teaching part 1

my class has begun and it's going great! i shook the nerves and now i'm having so much fun doing demos and interacting with my students. i have a big group, all with varied backgrounds and skill levels and all very excited to learn and work. sunday night we did our introductions and talked a little about what the week will look like. then monday morning we began with a 45 minute lecture on details, surface design, and complementary findings. the talk consisted of nearly 80 images of contemporary jewelry incorporating the different techniques and topics we will be covering like roll printing, acid etching, and handmade clasps.

an image from the details lecture - rings by ann havel

next i demo-ed a bunch of basic texturing and finishing techniques with sand paper, files, and sand blasting. after lunch i showed them roller printing and everyone started making samples. i have a few beginners in the class so gave them a sawing, filing, and piercing demo followed by a dapping demo.

thanks for reading.

it's the little things

my class "it's the little things" begins today...i am really excited and just a bit nervous (which i am sure will go away once class starts). i just finished packing up my studio and teaching materials and will move into the metals studio at school in a few hours. my lovely assistant, caitie sellers, is coming down to my studio shortly so we can go over the syllabus and other class-related stuff. this is going to be a big week that is sure to fly by - i have two demos (many of which are multi-faceted) planned monday-thursday and then friday is a work day for my students to explore techniques or work on specific projects. i'll try to post as much as possible...

...and one more thing...i was thinking about the class on friday and that's when it hit me: i'm teaching at penland! i started crying! looking back to 1999 when i came here for the first time i wasn't even thinking that far ahead and i never would have imagined this was possible. i know, this is not my first time teaching here but i am still in awe. this is such a special and important place for me. i am absolutely thrilled to give back in the form of teaching.

bracelets by caitie sellers

be sure to check out caitie's great blog - what not and such.

thanks for reading.

STRASSENKUNST

Brooch No. 1

my brooch no. 1 was selected to be in the exhibition "STRASSENKUNST" at artspace in richmond, va. the show features artwork inspired by graffiti. while most of the work is 2D in the form of paintings and drawings, there is one other piece of jewelry, a ring by kelly robinson.

graffiti study #3, ring, by kelly robinson

you can view more pieces from the show in this picasa album.

opening reception friday, august 27 from 7-10pm
runs through september 19
zero east fourth street
richmond, va 23224

thanks for reading.

a little bit more about the auction

penland's 25th annual benefit auction was aug 13 and 14th. this year's event was lots of fun and very busy. i was more relaxed this year, but still felt a little on edge. there is so much that happens in those two short days and watching one's work auctioned off in such an important auction is nerve-wracking. however, it really was exciting and an all-around excellent experience.

i began my day on friday by cutting fruit in the pines' kitchen with fellow resident margaret cogswell. (all the residents help a little "behind the scenes.") then i ran home to change clothes so i could attend an artist talk at the penland gallery followed by the "director's luncheon," a special luncheon for "lucy morgan leaders." i sat with a lovely group of friends and met lots of auction attendees; there were toasts and short speeches and the food was excellent. next i went home to finish some last-minute details in my studio and to change clothes again for the late afternoon and evening events, including an artist reception, cocktail party with live music, and a live-action preview. around 7 everyone headed to the big tent for dinner and friday's live auction, followed by a dessert and live music party. i left around 11 to get myself in bed because i knew saturday was going to be a big day.

check out this link to a beautiful picture of the tent on friday night.

at 7am the next morning i met with the volunteers who would be taking care of the resident breakfast. after i helped them get situated i spruced up my studio one last time and began welcoming patrons. once the last attendee had left i did a quick clean-up and got myself to the live auction and lunch under the tent. all the residents had pieces in this auction and it was exciting to see our work bid on. the most exciting moment, however, was when hoss haley's sculpture was auctioned. hoss gave an eloquent speech and then the bidding began. when it was all over everyone was on their feet cheering.

toric knot by hoss haley

the fruit i mentioned earlier was served at the resident artists' event "breakfast at the barns" where auction attendees get a complimentary handmade mug for their coffee along with breakfast goodies to enjoy as they visit each resident studio. this year's sale was excellent and i am very pleased with how well it went. a special thank you to my friend's who helped that morning, courtney martin, beth schaible, and marianne dages. i couldn't have done it without them.

more on flickr.

auction prep: display

like i've said before, i love displaying my work and my collections of things. i wanted to create a really beautiful display for this year's auction and spent a few hours this morning putting it together. the beginning stages are usually a little slow - i tend to feel overwhelmed because there's so much to display and i don't know where to begin. then i make a move and then another and then change something and then...one thing leads to another and i'm done. i am going to sleep on this one and maybe tweak it some in the morning. i do like it, though - it's clean and i think the work looks really good.

more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

auction prep: regal graffiti

for the past few weeks i've been making lots of work for the annual penland benefit auction. on saturday, august 14th the residents will host a special show and sale at 9am. it's called "breakfast at the barns" and auction-goers who attend get a lovely handmade mug for their coffee along with breakfast goodies to enjoy as they visit our studios and shop. last year's event was a huge success and we are all hoping for a repeat this year.

i made a number of new spray painted pieces including some single pendants, lots of earrings, and a few big necklaces. my color palate at the moment is red-light blue-yellow-hot pink-white. in the past i've hesitated a lot before painting the work, debating which colors to use and how to layer them, but i've found in making this work that i really like these specific colors and i am comfortable with them. painting was easy and i barely had to think.

i also created a new spray booth which has been great to use. it's safer and efficient and that makes spray painting so much easier.

more images on flickr.

thanks for reading.

auction prep: line drawings

my line drawing series has been on the back burner for some time now because i have been developing new ideas. this year's auction prep allowed me to revisit the series and make some pieces i started thinking about over a year ago. in the last few weeks i gave myself the time to make these pieces and repeat a few as well. i made some things with 18K gold solder and made a necklace using elements similar to my line drawing brooch. it's been fun to make these pieces because the series is so familiar. i found i could just be in the process, designing away, and there was an effortless to it that i don't necessarily feel when i am making new work.


more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

auction 2010

this year's featured artist is hoss haley, a former resident

this year's penland benefit auction is right around the corner, as in next friday and saturday. this year i donated the pendant from the first regal graffiti pieces i made last fall. i chose this piece because i wanted to give something i had made in my first year as a resident artist, a piece that i was able to make truly because of my residency.

and here are a few images of the catalog. i'm pretty excited about my lot because i was quoted again this year and i share the page with two friends, lola brooks and david chatt. you can view the entire catalog online at the penland website. i highly recommend perusing the pages - there is some incredible work in there!

thanks for reading.

a small installation

i love displaying my work (and all sorts of things, really) and try to do something different for every open house the resident artists host (one per session, so one every 2 weeks). for session four i combined the new regal graffiti pieces for heidi lowe gallery with the tiny gallery pieces and some silhouettes in a small installation.

more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

new work for heidi lowe

here's some new regal graffiti i made for heidi lowe gallery...more experimenting with color, more bows, and i was also able to revisit some of the marks i made in my enameling class with helen carnac (see the footprints in the light blue earrings below). i'm really into that hot pink, especially when paired with red, and i'm also really into the four-teardrop pendant design and have made a few more similar pieces since.

more images on flickr including some process shots.

thanks for reading.

the yellow brooch

my friend, marcia macdonald, passed away almost 2 weeks ago and i decided to focus on my work as a way to recognize her passing and to honor her memory. this time has been therapeutic and cathartic. this is a difficult topic for me to share so i won't say much, but i do want to say that marcia was important to me and i cherish the time i knew her. the above piece is something i made for her a few weeks before her death. it was part of the tiny gallery. i am sorry i was not able to share it with her.

thanks for reading.