Guest Star #116...David Choi

I went to Velvet da Vinci while I was in San Francisco the other week to see the exhibition "Ferrous." It is a fantastic show and includes work by today's Guest Star, David Choi. I have long admired David's work and loved the chance to see it in person. The seemingly heavy steel brooches and bracelets are actually incredibly light-weight and the grand and puzzling look of the work is established through challenging and clever fabrication. Handling the work demystified the construction, allowed me to appreciate the pieces even more, and simply added to how impressive and beautiful the work is.

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Thank you!

 Star of the Sale - Remembering Earrings

My 96-Hour Sale is now over...thank you to everyone who visited the shop and purchased pieces. I also want to thank those who shared my sale with their friends on Facebook or passed the word via emails and word-of-mouth. I truly appreciate all your support! Thanks for making my last-minute and very short sale a huge success. My Etsy Shop will close for the time I am away in Europe (April 3-July 1). It will reopen when I return and I have some plans for making the shop more interesting and active then. 

Once again, thank you. You are awesome and I am so happy to have such wonderful people on my side. 

Thanks for reading.

Final Day and Rose and Sentiment

Rose and Sentiment Earrings...Sale price $90

Today is the final full day of my 96-Hour Sale and here is the fourth new "History Repeats" piece, Rose and Sentiment Earrings. Lovely and delicate with a modern, deconstructed edge...regular price $120, sale price $90.

The sale has been great so far and I'm looking forward to filling all the orders I've collected since Friday. I have to say, it is so fun to sell my work for obvious reasons, but what I really love is the connection I make with my customers. Most people leave me comments when they order and what they share with me is always fantastic: a brief story telling why they chose the piece they purchased, comments on how they relate to my work, or the identity of the person who will get the piece as a gift. The purchase itself means so much to me but those stories, they bring it home. So thanks to all of you for that! If you haven't had a chance to stop by the shop yet, I do hope you will visit in the next 24 hours while the sale is still on. There are lots of pieces under $50...perfect treats for yourself or someone you love. I created a new shop section, "Under 50 Dollars," just for these pieces.

Badges...Sale $36 each

Small Arc Pendant...Sale $40.50

Sentiment Pendant...Sale $42

My Etsy Shop and 96-Hour Sale

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Day Three and The Scales

The Scales...Sale prices $114

Today's new piece is a bold necklace...The Scales, inspired by a recent dream of an alligator and my new alligator tattoo. This piece is constructed with three brass teardrops and can be worn in two ways, either convex or concave. The sale price is $114.

The 96-Hour Sale contines for two more days. Everything is 25% off and shipping is free. The sale ends on Tuesday at 9am EST. 

Plus there are lots of great simple, light-weight, and so-easy-to-wear earrings:

Small Arc Earrings...Sale price $39 

Small Earring...Sale price $54 each

My Etsy Shop-AmyTavernJewelry

Thanks so much for the wonderful response so far! 

Thanks for reading.

Day Two and Banner Necklace

It's day two of my 96-Hour Sale and here is the second new "History Repeats" piece...The Banner Necklace. It will look fantastic over a t-shirt or tucked in the neckline of a low-cut dress. The regular price is $90 and the sale price is $67.50.

And, the 96-Hour Sale continues...25% off all jewelry and free shipping! Plus, one-of-a-kind "Collected Memories" for 50% off ($75 each). Thanks to everyone who made a purchase yesterday! You really made the sale start with a bang! Awesome!

Brooch No. 14 from Collected Memories...one-of-a-kind and only $75

Bent Earrings...Sale price $48.75

My Etsy Shop and 96-Hour Sale

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It's On!

Tokens...Sale price $102

The 96-Hour Sale is now live! Please visit my Etsy shop and enjoy 25% off everything and free shipping. Sale ends Tuesday, March 26 at 9am EST.

And, here's the first of three new "History Repeats" pieces (see top image). It's my "Tokens" necklace with three separate pendants to symbolize sentiment and memory, love and affection: a teardrop, a tiny bow, and a rose in oxidized and distressed brass and sterling. The tokens can be worn together or separately and come with an 18" fine cable chain. Sale price is $102.

Remembering Earrings, a popular favorite...Sale price $39

Badges in my new subdued palette, great for women and men...Sale price $36 each

Web Pendant, one of my favorite, minimal designs...Sale price $112.50

I do hope you will visit my shop and pick up something you love...please email me if you have any questions (amy@amytavern.com).

Thanks for reading.

Last-Minute 96-Hour Sale

Rose Pendant, Sale price $48.75

I've been tossing around the idea of having a new Etsy sale before I leave for Europe and finally committed to it while I was in SF. It starts tomorrow, March 22, at 9am EST and will last until Tuesday, March 26 at 9am EST. Everything will be 25% off and shipping is free to those in the U.S. You can still get pieces from my "Collected Memories" series at 50% off and I will also post a new "History Repeats" item each day of the sale. Should be fun!

 Small Earrings, Sale price $54/pair

Small Circle Earrings, Sale price $37.50

Necklace No. 3,  Sale price $75

I do hope you will stop by and get yourself a little something or maybe purchase some future gifts. The shop will close when the sale is over and remain closed until I return from Europe.

Find me on Etsy  - AmyTavernJewelry 

Thanks for reading.

I Left My Jewelry in San Francisco, 2013 Edition

I just returned from a week-long trip to the Bay Area, spending the first two days at the California College of the Arts in Oakland as a visiting artist. Wednesday night I enjoyed the company of the metals faculty and students at a potluck at Deb Lozier's house--such great people! The next day I began my visit at the school by meeting with senior metals students. We spent several hours talking as they fired questions at me about my business, my production jewelry, and my one-of-a-kind work. Then I did a bunch of six-minute one-on-one crits complete with timer. This was intense but really fun. Immediately following, I gave a 45-minute lecture about my work and career to a small crowd of students, faculty, and members of the public. Next I met with the "Color on Metal" class. I started the class with a short presentation about how I use color in my work and why I use spray paint specifically. Then I demonstrated how I apply spray paint to metal and how I use files, a scribe, and sand paper to reveal the layers of paint and to add detail and texture. Students got copper samples to try painting and I spent time with students individually to answer more questions. It was such a good day and I left feeling really good. I also left with some sweet Ccac Metals schwag in the form of a hoodie AND a tshirt. (Thanks, Tony!)

Thanks to Deb Lozier, Marilyn de Silva, Curtis Arima, Tony Esola, and all the wonderful students!

After class I hopped on BART and headed to the San Francisco to stay with dear friends and kick it in one of my favorite cities ever. Here's a taste of what I did...

Rock crystal chandelier from 1730 at the Legion of Honor

I loved seeing this so much that if it had been the only thing I saw at the museum that day, the $20 ticket would have been totally worth it.

Lucretia by Joos van Cleve at the Legion of Honor

I was very happy to see this painting due to my current interest in the saints and my love of this style of painting...so many wonderful things about this piece: her gesture and expression, the lush fur, her jewelry, and the ghostly haze around her head. 

Gold wreath, Greek, 4th-3rd century BC at the Legion of Honor

delicate, rich color, beautifully preserved

Necklace of opals and gold, Faberge, 1890's at the Legion of Honor

A lovely set, but what I found most interesting are the mismatched earring backs. They make the piece accessible and show us that the earrings were indeed worn and probably loved.

 Graffiti I stumbled upon as I wandered around the Mission. This one shows jewelry!

Girl with the Pearl Earring by Vermeer at the de Young

Such a treat to see in person. Absolutely exquisite.

some of my work at Velvet da Vinci
I went to Velvet to see the current exhibition "Ferrous" and to visit with my gallerist, Elizabeth Shypertt. Excellent show, excellent gallerist!

My latest tattoo, which I'm posting because it's awesome, but really because it's (partially) 

related to my work. It was done by Katie Sellergren at Blackheart Tattoo. Her work is incredible and she is super-awesome to spend time with!

Please visit my Flickr to see more pictures here.

Thanks for reading.

Variations with Spray Paint

Loring Taoka

I spent some time practicing my color on metal presentation yesterday and decided to add images of spray painted jewelry made by others in the field. I thought it would be interesting for students to see a variety of styles and applications beyond just my work. Here's a few that I really like...

Sara Borgegård 

Leia Zumbro

Mallory Weston

Tara Locklear

I teach and lecture tomorrow at California College of the Arts. The public lecture is from 3-4pm.

Thanks for reading.

Color on Metal, West Coast Style

I head to San Francisco and Oakland tomorrow to be a visiting artist at the California College of the Arts. A busy day is planned for me on Thursday starting with critiques with grad students, seniors, and advanced metals students. Next I give a lecture, titled "Layer After Layer," to the department and public. It will focus on my background, the development of my jewelry, and my recent works. Then I give another presentation and demonstrate how to use spray paint for the metals class, "Color on Metal." This will be my first time teaching spray painting on metal and really I am excited! I now have a handout detailing the process (I LOVE handouts!) and a variety of samples showing different surface effects. For my demo, I'm will show how to apply spray paint and how to manipulate the cured surface with files and sand paper. My presentation will show how I use color in my work, why I use spray paint specifically, and will explain my process, step by step. I'm really looking forward to sharing this info and my love of this material. It should be a really great day!

Then I get to spend a long weekend with friends in SF and plan to visit some museums and galleries, hit my favorite restaurants, and get another new, badass tattoo. 

More from the road...

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Guest Star #115...Neva Balnikova

Today's Guest Star is Neva Balnikova from Bulgaria. I discovered her work a few years ago via Flickr and recently started looking at it again on Facebook. What caught my attention this time is her use of the knot and textiles techniques, both things I've been thinking about a lot lately. I like how the same device looks in different materials from leather to chain to rubber. The transitions in the work and how the elements and materials link together is quite lovely. Plus, her photography is really striking and adds drama to each sculptural piece. 

See more at her Flickr page.

Thanks for reading.

Observation/Translation: 90 Days in Belgium

I created a set on Flickr last night that includes all the images in order from my Yuma Art Symposium talk along with accompanying text. The talk was about my wonderful experience in Belgium and the work I made there for my solo exhibition at Beyond Fashion in Antwerp. It includes a narrative about my travel inside Belgium, details about the many interesting things I saw, how I developed my ideas for the work, my process, and images of the final pieces. I am really happy with this talk...I hope you will take a look and spend some time reading it. It took me about an hour to present but should only take about 15 minutes to read through. The images I posted here are all slides from the presentation.

wandering around Antwerp

my studio

list of ideas based on observations

making a paper pattern for a brooch

Nacht

Thanks for reading.