Exposition No. 2 and No. 3

"Patro(o)n"catalog

On Saturday I went to see two different exhibitions at the Silver Museum, also just outside of Antwerp. The first exhibition, "Patro(o)n," featured the work of graduates from four different Antwerp area schools. There was some really wonderful pieces in this show, some very strong work. The ones I was most interested in include those by Natalie Bal, Nathalie Monteyne, Anouk Droesbeke, and Arnaud Sprimont, all pictured here. I also had the pleasure of meeting Arnaud, the person behind Apparat, a website that showcases international jewelry. He published images of my work awhile ago when the site first began and was kind enough to publish my new work just the other day. (Thank you, Arnaud!)

Silver Museum (Yep, it's a castle.)

  Arnaud Sprimont

 Natalie Bal

 Nathalie Monteyne

 Anouk Droesbeke

The other exhibition in an upstairs gallery featured the work of candidates for the Wim Ibens Prize, an annual award in memory of Wim Ibens, a metalsmith and the founder of the jewelry department at the Royal Academy Fine Arts in Antwerp. I loved the work of Anke de Kort and this year's prize winner in jewelry, Ria Lins. 

Ria Lins

 Anke de Kort

 Wim Ibens Prize Program 

Thanks for reading.

Exposition No. 1

Bankgeheim "Bank Secrets" in Sint-Niklaas

On Friday I went to Sint-Niklaas with my gallerists and new friends from Beyond Fashion, Karin and Rene, and their daughter, Hervee (more on them soon!). Sint-Niklaas is a small town outside of Antwerp and we went to see an exhibition of students graduating from Academie Sint-Niklaas. The exhibition was located in the basement of a bank, thus the title, "Bank Secrets." I really liked the space, it had a great feeling to it--intimate and inviting with its soft lighting and low ceilings--and I enjoyed seeing the work. My favorite collection by Patricia Van den Berghe included necklaces, pins, rings, and a set of spoons about the life cycle of rabbits.

inside the basement

 installation with jewelry and a taxidermic rabbit

 the artist, her teacher, and one of my gallerists from 

Beyond Fashion

 pins and rings made with rabbit bones and fur

silver rabbit ear spoons

a street in Sint-Niklaas

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Belgium: First Graffiti

I saw this as I waited for my bus...see above...

…and I saw this as I walked to Beyond Fashion. Is that Abe Lincoln?


Plus, a few other favorites from my first week in my new home:

a bear and a monkey and Pikachu

 Peter Paul Rubens

Nosferatu

Thanks for reading.

New Look!

My fantastic graphic designer (and friend!), Brandon Dawley, just created new borders for my blog and my Twitter page! I thought it was time for something new.

Thank you, Brandon!

Thanks for reading.

Paris! Addendum.

crown worn by Empress Eugenie

My friend, Lisa, who wandered around Paris with me for a few days was kind enough to take some pictures of the jewelry we saw at the Louvre when my camera battery died...here they are now! Thanks to Lisa Norton!

Crown Jewels: diadem of Eugenie (left), diadem of the Duchess of Angouleme (right),

Eugenie's brooch (middle), and two bracelets of the Duchess of Angouleme

 Empress Eugenie bow and tassel brooch

crown of Louis XV and the crown of Napoleon

Here's another link to an interesting post on the French Crown Jewels.

Thanks for reading.

Belgium: First Observations

I have only been in Antwerp for a few days and really all I’ve been doing is getting myself settled into my apartment and figuring out things like the bus system, my international calling options, and how I can have the internet in my apartment. In between trips to the Carrefour (my grocery store), I have been walking around my neighborhood, taking pictures of houses and thatched roofs. I am also thinking about my new work for my next solo show…I’m tossing around ideas of travel, sense of home and place, being like a stranger in a strange land, different forms of relationships, opposites, observations and reactions to my surroundings, moments, and glimpses…

I plan to do some writing and sketching this week and hope to begin making things next week. My studio will be at the gallery, “Beyond Fashion,” which I am very excited about. I like the idea of getting on the bus everyday and going into the city to work. I like the idea of working in the space that will house the show and look forward to getting to know my gallerists/hosts Karin and Rene, who have already proven to be wonderful hosts...my first night here I met them at the gallery, we had a nice visit over coffee, and then they took me to dinner before driving me to my apartment and showing me around.

More thatched roof pictures on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Paris! Part Quatre-Graffiti.

There's lots of awesome graffiti in Paris...I felt I should give it its very own post with lots of images instead of just the few pictures I posted in "Paris! Part Deux." 

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Paris! Part Trois.

I went to the Louvre for a few hours on Friday with my dear friend Lisa who just so happened to be in Paris at the same time. We began by visiting a Gerhard Richter exhibition of drawings and other works on paper. His drawings are just what I love--they are minimal and pull me in because of their simplicity. Then we weaved our way through room after room in search of the museum's jewelry collection, all the while taking in masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory. Among the jewelry and accessories we saw were a large collection of ancient fibula, an incredible moveable gold ring with stones, and the French Crown Jewels. My absolute favorite piece was this giant bow and tassels brooch (see above) worn by the Empress Eugenie. It was made in 1855 by Francois Kramer. Stunning!

Gerhard Richter, Drawing II, 2005, graphite on paper

fibula

moveable ring

Winged Victory

one excellent vegetarian club sandwich

After a lovely lunch at Angelina’s (see sandwich above), we went to Centre Pompidou to see another Gerhard Richter exhibition, this time a retrospective called "Panorama.". It was wonderful to see so many of his works in one place including my favorites, the Cage paintings.

(Thanks to Lisa for the awesome photos of me and my sandwich and me and my Richter!)

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Paris! Part Deux.

Yesterday I went to the Musee Carnavalet, a museum devoted to the history of Paris. Although, I am interested in this very topic, I went just to see this captivting painting by Francois Gerard of Juliette Recamier. It took me awhile to find her after asking three different attendants and then finally there she was! Totally worth the wait. I spent probably 30 minutes taking in all the details. I did view the rest of the museum and got to see the bedroom of Marcel Proust, the interior of a ballroom. and a fascinating collection of artifacts from the French Revolution.

In the afternoon I took a nice walk to Objet Rare (thanks for the tip Alisa!), a tiny jewelry store and studio in the 11th arrondissement. I met the owners, Helene Thomas and Caroline Volcovici, and saw some really great pieces, including the work of Claire Wolfstirn. I bought one of her brooches as my souvenir. I also got to visit the studio in the basement where two jewelers were working including, Aude Medori, pictured here.

As I walked around I saw lots of graffiti and street art including many pieces by Space Invader. In fact his small tile installations are everywhere! I loved spotting them as I walked between neighborhoods along with so many other stencils and wheatpastes.

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.