New Observations

a favorite bridge/view at Ocean Beach

With the end of my 10 year posts yesterday, it's time to talk about something new, namely, my new home in San Francisco. I've been doing a lot of walking--exploring new places, revisiting old favorites, and just wandering around my neighborhood. Here are some observations gathered in my first month:

agave and morning light in my neighborhood

abandoned building in Dogpatch

colorful alley in North Beach

lichen on shingles in my neighborhood

See more on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Two More Addresses

Wayfinder, detail

I moved to San Francisco from San Jose on Friday. I'm now in a place I will be in for awhile and have a chance to find my way around a little before grad school starts. This move got me thinking about the piece I made in 2014 about all the places I have lived in the United States since the first time I went to school. Wayfinder is a visual record of my homes and is composed of tools to help me find my way back to each of them, to aid my memory of each place. A map, an address book complete with every address of every apartment, a pencil, a compass, and the key to my childhood home. The topmost form represents the four states I have lived in combined to create a new state, my own state, complete with lakes, mountains, and low lands. Delicately inscribed on this map is the path of my movement from one city to the next, each represented by the tiniest of piercings. Now, after only one month, I can add two more addresses to the list for a grand total of 27 places, 12 cities, and five states. I won't alter Wayfinder, but I've been imagining how it would change if I did.

Moving is something I'm used to and something I've come to accept as part of my life. It may not be this way always, but as long as it is I will continue to just go with it, and enjoy it. I dig into a new place with fervor regardless of how long I will be there. I treat each place as if it were a long-term spot. I unpack and nest, I walk everywhere, I figure out where the grocery store is and which coffee shop I like best. I try to learn as much as I can and be as present as possible. San Francisco is a city I have admired for a long time and I'm thrilled to have a chance to get to know it better. It's also the most urban and populated city I have ever lived in, and, most definitely, the opposite of where I was living before, a small town of 1,200 people in the middle of farm country. As I stated with a recent Instagram post, I'm looking forward to the fog, and so much more.

foggy view on the Golden Gate Bridge

Wayfinder, 2014

wearing Wayfinder the day I completed it

detail

Thanks for reading.

...And What a Month It Was. Plus, My Little TV Spot

San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz

Hello hello! I'm back from the Bay and have so much to tell you! It was pretty much impossible for me to blog as often as I'm accustomed to while at CCA. Time was so precious and every second counted. It's also challenging to write about new work publicly during the moments of making it. I'm in the midst of collecting my thoughts now and tomorrow I will start to catch you up and share pictures. I realize I haven't yet described "In Between" and I'm eager to tell you all about it.

In the meantime, remember when I did that interview for my local Public Broadcasting station WSKG? Well, the spot airs tonight at 8:56pm EST and will replay tomorrow at 6:56pm and then Wednesday at 10:56pm. WSKG TV broadcasts on Channels 8, 46.1 and 30.1 and in HD on Channel 1221 on most Time Warner Cable systems. It's just a few minutes long and you can also watch it online here. Here are a few stills, too.

Thanks for reading.

Onward Ideas, California Reality, Part 2

another favorite photo from California,

this was taken somewhere between Healdsburg and San Francisco

"This is How I Remember It" opened in 2011 and now, three years later, I'm thrilled to say I'm returning to Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco this October! My gallerist, Mike Holmes, and I have been talking for awhile and finally decided to host what we're referring to as "a conversation with Amy." On October 18 I will give a lecture about my latest body of work, "I Live Here Now," and will have a selection of the pieces on hand. Then I will follow my talk with a casual question and answer session.

After my exhibition at Four in Sweden, I realized I wanted more people to see it and this special showing came from those thoughts.  "I Live Here Now" is the most personal work I have made and, I believe, the strongest. I really like the idea of having a dedicated conversation about the work, something engaging and warm. I'm excited for the opportunity to share "I Live Here Now" in the U.S and honored to have this chance at such a great place. Mike and I are still working on the details and I will tell you more as the event develops. Please mark your calendar for October 18. I would love to see you at Velvet!

Since 1882, Since 1976 from I Live Here Now

Mike and I hanging Collected Memories from This is How I Remember It

standing in front of the completed installation

Thanks for reading.

I Forgot...

 fog on the beach in San Francsico on my first day

...to talk about my time in California outside of my show with Raissa! Here's a brief run-down of my jewelry and art-related adventures and things I found inspiring in pictures...

La Frontera at Velvet da Vinci

an incredible exhibition inspired by the border between the US & Mexico

(I also got to hang out with my gallerist Mike for a few hours which was such a treat!)

I popped into the new location of Rare Device, a lovely design shop that carries my Very Thin Gold Rings. It was great to see the new space and say hello to the sweet people who work there. I also saw some lovely jewelry by Is Was &Will Be and Laminar Jewelry.

on a long walk with my cousin...we made a stop at the De Young to visit the observatory and then walked around the sculpture garden where I saw this giant safety pin by Claes Oldenburg

on the drive back from installing the show with Raissa...this landscape near the coast is gorgeous

I visited Faultline Studios in Oakland to see work by a new favorite street artist, Cannon Dill, before heading to CCA to spend time with Marilyn De Silva

light in a cathedral in San Jose

More photos on Flickr and on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.

I Left My Jewelry in San Francisco: Part 8

One of my souvenirs from my trip was this wooden necklace by Brooklyn-based, Fort Standard. I was immediately drawn to it and snatched it up as soon as I saw it. I got it at General Store just before eating one of the best and most-fun meals ever at Outerlands. 

I also want to mention two online articles about me and my work that were posted while I was in SF:  One is on Honey Kennedy, a wonderful design blog. The interview is by my super-fantastic web designer, Kandace Brigleb of Needmore Designs. Kandace asked me a series of questions about my solo show work and my inspirations, among other things. The other post, a review-of-sorts of "This is How I Remember It," was written by Carmela DiLeva of the Secret Life of Jewelry.  The post is quite lovely and it made me a bit misty as I read it.

Thanks to both blogs for posting these pieces! 

Thanks for reading.

I Left My Jewelry in San Francisco: Part 5

yellow extension cords in Oakland

My trip was incredibly inspiring! It was refreshing and energizing and really made me feel excited to get back to my studio. I saw so many cool things, like these:

 

Seafoam at the beach in the Richmond

A metal "patch" covering a hole in the walkway at Muir Woods. These were everywhere! I spent more time looking down at the walkway then up at the redwoods.

 

My first Banksy...meaning the first Banksy I've seen in person. Awesome, even if from the front seat of the rental car. I've never been more grateful for a red light.

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

once again...SF, part 5

shana astrachan-bottle cap neckpiece

san francisco is loaded with great jewelers. i am familiar with many of them and close with a few, but was curious to see who else is living there and making interesting work. i started with the list on the snag website and the metal arts guild of san francisco. i also looked at velvet da vinci, gallery lulo, and shibumi gallery. here are a few i found to be particularly interesting:

agelio batle - necklace

deborah boskin-fall brooch

kay sekimachi - necklace

finally, a little shout out to my former student, eve singer. i got to visit with eve at my opening and later in the trip happened upon her work at the jewelry store pearl in the inner sunset neighborhood of the city. i was delighted to see her fantastic work in a nice space and i wish her great success.

eve singer - rings

thanks for reading.

once again...SF, part 4

"j. franklin, artic" - suzanne pugh

on the night of the opening of fault lines, there were two other openings happening at another gallery, velvet da vinci. these began an hour earlier than fault lines so i was able to attend. i even got there early enough to hear the curator of "chased + repoussed," nancy megan corwin, talk about the show. the exhibition includes varied work by artists who use primarily chasing and repousse in their work. the pieces, both jewelry and holloware, range in style from minimal to organic, abstract to representational. (see all the images here.) my favorite pieces include the funnel pictured above by suzanne pugh and:

miel-margarita paredes - from the "gnaw" series

kate case - brooch

also opening that evening was "rob jackson - the eloquent nail." for this exhibition, rob created a body of work using "found steel fragments." the resulting work includes an excellent mix of fine metalsmithing, elegant materials like gold and faceted stones, and aged, organic, and wonderfully textured nails. see all the images here.

nail head earrings with nail head dangles

ruby nail rings

it was such a treat to be able to attend these openings at one of my favorite galleries and they definitely added to the excitement of the evening for me.

thanks for reading.

once again...SF, part 3

"triadic" - charles marks, stainless steel from chi ha paura...?

the next day, raissa and i ventured out for more jewelry this time to de vera, gump's, and the sf museum of craft and design. de vera is a tiny shop with new and antique jewelry and objects. the selection is finely curated and inspiring. i especially loved looking at the antique pieces due to my recent heightened interest in historical jewelry. there was a new piece, however, that both raissa and i were immediately attracted to - a crocheted necklace in olive green with hot pink leaf-like "pendants" and little stones scattered throughout. i wish i had a picture to share!

cameo ring, c. 1780 at de vera

next we walked across the street to look at barbara heinrich's gorgeous work at the incredibly fancy department store, gump's. in addition to all the fine jewelry, gump's also has a selection of antique pieces and fantastic beaded purses.

necklace in 18K gold by barbara heinrich

finally, we stopped at the san francisco museum of craft and design to see the exhibition "designers on jewelry: twelve years of production for chi ha paura...?". this show features the work of a group of jewelers who form "Chi ha paura...?". the group was started by gijs bakker and they focus on making jewelry in which the idea is most important, not the materials or value. the pieces are simple, smart, innovative, and sometimes irreverent and many are interactive, like the "strip bracelet." i was also intrigued by the unusual display. when you walk into the gallery there is a huge, nearly life-size black and white photo of a group of people wearing the jewelry, but the pieces are actually attached to the photo. here's a picture:

"bound by blood" - designer: katja prins - wood

thanks for reading.

once again...SF, part 2

bib necklace, 1947, for the duchess of windsor (nick welsh, cartier collection)

a big part of traveling for me has become seeking out and looking at jewelry. i usually do research before i leave for a new city or favorite place and find new stores or exhibitions to visit while i am there. this trip was no exception! on thursday i met up with raissa bump at the legion of honor to see "cartier in america." it was incredible - the work is elegant and extravagant, refined and sometimes over the top, and always dazzling. i loved seeing these pieces up close, not just for the incredible stones, but for the intense craftsmanship. my favorites include the necklace above and this brooch:

stomacher brooch, 1907 (nick welsh, cartier collection)

i also enjoyed seeing some ancient examples from the museum's permanent collection, like this gold wreath form greece.

gold wreath from greece, 4th-3rd century

more tomorrow...

thanks for reading.