here are some images of the jewelry i am taking with me to acc. some of the work is older and some of it is new. most of the time i feel pretty good about the entire group, but i do have some occasional doubts - is it any good? is it cohesive? do i have enough? typical. the pieces you see here are my line drawings and my newer stateline/shallow shell pieces. i am excited to get back to penland after acc to move forward with this work!
thanks for reading.
i will be leaving for the acc searchlight show in baltimore tomorrow. i thought i would share some images and info about the other metalsmith/jewelers who will also be at the show. i am eager to meet them and see their work in person. we all have different styles, use varying materials, and i think we will complement each other nicely.
stacey lee webber manipulates coins, meticulously cutting out silhouette imagery to cast money in a whole new light.
maya kini uses different metals, enamel, and other more delicate materials to create beautiful studies of mundane objects, elevating them to the precious, like this bronze balloon and 22K gold funnel. 
here's my booth, a simplified version of the august show. it took me no time to set up or take down. thanks to joanna gollberg for loaning me her carpet, tables, and lights...she saved me so much money! 
thanks for reading.
now, on to the brighter side of the buyers market (because there is only so long i can dwell on the negative)...yes, the show was terrible, but it is what it is. i learned some things and got some great experience. and, it just means i will work harder and be more creative over the coming months and years. these kinds of tough experiences can be good for that. what really made the show was my time with the other artists. i met some great people and got to talk with others whom i've met before. it was fun to see everyone, catch-up, commiserate, talk shop, get dinner, and so on. here's a list and a little shout-out to many of the great people i'm talking about:
jane d'arensbourg
they all provided excellent conversation, sparkling humor, great advice, pep talks...and they all design and make some fantastic work. i hope you will take some time to visit their websites.
the buyers market of american craft was terrible for me. i did not get any orders. none. i was shocked. i went there with reasonable and low expectations. i just wanted to make my expenses back which would have meant 1 or 2 orders a day at my minimum. after day 2 passed with nothing, i knew something was very wrong. i knew the show could be bad, but i did not expect this. there weren't very many buyers present, (20-30 minutes would pass without anyone in the aisles), many artists canceled or went on sabbatical (as i heard it, the most ever in the history of the show), and many artists i spoke with got little to no orders, like myself. several of the people around me got orders, some even seemed to do ok, but many of the orders they got were reorders from regular galleries for the same pieces ordered last year, just in smaller quantities. the buyers weren't buying anything new, they weren't taking any risks, and they were being very conservative. (and why wouldn't they?!)
i just got this picture of a pewter bowl, cup, and spoon that i made in a pewter holloware class in college. i made the set for my friend beckett who was a baby at the time. the instructor of the class was michael gayk who was a grad student. michael sent the picture to me today and it was a pleasant surprise. he also told me that he uses the image in his student work for his cv, also a very nice surprise. thanks, mike! i also made these salt and pepper shakers.
thanks for reading.
i set up my booth yesterday at the buyers market of american craft. i unloaded my car at 1 and got started with my booth about 40 minutes later. i think i finished around 4:30 and left feeling good but also feeling like i did something wrong. it seemed a little too easy this time around. i hope i find everything still standing when i get there later today! the jewelry preview is today from 4-7 and i'll be in booth #623.
thanks for reading.
also, i wanted to mention my taboo studio opening this friday, february 13 form 6-8pm. if you live in the san diego area please check it out for me.
coral brooch
rings
i've been working on some new ideas since moving to penland. i've been thinking about lines and different ways they come together, especially borders and other outlines. when i was flying a lot in the fall for my west coast trunk show tour i became increasingly fascinated by the outlines of farmland and the meandering patterns of roads. also, around election time, i looked at the blue and red map of the u.s. a lot and really began noticing the shapes of the states. i think between my birds eye view from the plane and that map, these shapes developed.
as i am sure many of you can relate, i have to be thriftier than usual right now. i had all these little circles in my scrap bin that were the insides of my flat egg shapes. instead of recycling them, i just started cutting them up. what came from that light bulb moment are these shallow domes. 
all this work is for the acc searchlight show at the end of the month. i will also be bringing lots of line drawing pieces.
thanks for reading.
my warm earrings (this month's jewelry of the month) made it into 30 minute earrings! they are very happy. 
i am attending the buyers market of american craft next week. this will be my second go after my first experience there in august 2008. preparations this time around have been completely different, easier, cheaper, quicker. i had to create my booth from scratch last year but this year all i had to do was repaint my earrings stands. (they got a little beat-up during my west coast trunk show tour). i'm scaling back a little on the display, too. after my 4 show tour in the fall, i figured out a more streamlined approach. i'm using the same props for the most part, minus a few. most of my collection items are already made this time. i only spent a day or two making the missing pieces. i still have one necklace to make and two of my very thin gold rings. it's still funny to me how little room my inventory takes up. its all in these boxes! 
finally, all my printed materials (wholesale line sheet, contract, postcards, photos, etc.) are done with a few needing a little update. i just need to make copies of some of those. i am really appreciating all the hard work i did nine months ago right now as well as the lists and notes i made during the show. they have made things so much easier.
my blog turned one recently and i have to say it's been really fun and a great challenge for me to write my posts over the past year. i remember thinking i would never have a blog, but now i am so glad i do. i've learned a lot about my work and the work of others, why i make jewelry, and why i love it all so much, just from writing about it regularly.
for february's jewelry of the month i made these warm earrings to help us all get through the cold. the earrings are constructed of covered buttons, woven gray wool, and sterling silver findings. i love making covered buttons and enjoy using them in different ways, not just as buttons. i think my warm earrings are the perfect thing for this time of the year.
i made 6 pairs and they measure about 2" long x 1" wide.
