Revisiting Older Thoughts: Drawing Iceland

Last year I described a drawing project I had begun in which I layered lines I saw in photographs of Iceland: the edge of a glacier, the curves of moss-covered rocks, the peak of a mountain. I worked steadily on the project for awhile and made a few pieces I really liked. Some drawings are made with several pieces of paper layered on top of one another, each with a single line drawn on it, while others combined several lines onto one sheet. I also liked experimenting with my photocopier or with effects in iPhoto to vary and degrade the line quality. However, the project was put on hold because I got caught up with other work and obligations. I would like to revisit the project now because drawing is something I can do without a studio and because something really nice is happening with these marks. And if anything, drawing these lines again is a way for me to stay connected with my home away from home and the memories tied to every photo I took. 

Sólheimajökull glacier tongue in south Iceland, taken in May, 2014

You can see more images on Flickr including some process pictures.

Thanks for reading.

This is What I Found Here

Gothenburg and Southern Archipelago, Sweden, 2014

I am without a studio at the moment, a challenging place to be. The studio is an important place for artists, obviously, and I am feeling its absence. In addition to my Pearl Piece (which you can still contribute to!), I'm looking for other ways to create beyond making objects, things I can work on anywhere. This week I will share these with you starting today with my collecting and arranging project titled This is What I Found Here. This series is a play on my first solo show in 2011, This is How I Remember It. The basic concept for that show centered on using my memories of important jewelry to create new work that was carefully arranged for the exhibition. For this new project, I have arranged different objects I collected according to where and when I found them. This documentation is a great way for me to explore composition and negative space, shape and line, and color and texture. Working intuitively, the process allows me to think spatially and arrange objects in a pleasing way. It's also serves as a method of recording the history of my experiences and memories through objects. This series of photographs is a work in progress. These pictures were taken at different times and the lighting is different from image to image. I am still playing around with editing each photo and would like to add to the series over time.

You can see all the images taken so far on Flickr. 

Blönduós, Iceland, 2015

Richfield Springs, New York, 2014

Allendale, Michigan, 2014

Thanks for reading.

"...those boundaries between the two worlds."

 Spring House

I signed up for my first semester classes a few weeks ago and recently found out which seminar class I will be taking. The class is called "Lining the Wild Bee" and it will be lead by Mark Thompson, professor of sculpture and fine arts. Here's the course description, along with a few of Mark's works:

"This workshop will focus on the borderlands between human cultural activity and the natural world. Drawing on my 40 years of project work in this field, the emphasis will be a return to first principles of direct experience in contrast to more abstract experiences of representation. Through projects, readings, and several Saturday field trips, the class will explore the boundaries between the wild and the cultivated, the feral and the domesticated - those boundaries between the two worlds. Special emphasis will be given to an examination of the historical crafting and engineering of the landscape and waterways of the San Francisco Bay Area. The early projects will include tracking wild honeybees in the woods to find that one tree in 10,000 holding a different life. Field trips will include the Model of the Bay, the Headlands, the Camera Obscura, the Delta region, and the Underground Gardens of Baldassare Forestiere. Gary Synder, Rebecca Solnit, and Anne Dillard's' writings, along with Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris will be among the works we will review. The history of the decoy along with the evolution of the cabinets of wonder and curiosity to the contemporary natural history museums will be examined."

Invocations (above and below)

How good does that sound?! I am psyched. 

Thanks for reading. 

Recent Customs

wedding necklace of spray painted pearls for Adrienne

Some of the last things I made before I moved were custom pieces: an 18K gold wedding ring, a 14K gold bracelet, a spray-painted pearl necklace. Custom pieces are always fun, often a challenge, and a great way to connect with clients. I think my favorite requests are those in which I get to use gold, alter a production design, or play with spray paint. I made a few other customs last fall and winter and thought I would share them with you now as well. You can view the collection of custom pieces I've made in the last few years on Facebook.

18K 8mm wedding band with dot detail for Brad and Katey

14K hammered gold chain bracelet for Elizabeth

Small Arc earrings with 14K gold ear wires with catch, Bouquet Necklace on a 14K gold chain, Tokens Necklace with two roses and hot pink teardrop on a 14K gold chain for Olga

"Mother and Child" ring with garnet and tourmaline for Christy

Thanks for reading.

Summer Shop

Curved Prize Pendant, $68

With summer here and a new home in California, I decided to update my Etsy shop with some new photos. The pieces you see listed there now are in stock and ready to ship within 24 hours of your order. And, you will receive exactly what's pictured. This paired-down selection of my History Repeats, Line Drawings, and Regal Graffiti collections are my only offerings while I'm without a studio this summer. Please stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks and months... and please feel free to email me if there is something you are interested in but is no longer available. I'll do my best to accommodate your request. 

Small Earrings, Bright Palette, $72/pair

Large Circle Necklace, $62

Thanks for reading. 

C A L I F O R N I A

Here are a few first observations of my new California home. I'm living in San Jose about an hour south of San Francisco. I'll be here temporarily as I look for a good place in San Francisco and hope to move before school begins in September. Every day I go for a walk in the morning before it gets too hot. There isn't a lot of shade here so the sun can be intense and I prefer the morning quiet regardless. I'm enjoying observing the highly textured bark of native trees, the unusual and often strange desert plants, fantastic graffiti and street art, colorful buildings, and intriguing abandoned spaces. I'm also beginning to understand the layout of the city and where I live in relation to all sorts of places--walking is so good for this! My favorite places so far include the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens and the San Jose 

Institute of Contemporary Art.

See more pictures on Flickr:

Thanks for reading.

More Celebrating

Crown Nine just published a great blog post about the show with more pictures. It really was a fantastic night! And as Kate says on the blog, there is still lots of time to visit the shop to see the work in person and try pieces on... plus, check out all the handmade jewelry currently on view. I am thrilled to have my work alongside such a beautifully curated selection of contemporary jewelry. 

Thanks for reading. 

Celebration

My opening at Crown Nine last Friday was really fantastic... so many friends and colleagues were there, both old and new, and I loved the simple and impactful display created by owner/jeweler, Kate Ellen. It was a great way to celebrate my move and new home. Thanks to everyone who came and to Crown Nine and Kate!

thanks to Mike Holmes for the photo!

The work will be on display through July.

Thanks for reading.

Crown Nine Tonight!

I have an opening tonight at Crown Nine in Oakland, CA! I will be showing many pieces from Parallel Constellations along with some new works to complement the group. I hand-delivered the work yesterday and got to see the store and meet owner and jeweler, Kate Ellen, for the first time. The space is beautiful and Kate is lovely. She is planning to display the work on the surrounding brick walls on unfinished wood boards... and I'm sure the collection will look wonderful in the space. I hope you will join us at Crown Nine tonight from 6-9!

Crown Nine is located at 515 9th Street in Oakland, CA. Please call 510-251-9000 if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading.

Final Days, Part 4

I moved across the country for the third time on Monday from Upstate, NY to central California. I'll be living in San Jose for a time until I find the right place in San Francisco. I'm in no rush, really, and have no interest in stressing out over finding an apartment. I'll take my time, settle in, figure out where things are and how to get around, get to know my new home state of California... 

The move was challenging, of course, and not without trials. Weather caused many flights into and out of O'Hare to be delayed or cancelled. My first flight was rerouted and after a few hours on the tarmac, refueling, and a damage inspection due to hail, we made it to Chicago. I spent the night in a hotel and got on a plane to California the next day. 

As for my things, my two 50lb suitcases made it, remarkably. The rest of my things were packed into a storage unit that is now so disorganized the mere thought of it makes my skin crawl. A friend and I joked that it just wasn't a move without random things in your pockets after moving everything (like the key to my acetylene tank), or the last few things thrown haphazardly into the back of the car and then thrown randomly into boxes with out packaging materials or labeling.

It was bittersweet to leave my little Lake Street Studio. The moment before I left I stood in the empty room and thought about the things I made there, some really special, important things... work about my family and my home, most specifically. I discovered a great deal about myself and my practice in the year and a half that I was there. I revisited important spots, uncovered memories, and reconnected with the place that will always be my home. 

Thanks for reading.

But First, a Show... This Friday!

Landmarks, brooch in sterling and brass

I moved to California on Monday, but before I say anything about that I have to tell you, or remind you, that I have an opening at Crown Nine in Oakland, CA this Friday! I will be showing pieces from my 2013 body of work, Parallel Constellations, along with a few new pieces. The work is inspired by maps and cartography, relying on the repetition and accumulation of different elements to convey distances, patterns, natural phenomena, and connections... which all seems very appropriate given moving here just days ago. I will be at the show Friday night, ready to spend some time with you. If you live in the Bay Area, please visit the shop and say hello, try on some pieces, and maybe even walk away with a new favorite for your collection. The opening is this Friday, June 12 from 6-9pm. Hope to see you there. It's just a few days away!

Uncomplicated Path, necklace in sterling and brass

Sea and Land, Land and Sky, necklace in sterling 

Multiple Points, earrings in sterling and brass

Crown Nine is located at 515 9th Street in Oakland, CA. For questions, please call 510-251-9000.

Thanks for reading.

Final Days, Part 3

my pearls packed into my carry-on in their original packaging

Yet another allover-the-place kind of day... I started with a custom 14K gold chain link bracelet, while putting the finishing touches on my last Etsy order, a custom ring set, and the new work for my galleries. I've also been preparing all this work to ship and started packing the studio just a little. I registered for my classes for my first semester at CCA, too, after finally getting my new CCA email account all set up and actually working. I'm so excited about my classes: contemporary art history, dialogues and practices, studio practice, and a seminar class yet to be determined. (I had to rank nine classes in order of preference and will find out in a week which one I get. They all sound good so I can't go wrong.) I'm only half way through the day now and still have what seems like a million little things to do, and today absolutely has to be my last day at the bench. Everything must be completed. Tomorrow I'm driving to Lenox, MA to Sienna Patti Contemporary to deliver work for my October solo show along with other one of a kind pieces, including I Live Here Now for summer in the gallery. Then I have to pack up and move more stuff into my storage unit this weekend. 

These are exciting times, my friends. 

in progress 14K custom bracelet

gallery, Etsy, and custom orders almost ready to ship

screen cap of some of my CCA first semester classes

stacking rings in an older design from my original collection days

Thanks for reading.

Final Days, Part 2

It's been unseasonably cold here the last few days but today I've got the door to my studio wide open. It's pleasant to hear the birds and various street sounds as I work at my bench rather frenetically. I find I'm working simultaneously too fast and too slow. I'm easily distracted amidst lengths of focus and find myself flitting from one thing to another. I'm getting things done, but it's a little chaotic. I just have a lot on my mind... finishing my work, packing, moving boxes into my storage unit, saying goodbye to a few friends, spending time with my mom...

Moments ago I finished the last spray painted pieces, most of which turned out beautifully. A few have to be scrapped, though. The paint wrinkled in the heat of the patina bath, something that happens occasionally and seemingly at random. Later today, I'll shift to my final custom pieces: a gold bracelet and a set of stacking rings.

It's a hustle, and I knew it would be.

Thanks for reading.

Final Days, Part 1

This is my last week in my Lake Street studio before I move to California. All week I'll be finishing up gallery work, Etsy orders, and custom pieces... and then, of course, I have to pack. Between now and Friday, I'm going to do my best to enjoy these last days, despite the hustle that must happen.

Here's a selection of some of the new work I'm sending to places like Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h in Montreal, Light Art + Design in Chapel Hill, and Signature Gallery in Atlanta.

Thanks or reading.