

Half way through my epic vacation, my travels have brought me to Amsterdam. I've found The Netherlands to be an amazing country, steeped in history, culture, and creativity. Straddling the past and the present, it seems like every corner has a plaque commemorating a historical even as well as a piece of contemporary public art. Amsterdam is also a special city because it's home to three phenomenal jewelry galleries, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Galerie Louise Smit, and Galerie Ra. This week I'll be visiting each of these contemporary art galleries, and will be posting images from each trip.

Last night I stopped into Galerie Ra, located east of the Dam at the bottom of Nes Street. Open since 1974, Galerie Ra specializes in contemporary jewelry, vessels, and objects. Galerie Ra also has an extensive collection of self published books, as well as catalogues from past shows and artists books.

It was great to get to see the tangible works of artists that I've admired for so long. I didn't do a good job of taking photos while we were in the gallery, so I pulled a couple images off their online catalogue. I'll be posting images from the other two galleries after I visit them, enjoy!

Julie Blyfield, brooches, patinated and painted silver.

Lisa Walker, Facet pendant, mixed media.

Ela Bauer, ring, Christal, lava, epoxy, bone, yarn, silver.

Galerie Ra interior.

Blogged on My Love For You!

2011-05-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

I've been following Meighan O'Toole's amazing blog, My Love For You, for quite a while now. Meighan has created a repository of amazing makers, I got to her webspace for a stimulating mental vacation and to view inspirating works from two and three dimensional artists...

Imagine my surprise this morning when I find an email in my inbox from a friend congratulating me on having my work on her website! After clicking through the link that was provided in the email, I found a post about my Pro Nailz rings! Needless to say, I'm increadibly honored to have Meighan dedicate a blog post to me, and I feel like an overly excited nerd about joining the ranks of the artists included in My Love For You.

Thanks to Meighan for acknowledging my work, and for having such kind words about it.

And thanks to Wendi, for liking my work (and me) enough to share!

Off to England

2011-05-02T16:44:00.001-07:00

I won't be posting much for the month of May, as I'll be vacationing in England for a couple of weeks. In honor of my upcoming journey, I wanted to share some images from the English fashion portrait photographer Sir Cecil Beaton. Best know for his theatrical society portraits and stylized fashion photography, Beaton was not know for being a technically accurate photographer but instead focused on staging a compelling model or scene and looking for the perfect shutter-release moment.

I've included the images below because of their focus on the fantastical and adornment. To me, these images speak to the nature of the glitz and decadence associate with the era of the 1920's and 30's in London. I love the metallic, gem like quality of the sets that the women are posed in, it reminds us that electricity was just coursing through the veins of the metropolis... The women become part of their surroundings, and it's as if these beauties are physically inside a glittering diamond!

Baba Beaton a symphony in silver

Baba Beaton, Wanda Baille Hamilton, and Lady Bridget Poullett

Miss Nancy Beaton as a shooting star

COLLECT

2011-04-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

This show looks amazing!

COLLECT is an international exhibition hosted by the British Crafts Council which features European Contemporary craft and object makers. Hosted by the Saatchi Gallery in London, COLLECT runs from May 6th through the 9th. This show looks to be the UK's compliment to our SOFA exhibitions, and the line-up on the website makes it look like a pretty phenomenal event. Although I'll miss COLLECT, I plan to visit Saatchi Gallery after the show is over and see if the catalogue is still available.

Here is a blurb from the website: COLLECT champions craft makers from across the world and presents their talents, enterprise and innovation under one roof over four days. It provides important new opportunities for makers, as well as giving members of the public a chance to see and own something unique, beautiful and perfectly crafted. We know that a thriving contemporary arts and cultural offer is critical to London’s success as a world city. Events such as COLLECT are an important contributor to this and we are delighted to support the event.

Image:Monsieur Gaston neckpiece, 2010, by Eugenia Ingegno, Alternatives Gallery

Alloy Gallery at the Santa Monica Art Museum

2011-04-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Alloy Gallery, who carries some of my work, has been invited to do a show at the Santa Monica Art Museum at the end of the month. I'm excited, because they'll be bringing some of my neoprene work and my knuckle dusters with them to California for the event. The show is in conjunction with their annual fundraiser, 'Incognito,' which features contemporary artworks by 500 artists. Alloy will be taking over the museum store and selling works from their 'pop-up' gallery space.

For more information about the 'Incognito' fundraiser, click here.

For more information about Alloy's pop-up gallery space, click here.

Also, Alloy is local... So if there are any Rhode Islanders reading this, you should stop by. They have a wonderful collection of art jewelry, and the owner Tamar is a phenomenal artist and knowledgeable gallery owner.

COSTUME COSTUME PHOTOS

2011-04-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

The New York SOFA show was last weekend, and I was thrilled to have my work taken to the exhibit by Sienna Gallery and The Opulent Project. TOP organized a display called COSTUME COSTUME, which featured handmade contemporary jewelry by emerging artists who deal with the subject of adornment, costuming, and jewelry. TOP installed a photobooth in their space so that attendees of SOFA could don their favorite jewels and have their picture taken wearing them! I hear the lines were long for the photobooth, and that it was a 'mindblowing' installation... Congratulation to The Opulent Project for having such a stimulating and successful exhibit!

I've selected some of my favorite photobooth photos of people wearing my work below. As I wasn't able to get down to NYC this past weekend, it was great to be able to check out these images and to see people were enjoying themselves.

That Chain So Crazy!

2011-04-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Note: I've been working on this blog post for quite a while now, and I'm honestly not sure it's going to make any sense, so good luck reading!

One of my favorite things about jewelry is it's role as a communication device which turns the wearer into a billboard expressing the wearers beliefs. Traditionally, jewelry also doubles as a portable asset or an outward display of wealth.

Jewelry in excess is nothing new in the world of hip hop, think back to the iconic images of RUN DMC wearing twisted gold chains, with oversized pendants. Since they first stepped onto the scene in 1984, RUN DMC helped to create an image that has influence generations of musicians after them. It's been over 25 years since the pioneer of hip hop artists donning opulent gold chains, diamonds, pendants, watches, and other oversized baubles and the jewelry is becoming bigger, brighter, and more expensive.

Today, chains and pendants are becoming so large that they are almost unwearable. Artists are layering them in a melee of gold and glitz. Some things haven't changed at all, like NAS's necklace at the right, he could have reached back in time and taken it right off of Jam Master Jay's neck. But, some things are evolving at a rapid pace. Gone are the days of sporting a stolen Mercedes hood ornament on a chain around your neck as pendants are growing larger and encrusted in colored pave set diamonds.

I have to say that I really do appreciate this hyper-opulence that is being embraced by the hip hop culture. It's steeped in history (from acknowledging previous hip hop and rap artists to embracing African cultures), and at the same time there is a drastic over-the-top-ness that is so obscene that I can't do anything but to embrace it. I think that there is a silent understanding that some of these pieces are completely tongue-in-cheek, like the huge dollar sign pendant that Nigo is sporting below... It's completely a redundant piece (joke?) that is made of money, about money.

I often find myself thinking about menswear jewelry, and what it's role in society is. The examples in this post are just one facet of that genre.. and such an eye catching, mouth watering facet it is! For more examples of gold, diamonds, and other examples of urban jewelry, be sure to check out one of my new favorite blogs: YOU SEE THAT CHAIN?

Nigo, wearing multiple pave chains and pendants.

Pharrell, Diamond pave pendants and multiple chains.

Lil Wayne, Diamond Grill

Kanye West, Horus Necklace by Ambush

Kanye West, Eye Am Not Alone Ring by Ambush

Soulja Boy, The Work Is Yours Necklace

Soulja Boy

COSTUME COSTUME

2011-04-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be part of The Opulent Projects upcoming project, COSTUME COSTUME, which will be making it's debut at Sienna Gallery's booth at the NYC SOFA exhibit from April 14th through the 17th. I'm really excited to be part of such a fun and conceptual project that presents handmade, contemporary jewelry at an accessible price to young collectors.

COSTUME COSTUME is a collection of work made by emerging contemporary art jewelers. It is an exploration of costume jewelry as subject, jewelry about jewelry. You'll find the COSTUME COSTUME show in the Sienna Gallery booth (#301), their installation includes a photo-booth where the guests are invited to document themselves wearing the opulent baubles that are part of the show.

Participating artists as of April 2011 Mikael Arsjö, Kate Bauman, Michael Dale Bernard, Thyra Bessette, Sarah Kate Burges, Erin Gardner, Anna Hinkes, Rory Hooper, Courtney Kemp, Julia Elizabeth Louise, Jimin Park, Mary Hallam Pearse, Earl Ross, Leslie Skalin, Theresa Sterner, Monika Strasser, Kristi Sword, Islay Taylor, Melissa Tolar, Ben Ulsh. Organized by Erin Gardner from The Opulent Project.

My Future Self Is Winning!

2011-03-24T21:35:00.001-07:00

The mill space in this image may not look like a lot, but it's my future home. Creative home, that is... Sometime in the next couple of months (after some cleaning and clearing) this will be my new studio space! I'm excited to be sharing 3,000sq feet with some really talented friends, in a huge space that will be drastically closer to where I live. The building used to be the site of the Eastern Butcher Block Company, is environmentally clean and abuts a river. Sounds like paradise to me! I can't wait to see how it looks after its prepped for us to move in!

For the sake of Opulence...

2011-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

I am flattered to have recently been asked by The Opulent Project to participate in one of their ongoing projects, COSTUME COSTUME. As a result, I've been working on making lots of the Pro Nailz pieces the past couple of weeks. As you can tell from the image to the right, I've logged many hours painting nails while watching hours of terrible movies. I can barely tell the difference between my living room and a professional nail salon at this point.

The exhibition that I've been making the work for, COSTUME COSTUME, investigates the nature and subject of costume jewelry... Costume jewelry has been traditionally viewed as a mass produced, low price point, fashionable yet disposable variety of jewelry. According to The Opulent Project, 'the original intention of costume jewelry is not to become collectibles or heirlooms but to be fashionable and dispensable when the trend passes. Frequently this jewelry is a mimicry of existing unattainable luxury jewelry or simply of a notion of traditional jewelry.'

The goal of COSTUME COSTUME is to present the limited edition works of designers who have tweaked the identity of costume jewelry to address the conceptual issues associated with this genre of jewelry. The pieces that are represented in this show challenge concepts of value, material, historicism, and identity. 'By replication and alteration we seek to further remove the simulated jewelry from its origin, thus costuming the costumed.... COSTUME COSTUME.'

I shipped the work that I'm contributing to COSTUME COSTUME out this morning to the ladies of The Opulent Project. It all fit into a small sized USPS priority rate box, which is always nice because the shipping rates are tolerable but also discouraging because it seems like so much artwork and labor should take up more physical space.

Check it out: COSTUME COSTUME will be exhibited with Sienna Gallery at SOFA NY in April 2011, and will then travel to the Heidi Lowe Gallery in August.

New Traditional Jewellery: True Colours

2011-03-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Though I don't think that I'll be able to make this exhibition, I wanted to share the information for this years New Traditional Jewellery showcase. The show is a biannual show which is hosted at the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem in the Netherlands. This years theme is True Colours, which is more than welcome as we exit the drab season of winter and begin to look for the colorful signs of spring.

Some of my favorites are pictured here:
The top image is a necklace by Tamara Gruner. I appreciate her monochromatic palate, and how the uniformity of the composition transforms the recycled materials into decorative objects that seem much more opulent than they are. The middle image is a necklace titled Show Me Colours 2010, by Denise Julia Reytan, and again features a composition of repurposed materials. The hyper saturation of the colors create a vibrancy that just makes my mouth water! Finally, the bottom image of the multi‐coloured Urban Tribal Necklace of Amanda Caines uses rejected telephone and computer wires made of plastic in bright colors, winding wool around them, fastens vintage fabrics to them and subsequently decorates them with beads.

Gah, I cannot wait for the catologue for this exhibition to come out!
Here is the mission statement for the show:

New Traditional Jewellery is a bi-annual international design competition in the field of contemporary jewellery. Historical or ethnographical carriers of meaning are taken as an incentive to generate new forms. In addition to this general framework there is also a specific theme. After traditional costume, faith and intimacy, this year’s theme is ‘True Colours’. Literally this refers to colour, for example in relation to materials and pigments. Throughout the ages colours and materials, such as gold and silver, often determined the meaning and value of pieces of jewellery. In the 1970’s and ‘80s other materials, such as textiles and Perspex, were also used.

As a result there emerged a new ‘language of colours’. This was an important step in the emancipation of contemporary jewellery. Therefore, ‘True Colours’ is about the history, meaning, value, magic and power of colour. Figuratively speaking, ‘True Colours’ could also mean “showing your true colours” or ‘to unveil your true self’. In this sense the theme could be approached from a social point of view, in which today’s multicoloured society is the main focus of attention. Colour contains information about status and social position. Colour can shout, curse, emancipate, help, judge and segregate.

Colours is a statement.

Solder Central

2011-03-01T15:02:00.001-08:00

I've got my work cut out for me today...

Jewelry From Found Objects

2011-02-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I was asked to participate in a book that fellow jeweler, Heather Skowood, was writing about jewelry made from found objects. Obviously, I was flattered to be a part of Heathers' project, which focuses on the use of found objects, and recycled or reclaimed materials in jewelry. The book includes work by a grouping of amazing international artists whose work supports the books topic, and I have some work included from my RISD thesis show. In addition to being a curated collection of work, the book also features some how-to projects as well.

The book is due to be released from the publisher on March 11th, which is just around the corner! But, if you can't wait that long, Jewelry From Found Objects is already available for presale on Amazon in the States and the UK. I can't wait to check out the end result, and am excited for Heather's accomplishment!

Pro Nailz!!

2011-02-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have my most recent round of documentation back from my photographer, Maureen Keaveny. The images came out wonderfully, and she really did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the pieces that I've recently completed. I'm most proud of the series of knuckle dusters that I've been working on, which feature bezel set acrylic nails.

I'd posted a while back about the process of teaching myself how to paint fancy nails, as well as the process of building the rings themselves. Now after unknown hours invested in this project, my first round of finished pieces has been completed, and I am thrilled.

Also, be sure to check out the music video for Kid Sister's song Pro Nails, below. I've become completely obsessed with this video, and have to admit that it was a major inspiration for this project.

To see the other images of my most recent work, visit my website here.

David LaChapelle

2011-02-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

I've been away from my studio for a bit, and have been spending more time 'doing research.' Maybe I'm trying to justify my growing obsession with pop-culture, but I find myself recently attracted to highly saturated images and colors, high gloss, sparkly jewels, gold and diamond encrusted medallions, and just really extravagant objects and imagery. I'm not quite sure what it is about these stereotyped displays of wealth and culture that I find to enticing, but there is something about how these commercial goods and images so bluntly stroke my sensibilities and entice my inner consumer.

On a recent trip around the Internet, I came across this imaged by David LaChapelle. I have really always liked his use of hyper-saturated colors, and the high sheen that everything in his images seem to have. His subjects become plasticy objects, and everything is equalized into a glossy visual melee. Bordering on pop-grotesgue, he creates images that are visual cacophonies which seem to be suspended from time and place.

Davids imagery has the ability to transform even the classiest subject into an objectified commodity. The people in his photographs uncannily seem to lose their identity and morph into anonymous objects that could almost be mass produced.

More I WANT, I WANT, I WANT

2011-01-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

I just came across an amazing designer, Walid Al Damirji, whose pieces interpret vintage fashions while using embroidery, fur, beaded fringe, and lace appliques.

Lately, I've been interested in incorporating fur components into my jewelry, and have been using old fur coats and stoles as my source material. I literally chop up vintage pieces of fur in order to have material for the jewelry that I'm making. Walid does the opposite. He doesn't source the fur into his jewelry, but actually bejewels the fur. The resulting adornments are conglomerations of materials invoking concepts of nostalgia, opulence, and romanticism.

Be sure to check out his designs for CotureLab, which is very much in the same antique revival vein as the images below.

2011-01-06T20:20:00.001-08:00

Tonight I went to the RISD Jewelry & Metalsmithing exhibit at the Sol koffer Gallery. It's a great show featuring graduate student work, i'll be going back tomorrow to take better pictures of the installation. Until then, consider this image as an appetizer and get you ass downtown to check it out!

And this little piggy...

2011-01-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

...ran all the way home.

No.

No, actually he didn't.

This little piggy put on some eye-liner, donned some seriously jaw dropping Chopard earrings, and went to town. Now, that's my kind of fairy tale!

The latest issue of Russian Vogue Magazine featured a story depicting a saucy little pig (think Babe meets a more refined version of Miss Piggy) flaunting Chopard jewelry. The lucky little pig got to wear a beautiful pair of diamond earrings as well as an exquisite silver parure.

Ignoring the questionable nature of piercing a pigs ears for the sake of fashion, this is an adorable set of pictures. Clearly, the message is that opulence is back and even the swine is worthy of pearls.

Bloglovin'

2010-12-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin
So, I'm putting Evocative Objects up on Bloglovin' in order to try to get a little more traffic. If you're visiting for the first time (or second, or third), please follow my blog with one of the links to the right.
Thanks a lot!

New works up on Website

2010-12-07T04:31:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to point out that the images that I took a while back with Maureen Keaveny are now up on my website, islaytaylor.com... So, check it out and make sure to check back, because we're taking more photos this week!

It's the final count down...

2010-12-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

In the eternal words of Europe, It's The Final Count Down... I've only got a few days left until my upcoming deadline of a photo shoot, and my studio is a mess as I try to get organized for the documentation. The picture is of the mourning necklaces that I've been working on spread out all over my work bench. Also, I'd like to point out that my grandmother made that work bench... pretty amazing!!! I've got three necklaces, two brooches, and four rings to finish by the end of the week, how will I ever stay sane!

UPDATE: After my Mother read this post she called me up to give me more information about my work bench. As it turns out, although the work bench was my Grandmas, she didn't actually make it... AND it's much older than I thought! Apparently this work bench was gifted to my Great-Grandfather (my Grandmas father) from the Poppenhusen Institute

of College Point, NY. The Poppenhusen Institute is an independent

education center that was founded in the 1860's and has been in operation ever since. What's really neat about the Poppenhusen is that their charter mandates that they were open to all students; so they even taught women and african americans during a time that nobody else would. I guess my Great-Grandfather was given three of these benches, which were made at the school. My Father has one, I have one, and I don't know where the third went. Maybe my Mom will comment on this post and clear up any of the misinformation that I've posted here...

I WANT I WANT I WANT

2010-12-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

So, I get all anxious and whiney and desperate when I find ingenious pieces of jewelry on the internet. I'm in a tizzy that I don't think I can live without these smart knit pieces below. I can only justify my obsession by stating that it's getting cold out, and jewelry that can double as outter-wear seems to be utilitarian, and therefore, I must own it!

This chain from Yokoo is so gangSTAR! I love the size, the texture, and the oddly 80's Run DMC influence of this piece. You can visit Yokoo's store on etsy.com, where she has tons of cool stuff available.

Another cool find on etsy.com is this knitted power cord necklace from knitknit. I love the simplicity of the piece, and how much it still resembles an actual power cord. It's such a clever translation of a crocheted tube into something playful that just wants to get wrapped around a neck.

I really like wearable textile pieces, and I especially like it when artists incorporate age old traditions like crocheting. But sometimes crocheted elements in jewelry can look like grandmothers doilies ended up on the body... I found this set (Ok, I know it's not technically jewelry, but I'd love to adorn myself with this Ol' West Parure) by Inger Carina as I was browsing around for neat-o things on the internet. Inger is a Swedish textile artist, and you can see more of her amazing work at Hello Craft Lovers!

New Mourning Pieces

2010-12-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

I've been working pretty diligently to get some

new pieces of mourning jewelry finished up. I just had some necklaces documented that used horse hair, sterling silver, and jet beads in the design.

The new pieces that I'm working on will also use hair and beads, but will also incorporate some vintage fur (mink?) stoles that i've deconstructed, and are more playful with the beading. I'm liking where the direction of this thought is going, and am excited to complete this series of pieces so that I can figure out which direction I'll take. I'd like to continue with using the fur and integrate some other vintage textiles and leathers.

The image on the top is of a set of jet and gutta percha mourning jewelry. The middle image is a depiction from an 1884 Harper's Bazar of a woman wearing a mourning mantle. This

outfit features a crepe collar, deep cuffs, and a veiled mourning bonnet,

which indicates that this outfit was meant to be worn during deep mourning. Finally, the last image was one that I took while working on some three-dimensional sketches in my studio.

I like to compose pieces (in this case a necklace and a brooch) on my dress form. Working this way helps me figure out ratios, balance, and composition. This image is a little bit dark, but you can see the black mink fur, and some of the different beads that I'm using.

I'm also creating a few monochromatic white/beige pieces of mourning jewelry. Although I'm super excited about them, I'm keeping the images a little more top secret... I think they are a little more glamorous, and I'm using the working title of 'A Champagne Funeral' for these pieces...

Out of Oxygen...

2010-11-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

I've never liked the look of a lone propane tank... Being out of oxygen is a total bummer!

Early Morning Studio Update

2010-11-24T04:23:00.001-08:00

It's finally getting there! I've been working on some knuckle dusters that will have fancy painted acrylic nails set into them... very Kid Sister-esque. It's taken alot of time, with loads of castings, solderings, and patience... but, I'm hoping to solder the bezels down today and then complete the final round of castings. This picture shows the two rings, with the bezels just taped into place and some practice nails sitting in the bezels. Ok, off to the soldering board, wish me luck!

2010-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

For me, jewelry embodies a kind of

immortality... the ability to stretch

a single moment out into infinity.

-Adam Grinovich

2010-11-06T10:23:00.001-07:00

I just arrived at SOFA, and am prepaired to be overwhelmed!

Off to SOFA Chicago!

2010-11-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn I'll be starting my journey to Chicago to check out this years SOFA CHICAGO event. The show is an international exhibition of sculptural objects and functional art, and rotates from Chicago to New York to Santa Fe. SOFA presents prominent international galleries and art dealers in a single venue, showcasing art that bridges design, decorative and fine arts.

I've never been to a SOFA EXPO before, so I'm super excited to check everything out... and, I hear that Chicago's the best venue out of the three, so that's an added bonus! I'm also flattered because Sienna Gallery will be showing some of my new neoprene pieces at the EXPO.

The show opened today, but I'll still have all of Saturday to wander around the show. Needless to say, I'll be taking lots of pictures and posting them once I get back!

This image makes my brain hurt from all the beauty!

2010-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago I had some of my recent work documented by Maureen Keaveny... and I've just been dying to see what the photos look like. I just got an email from Maureen with a tantalizing image that has gotten me so amped up for the rest of the set. The image below is of one of my Mourning Necklaces being worn by Olivia. The necklace is made of horse hair, sterling silver, silk, and antique jet beads. After feasting my eyeballs on this, it's going to be even more difficult to wait for the rest of the images!

Pro-Nails

2010-10-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

This is what my dinning room table looks like these days. Apparently I'm running an underground nail salon... at least that's what it smells like! The truth is that I'm working on getting some good nail art designs under my belt for a project I'm working on. The plan is to make a series of rings that will feature some extravagant acrylic nail designs as the 'gem stone.' I've come close to perfecting the zebra motif, and have logged tons of hours on the internet watching 'how to' tutorials on youtube.

Although I'm sure that this seems like a crazy venture at this point, I'm really excited about how this will develop... I can't wait to get the ring shanks a little further along so that I can see what the nails will look like in their settings.

Work Documentation

2010-10-09T04:27:00.000-07:00

What's a great way to spend a Friday night, and I'm not being sarcastic here? I spent last night documenting some of my recent work with Maureen Keaveny, which was so much fun! I really like shooting work on models as well as off the body; and my models were great. I attached a couple pictures below, one of Josie wearing her wedding dress to highlight the design of the neoprene necklaces. And another of Olivia, she looks amazing in the retroglo chains (hopefully the images will make the necklace actually glow!).

I can't wait to see how the pictures come out!

Amazing little giftie!

2010-10-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to open up my mail box the other day, and find a package from my dear friend Wendi (who recently moved from Providence to Madison, which was a very sad event for me). Wendi is a super creative person, an amazing cook, and all around wonderful maker-of-all-things-awe-inspiring. You should check out her blog, Modern Ma'am, which has a wide range of info from recipes to knitting to house hold tips.

Anyway, the reason why I'm writing this blog post is because inside this package was a hand knit neckpiece that Wendi made for me! She said it was her first piece of knit jewelry, and I'm hoping that she makes more! I love the soft texture of the yarn, and how dressy it can make a casual tee shirt. It also reminds me of the lace and tatted collars that women used to wear... Considering that I have a soft spot for all things that refresh historical ideas, I'm totally in love with this necklace!

I want, I want, I want

2010-10-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

I just came across this amazing tape while perusing the items on display at nonesuch things. The tape was designed by a Parisian jeweler, Marie-Helene de Taillac, who creates beautifully cascading necklaces and earrings that rely heavily on the bright saturation of precious stones. Marie-Helene has created the jewel tape using images of bezel set precious stones in a spectrum of colors, ranging from greens and blues to sparkly pinks or reds. Apparently, she even revised the color balance on two rounds of prototypes because the printed tape didn't look like the actual stones before she felt that the stones actually reflected their authentic counterparts.

My mind is rolling with ideas of what I could do with this amazing tape... At 16 meters long, there's lots of possibilities! From gift wrap, to impromptu picture frames on the wall, to package design... I can't wait to have a couple of rolls of this in my hot little hands!

Chromophilia Reviewed!

2010-10-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have Chromophilia get a review in one of our local papers, The Providence Phoenix. The article, by Greg Cook, highlights some of the work in the exhibition and touches upon the aesthetic of the show. Personally, I'm always so glad to have contemporary art jewelry written about, because it hardly ever happens and I appreciate that critics are willing to learn about this emerging field and present it to a larger audience. I've posted Greg's review below, or you can read it here.

Review: '10 Most Endangered Properties,' plus 'Chromophilia'

The title of the "Chromophilia" exhibit at Craftland (235 Westminster Street, Providence, through October 10) focuses our attention on the bright colors of contemporary studio jewelry, which follows the 1980s revival — a la American Apparel — throughout fashion. But the bigger trend that curators Devienna Anggraini and Islay Taylor identify is a Post-Modern, catholic use of a wide variety of non-precious materials.

Mike & Maaike, a San Francisco studio led by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers, fashion flat leather necklaces and broaches based on pixilated photos of famous jewelry (Daisy Fellowe's "Tutti Frutti" necklace, Imelda Marcos's ruby necklace, the Hope Diamond) found via Google image searches. Mariana Acosta Contreras of Providence strings folded leather into scarf-like necklaces resembling strands of flowers or shelf mushrooms. They often have a neutral main color (gray, white) with bright hues (reds, greens) flaring from inside folds.

Islay Taylor of Providence crochets webs of thread to hold cascading strands of orange and red beads. San Francisco's Emiko Oye turns Legos into bright, blocky, fun bracelets. One cheekily puns on Mondrian's blocky early 20th-century abstractions. RISD-trained Jimin Park's broaches look as if she's fashioned bits of metal and fluorescent plastic junk she picked up off the street into Post-Modern tribal talismans. Oye and Park's work highlights a distinguishing characteristic of this jewelry: a spirit of play.

SO Rhode Island Interview!

2010-09-23T16:06:00.001-07:00

I was recently interviewed for what I thought was going to be a short side-bar piece about myself and my role as Gallery Director at Hera Gallery... However, when I picked up the latest issue of SO Rhode Island Magazine, a local Arts & Entertainment Monthly, I was surprised to see a full page portrait of myself smiling (awkwardly) back at me.

Despite the intimidating full page photo, the writing is very generous and references some of my aesthetic philosophies, inspirations, and recent works. They also make note of Chromophilia, which was a great free plug for that show. I'm pretty flattered to have been featured in this months paper, and really appreciate the opportunity to talk about the artistic interests that I'm involved in.

Click on the photo above to enlarge the image and read the article.

Art New England Article

2010-09-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

There's a really interesting article in this issue of Art New England about the Providence art scene written by Doug Norris. Doug is a wonderfully observant art writer who primarily reviews for the South County Independent, and freelances for national publications as well.

In Providence: The Artists' Nest, Doug describes the Providence art-scene as a incubator focusing on experimentation, collaboration, and community. This mentality is particularly fostered by the local artist run organizations such as AS220 and The Hive Archive. He also elaborates on Providences thriving anti-establishment art subcultures; artist developed micro-communities built around performances, parties, live music, daily creation, and shared spaces that emphasized the collective nature of making things. An example of this would be Fort Thunder. Fort Thunder refers to an illegally artist occupied warehouse which has recently been developed into gentrified condo space. With the eviction of the artists, Fort Thunder has come to describe a group of people (artists, makers, musicians) tied together by their beliefs and interests, but with out a tangible locale. Exhibitions and events are stages across the city in warehouse, peoples apartments, or unoccupied loading docks (which I've seen temporarily transformed into elaborate stages for plays), information about which is spread the old fashioned way by word of mouth and screen printed posters. One last local organization that the article mentioned is the Dirt Palace, a feminist collective operating out of a re-purposed Library building. The Dirt Palace is a space that promotes personal growth for individuals, and an environment conducive to challenging thoughts and radical actions.

Despite it's gritty appearance, Providence proves to be a ripe locale for embracing and facilitating creative natures. There are so many unique facets to Providences art scene that it's difficult to distinguish or separate these elements. It's this influence and contamination of one genera to the next that I've always found so appealing about this town. Providence really does makes it easy to be a creator, people support one another and businesses actually cater to artists.

Be sure to check out the article below by clicking on the images to enlarge them to a readable size. You'll also note that I've been quoted in this article a lot! I'm excited to have been able to contribute to such an honest, historical, and observant portrait of the city that I live and work in.

Chromophilia Installation Photos

2010-09-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some photographs from the installation of Chromophilia at Craftland. This show, which I co-curated with Devienna Anggraini, features the work of Emiko Oye, Anthony Tammaro, Mike and Maaike, Jimin Park, Jenny Bradley, Amy Weiks, and Mariana Acosta.

I have to say that the final display looks wonderful. The work really brightens up the gallery with the highly saturated hues and tactile materials that each artist used.

Enjoy the pictures, and if you want more information about the show or artists check out the Chromophilia blog!

ELISE GOLDIN

2010-09-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

A jewelery collection where the pieces bond two or more people together, to force interaction amongst the participants in a society where we are becoming increasingly void of real human interaction.

This morning I've been wasting time skimming the back-logs of some blogs that I like to read... when I came upon the work of Elise Goldin. Elise is a multidisciplinary designer, focusing primarily on creating artifacts and functional objects. She combines a bold aesthetic quality with unique materials to articulate her ideas. Her explorations with process, technique, and material enable her to create contemporary works that require the active involvement of the viewer.

I came across her 'Knotted Collection,' and clearly fell in love. She has used the laser cutting process to create smaller knotted links, then these rope like units are strung together to create wearable pieces. Her idea for this series started with the desire to physically bond two people together, therefore creating the more couture pieces pictured below. Eventually this concept evolved into a more wearable series like the chest plate pictured to the right.

I appreciate the graphic quality of her work, the knots reference old 'how-to' maritime diagrams. I also appreciate her ability to move beyond the smaller individual units and link the pieces together to create larger pieces that also reference historical pieces of jewelery. By moving the utilitarian into the realm of the decorative she has allowed the viewer to focus on the beauty of the alternative.

TITLE WALL!

2010-09-11T18:52:00.001-07:00

It's Saturday night, and we just hung the final piece. (insert huge sigh of relief here) The artist reception is going to be next Thursday... And at the risk of seeming conceited, the show looks amazing and is totally worth fighting to find a parking space downtown in order to go to the opening.

2010-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

'Jewellery is such a wonderful way to celebrate being human - this strange mess of mind and body, imagination and matter.'

FLORIAN LADSTATTER

Chromo-Card

2010-09-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the show card for Chromophilia. Feel free to download it and email it along...

It's getting colorful at Chromophilia

2010-09-07T18:04:00.001-07:00

Devienna and I met today to install our upcoming show, Chromophilia, at Craftland. It took us only six hours to get a majority of the work done, and I'm very pleased with the results! Devienna was the brave one climbing up and down the ladder all day, while I laid out and secured most of the work... Clearly, we were a perfect team, and I'm honestly shocked at how quickly we worked together. I felt like a jewelry-installing zombie towards the end, but it was worth it! So many mono-filament knots.

Now that all the work is laid out in the gallery, the chromatic theme of the show is becoming brazenly apparent. Craftlands gallery has been transformed into a prism of color, texture, and material. Saturated reverberations coming off each artists work and just light up the space. All of the jewelry looks compliments each other nicely, and there is a good balance of styles of making and materials also.

Here are some preview pictures of the exhibition from when we were setting up today. I'll post more detailed images after the show opens.

Dr. Lakra at the Boston ICA

2010-09-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

I took a trip up to Boston yesterday morning to visit the Dr. Lakra exhibit at the ICA. The show is only up for another week, and I'm disappointed that I didn't get in to see it sooner because I'd like to experience it again. As it turns out, I'm really taken with Dr. Lakra's work.

Dr. Lakra is a Mexican born tattoo and fine artist based out of Oaxaca. Dr. Lakra transposes his tattooing craft onto the idealized figures found in vintage 1950's magazines, onto pinup girls, luchadors, medical educational drawings, and even onto the iconic cupie doll. Lakra reassigns identity by tattooing and enhancing the original subjects with bats, demons, spiders, gang insignia, and traditional cultural body markings. He even uses a real tattoo machine to achieve a believable image on some of his pieces.

Dr. Lakra deals with concepts of beautification and social identification. His works are a carnival of the grotesque, a medley of kitschy erotica, ancient ritual, and hallucinogenic visions fused in a collage of ideologies.

This show was a slightly unbalanced combination of 2D and 3D work, with most of the emphasis being on drawings and installations. I would have personally preferred to see some more objects included in the exhibition, as those objects reflected his working process more directly.

UPDATE~ Here are two images that I took of the installation at the ICA. I used my phone, so the quality is most likely sub-par. Also, you can check out a video of the installation here.

Unpacking Chromophilia

2010-08-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met with Devienna Anggraini, we are co-curating Chromophilia together, to talk about the fast approaching show. We visited the gallery at Craftland to check out the space, discuss display, and check out some of the work that's already started coming in. I think that we must have looked like two little girls in a candy store as we thoroughly investigated every little bauble that's arrived so far!

One of the artists that who we've received work from is Amy Weiks. She has sent us a series of exquisite brooches from a series titled Equal and Opposite, which I've always admired... But, finally getting so experience them in real life totally blows away my expectations! I was honestly kindof flabbergasted at her craftsmanship, her composition, and her unique hardware. The gallery was a cacophony of 'Oohs' and 'Aaahs' as we unwrapped one brooch after the next.

These brooches subtly investigate her explorations of material, form, and function. They also reflect her working process quite nicely, leaving her hammer marks as an honest portrayal of her method of forming. I really can't say enough about these brooches... I can't wait to see what else comes in the mail, and finally how the show looks fully installed!

Top image: Dev and Margaret fawning over a brooch

Bottom image: Equal and Opposite brooch by Amy Weiks

Luckenbooth

2010-08-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

While I was in Scotland, I discovered an interesting piece of traditional Scottish jewelry, luckenbooths. A symbol of love and devotion, luckenbooths are brooches that were given as a gift to a bride from the groom on their wedding day, and subsequently pinned to the shawl of their first baby in order to protect it from evil spirits and fairies.

These brooches feature either a heart topped with a crown, or two interlocking hearts with a single crown, thistle, or cross on top. Apparently, the original design for the luckenbooth came into Scotland with the Vikings about 800 AD.

In Celtic lore, the fairies, who were inordinately fond of human milk, often would steal the baby in a household and take its place. A luckenbooth pinned on the baby’s shawl protected the baby from the mischievous fairies.

These pieces have similar symbolism as the Irish Claddaghs, and it seems that the luckenbooths remain one of Scotland's most romantic artifacts. I really fell in love with this token of devotion which also double as an amulet of protection, and ended up getting a tattoo of one while I was in Edinburgh!

Edinburgh Conquests...

2010-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

While I was recently in Edinburgh, I visited The Antiquity Shoppe. Although I was on a specific mission to find antique coins to add to my travel bracelet, I ended up finding so many more treasures at The Antiquity Shoppe!

The shop is nestled into a winding road just off the Royal Mile as you head down to Waverly Station. The display window is completely filled with antique jewelry, coins, and silver ware... It reminded me of a candy shop window, with all the tantalizing goodies just begging me to come in and take them home. Once inside you're overwhelmed by towering stacks of display cases from floor to ceiling. With little elbow room, it takes a cautious buyer to peruse the wares. I came across an antique ring sizer, which I regretfully didn't purchase, some wonderful watch fobs, lockets, and mourning jewellery.

I did take home with me some pieces that were exceptionally beautiful. As you know, I like padlocks... so I decided to purchase a 1960's sterling silver heart padlock bracelet. I also purchased a mourning brooch, which appears to be made of dyed horn or possibly gutta percha. The hand is holding a spray of flowers isn't necessarily a memorial piece, but, the hand links itself to the first stage of mourning in its material. I also purchased a lovely little enameled locket. The gold locket has a floral design enameled on one side, while the other features a tiny portrait of a bride. She was just so beautiful and lonely, I just couldn't leave her to collect dust.

click on the image for a larger view.

The owner of The Antique Shoppe, Simon Cavanagh, and his mother were both phenomenal people. They were both helpful and knowledgeable. If you are ever in Scotland, this shop is definitely worth a trip to Edinburgh... I will surely be going back!

The Antique Shoppe
49 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh
Scotland
EH1 1BS
T:0131 226 3391

Travel Bracelet

2010-08-09T08:04:00.001-07:00

While my mother was away in England, I found myself wrist-deep in her jewelry box. On my quest for something to borrow, I came upon an old bracelet made out of coins from various countries. It must have been someone's souvenir travel bracelet.

This is'nt it... This is a picture of my own travel bracelet, which I recently put together from my old leftover coins. The coins are actually quite beautiful, my favorite is the British farthing with the little wren pictured on it. Also, the Mexican cincuenta centavos piece is from 1955 (I had picked it up at a mercado), and shows the legendary eagle with the snake in it's mouth atop a cactus.

I like the idea that this piece of jewelry has the ability to take me back to different places and times so easily. And, if I ever run out of cash I can just take the bracelet apart and spend the coins!

New Commission!

2010-07-20T16:35:00.001-07:00

I was recently asked to create a set of 5 necklaces for a woman to give as gifts to the bridesmaids in her wedding.

I decided to abstract the couple's names and use that as the direct source for the designs of each necklace. Once the individual necklaces are put back together, the text becomes legible again... reading 'Jon and Alicia.'

I'm obscenely pleased with how the pieces came out, and might do this again someday. Here's hoping that the couple getting married actually like the idea as well!

The New Materiality at the Fuller Museum of Craft

2010-07-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

A review in last Sunday's providence journal sparked my interest in the Fuller Museum of Crafts current exhibition, The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft. The show presents work that, although made by traditional craft artists, embraces technology as a emotive material. The combination of these two disparate methodologies creates an technology are getting more and more irrelevant.

I'm really interested to check out this show... especially because one of the artists included in New Materiality is the San Francisco based design duo, Mike & Maaike. Mike and Maaike will be showing pieces from their Stolen Jewels line of work... interesting platform to discuss the role that technology can play in today's contemporary craft world. Traditional boundaries between art, craft, and which is one of my favorites! They will also be participating in the show that I am co-curating this fall, Chromophilia... so, New Materiality will be a good chance to sneak-peek their work before Chromophilia opens.

New Materiality is up through February 6th, 2011 at the Fuller Museum of Craft... check out more info here.

Images: top: 3-D Chair, by Brian Boldon, digital glass decals, float glass, epoxy and aluminum. Bottom: Stolen Jewels #7, Mike and Maaike, leather.

Take my breath away...

2010-07-08T18:54:00.001-07:00

I was in the middle of giving a soldering demo during tonight's CE class at RISD, when I was so distracted that I had to stop teaching all together. The culprit: this amazing Scottish stone necklace that one of my students was wearing.

It's just stunning, and the images really don't do the piece justice. The clasp is an amazing little box clasp, and each different piece of agate is separated by faceted citrine set in a decorative bezel. Really, the attention to detail is quite impressive.

Most of the stones found in Scottish stone jewelry were mined in the Cairngorm Mountains. Lots of smoky quartz, yellow quartz, and various warm, pale shades of quartz came from this range. The agates, carnelians, and other stones are mostly indigenous also.

Rena Abeles is the lucky owner of this beautiful piece of history. She is also the proud owner of Reliable Gold Ltd in Providence. Reliable Gold is an estate jewelry shop over in Wayland Square, which has been in her family since the 1930's. I can't wait to see what's in stock in the store, especially considering that Rena is always wearing the most exquisite pieces to class!

Bizarre review of Objectified

2010-06-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

I read this Washington Post article, and I was confused. Then I was disappointed. Now I'm confused again. In any event, I'm not too proud to not share an unfavorable review for Objectified. It seems to me that the format of the review is terribly confusing, that paired with the authors neglect to accurately reflect the intentions of the artists kindof baffled me.

In any event, you can read the article here.

The Hope Diamond

2010-06-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I totally fell prey to all the hype surrounding the Hope Diamond, and I went to go see it on my whirwind tour of D.C. The 45 carat diamond is currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History. In my defense, I went to the museum with the intention of visiting their mineral display (which is phenomenal), and didn't even really know that the Hope Diamond was there.

There were a couple of things about the Hope Diamond that I found really interesting. First, this was the first time that it's been displayed unset. I felt that this was an honest way to show the diamond without the added distraction of the necklace. Also, the empty necklace without the diamond set in it was stunning on its own. It looked almost lonely in it's incompleteness, and I really liked the nostalgia and vulnerability of the separation.

The other thing that really threw me about the Diamond was the fact that the exhibit actually addressed the fact that the stone is thought to be cursed. There are stories, although inaccurate, that depict the Hope Diamond originally being stolen from a Hindu Temple or being initially set in a religious sculpture; with the curse resulting from the sacrilege of the stones removal. Although a lot of the stories surrounding the stone are embellished or fabricated entirely, some of the lore is true. Many people who have encountered the diamond have died untimely deaths, from owners to stone setters, to potential thieves. It's interesting how the history of the stone has been fabricated in such a way as to transform the diamond into an idol to be both feared and worshiped.

Images: original sketch of the Hope Diamond, uncut; Hope Diamond and empty setting at the Smithsonian.

Brian Jungen exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian

2010-06-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

While I was in D.C. recently I spent a day touring the mall and the Smithsonian Museums. I'm pretty proud of myself for seeing four monuments, three museums, one gallery, and the White House (much less impressive that I'd imagined) all in one day... it was a serious Americana binge that I'm still recovering from!

One of the best exhibits that I saw was at the National Museum of the American Indian, Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort. The show was amazing, and Jungen's work was phenomenal. The installation of the show was really impressive, the gallery was dimly lit with spot lights only illuminating the works. It gave a very intimate/anthropological feel to the show. When you enter the gallery space, the first work that you see is a scale whale skeleton made entirely out of white plastic lawn chairs serenely suspended in the dark space. It was really awe inspiring, and considering that I had just come from the Natural History Muse um, the dichotomy between form and material was even more conceptually exciting.

Jungen also had on display gas cans which had traditional Native American designs pierced into them. Monarch is pictured above. I really appreciate his honest use of consumer materials and how he blends them together with traditional symbols from his ancestry. He does a good job at transforming the original materials, and having the content become a little more subtle. Another example of this would be the traditional masks that he has stitched out of deconstructed Nike Airs.

The show was great, and I ended up buying the catalog for the show, which is a beautiful publication that has lots of interesting back story on the pieces. If you're in D.C. this is a show that you really shouldn't miss!

Alloy Gallery Showcard

2010-06-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the show card from the opening at Alloy Gallery last week. If you couldn't make it to the opening, be sure to swing by this summer, Tamar has a great group of artists exhibiting there and my work will be up all summer.

2010-06-12T19:27:00.001-07:00

Meta at the MFA Boston summer gala...

2010-06-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

SNEAK PREVIEW! This is a picture I took at Alloy Gallery last night when Tamar and I were hanging my work for the opening on Thursday night. Tamar found some packaging tape with an ornate frame motif printed on it, so we used the tape to create a dedicated space on the wall for my necklaces. I love how bold the pieces look against the bright yellow wall!

Installation Views of Objectified

2010-06-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

So, I've finally had a moment to sit down and get this post up since returning from D.C. I had a great time in Washington, Honfleur was a wonderful gallery to work with, and the people from ARCH (a nonprofit, and Honflers parent company) were so helpful and friendly. I also kindof fell in love with the neighborhood of Anacostia, which is a historic neighborhood south of the river in D.C. Although Anacostia has a little bit of a bad reputation, as far as I can tell, it's unwarranted. There is a wonderful arts and revitalization movement going on in the area, and it really shows... it doesn't have a static feel at all, but you can actually feel Anacostia buzz and hum with energy and forward movement.

I've included images below of the final installation, which I'm really happy with. Briony Evans, the creative director and Honfleur, and Beth Ferraro, the creative director for the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, were phenomenal and the show wouldn't have been quite as successful with out their help.

Installation view, right of gallery

Installation view, left of gallery

Robert Longyear: Neckpiece installation view

Jeanne Jo: If A Mouth Were To Whisper... and accompanying photo

Colleen Heineman: Sorted Conglomerates

Andrea Miller: Peripheral System #4 and accompanying photo

Brightest Young Things hypes OBJECTIFIED

2010-06-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Washington DC based arts and culture blog, Brightest Young Things, has included an article on their website about Objectified. Their writers came to Honfleur Gallery this week for a preview of the show, and to do a behind the scenes interview about the objective of the exhibition.

I think that it was a challenging exhibition to write a synopsis about on the fly, and I think that BYT ended up writing a pretty good article, although I wish that it discussed the artists concepts a little more precisely. I'm just glad that they took the time to come to the gallery to check out the show.

You can read the article here.

2010-06-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

FROM THE RENWICK GALLERY: Gari Melcher's The Bride from 1907.

Field Trip to JewelersWerk Galerie

2010-06-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

So, we've been working hard to install the show at Honfleur Gallery, and it's looking great! Although the opening is tomorrow, after making a list of all the tasks that we have left to address, we decided that we had enough time to take the afternoon off and head over to visit JewelersWerk Galerie.

JewelersWerk is a tiny exhibition space nestled into Cady's Alley, just off of M Street in Georgetown. The gallery is extremely well designed, and features endless display drawers filled with jewelry made by some of today's most prominent makers. Currently on display is the work of Esther Knobel, a Polish born Israeli artist who has been recently honored with the Andrea M. Bronfman Prize for outstanding Israeli Decorative Arts.

Knobel's work features enameling, electroformed copper, and other avant sculptural processes with more traditionally recognized jewelry making techniques such as stringing pearls and bead work. I really likes her work, especially the color scheme and the pairing together of contrasting design elements. I also fell in love with the way that her work references organic origins and inspirations.

Esther's display was also beautifully informal and visually accessible to the viewer. Her pieces were laid out on unstretched canvas, with titles written directly on the fabric and walls. I ended up buying her book, The Mind in the Hand, and can't wait to dive into it and investigate her studio practice a little more.

I've attached a couple images of the gallery, in all it's compact glory.

Objectified sneak preview: Colleen Heineman

2010-05-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Colleen Heineman is part scientist. She investigates, analyzes, sorts, charts, decodes, and reconstitutes information into art objects that reflect her concepts and processes. I'm really drawn to Colleens' artistic process, her methods of investigating and understanding her materials lead to a creative relationship where the artist acts as a catalyst, initiating the metamorphosis of her concepts. The results after the transformation: totem like sculptures that pay homage to an in-depth system of documentation and visual exploration.

The alchemy of Colleens' scientific approach has yielded and increadible group of copper sculptures, Sorted Conglomerates. This body of work articulates observations on consumer culture, identity, and personal clutter. This set of work is really phenomenal, and I am particularly interested in the ideas of artist as facilitator, catalyst, and composer that are referenced in these works. These pieces also visually reference natural land formations and tectonic masses.

I appreciate Colleens' meticulous way of working, and how she has committed herself to creating physical mementos that reflect her concepts. The Sorted Conglomerates will also be on display with an accompanying set of schematic drawings which reference the arduous process the Colleen undertakes in her making process.

As an aside, how amazing to these copper pieces look!?! The craftsmanship is amazing!

Objectified sneak preview: Andrea Miller

2010-05-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Andrea Miller has just completed her Masters program at University of Wisconsin, Madison with a degree in Art Metals. Her most recent body of work, Peripheral Systems, Parts 1-5, is a series of necklaces that compare elements of our constructed environment with the human body.

Her wearable sculptures reference commonplace elements of our environment: spigot handles, duct work, or HVAC piping. All of these industrial elements are objects which we have become de-sensitized to; allowing them to infiltrate our modern existence with our dependency upon them.

These elements which Andrea focuses on were originally purposed for function and practicality. Despite their utilitarian origins, Andrea has managed to find beauty and pleasure in exploring her source materials, and I am glad to have her work included in Objectified. Her pieces are miniature replicas of the most unromantic industrial components, talismans honoring the unacknowledged architectural elements that we utilize every single day. I especially appreciate Andreas decision to move these sculptures onto the body, it seems to help translate the original source materials into the realm of the domestic more easily, and also provides and unexpected pedestal for the work.

Objectified sneak preview: Robert Longyear

2010-05-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I've had an art-crush on Robert Longyear's work for quite a while now. And maybe the theme for Objectified was a little of an excuse to have an opportunity to see his work in real life, who knows. Regardless of my motivations, I am excited to have him participating in Objectified, his work will definitely add unique perspective to the dialogue of the show.

His pieces are conglomerations of disenfranchised objects, using neglected structures as his source materials. In this way, he is able to reveal the hidden construction of deteriorating buildings, provide the viewer with a new method of perceiving space, and creates metaphors for the human condition.

The conglomerate objects made of industrial detritus are steeped in concepts of lapsed history, time, neglect, and fate. They also seem to become bodily, referencing lace-like internal organs; making the viewers relationship to them that much more intimate.

Another Love Lock!

2010-05-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

The lovely, and newly-wed, Richard and Wendi have commemorated their love for one another by putting a love lock up at the designated spot in India Point Park! They used an antique padlock that Wendi had been saving for a special art project, and considering how attached she was to it, I'm really honored that she contributed it to this! After they hung their lock, they walked down to the water, and tossed the key into Narragansett Bay... high-fives ensued.

Having just attended their wedding, I was especially excited to have them want to do it! Now they're both off to Madison for Richards work, so it'll be nice to have a little reminder of them here in Rhode Island.

I really should get on that invitation that I've been promising... And, I will, I swear! Until then, I hope you'll get over to India Point Park and put up a lock of your own!

Objectified Super Sneek Preview

2010-05-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the opportunity to see a newly finished piece by Jeanne Jo, one of the very talented artists participating in the show that I'm curating, Objectified. I have always been a fan of Jeanne Jo's work, but the piece that she created for Objectified is truly phenomenal. She had just finished it the morning that she delivered it to me, and it's pretty astounding.

Her piece, If a Mouth were to Whisper, is the opening phrase from a treasured love letter that was sent to her by someone who has since passed away. Jeannie transcribed the text from the letter into an alpha-numerically crocheting pattern. The result is a textile piece whose subtle patterns are a direct result of the transcription. The delicate holes that pattern the piece reference both piano paper from player pianos and an aged memento of moth eaten lace.

I am excited to have If a Mouth were to Whisper in the show; the intimate quality of this craft-rooted piece will compliment the metal work in the show. The image to the right is documentation of the piece, which is easily over 100 feet long and took approximately 50 hours to complete. This piece just exudes feelings of memory, comfort, vulnerability, and attentiveness. I really appreciate the pliability of the work, and how it both interacts with the body in a loving/cocoon like manner and simultaneously drags behind with excess physical and conceptual weight.

Opening at Alloy Gallery

2010-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

So, as it turns out, I'll be showing some new work that I've made at Alloy Gallery. The opening will be on Thursday, June 10th at Alloy Gallery on Spring Street in Newport, Rhode Island.

Alloy is a phenomenal contemporary art gallery, which primarily displays the work of local artists. Despite a location which you may think lends itself to more conventional works, Alloy is truly an oasis of smartly designed and extremely well articulated pieces of jewelry and art objects. The owner, Tamar Kern, has done a great job filling the contemporary jewelry niche in Rhode Island.

From my experience, I have found her to be a very encouraging gallerist. She goes out of her way to work with emerging artists and designers, helping to create a more confident group of makers by providing a proactive gallery experience.

Clearly, I adore her and Alloy! So, I'm very excited to have the opportunity to show with her, and to get a response on the new pieces I've been working on.

The image at the right is of a template that I sent to the laser cutter earlier this week. I can't wait to get the real pieces back and to see how the computer files that I've been slaving over transform into objects!

Objectified Press Release

2010-05-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Below you will find the press release for the show that I'm curating in DC titled Objectified: The Domestication of the Industrial. If you click on the image, it will enlarge to full scale. The press release does a good job of articulating the work encompassed in the exhibition, I'm really pleased with it.

We're down to the wire now, with only a week and a half until the opening. I've been feeling unnaturally stress free, but am sure that installing the show will change all of that! I can't wait to see all the work together, it's going to be a strong group of pieces.

Happy reading!

2010-05-23T17:07:00.001-07:00

2010-05-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

This image was sent to my by Kelly Kinser, who took it while on a trip to Spain... beautiful!

Paris, je t'aime. Not.

2010-05-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

So, today I got an email from my Father about a news story that he had heard recently about love padlocks. After scouring the internet, I found an article about the padlocks of love that have been collected on the railings of the Pont des Arts, above the Seine River in Paris. Sadly, Parisian municipal authorities cut off a large portion of the locks late on Wednesday night. According to the Reuters article, tourists and locals were baffled as to why the authorities would want to ruin romance in a city whose reputation as a haven for lovers is a huge draw for visitors from around the world. Only a small number of locks have survived the cull, but since Wednesday some new ones have been put up too. It seems that sentimental love and emotional contagion will overrule the authorities desire for bare railings.

Ah-Young Oh's neo-classical knot rings...

2010-05-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Breathtaking.

Although I chronically peruse the website, I don't usually expect to find anything on Design*Sponge that throws me into an all out tizzy, but there's a first for everything! I noticed that have featured an amazing two finger ring by Ah-Young Oh, made of plated sterling silver, gypsy set cubic zirconia, and braided silk. This ring, pictured below, is a contemporary design inspired by portraits of Renaissance nobles, specifically the powered wigs and braided hairstyles of women from the time.

I really love the soft, tactile design of the ring, and the supple weave of the silk. Also, the use of gypsy setting is a nice honest way to balance out the opulence of the piece, it's a much more direct method of stone setting which requires the metal to literally be pushed up onto the stone.

I'm so glad that the editors of Design*Sponge included Ah-Young's piece on their blog, it makes me really happy to see jewelry considered as more than just a simple accessory.

Chromophilia

2010-05-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Devienna Anggraini and I have been collaborating on the curation of Chromophilia, an upcoming exhibition of contemporary art jewelry focusing on color and material. We've had some amazing makers agree to participate in this endeavor, and I'm simply ecstatic about how Chromophilia is developing! So far, we've been lucky to involve Mike and Maaike, Jimin Park, Jenny Bradley,Amy Weiks, and Mariana Acosta.

The artists' work presented in this exhibition is a result of in-depth investigations of color and materials. These explorations are articulated within the format of jewelry, which uses the human body as a pedestal. These artists have challenged the traditional concept of what adornment is, and are working beyond the borders of conventional jewelry. Non-traditional materials replace gold and gem stones, allowing the artists to adorn the wearer with jewelry that speaks more to design, and concept rather than monetary value. The saturation of color used by all of these artists to catch the eye, as well as to emphasize the effect that jewelry has on the wearer and its audience. Be sure to follow the Chromophilia blog here, which we are constantly updating.

Melting metal in your microwave...

2010-05-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

I remember the time when my grandfather heated up his coffee in his microwave, and after an impromptu firework display, the microwave shorted out in a cloud of smoke and sparks. The problem was that his coffee was in a mug that had metallic enamel on it, and the metal shorted out the microwave. Woops!

Well, I know that this is about four years later than the original project... but it seems that designer Kieren Jones has created a DIY kit for melting down jewelry and creating new rings with an average domestic microwave. The kit, pictured below, allows the user to reconstitute their scrap jewelry into beautiful new bling! The crucible has been specially designed from silicon carbide and boron to insulate the metal and prevent the microwave from arching.

And if the story of my grandfather wasn't warning enough, don't try this at home! I would also like to stress that this method is still potentially hazardous and should not be attempted at home. Besides, who wants to heat their food in a microwave oven that's just melted gold?

Ok, let's be honest... I still really don't believe that this is a tangible process that works without the risk of setting your kitchen on fire. But, I did find some interesting, and non-conclusive, information here.

Jointed Jewels by Alissia Melka-Teichroew

2010-05-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

So, I was just perusing the internet when I cam across an amazing artist, Alissia Melka-Teichroew. Seriously, her series of jointed jewels makes my head hurt a little! Alissia seems to be part jewelery, part industrial designer, and part magician. Her work, which references ball joints in cars and hip replacements, uses selective laser sintering to create the ball within a ball as one piece. Each piece is made in a single shot, using the laser to additively sculpt each work in it's entirety at one time... no post assembly needed!

Alissia finds inspiration in iconic jewelery, including luxury brands such as Bulgari and Cartier, and many of the bangles, necklaces and rings are interpretations of renaissance and Victorian jewels. Her multi-tiered pieces have connecting joints that pick up on human bone structure.

This is the same process that Nervous System used to create their intricately structured nylon rings. I really appreciate the co-opting that both these designers have done with the process of selective laser sintering, sometimes when techniques are so based in the technical it makes it hard for artists and makers to utilize them. I'm a little jealous of their brains, and totally want their work!

Buy me this!

2010-05-05T07:03:00.001-07:00

So, I was just trolling the internet... gratuitously procrastinating because I really should be doing some work right now... when I came across this amazing carpet! Designed by the Amsterdam based firm, 70f, these over-sized doilies are literally crocheted out of black climbers rope.

Can you imagine the size of the crochet needles that they used for this?!?

These phenomenal carpets completely revive your grandma's outdated doily patterns with a completely modern twist. I love the size and the detail of the carpet, it plays an amazing optical illusion on the brain. It would be really neat to see a couple of these in the same space.

Check out more from 70f here.

Upcoming exhibition: Objectified

2010-05-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, I'm pretty excited (and a little nervous) to be working with Honfleur Gallery in Washington DC to curate an exhibition titled Objectified: the domestication of the industrial.

Objectified will feature the work of Robert Longyear, Jeanne Jo, Andrea Miller, and Colleen Heineman.

The show brings together the work of four artists utilizing different media, and working in different methods. The commonality that these artists share is a philosophical approach to their subject matter, each artist presented here acts as a conduit transforming common materials and concepts into fine art. Whether transforming detritus into wearable works of art, or meticulously creating a knit codex, the artists of Objectified act as an intermediary, allowing their source materials to become more accessible to the viewer.

Objectified was born of the desire to bring together makers from disparate backgrounds, and working in a variety of ways who all drastically alter their materials as a result of extensive conceptual investigations. The title of the show refers to the artists use of the hand, and the alterations that the artists induce upon their work, each piece yielding an intimate relationship to the viewer. It was also important to have this show represent tangible objects as the results of the concepts and investigations articulated here. Allowing for a physical object to become the final vessel indicative of an arduous creative process emphasizes the complex status of that object.

Honfleur is a wonderful non-profit gallery in the Anacostia neighborhood of DC. And, I actually went to College with their Creative Director, Briony Evans, who was the one to invite me to curate the exhibition there. I'll be posting more information about the show as the dates get a little closer, including images of the work that will be included.

And, now that I've written this blog post I'm not so nervous any more. Much more excited...

2010-04-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

First Lovelock

2010-04-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

The first lock has been affixed to the newly designated space for commemorative padlocks! Actually, I encouraged my parents to be the first pair to use a lock to symbolize themselves. My father is a pretty dedicated collector of tools and hardware, so he was able to supply an antique lock for the wall, and my mother used nailpolish to sign their initials on the lock. Initially, I thought that they'd be apprehensive about defacing private property, my dad especially, but they were really excited about the whole idea! After my parents permanently fixed their lock to the fence, they walked across India Point Park and threw the key into the ocean!

PADLOCKS OF LOVE COMING TO PROVIDENCE

2010-04-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

After blogging about the Love Locks a while back, I noticed that the only location within the United States that Love Locks were being collected was in Guam, which is a pretty unattainable location for most of us to access. Love Padlocks are a custom by which sweethearts affix padlocks to a fence or similar public fixture to symbolize their love, or they're used to commemorate a loved one. I found myself attracted to the memorial aspects of this guerrilla tradition, and how such simple devices are used to permanently mark emotions, loved ones, wishes, or memories. Naturally, I'd like to have an opportunity to have a collection point a little closer to home than Guam.

So, I've been scouting out locations to start a collection locally. Unfortunately, Providence urban planners have been pretty diligent about not using building materials that would be conducive to having padlocks attached to them. Traditionally, the site of a Love Padlock grouping is on a bridge or scenic outlook; that way the people who leave their lock can throw the key into the water or down the side of a cliff. It's a nice symbolic gesture alluding to how the sentiment that is commemorated by the lock will last as long as the lock is in place. But, here in Providence there is no chain link, or fences with smaller rails by the rivers... Except for in India Point!

On a recent bike I ride, I noticed that the new hardscaping for the India Point Park overpass was done with really nice square link fencing, perfect for locking things to it! And, the location is just a short walk away from the Bay, where the keys can get tossed into the water! I'm going to be making up anonymous invitations to post around in order to get people to initiate the collection... so keep an eye out, or just go stick a lock over there ASAP!Images from top to bottom: Metal chain-link railings at Mount Huang, China, adorned with padlocks, the keys ceremoniously thrown to the bottom of the cliff; Love padlocks on the Passerelle Leopold Sedar Senghor in Paris; Future site of Love Padlocks in Providence's India Point Park.

Bad-Ass Wedding Rings

2010-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wendi Woodland brought these wedding rings to my attention, they are pretty amazing! The set is by Canadian Artist Kiley Granberg. I appreciate the use of simple hardware, and how the pieces actually interlock. Also, I'm really glad that the rings were cast in gold, as the material pushes the concept of value/worth more than any white metal would. Overall, the rings are definitely a humorous pair, and just a little bit sexual...

2010-04-03T11:52:00.001-07:00

Check out this beautiful lamp lady! She's painted on the wall of a wig shop/hair salon here is Austin... The detail of the crystal is wonderful, and really has a Victorian feel to it. I also like the how much the mural looks like a cameo, from the design to the colors to the profile. I can imagine a whole group of ladies with different objects sprouting from their heads keeping me company in my studio!

2010-04-02T12:33:00.001-07:00

I was recently visiting a friends house, when I notice a captivating collection of iridescent blue baubles in her dining room. Upon closer inspection, the mysterious little beauties turned out to be a collection of delicate brass jewelry with a glowing blue material decorating the pieces.
I was captivated and curious. The iridescence of the pieces reminded me of butterfly wing paintings that my mother collects. The blue quite literally glows with a rainbow sheen of an oil slick in the sun.

Erin, the proud owner of this stunning menagerie, as well as the local store Frog And Toad, explained to me that the pieces were Chinese hair ornaments made from King Fisher throat feathers. Fragile, yet vibrant, these pieces truly seemed to be alive. The stylized designs of the King Fisher jewelry references flowers, bugs, and leaves.

When I went into Frog And Toad the following week, Erin showed me the rest of her King Fisher collection, a few pieces from which are pictured above. Although these pieces have been damaged more over time, they are no less beautiful. In fact, I think that the wear and tear of these little treasures truly adds to their beauty. I really love how the bright colored brass shows through where the feathers are missing, and how the hardware components, when not in use, become utilitarian decorative elements.

Awesome THIS AMERICAN LIFE Series

2010-03-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

73:

Blame It on Art

The darker side of the art world: petty jealousies, competitiveness, failure. And also what's so great about art.

PROLOGUE.
 Foreign correspondent Jim Biederman reports from a cell phone inside the Louvre, in front of the Mona Lisa, on what people say while they're standing in front of some of the world's greatest works of art. It turns out to be pretty banal. People talk about dinner. And the price of the paintings.

It actually makes you feel bad for artists—a group most of us feel no sympathy for whatsoever. After all, it takes years to develop artistic skills; it's intensely competitive; almost no one makes any money doing it; there are jealousies and unfair treatment; and then, if somehow, your work is recognized, and you end up in a museum like the Louvre, you're even treated badly there. (5 minutes) 

Act One. Life in a Bubble.
TAL contributing editor Paul Tough talks with Aaron Hsu-Flanders, an acknowledged master in the field of animal balloons, who says that artistic jealousies have ruined his life. Even in the world of latex giraffes and doggies, there are artistic rivalries and bitterness. (9 1/2 minutes)

Song: "Tears of a Clown," The English BeatAct Two. Still Life.
  David Sedaris recounts his shameful career as a performance artist. Recorded before a live audience by KUOW Seattle.

David's most recent book is Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. (14 minutes)

Song: "The Collector (and the Art Mob)," Terry AllenAct Three. Reverb.
 Ellery Eskelin never met his father, but always heard he was a musical genius. Years after his father's death, Ellery started finding recordings of his musical output: he was the king of "song-poems." These are the songs that result when people answer those ads in the backs of magazines that say, "Send us your lyrics, and we'll write and record your song."

Ellery's father's musical output was prodigious—and very odd. An accomplished jazz saxophonist and jazz snob, Ellery listened to his father's tunes, and his own musical taste started to change. (17 minutes)

Song: "Green Bermudas," Ellery Eskelin with Andrea ParkinsAct Four. Grace Note.
 After all this doom and gloom about the difficult lives of artists, we end the show with a more hopeful story from Joel Kostman, a New York City locksmith, who tells us about an incident that happened to him on the job.

Joel is author of Keys to the City: Tales of a New York City Locksmith.

Song: "Chapel of Love," Barry Winograd and John Siegle                                         

She Works Hard For The Money

2010-03-19T10:41:00.001-07:00

This morning I had errands to run at the Providence City Hall. While I was there, I had the opportunity to check out the current exhibition, She Works Hard For The Money, curated by Rebecca Siemering. The show is really great, and it made having to hang around the tax assessors office much more bearable! I took this picture of the piece that I included in the show, I really like how it looks framed in the space. This image is a little dark, but you can still see the formal foyer with the marble floors, and dark woods... And the darkness of the space just makes the necklace pop that much more!

From The Studio

2010-03-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

This is a neck-piece that I've been working on in the studio. Similar to the pieces that I made for my recent show at Craftland, this piece is made of monochromatic glass beads encased in a tube of knit thread, floss, and retroglo. Again, similar to the body of work that I just completed, this will have some reflective aspects, but will be much more selective than before. I'm not sure how I will resolve the many connections of this piece, but feel that it's time to just bite the bullet and start working on it again... hopefully the piece will help solve itself!