It's Been 10 Years, Part 1

Ratio/Signature Collection

Months ago I announced that 2015 marks my ten-year anniversary of being a full-time artist and metalsmith. I also said I was going to do a series of posts reflecting on the past decade. Then I made a decision about grad school and began the cross-country moving process. There was just too much going on for me to wrap my head about anything retrospective, until now. For the next few days I will finally share some favorites from the past, starting today with a look back at the kind of work I was making then. At that time, my focus was production jewelry and I had five to seven collections depending on the year. I began with my Ratio Collection, and over time added Egg & Bean, Steel + Gold, and a Men's Collection, plus others. The work focused on simplicity, layers, and interesting shapes and lines. I used mostly sterling silver, but did add some non-precious materials and gold. My production work helped me to grow my business and name, and, most importantly, allowed me to make jewelry every day. Here are a few of my production collection favorites:

Egg & Bean Collection

Steel + Gold Collection

Preface Collection

Layered Collection

Tiny Collection

Men's Collection

Diskis Collection

See more original collection images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Trunk Show with Roots

This Saturday, May 16 I will be at Velouria in Seattle for a special trunk show. Velouria and I go way back--I've been selling my work there since the beginning of my career and I love any opportunity to return for one of these shows. The shop is now under new ownership and has moved to a different neighborhood, but it still has beautiful clothing, jewelry, and accessories from independent designers. If you live in the Seattle area, I hope you will stop by to say hello and take a look at my collections, and all the other wonderful things in the store. I have just about every piece from Line Drawings, Regal Graffiti, and History Repeats ready to go and if there's something you would like but don't see it, you can place an order. 

Please join me and the lovely women at Velouria from 1-4. The store is located at 145 S. King Street in Seattle's Pioneer Square. 

Thanks for reading.

Spring Events, Part 2

In addition to my class and lecture in Seattle, I am pleased to announce I will also have a trunk show at Velouria, one of my favorite shops. I have worked with Velouria for years and always love a chance to have a show there. I hope you can join us on May 16 from 1-4pm. I will have my entire selection of collection jewelry on hand along with some special pieces made just for the event. The shop recently moved to a new location in Pioneer Square and I'm really excited to see the new space. Velouria is located at 145 S. King Street in Seattle. 

Trunk Show

Velouria

Saturday, May 16 from 1-4pm

145 S. King Street

Seattle, WA 98104

206.788.0330

Thanks for reading.

Sand and Sky

Sand and Sky Earrings on sale for $150

I've been looking at my pictures of Iceland as I prepare myself for my third trip and the one I posted below is among my favorites. It's a beach in South Iceland with dark mountains in the distance. I spent some time on that beach one afternoon and remember the scene before me quite vividly. With the Atlantic Ocean on my right, I was surrounded by velvety-rich, black sand and expansive, variable gray sky above. Those mountains loomed a few miles away, wrapped in a layer of mist. My latest Regal Graffiti Collection piece combines two colors from that moment in one graceful earring with a narrow silhouette and subtle surface texture. I designed them with Holiday parties and more festive occasions in mind, too. If there's a pairing you're interested in, feel free to send me an email with your color combination request.

My Etsy Annual Holiday Sale is on for just a few more enjoys. It ends Monday, December 15.

Thanks for reading.

RISD Visit

I took a little drive to Providence, RI on Wednesday to spend the day with a senior jewelry BFA professional practices class. I gave a lecture about my career and my work and then answered questions about my process, business practices, residencies and more. We had several hours to talk and it was fantastic to connect with them. The class is lead by Jennaca Davies and she was a wonderful host as she toured me around RISD's impressive facilitates. She also made a point to take me to the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, an all-in-one cabinet of curiosities and library. I could have spent hours there just pouring over every single specimen from moss to jaw bones. Finally, I made a stop in Lenox, MA to visit Sienna Gallery. This was my first time there and it did not disappoint. I loved seeing the work of Daniel Kruger, whose solo exhibition "Angle of Incidence" is currently on view.

the work of Daniel Kruger at Sienna Gallery

forming room at RISD

skeletons at the Nature Lab

moss and lichen at the Nature Lab

seed pods at the Nature Lab

Thanks for reading.

Etsy Sale Soon!

Curved Prize Earrings in Bright Silver

The sale is coming this Monday at 9am EST! With a fresh approach to Etsy, my shop, AmyTavernJewelry, will be revamped with updated information and policies, new descriptions, and happily, some new pieces in all three collections. To kick it off and celebrate, all collection pieces will be 25% off and shipping is still free. I'm super-excited about this but, honestly, I'm behind with preparations. The coming days are going to be hectic as I finish the new pieces, take photographs, and redo all the writing. I'm looking forward to it, though!

I hope you will visit the shop next week! The sale lasts through September 18.

Thanks for reading.

Onward Ideas, The Hustle

I'm on the hunt for new shops to carry my work and I'm focusing on boutiques and indie design stores instead of galleries. Years ago, my collections could be found in shops around the US, but in 2010 I retired all those designs and shifted my focus to one-of-a-kind and limited edition jewelry. This change brought new spaces in the form of galleries, and with them, consigning instead of wholesaling. Selling one's work is challenging for all sorts of reasons, but selling mainly on consignment brings extra challenges: investing in materials and time, and then waiting for the work to sell. In the current economy, consignment is especially hard and I'm beginning to realize I have to find wholesale accounts again, and say no to additional consignment.

My "new" production collections seem like they could work in all kinds of places so I've been spending hours on my laptop searching for shops. I visit websites and Facebook pages, looking for an overall style or aesthetic that is similar to mine by examining the kinds of things the store currently carries. I also check price points to be sure mine will fit. Then I start emailing... My goal is to contact 100 shops by this Friday and then to contact 100 more in August. I like challenges like this so it's been fun to work on. I'm also keeping my expectations low, understanding that, realistically, I will be lucky if I even hear back from a few.

I will continue to make my one-of-a-kind and limited edition work, too, and plan to keep all my current galleries. I'm fortunate to have my work in all of these places and feel honored to be in each one.

Finally, if you know of a shop where you live where you think my work could be, please send me a message (atavern@gmail.com) or leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading. 

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.

Nesting

I've been here at Nes for 23 days and my studio feels like home. I've been collecting, too...fishing nets, pieces of broken buoys, a fish skull...everyday something new.

More pictures on Facebook and Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Old Friends

Horizontal Diskis Necklace

I was thinking about my old collections today as I drank my coffee and then started looking at pictures of them. I had forgotten about some of my designs so it was fun to look back and remember. I realize these pieces helped me get to where I am now and they allowed me to make jewelry everyday, which is the bottom line for me. Here's just a sampling of that work, an piece from each collection that was both popular and a favorite of mine. You can see more images on Facebook and Flickr.

Link Necklace

Preface Earrings

Wreath Necklace

Men's Collection

Signal Earrings with Chain

Small Bean and Egg Necklaces

Thanks for reading.

arrangements

i was interviewed for a project recently by a student at the massachusetts college of art and design. along with answering some questions, lauren also requested some images for her presentaion. i emailed her 10 and told her if she wanted anything specific that i did not include to just let me know. then she asked if i had any shots of my collections and arrangements in my studio. (lauren had been to penland last summer and saw my studio then.) i told her i didn't have any but had been thinking about this very thing - her request motivated me to document this current interest of mine and on saturday when the lighting was good i got to it. you can see all the shots on flickr.

and, to share something cool with you, check out lisa congdon's blog "a collection a day, 2010." lisa posts a daily photo of one of her many collections, some are objects, some are drawings, and all are very interesting. since realizing my keen interest in order, arrangements, and collecting last summer, i love finding others who are like minded. i was delighted to stumble upon lisa's wonderful project.

thanks for reading.