Now I am Here, #8

I made and soldered 350 brass jump rings today... and these will become nine chains. 

My vision is blurry.

Thanks for reading.

Moving and Starting

I moved all my furniture and tools into my studio on Friday on what seemed like the coldest day ever. It was below zero! I got everything set-up for the most part and I'm sure I'll move things around a bit more as I adjust to the new space. I also have to hang some things on the wall which is always very fun for me. The space is feeling really good already!

As you know, I've been walking, collecting images and thinking, and today, I'm going to start working. This day is always an exciting and daunting one and I feel the same as I usually do, both enlivened
and scared. I will probably do some sketching and maybe make a maquette in paper. I just want to get some initial thoughts into physical form as the next step in my process.

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Getting Ready

I started painting my studio yesterday and should be able to finish the job today. I'll move my benches and tools in later this week and start working again on Saturday. Can't wait!

before

after primer

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Studio Farewell

I packed my studio this morning...never an easy thing to do. I will miss this space very much and hope to recreate at least a small part of it, or even the feeling, back in the U.S. I can't bare to part with the things I've collected so I have my yellow buoy, a bag of dirty rope, and a box of objects including that incredible horse jaw bone tucked in my suitcase. I am bound to get some good looks from customs on my way out and, hopefully, no more than that! Here are a few final pictures from last Saturday's open house...

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Júní Opið Hús

my space

The Nes June Open House happened on Saturday. My fellow residents and I all did something special for the event: Rebeca Mendez and Adam Eeuwens had some film and photographs on view, Yogan Muller created an installation, Marianne Bernstein and John Heron built a 10' x 10' x 10' cube that will move around town as a public art space, and Ellen Mueller showed video of a performance piece. I added new pieces and did some rearranging in my space and tried to create a final presentation to celebrate my time at Nes. I will show more detail views and new work tomorrow...

visitors and artists talking to Rebeca and Adam

Yogan

the cube by Marianne and John

Ellen 

More pics on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Open House...Now with Privacy Envelopes

My last open house as a resident at Penland was this past Friday. I spent part of the day rearranging and curating my collections as a way to both honor my studio and process the many thoughts in my mind about leaving. I also hung part of my collection of privacy envelopes on a wall. (I've been collecting them for about two years.) I have a new series in the works that will incorporate embroidery and privacy envelopes with metal. These works-in-progress are hanging next to the envelope collection.

I enjoyed spending time with my objects in this manner and even added some of my work among souvenirs from trips, family heirlooms, and found objects. Arranging is a big part of my process and always inspiring for me to do. When I was done I sat on my sofa and relished my space.

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Winter Studio Inspirations

Some shots of my wall of bits and pieces...To read about where these things came from, please visit my Flickr set.

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it's 6 degrees here

i built my plastic room the other day in an attempt to be warmer and save money this winter. (it really helped last year!) it was easier to do this time because i had saved all the pieces from last year--no measuring or cutting. i think i'll label the pieces next so it's even easier in 2011. live and learn!

thanks for reading.

a small installation

i love displaying my work (and all sorts of things, really) and try to do something different for every open house the resident artists host (one per session, so one every 2 weeks). for session four i combined the new regal graffiti pieces for heidi lowe gallery with the tiny gallery pieces and some silhouettes in a small installation.

more on flickr.

thanks for reading.

a shed, a basement, and a closet

elfin studio

my recent shop-closure/end-of-my-collections has got me thinking about the past. the other day i was fondly remembering my very first studio which lead me to the others. since i've moved a lot i've had the pleasure of occupying many different ones. my first studio after graduating UW was in my backyard, a tiny shed that i renovated with the help of my dad. it was 6' x 7' and had a sweet dutch door. i felt like an elf in there. later i moved into a deluxe basement in portland, OR that was at least 5 times as big. it had wall-to-wall carpeting. (unfortunately, i cannot find any photos!) then i revisited my small studio roots back in seattle and made a utility closet my workspace. next i did something really different and moved into a big shared studio across the country in north carolina with joanna gollberg, geoff giles, and molly dingledine. in between all those were a few very temporary spots - a 4 month residency at vain, a dark and damp basement, my benches at penland during classes, a dining room - and now i'm here in the biggest, most beautiful space i've ever been in and quite possibly might ever be in. so glad i get two more years here.

the utility closet

with joanna, geoff, and molly

to see more pics of my different spaces from 2002 and beyond, please visit flickr.

p.s. arthur hash has been posting pics of different artist spaces on his blog, the art escape plan. i love seeing how and where others work.

thanks for reading.

plastic room

today i built a plastic room in my studio. well, actually, my friend and fellow resident, daniel marinelli, did the work, stapling plastic sheeting to the beams around my bench and work table. it took about two hours and now i have a much smaller space to heat during the cold winter months. i can feel a difference in here already, especially when i walk into the other part of my studio.

i also acquired a new table that daniel made from old barn wood. i have it on long term loan until our time as residents is over. it will make a great space for my samples.


i posted more pics on flickr.

thanks for reading.

caught-up? what?

what will it be? forgotten secret? rossland? eastern shoreline?

my work day is typically composed of time at my bench and time at my computer. the amount 0f time at each varies from day to day. i always have a running to-do list which never seems to get any shorter. but for the past few weeks i have been more of a workaholic than usual, working from early in the morning until late evening just to get caught up, and this time around i've nearly reached my goal. i feel satisfied, which is an unusual feeling for me. i haven't been at the bench much; instead i've been behind my computer. i've also been painting and rearranging my studio. i've pared down my list enough to have every remaining item scheduled, including some free time. it feels really good. i feel like i know what's going on for the first time in a long time and can think about things individually. i can also look forward to the different events in the future and see them realistically. they are clear, whereas last week they were fuzzy. my mind feels calmer, not like it's racing to get ahead or on top. i made some goals for myself - complete studio painting and set-up by april 17 (penland resident artists' first open house of the year) and get my production line organized and in a routine by may 1. both dates are still ahead, but i do think i will be prepared when they come around. once these are met, then i can finally get into my residency.

here's an idea of the kind of things i've been working on:

catalog edits and updates
pricing
correspondence
studio painting
website updates
marketing updates
scheduling and planning
inventory issues for 2008 taxes
other tax stuff for my bookkeeper
filling mail orders and wholesale orders
writing a book project

in the midst of writing directions for my lark books 30-minute earrings project

i hope that all makes sense...i needed to get it written down.

thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 7...my studio, plus a little wrap-up

today's guest star is not a jeweler, but the place i make my work..my studio. this morning i took a few shots of my space located in lovely downtown asheville, nc. i share this studio, composed of one big working area and several small rooms, with three other jewelers, joanna gollberg, geoff giles, and molly dingledine. our work is all very different, as well as our working styles and schedules, but we get along great and love sharing the studio. i feel very lucky to be a part of this special group of artists.

one final note about snag... i hoped to spend more time contemplating the conference and then writing about it, but i've been too busy ever-since to process it the way i would have liked. so, to summarize now and move on, the conference was a totally worthwhile experience for me. i listened to some excellent lectures including iris eichenberg and carlier makigawa; i met lots of interesting people, talked about jewelry and the field, and made some great connections. AND, the best part, i got to spend some serious quality time with a few close friends who live far away.

oh, yes... there was the presentation i gave. that was pretty fantastic, too!

finally, please do visit my website. i just added all kinds of new collection pieces, created a direct link to my blog, organized the art jewelry section (now called "studio jewelry), added a next button in the shop, and a few other little things. of course, i'm not done... my website is very much a work-in-progress. you'll see more changes in the near future.



as always, thanks for reading - have a great weekend!

artist studios

i enjoy visiting and reading about artist studios. i just read "birth and present," a collection of photographs of the studio of japanese artist, yoshitomo nara. (i have loved his work ever since i went to see "superflat" at the henry art gallery in seattle.) the photographer, mei morimoto, has taken a series of pictures of the studio and all the things in it, works-in-progress, collections of objects, moments, and, yes, the artist himself, occasionally. the pictures and the point is definitely to bring focus to the workspace, to create a portrait of sorts. (there are brief, yet informative captions in the back.) i like this different view very much. artist studios often have a life of their own. i like seeing what sorts of things the artist keeps close by, how things are organized and arranged. i spend much (most) of my time in my studio and so i try to create a special place to not only make art, but to be. i am still settling into my new studio. i am in the process of decorating my space and customizing my new work bench. pictures to follow soon... also, the lighting in mei's photos is lovely. very soft and warm.

thanks for reading.