Pearl Stories, No. 4

Siri Kvalfoss from Tyssedal, Norway sent pearls to me in late April, mentioning in her hand-written note she had learned I was looking for pearls on April 27; the letter was dated April 28 and I appreciated her quick response. Her 15 faux pearls were hand-sewn to a piece of white linen alongside a wonderful geometric embroidery also in white. In addition to the individual teal stitches holding each pearl in place, she had also stitched a delicate 1/2" x 1" section, creating a free-form, yet thoughtful composition. I learned later that she had also done the white embroidery, Hardanger-embroidery, a traditional part of the national costume of her district, Hardanger, and taught to her by her grandmother. The words that accompanied this small artwork stated the pearls were "totally fake, but nice anyway," which made me smile. Siri also mentioned she felt compelled to sew them to the linen. The excitement of her text, punctuated with exclamation points, and the lovely presentation of her contribution seemed so heartfelt to me... and here is this person in Norway whom I have never met, connected to me by a common interest in metalsmithing, and she had taken the time to not only send me pearls but to go even further and send them sewn in this manner. I was thrilled to receive her contribution and even more excited to be connected to her more through the Pearl Piece.

Read the other Pearl Stories here, here and here.

Thanks for reading. 

Picking Up Where I Left Off

In addition to starting the "homeland" part of  my new work, I'm also happily working on the final necklace in my "Alone/Together" series that I began in Iceland. This is the first I have embroidered since I left Iceland and it feels wonderful, not only the technique/process but also resuming work on a beloved piece from a beloved place. It's also an opportunity to be still and quite which also feels really important because there is a lot happening in my home life with my father…

When I am done with this piece, it will be the biggest necklace I have made. It's exciting to me to be working in this scale and it feels transitional as I move toward more sculptural work. The necklace will measure about 16 feet long.

Thanks for reading.

One-a-Day: Bless the Bad Guys

Bless the Bad Guys by Megan Biddle

This week I'm going to do something a little different and feature one work of art by a different artist every day. The pieces are all favorites of mine and ones I think about a lot right now. They are also drawings, paintings, and sculptures, not jewelry. I love looking at jewelry but I think it's important to look at other forms of art, too. My first pick, a huge, web-like mass of thin, black glass rods, is by Megan Biddle, an artist I discovered when I was in Richmond in November. I went to a glass exhibition then and saw this piece. I was immediately drawn to it--the varying lines, layering, structure, and volume, plus it's fragility and simply wondering how it was installed. Fantastic.

Thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 6 (snag installment #3)...carlier makigawa

i know it's saturday, not friday...i've had a busy week!

anyway, this week's guest star friday is carlier makigawa, a metalsmith from australia. i was not familiar with carlier's work until the snag conference where i attended her lecture. her work is composed of cage-like wire stuctures that are clustered or grouped together to form pendants, bracelets, and brooches. the work is light and airy with a subtle strength. the pieces resemble pods, buds, and other organic forms, but because of the rigid metal structure and simple monochrome the pieces become something quite different, other-worldly perhaps. i was particularly interested in her use of negative space because this is something i think about carefully in my own work. she talked about how negative space can suggest that something was there. nice. i enjoyed her talk very much. she began by discussing earlier work and progressed through her career to recent projects which include sculptures and public art.


the top piece is a pendant - cluster #1, flourish 2005–06 from hybrid clusters 2005-06
sterling silver, silk thread, 50.0 x 8.5 x 7.5 cm. the bottom piece is a bracelet - in silver and monel

thanks for reading.

megan auman, snag installment #2

one of my fellow presenters at the professional development seminar was megan auman, a bright, talented, and enthusiastic metalsmith. she lives in pennsylvania, where she makes jewelry and sculpture and also teaches at towson university in maryland. megan's presentation was about navigating the web, blogging, websites, etsy, etc. her presentation was just before mine and i felt like they complimented each other perfectly. it seemed as though they were meant to be partnered. i enjoyed meeting and talking with megan. we even talked about a way for us to combine our efforts on these topics for emerging artists...very exciting.

let me just say, this girl is on fire! she's exhibiting, selling, teaching, speaking up, and making her mark in the community. that's all very exciting, too.

here's where you can find her:

her website
her blog

thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 5...lina peterson

as with last week's guest star, sybille richter, i just found the fantastic experimental work of swedish maker, lina peterson. lina uses mixed materials (metal, textiles) and techniques (metalsmithing, crocheting, sewing, dip-coating) to create her sculptural pieces. i love her use of color, texture, and abstract forms. it seems she's investigating how her chosen materials (and their varying characteristics) and the process of making relate to one another. her work also seems very personal and intimate and i absolutely adore it. you can see more images of her jewelry at her website and at sienna gallery's website.

the above pictures (both brooches) are from sienna gallery's site.
top - "crocheted brooch" in oxidized sterling and cotton.
bottom - "stitched brooch" in textile, thread, and plastic dip-coated metal.

just lovely.

thanks for reading.

this is why i heart lace.

yesterday i read and studied two different books on lace. they were mesmerizing. i made a list of why i am interested in and how i relate to lace, including phrases and key words:

1. repetition of shapes and patterns - both positive and negative space
2. patterns within patterns
3. repetition of line
4. "system" of patterns and shapes that coexist and rely on each other to simultaneously create the over-all look as well as the individual elements
5. certain patterns and lines create/suggest movement and/or rhythm - can be subtle
6. combination/interplay of organic and geometric imagery
7. lace is an exercise in contrasts
8. words that come to mind when i look at lace:
grid-like
structural
organized
rigid and flowing
order
highly detailed
intricate
complicated
delicate

when i look at lace i am attracted to all the things i listed above but i also see these things everywhere i look. they are often the most noticeable or appealing aspects of objects and scenery to me. i even strive to create them in my work. (and i strive for them - order, structure, organization - in my home, office, and studio.) my sculpture teacher, bob booth, at SUNY fredonia, often talked about how the eye moves or travels along a sculpture. i haven't forgotten this concept and think about it when i make my jewelry and when i am observing things. i refer to it as "visual movement." i think this applies to looking at 2D images as well, including lace.

thanks for reading.

all images from: pictorial archive of lace designs ed. carol belanger grafton