sparkle plenty 6

i was invited back to sparkle plenty this year, an annual exhibition hosted by quirk gallery. the show is now in its 6th year and the theme for this addition is earrings. i began with a pair i made a few months ago, chandelier-like spray-painted earrings, and made 5 other pairs to complement them using painted and non-painted elements. my contribution includes simple, wearable pieces that are slightly unconventional, mostly in the form of a few asymmetrical designs. i also indulged my interest in mixed-media by using knotted thread in two pieces.

i also posted my studio shots on flickr.

thanks for reading.

work in progress

for the last few weeks i've been making regal graffiti for three new galleries: the signature shop, the society for craft, and the society of arts and crafts. it's been great to be able to make so much work at once. i've continued ideas i began with the work i made for spectrum and i've had fun with tried and true styles in the form of earrings. i designed two new chains, too. there is a "but" to all of this, though. i need to step away from the spray paint, take a break, think, process, work on different things...and by doing this, i will gain perspective, learn about the work, and refresh myself for more because i am definitely not done with this series. i also realized i miss metalwork. the focus of regal graffiti is the paint and surface, not the metal fabrication. it's time to get back to my roots which i know can only inform the spray painted work to come.
lots more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

something is going on here

after a year of working on regal graffiti i have accumulated a sizable collection of silhouette paintings. i look through them occasionally and have had several interesting conversations with other artists about them. my curiosity for installations inspired me to hang them on a wall in my studio and three packs of thumbtacks later i was done. i think i have some great material here--workable material that could become something else, perhaps jewelry, and also material in the form of information that i can study and use in future works. i'm not sure what i will do with this yet but for now i can look at it everyday and allow it to sink in. i can also observe how others react to it which is always interesting.

more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

the spill smiths

my friend and colleague, gabriel craig, recently brought my attention to the spill smiths, a group of metalsmiths in savannah, ga who are trying to educate the public about the gulf oil spill and support the clean-up. the group's website includes a blog and information about the spill, the project, the makers, and resources. they will have an exhibition including art, jewelry, and video at mr. beast gallery in savannah from november 4-9, 2010. they are also taking pre-orders for their awareness badges which will be part of an installation at the show. (funds raised will be distributed to gulf region charities.)

awareness badges

thanks for reading.

guest star #65...liz steiner

i haven't written a guest star friday post in a long time. it's not because i've forgotten, i've just been busy and i can get carried away looking for metalsmiths i have not heard of before. i just haven't had time to get lost on the internet these days. today, however, i thought i would revisit the series with liz steiner. i know liz from the internet and we've become buddies via email and so on. then a few weeks ago we finally got to meet when i went to ECU for "making a living/making a life." we didn't get a chance to talk at length then, but it was great to just meet and put a face to our correspondence. i know we'll talk more in the future. anyway, i got a thank you in the mail when i returned from the symposium in the form of one of liz's lovely pins. (see above image) i was so surprised and delighted. i love this piece! (and it was so thoughtful of her.) the pin is part of a series she's been working on for her graduate thesis, a wall installation numbering between 250 and 500 brooches. (see detail image below.) i really love what's she's doing with various objects and thread. the pieces are abstract and minimal yet seem very personal.


you can see more of liz's current work on flickr.

thanks for reading.

what a day!

transistor brooch by caitie sellers, sterling and steel

yesterday was one of those special penland days for me. it began with a demonstration in the metals studio lead by david anderson, a goldsmith from taos, nm. david is the visiting artist in julia woodman's concentration metals class and julia was kind enough to invite me to watch. the metals studio at school just got a new 25-ton electric hydraulic press and david showed us how to use it. the demo began with hydraulic press basics, an excellent refresher for me. then later in the afternoon he showed us how to do some anticlastic raising with it. it's a pretty incredible machine. techniques that normally take countless hours can be done in minutes. the bracelet by david posted here was formed using the press after the stones were set. awesome!

bracelet by david anderson, sterling, 18K gold, garnets

woven majesty tea service by julia woodman, sterling silver

next i went upstairs where lisa colby is teaching a one-week beginning jewelry class and listened to rhonda and elijah wyman talk about their business, figs and ginger. rhonda and elijah were visiting because their friend and employee, caitie sellers, is lisa's assistant. (caitie was also my assistant at penland.) it was great to hear them talk about how they make it work. caitie and i toured them around school after ward.

whale charm necklace by figs and ginger, sterling silver

finally, i went to lisa's instructor slide talk. i really like her work and have for awhile. she has a great design sense and i like her textures and use of repetition. i got to spend some time with her that evening along with some of her students, caitie, and adam whitney.

bracelet by lisa colby, sterling silver

what a great day!

thanks for reading.

pins for the core fellows

the opening for the penland core fellows' annual exhibition was this past friday. the day of the show has become quite a celebration around here. core students have a special dinner prepared for them, they are given handmade gifts, staff members and others volunteer to do their jobs, they are chauffeured around in a hilarious theme-decorated van, there's an opening reception, a roast, and a party. it is definitely one of my favorite times here and this years exhibition is truly remarkable. i was astounded when i saw it for the first time friday afternoon. during spring concentration i taught core seminar, an hour-long weekly class, and the fellows liked it so much, they asked me to come back. i am now teaching during this fall's concentration. needless to say, i have become quite fond of all of them. they are a wonderful group of incredibly talented artists. i was one of the people who made them mementos this year for the show. i made a brooch for each fellow, personalized with materials or imagery that they like and that reminds me of them. it was great fun to figure out the perfect material for each person and even more fun to see their reactions when they opened them up.

pin for rosie with layers of waxed paper cut with scallop scissors

here's a list of the current core students with links, if available:

ele annand
daniel beck
jason bige burnett
leah frost
jessica heikes
ian henderson
rosina saqib
amanda thatch
mark warren

the show runs through november 14 at the penland gallery. it's a beautiful show and a must-see of you live nearby or find yourself in the area.

more images of the pins on flickr.

thanks for reading.

spectrum install in-progress

on wednesday i called heidi at heidi lowe gallery just to check-in and to make sure she had received all of my jewelry for the show. she indeed had and proceeded to email me a few pictures from her iphone of the work all laid out for installation. i know co-curators megan romero and ashley willemain have been working really hard and i wish i could see the show in person. i would love to see the other artists' work up close and see how it all works together. plus, heidi and her staff always put together interesting displays and i am sure this show will be no exception. it opens tomorrow!

spectrum
a group exhibition showcasing color with
sally collins, timothy mcmahon, melissa tolar, amy tavern

heidi lowe gallery
rehoboth beach, de
opening reception 10/9, 6-9pm
through 11/8

thanks for reading.

spectrum, the finished pieces

necklace in navy, hot pink

here are images i took in my studio of the pieces i made for the upcoming exhibition "spectrum" which opens this weekend at heidi lowe gallery. i tried to be more 3-dimensional with these pieces, i experimented with fiber, and i tried collage. i think about incorporating these things into my work a lot and finally decided i needed to just do it. yes, i've been working on the 3-D thing and i've dabbled with the others, too, but this time i made a conscious decision in their favor. i just wanted to see what i could do. finally, a note about color... i still can't believe i'm in a show about color! it seems wild to me. it was interesting to have that as the focus for the work and for it to be just as important as the metalwork.

brooch in light blue

brooch in light blue, hot pink

necklace in light blue, red

necklace in navy

more images on flickr.

thanks for reading

the lecture

urban brooch by ecu grad student, kat cole

on friday i gave a lecture at the "making a living/making a life" symposium. there were 6 speakers total and we each had 50 minutes to talk. my lecture focused on my career, how i built my business, and what is happening to my work and my career now that i am a resident artist. i was nervous as per usual, becoming more so as my time drew closer. i also felt nervous for the first few minutes and then began to relax. once i started to settle down the fact that i know what i am talking about kicked in and allowed me to speak more freely. i practiced during the week beforehand and that also helped the nerves; being prepared is like a tool i can use to manage my feelings. i was not able to have my notes in front of me again--i write them in the powerpoint but for whatever reason the technology at the venue never seems to allow for their use. i did forget things and spent some time kicking myself afterward for forgetting them. but, now that some time has passed, i feel more pleased than anything else. i have one more public speaking experience under my belt and have learned that much more about lecturing. there is always room for improvement and next time will be a little bit better.

as for the day itself, it began at 9am with a talk by holly garriott from emerge, a local non-profit gallery that offers arts administration internships to ecu students. it seems like an excellent resource for college art students and i was very impressed. the other lectures were all quite different, but each focused on how the artist has made a living and a life for themselves. i particularly liked the talks by jim gallucci and clark whittington. next we had a panel discussion, followed by a reception. after that we all went to emerge for the opening of "rebel53", a juried show featuring the work of ecu students.

the next day a wonderful group of metals students toured me around greenville - breakfast at a diner (i love a good diner!), the farmers' market (pickles, cheddar bread, and sweet potato pie), and some antique stores (scissors and sewing kits). they also showed me the metals department and i did one-on-one critiques with a bunch of grads and undergrads.

it really was a fantastic weekend! thanks to everyone who made it so!

thanks for reading.