Metal 2012

A new show all about metal opens at Light Art + Design next weekend. My work will be there alongside some truly amazing artists. I will even be at the opening on December 8 so please join me if you live in the area.

Aran Galligan

Light Art + Design
Chapel Hill, NC

METAL 2012
Opening Reception December 7, 6-8pm
Opening Reception December 8, 6-9pm

Thanks for reading.

New!

$56.25 on sale...

Just added to my Etsy Shop and Holiday Sale...Small Earrings with French wires and a pendant version!

$52.50 on sale...

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Sale Cyber Monday

In 2011 I had my first-ever solo exhibition, "This is How I Remember It." I made two groups of work for the show and one was titled, "Collected Memories: 1974-Present." The series included over 30 pieces, all made with materials I had amassed, and each piece was based on my collection of jewelry and my memories of it. A little over a year later, it is now my first-ever Cyber Monday...The pieces that remain from "Collected Memories: 1974-Present" are available now at my Etsy shop and on sale for 50% off their original price. They were $150 and now they are $75.

Here is part of the artist statement for the work:

"The jewelry that has come in and out of my life over the years has had a profound effect on me, fueling and sustaining my desire to be a jeweler. These special pieces changed my perspective on jewelry and form part of my personal history.

In “Collected Memories: 1974-Present,” I analyzed the jewelry I own to discover patterns and to gain further insight into my history with jewelry. The completed installation serves as a timeline of my life with jewelry and a vehicle for intertwining events and people. The works are made using materials I have collected and are assembled in such a way as to emphasize the impermanence and incompleteness of memory.

“This is How I Remember It” chronicles my history and preserves my memories, as the individual pieces from my past act as primary inspiration.

I hope you will visit my Etsy shop today!

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Sale LIVE!

It's up and ready for you to see...My Etsy Holiday Sale! Everything is 25% off and shipping is FREE in the U.S. I will continue to add more work everyday until December 18, the last day for shipping. The sale will continue to run through December 31. Please check back Monday, too, for Cyber Monday specials...

I just sent a newsletter to my website mailing list and I want to repeat something I wrote to those recipients:

"It's always a pleasure to bring new work to you....Happy Holidays to you and your families. Be safe and be happy. I thank you for your support and lind words. I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you!"

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Sale Sneak Peek No. 3

Here's another Sneak Peek...My Etsy Holiday Sale starts tomorrow at 9:30am EST. All kinds of pieces from my Line Drawings, Borderlines, and Regal Graffiti series will be available, alongside a new collection, and everything will be 25% off. Shipping will be free in the continental U.S. (Regular shipping fees apply for all orders outside the U.S.) The sale will run through December but the last day for shipping will be Tuesday, December 18 at 12pm. I will have special offers on Cyber Monday and will continue to add more new pieces until December 18. Check back here for updates and further info.

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Holiday Time

The Holiday season is always hectic in the studio. This (see above image) is just a portion of what I've been churning out the last couple of days after returning from the symposium at VCU. I'm officially in machine-mode. Plus, leave it to my recently-returned-to-the-US-and-just-moved scattered brain to miscalculate my timing. I know we all feel Thanksgiving's early presence this year...

I just shipped bunches of work off to many of my galleries and will ship the rest on Friday. AND, I'm nearly done with the new pieces I've been talking about the last few weeks. These will be available on Friday when my Etsy Holiday Sale starts. Please check back here for another Sneak Peek tomorrow and, stay tuned, I'm pretty sure I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Thanks for reading.

Talking and Feeling Good About It

I spent four days in Richmond, VA last week at the VCU/ACC Hand-Crafted Entrepreneurship Symposium and I keep coming back to the word "valued." I felt valued as an artist, a unique feeling that I haven't considered before. I'm sure I've felt it in other experiences, but I didn't know it at the time. My experience at this symposium was enriching, inspiring, and energizing. VCU took excellent care of my fellow presenters and I. Our schedule was full, but not too full and the pace was realistic. The event was well-organized and the staff was warm, friendly, and helpful. The quality and content of the lectures and panel discussion were excellent. The students were engaged, thoughtful, and open to critical response. There were many great talks and lots of commraderie. I also ate a lot of good food. 

The event made me feel like my opinion and my work as an artist and educator is important. Being around like-minded, hard-working, creative people and having an opportunity to help younger artists made me feel like a part of something greater and worthwhile. I was reminded just how much that I love what I do, both as a metalsmith and as a teacher.

My job is awesome.

I didn't take any pictures during the symposium but I'm going to get some to share. I'll write more soon.

Thanks to VCU, ACC, Christopher McElroy, Alex Hibbit, Daniel Michalik, Heather Mae Erickson, Debbie Quick, Danielle Stevens, Susan Iverson, Andrea Connell, Sonya Clark, and Perry Price. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all of these people.

And thanks to all the students who attended and to the ones I got to speak with personally. I loved talking and listening to each of them. 

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star Friday #104...Susie Ganch

Susie Ganch has been one of my metalsmithing heros for years. I met her at Penland in 1999 the first time I took a class there. She was a resident artist then and her work really impressed me. Over the years we have stayed in touch and have become good friends. I'm in Richmond, VA for the Hand-Crafted Entrepreneurship Symposium and get to spend a day with Susie tomorrow which I will post on next week. In the meantime, I want to share her work with you now. I've always liked her forms, surface treatments, and use of materials. Her latest work uses enamel to create distressed and highly texturized surfaces and the pieces are both minimal and luxurious.

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Sneak Peek No. 2

Here you go...tiny bow earrings and a teardrop pendant...and a new pic of my studio complete with studio-mate, Kelly Kelbel of Tiny Story Factory and her dog, Roxy. The space is coming along nicely! My Etsy Holiday Sale begins the day after Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading.

360 Degrees

My gallery Beyond Fashion has an awesome new feature on their website: a 360 degree view of the gallery. The view was created by City Zine, a Belgian city guide. You can move all around the space and you can see my solo show which I was delighted to discover when I visited the site recently. I knew the gallery was going to be in the guide, but had no idea my work would be part of the 360 degrees. Some of my other favorite Belgian shops and restaurants like Bourla in Antwerp and Creme de la Crema in Roeselare are also included in the latest volume of the guide.

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star #103...Lydia Hirte

I mentioned today's Guest Star, Lydia Hirte, in my paper jewelry post last week and want to show you more of her portfolio now. Lydia's sculptural paper jewelry emphasises line and visual movement as well as tension and balance. She uses layering and accumulation, curves and angles to create volume and action that work together. I also really like her connections which add extra visual details.

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Sale Sneak Peek (Sort Of)

My studio is currently in a state of total transition. See above. I moved everything out of storage and into my new space and my new apartment the other day. I've been so busy with moving and all that goes with it that I have not been at my bench. I planned to have some new pieces to show today for my first Sneak-Peek, but I don't. How about a sketch then? I will also say the work is going to be 25% off during the sale!

More next week, I promise.

Thanks for reading.

I'm an Entrepreneur

I don't often think of myself as an entrepreneur, but I am. I started my business in 2002 and and I've been full time since 2005. I've taken some financial risks over the years and I've had to be creative or innovative to grow my business. It's a constant learning process but one that I absolutely love. I've been invited by Virginia Commonwealth University to be a part of their Hand-Crafted Entrepreneurship Symposium. I will be presenting alongside Alex Hibbit (moderator, Assistant Director, Graduate Chair and Associate an Professor of Art at Ohio University), Daniel Michalik (panelist, artist, Founder of DMFD), and Heather Mae Erickson (panelist, artist, craftsperson, and designer). There will be lectures, a panel discussion, and individual/small group student discussions.

Alex Hibbit

 Daniel Michalik

Heather Mae Erickson

November 15 & 16, 2012
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA

Panel Discussion: Thur, Nov 15th, 12-2pm, Student Commons Theatre

Reception: Thur, Nov 15th, 2:30-4:30pm, Fine Arts Building Lobby

Student Discussions with Panelists: Fri, Nov 16th, 9am-4:30pm, 
The Department of Craft/Material Studies 

Crafts/Material Studies and the American Craft Council present The Hand-Crafted Entrepreneurship a Making Meaning in the Marketplace Symposium. This symposium brings together four talented, ambitious artists working in traditional craft media to discuss their experiences and ideas surrounding the business side of their art practice.

Every maker who has supported themselves (and often their family) with their craft has built a business in a unique and often innovative way. There is no single, unified model to follow for a successful career in the arts. Makers by necessity must forge a business and a professional path in a way that makes sense and plays to their strengths. For anyone interested in, or curious about a career the arts, this symposium will offer fertile insight into the business side of the arts. 

Each panelist will present an overview of their work and journey followed by a discussion panel that will investigate the highlights, successes, pitfalls, and requisite tenacity that encompass a career of making, marketing, and selling handmade products. 

This symposium is possible through the support of the American Craft Council. 

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star #102...Carolina Apolonia

Today's Guest Star is Carolina Apolonia. I was fortunate to spend time with Carolina while I was in Belgium--she came to Antwerp from the Netherlands for a coffee date with me and we had such a nice time! Carolina is also represented by Beyond Fashion and her jewelry is among my favorite work in the gallery. In her current collection she uses old book covers and leather, sewing shapes together to create 3-dimensional geometric forms. She has been interested in sewing since she was a kid (just like me!) and incorporates stitching in a very sophisticated way. I like her shapes and their voluminous yet light-weight feel. She also use layering in wonderful way along with a soft, neutral palette.

Carolina has her own solo show at Beyond Fashion in December. It opens December 6. (I really wish I could be there...)

Thanks for reading.

It's Coming! My Etsy Holiday Sale!

 Small and Large Circle Earrings

I've been doing a lot of thinking, scheming, and planning since I got back from Belgium and one of my many bright ideas is to have a Holiday Sale at my Etsy shop,  AmyTavernJewelry. It will begin the day after Thanksgiving and continue through December 18. I will have lots of limited edition pieces from my Line Drawings, Borderlines, and Regal Graffiti collections. Plus, a brand new collection that will focus on teardrops. (I am super-psyched about this one!) Every Thursday until Thanksgiving I will give you a sneak-peek of some new pieces that will be for sale and tell you more details. Right now, I've posted a few images of some of the earring styles that will be available.

Bent Corner Earrings

Small Earrings

Thanks for reading.