Now THAT was good! ECU Symposium, Pt 3

charm with mineral pigments by Ken Bova

A few final words on the ECU metals symposium...

Angela Bubash and I were asked to lead a break-out session Saturday morning about our residency experiences and residencies in general. I enjoyed talking about my time at Penland in this setting and sharing it with others who might someday consider it for themselves. The next day I stopped by a professional practices session and participated from the audience.

necklace by Liz Steiner

Liz Steiner, an ECU MFA jewelry/metalsmithing candidate, asked me to critique her work while I was at the symposium. We spent an hour together, talking about each piece one at a time and I feel like there was a great exchange of thoughts. Her work is looking really beautiful and I know she will have a great show this spring. (Please be sure to visit her flickr site to see more.)

the charm I made

I also participated in the charm swap organized by Tara Locklear. This is the second one I've been involved with and I was again really pleased with my pick, this time by Ken Bova. (see top image)

And finally, I thought I would mention that you can now read Caroline Gore's wonderful key note lecture introduction at the ECU metals symposium website. It is well-worth reading.

Thanks for reading.

Now THAT was good! ECU Symposium, Pt 2

Dan DiCaprio - wood carving

I enjoyed all the lectures over the symposium weekend: Caroline Gore, Nicole Jacquard, Michael Dale Bernard, and Tom Muir. I like lectures because I enjoy hearing about the work of other artists from their individual perspectives. Artist talks can also be learning experiences for how to execute a good lecture. Both points were true over the weekend and I found myself just sitting back and listening. I took a few notes here and there as well and left feeling inspired.

Tom Muir blackboard sketch of the pin stem mechanism he demonstrated

Also throughout the weekend there were demonstrations by Michael Dale Bernard, Dan DiCaprio, Ken Bova, Tom Muir, Lisa Johnson, and Mi-Sook Hur. I spent time in nearly every demo because the content of each was truly exciting. I picked up little gems throughout each one: soldering tricks, mold making demystified, the engineering behind wood carving... Each workshop was well-organized, included a short artist talk, and then a start to finish demonstration of the topic at hand.

Michael Dale Bernard - powder coating

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Now THAT was good! ECU Symposium, Pt 1

There is so much to say about the ECU metals symposium "Material Topics: Shifting Traditions" which I attended over the weekend. In one word: fantastic. The event began Friday evening with two different openings including 20_3_20, an exhibition in which 20 different rings can be handled and tried on. My favorite rings were by Laura Wood and Joe Churchman. "Tin: The Element of Surprise" was also on view--alongside some great jewelry by Kat Cole, Marlene True, and Jane Wells Harrison, were several wall pieces by Margaret Couch Cogswell. Margaret just finished her Penland residency and since I have been missing her, I loved seeing her pieces. I also enjoyed the exhibition of student work. One of my favorite pieces was an enameled brooch by ECU grad student Tina Lazzarine. (Sorry I don't have a better image!) Finally, the display of Bob Ebendorf's spoon collection was fascinating to study.

Rings by Laura Wood and Joe Churchman from 20_3_20

student work exhibition

Brooch by Tina Lazzarine

Bob Ebendorf's spoon collection

I am still collecting my thoughts on the demonstrations and lectures and will write about them tomorrow.

More images on flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star #67...Michael Dale Bernard

Today's Guest Star is Michael Dale Bernard from Long Beach, CA and one of the presenter's at the ECU Metals Symposium this weekend. I visited Michael's site to see what he's been up to lately and was immediately drawn to his new work the "Wood Be Diamond Brooch Series": clusters of powder-coated hardwood '"diamonds" with enameled copper and steel components. There is something about his color palette that I find very appealing, the mix of bright, muted, and luster. The work is made from 75% recycled materials, too, which adds to the complexity of each piece--Michael is making representations of precious materials out of the discarded and found.


To see more of Michael's work visit his Flickr site.

Thanks for reading.

Shifting Traditions

Tomorrow I am off to Greenville, NC with friend, fellow jeweler, and traveling companion Angela Bubash, to attend the ECU Metals Symposium, "Material Topics: Shifting Traditions." The symposium, now in its second year, is packed with lectures and workshops. The lectures will be presented by Nicole Jacquard, Caroline Gore, Tom Muir, and Michael Dale Bernard, while workshops will be led by Dan Dicaprio, Lisa Johnson, Ken Bova, Tom Muir, Mi-Sook Hur, and Michael Dale Bernard. Rounding out the weekend are panel discussions, break-out sessions, and exhibitions. Angela and I will lead one of the break-outs to talk with attendees about our residencies.

In the fall I went to ECU to speak at the "Making a Living/Making a Life" conference and had an exceptionally good time. I am excited to have another opportunity to visit ECU metals and to see all the great people out there.

"Inheritance," brooch in silver and blackwood by
Dan DiCaprio

"Box Earrings, Green," in 18K gold, silk, and thread by
Caroline Gore

"R Sampler Brooch," in sterling silver, fine silver, and silk thread by
Nicole Jacquard

Check out the schedule here.

Thanks for reading.

charm exchange

tara locklear, a metals student at ecu, invited me to participate in a recent charm exchange that she organizes several times a year. it's similar to the "pin swap" that kicks off the annual society of north american goldsmith's conference, but what's different about the charm exchange is that it is for ecu metals students, both current and former, and their metalsmithing mentors. participants make one charm each and names are drawn for the exchange. even though i was not able to be present for the day of the event, tara drew a name for me while my name was picked by marlene true. i got a sweet tin and copper charm made by marissa saneholtz. i forgot to take a picture of the piece i made, but marlene was kind enough to send one along. (thanks, marlene!)


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.