guest star friday no. 5...lina peterson

as with last week's guest star, sybille richter, i just found the fantastic experimental work of swedish maker, lina peterson. lina uses mixed materials (metal, textiles) and techniques (metalsmithing, crocheting, sewing, dip-coating) to create her sculptural pieces. i love her use of color, texture, and abstract forms. it seems she's investigating how her chosen materials (and their varying characteristics) and the process of making relate to one another. her work also seems very personal and intimate and i absolutely adore it. you can see more images of her jewelry at her website and at sienna gallery's website.

the above pictures (both brooches) are from sienna gallery's site.
top - "crocheted brooch" in oxidized sterling and cotton.
bottom - "stitched brooch" in textile, thread, and plastic dip-coated metal.

just lovely.

thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 4...sybille richter

i just discovered the work of sybille richter earlier this week as i was perusing velvet da vinci's website. i've tried to find more information about her, but haven't had much luck. i do know she's from germany and has that signature minimalist german aesthetic. i love how sculptural and abstract her pieces are; very simple shapes and designs with a lovely, quiet treatment. it looks like she's using basic fabrication techniques to manipulate the metal and monochrome enamels for added color. you can see more images of sybille's work at velvet's website.

the above images are from left: brooch and necklace

thanks for reading.

pop-out again!

here you go, another fine example of pop-out jewelry... this time in the form of a wooden postcard with parts that you can pop out and assemble to form a wearable ring. and, you can actually mail the postcard. the design is by nutre arayavanish. nutre also designed this envelope necklace. again, it can be mailed and, later, cut out and worn.

thanks for reading.

18K

the blog 18K has written about my work and i am thrilled! i really like this blog. i can't read any of it because it's written in catalan, but i love looking at all the great jewelry the blog's writer, marta, features. i think it's an excellent source for new, innovative work. here's the link.

also, here's a link to marta's own jewelry website. enjoy!

thanks for reading.

at last!

sunday night i did something i never seem to have any time for - i made something for myself! some time ago, my mom gave me a pair of old, twisted-wire hoops to melt down for the metal. i thought they were interesting so i held onto them instead. then i had this idea MONTHS ago to sew beads on them. i finally made them and just love how they turned out.

here are some pics...mid-stage - one beaded, one not. the finished earrings. me wearing them.



thanks for reading.

guest star friday #3...joanna gollberg.

joanna gollberg makes great jewelry. she is also my good friend and studiomate. we met at the penland school of crafts years ago when we were both students in lori talcott's class, ancient techniques for modern metalsmiths. i have always been impressed with how prolific joanna is and that her work is constantly evolving and ever dynamic. it seems like she has tons of ideas all the time and she actually makes each and every one. she uses lots of ovals and other simple shapes and incorporates repetition of form, movement, and interesting mechanisms. her work is very thoughtful and well made. lately, she has been making these cool triangular forms with her ovals. i love the contrast between the rigid triangle and the softer oval. please see above image.

joanna also has a lot of fun in the studio. she made this mossy ball necklace a few weeks ago. so fun!






just last week she started making these rings, my new favorite...the bands and settings are delicate wire. then, trapped in the top, are rough-cut stones, bits and pieces, and other odd little objects. they look amazing stacked!

in addition to all the jewelry, joanna also write books and teaches.
she is incredibly giving of her knowledge and talent. right now, joanna is showing and selling her work at the philadelphia buyer's market of american craft show and then next week at the american craft council baltimore show.





here's where you can find her online:

her website
on flickr
her blog the stirling news
on etsy

thanks for reading.

new images from the past

i had a few older things photographed recently including these sterling, felt, and resin rings. the felt-dipped-in-resin "chips" were one of my experiments from the class i took with maria phillips a few winters ago...i would like to keep going with this idea, someday. i made the rings at the penland school of crafts when i assisted joanna gollberg, my good friend & studiomate.i also made this sterling and carpet ring during that penland class. this will be part of an interesting and fun series, someday, too. you should see my collection of flooring samples!and finally, an oxidized sterling bracelet with gold rivets. i consider it to be the start of my line drawing series. it is based on some danish-made vases.
all images by hank drew.

thanks for reading.

sneak peaks!

here you go...a few images of my new stuff. these designs, along with about 30 more, will be available for viewing and buying on march 21 at my website. i'll offer free shipping for a month then, too! you will also be able to find most of the new work at my shops. you can find a list of them here. please email me (amy@amytavern.com) if you have any questions about these pieces.

images from top: preface brooch, layered necklace D, very thin steel stacking rings, cuff links (new men's collection!), tiny ratio earrings in sterling and (new) 14K, (all images by hank drew)

thanks for reading.

here's another beautiful piece of pop-out jewelry...it doesn't actually pop out like my other examples, but the artist hannah louise lamb cut the two pieces from the same piece of metal - one piece essentially pops out from the other. you can find her lovely work and other excellent work at papa stour, a wesbite that features scottish artists.

thanks for reading.

sneak peaks...soon!

i just got the images of all my new work from my photographer. they look so good and i am psyched! i will show a few soon so please check back early next week...

thanks for reading.

one more for the pop.

it is nearly 12am and i just remembered studio 1am and their cork bracelet that, yes, pops-out.

ok, it's 12am. goodnight.

thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 3...iris bodemer continued

i ended up tracking down a copy of the iris bodemer catalog i mentioned in last week's installment of guest star friday. i found it at charon kranson arts in nyc. charon has an extensive collection of studio jewelry books and exhibition catalogs for sale. my copy arrived yesterday and is more wonderful than i remembered. the cover is different (maybe the cover design varies from book to book?), but it still has the staples, AND a strip of green shiny tape. tape, i say!




thanks for reading.

more popping...

after my last post on pop-up/out jewelry, i remembered this clever blissen creation - "the necklace notecard"

ps. i love all the blissen goods.

thanks for reading.

pop!

how fun, pop-up/pop-out jewelry! i've been searching for this stuff on the internet and found these two rad designers so far:

alissia melka-teichroew makes "ring a day." she's also the designer behind BY:AMT. and there's melissa borrell who makes "pop-out jewelry." i'll keep looking for more.

thanks for reading.

this is why i heart lace.

yesterday i read and studied two different books on lace. they were mesmerizing. i made a list of why i am interested in and how i relate to lace, including phrases and key words:

1. repetition of shapes and patterns - both positive and negative space
2. patterns within patterns
3. repetition of line
4. "system" of patterns and shapes that coexist and rely on each other to simultaneously create the over-all look as well as the individual elements
5. certain patterns and lines create/suggest movement and/or rhythm - can be subtle
6. combination/interplay of organic and geometric imagery
7. lace is an exercise in contrasts
8. words that come to mind when i look at lace:
grid-like
structural
organized
rigid and flowing
order
highly detailed
intricate
complicated
delicate

when i look at lace i am attracted to all the things i listed above but i also see these things everywhere i look. they are often the most noticeable or appealing aspects of objects and scenery to me. i even strive to create them in my work. (and i strive for them - order, structure, organization - in my home, office, and studio.) my sculpture teacher, bob booth, at SUNY fredonia, often talked about how the eye moves or travels along a sculpture. i haven't forgotten this concept and think about it when i make my jewelry and when i am observing things. i refer to it as "visual movement." i think this applies to looking at 2D images as well, including lace.

thanks for reading.

all images from: pictorial archive of lace designs ed. carol belanger grafton

much needed day off

i finished my new collection pieces (all 35 of 'em!) and sent them off to my photographer, hank drew, in seattle. i am very pleased with the finished jewelry and had a great time making it, but i am (temporarily) spent. it takes a lot to make new work and it can be an intense process. plus, my fingers and my right wrist hurt. time to recharge. day off. (and maybe tomorrow, too.) so here i am, it's monday, i'm in bed with my laptop, a stack of books and magazines, a cup of tea, and my purring cat. the stack of books has been sitting here for a few weeks, neglected due to busy-ness. here's the break-down... martin puryear (the book from his recent moma show), pictorial archive of lace deisgns, antique lace patterns, the new vogue, the new metalsmith magazine, and 500 necklaces. good stuff. now i am going to stop this entry so i can get to it.


thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 2...iris bodemer

back in january 2004 i was feeling a little burnt out by the previous busy holiday season so i took a week off from work (my studio) and took a class with maria phillips at pratt fine arts center in seattle. it was one of the best things i have done for my jewelry/career so far. i had five 8-hour days to learn new things and experiment. this is when i learned how to solder steel which has lead to a successful line of jewelry that i love making. it was also when i first heard of german metalsmith, iris bodemer. maria had brought in all kinds of jewelry books and exhibition catalogs, among them a book of iris' work. i remember it had staples as part of the design of the book itself and they gave it a lovely handmade feel. inside, her work was unlike anything i had seen before. the pieces were like sculptural drawings: abstract, minimal, and quiet. she used metals and alternative materials and i especially liked her use of thread. in 2006 i went to see an exhibition of her work. it was a duel show with maria phillips titled "sculpture becomes jewelry." one of the gallery walls was covered in 12 x 18 canvas boards that served as the framework for 64 different jewelry compositions, each made up of an abstract brooch and a simple drawing; the two meant to be viewed as one piece. i loved the emphasis on form and how the jewelry related to the drawing and vice versa. they were captivating and it was thrilling to see one of my hero's work up close.

images from top: cover of the aforementioned book. a piece similar to those in the 64 canvas board installation, 2005-2006. mixed media.

thanks for reading.