Day Trip, Gent

I went to Gent on Friday to spend the day with my friend, jeweler Jorge Manilla. Jorge met me at the train station and we walked to his place where I got to see his studio and his work, always good moments for me. Then he took me to the center of Gent and showed me all the sights. 

Our first stop was St. Bavo Cathedral to see "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck. It's an incredibly complex painting and stunning in person. I used a head set to listen to commentary about the work, something I don't usually do. I realized quickly that it was an important tool to better understand the rich detail and symbolism of the work. After a few more sights Jorge took me down a narrow street with wall-to-wall graffit. I was in heaven! We even snagged some pieces of the wall composed of layer after layer of paint.

At the end of this little street was a nondescript house that is actually a gallery called "Verzameld Werk." The interior of the house is a work of art in itself--walls have been modified, furniture is placed just so, and there is a glowing, cylindrical hallway. The house also serves as an exhibition space and has a sparse, but wonderful selection of objects, jewelry, and books for sale.

We also visited Pont & Plas, a lovely art jewelry gallery near the Korenmarkt. Currently, the work of Malvine Marichal is on view and a beautiful show. I also got to see the work of Karin Seufert and Jantje Fleischhut, two favorites of mine.

rings by Malvine Marichal

Finally, Jorge and I spent some time with the work for my show. I laid it all out on the table in his living room and we had a great conversation. He was supportive and complementary and gave me some insight for a few simple changes that will make the work stronger. We even did a small display mock-up and he recommended that I give the work lots of room. 

More images of Gent on Flickr.

P.S. More on Jorge on Friday.

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Beyond Fashion

"new" asymmetrical necklace (see the original here)

My work is now available at Beyond Fashion in Antwerp, Belgium! I've been working with the gallery for several months and finally shipped off a box of jewelry a few weeks ago. I am thrilled to be in this lovely gallery with some of my favorites, including Jantje Fleischhut, Christiane Köhne and Gesine Hackenberg.

"new" Light Blue Pin (see the original here)

Like I wrote about yesterday, I also sent "new" work to Beyond Fashion. The images you see here are all reinvented pieces - the top image shows a necklace I took apart and redesigned, while the others now include spray paint.

"new" White Brooch (sorry, no original image!)

"new" Yellow Brooch (see the original here)

More images on Flickr.

You can also find Beyond Fashion on Facebook and Twitter.

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Guest Star Friday #68...Jantje Fleischhut

"Yellowgreens"

I found today's Guest Star, Jantje Fleischhut, yesterday while I was reading an interesting post on the Lark Crafts blog, "Realism in Jewelry: Still Life" by Marthe Le Van. I loved the topic and accompanying images, among them the work of Jantje. Her website includes a vast selection of work divided into collections, many of which include images of her inspiration--for example the collection "Neighborhood" includes pictures of buildings and stacked shipping containers (see "B270" below). There are also pictures of her studio and materials archive. I like her clever use of plastics, the way she arranges the varying shapes and colors in each piece, and her quiet attention to detail. I get the feeling that she is telling a story in each collection.

"B270"

"Ursa Minor"

"Lug"

You can also visit her blog projectrood.blogspot.com which features her contributions to Redlight Design in Amsterdam.

Thanks for reading.