Blog Tour

Solitary by Jane Wells Harrison

I was recently tagged in a blog tour by Jane Wells Harrison, a friend and colleague I know from North Carolina. Jane works with mixed-media and creates all sorts of wonderful 2D works, books, jewelry and more. I always enjoy talking with Jane and admire her use and manipulation of a variety of media. You can find her blog here and her blog tour post here.

Now it's my turn to tag the blogs I like…I enjoy reading these blogs for their excellent content and because I admire the work of each artist. I also relate to their methods and sensibilities and like being able to keep up with them from afar; all three bloggers are also friends who I don't get to see that much.

Above and Below by Marianne Dages

Marianne Dages is a printmaker and book artist and she lives in Philadelphia. Her blog includes pictures of finished work, process shots, and source images. She keeps her text brief but descriptive, and often posts beautiful poetry to accompany her images. Marianne is interested in arrangements like I am, and also spent time in Iceland at a residency, both of which draw me to her work specifically. You can find her blog here.

Unsent Letters, No. 2 by Catherine Chandler

Catherine Chandler is a metalsmith living in Portland, OR and she just graduated from Oregon College of Art and Craft. I followed her thesis progress via her blog and loved watching it develop over time. Her deeply personal work is about communication and Catherine does an wonderful job letting her readers in on her thoughts and emotions. You can find her blog here.

Brooch by Arthur Hash

Arthur Hash is a metalsmith and also uses a variety of digital fabrication techniques form waterjet cutting to CNC routing. Arthur posts lots of process images and uses them to detail how he makes his work. I really like it when artists share their process freely, and Arthur is definitely one of these people. His work is innovative and beautifully made and he shows us all the ins and outs through pictures. You can find his blog, The Art Escape Plan, here.

Thanks for reading.

september jewelry of the month

september will always be back-to-school time for me, even if i'm not in school anymore. i associate this month with the fresh start of the school year and all kinds of new things, namely, notebooks. for this month's jewelry of the month, i collaborated with my friend and fellow artist marianne dages. marianne is a book artist, photographer and printmaker. she made tiny books for which i created brooches inspired by a locket of my grandmother’s.

each is approximately 1.5" wide by 3" long. the brooch and handmade twisted wire chain are oxidized sterling silver. the books are handmade flax fiber paper and linen thread.

there are 8 brooches available at $120 each. each comes with a numbered and signed card.

these brooches will remain available until sold or september 30, whichever is first.

jewelry of the month is a way for me to realize designs that don’t fit into my regular collections or studio jewelry. these pieces are an opportunity to take ideas from sketchbook to workbench and share them with you. each edition will be limited to less than 10 and will come with a numbered and signed card. each item will sell for under $120. i plan to use unusual materials like vintage wallpaper, new techniques like sewing, and i will collaborate with friends who work in other media like glass and clay.

find out more about marianne dages and her artwork here.

if you would like advance notice, please send me an email - amy@amytavern.com

thanks for reading.