It's Been 10 Years, Part 3

working on Bruised, Once Broken in my Penland studio

photo by Dana Moore

An important and unexpected part of the last ten years is my fascination with artist process. When I began my Penland residency in 2009 I planned to figure out the details of how and why I make my work. I remember writing in my sketchbook a list of all the ways I might try to figure some stuff out. It included daily drawing, reading about jewelry, writing about my work, and various hands-on, exploratory exercises. I'm not sure where this all came from but I feel like I composed the list by thinking about what I dreamed of doing in the studio and never had time for. Then I started to tackle my plan in a very deliberate way.

One winter in particular, I structured my day with a variety of tasks and followed a routine. I made one-hour pieces and did other time-based exercises. I read books on the history of jewelry and studied the work of contemporary jewelers. I thought about my work and I wrote it all down. I did the same round of activities nearly every day and by the end of the winter and I had tons of information at my finger tips. Then I realized I could use this information to my advantage. I was beginning to discover where my ideas were coming from and why, I understood the basic steps I took each time I made a new piece, and I knew what to do when I felt stuck.

Then process became my "thing." I wrote a memoir-style essay for a magazine about how I began to discover my process and lead Penland's Core Fellows through eight weeks of process during their core seminar. I went on to teach workshops at a number of places from Seattle, WA to Certaldo, Italy. In turn, I realized how much I love seeing how other artists work and truly enjoy helping people discover their own methods. Process has come to have its own identity in my work, too. It is often part of my concept as a ritual or some integral component that I choose to leave exposed.

Every artist has their own unique process, but I believe there are some universal basics. I share my personal experience as a way to guide others and I encourage my students to be open and to try everything. I also tell them some parts will be easy and some will be a struggle. I usually discover more about my own process every time I lead my 3D-sketching exercise or have my students make a list of 50 things that inspire them. I love digging deep and questioning and doing so only serves to make me better at what I do. Thinking back now, I am so excited about all of this and I know that what I found in the last ten years is just the beginning.

paper model for the piece

the completed piece

There are tons of pictures of process on my Flickr page and here are links to process images from I Live Here Now and In Between, my most recent work.

Thanks for reading.

It's Been 10 Years, Part 2

Line Drawing Necklace No. 7, 2007, Line Drawings

My work has changed a lot over the years. I began with simple production collections in sterling, steel, and gold. Then I started my Line Drawings as a way to expand my ideas of line, shape, and visual movement. Next I moved into working with solid, geometric forms and negative space in my Borderlines series. Later I experimented with spray paint and historical jewelry in Regal Graffiti followed by clustering teardrops and bows to create voluminous Bow Clusters. This is also when I began using my memories to add meaning and depth to each piece. 

 Brooch No. 4, 2009, Borderlines

Necklace, 2009, Regal Graffiti

Bow Cluster Brooch with Teardrop, 2010, Bow Clusters

I was able to make specific bodies of work for solo shows in 2012 and 2013 including This is How I Remember It and Observation/Translation. For both exhibitions I used jewelry to illustrate my memories and observations using metal and non-metal materials. In 2014 I began to shift my focus to include non-jewelry forms in I Live Here Now, a solo exhibition of jewelry, small-scale installations, and two-dimensional works for the wall. Most recently, I made In Between, my first large-scale installation inside a two-story utility elevator. 

 Oak Leaf Brooch, 2011, This is How I Remember It, 
Fabricated Memory: Jewelry Box, 1980

Family, 2012, Observation/Translation

Since 1882, Since 1976, 2014, I Live Here Now

In Between, 2014

Since 2005 my skills and confidence have gotten stronger. I know myself better and have a deeper understanding of what I do and why. My work has become more complex, detailed, and personal and there is still so much to learn and make. Please visit my recently updated website to see all my different bodies of work as well as works-in-progress, collaborative projects, wedding rings, and photography. 

Thanks for reading.

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.

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. 

Adding More Layers

oldest natural pearl, dated between 5547 and 5235 B.C.

Just a few images and links to some of my inspirations and sources as I work on my Pearl Piece... from ancient pearls to a Brancusi bronze to Pluto. 

"All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography." 

- Federico Fellini

Prometheus by Brancusi

Pearls by Shohei Shirai

Oolites or cave pearls, sedimentary rocks formed from ooids, 

spherical grains composed of concentric layers

Pluto

2,000 year-old natural pearl found on the north Kimberley coast of Western Australia

Thanks for reading.

Pearl Stories, No. 3

Virginia Hungate-Hawk sent me three faux pearl necklaces that she found amongst "all kinds of things one keeps but does not move away with." Her metalsmith mom had just turned her childhood room into a studio and Virginia had to sort through things she had left behind when she moved away years ago, things like ticket stubs and old jewelry. The change seemed bittersweet for Virginia. As she wrote in the note she included with her contribution, she had encouraged her mom to make the change, but it had caused her to realize one "never can really go home." This got me thinking about all the times I moved and all the things I left behind, got rid of, gave away, held on to, or put into storage. Objects mark time. They remind us of people and places and our attachment is personal and often rooted in emotion. I have a huge collection of jewelry and there are many, many pieces I haven't worn in years, but I choose to keep because they remind me of something or someone. As I thought about my jewelry, I remembered my own faux pearls including a bracelet I wore at my prom when I was 16. I know exactly where it is in my childhood home and I think I'll have my mom send it to me here in San Francisco. It needs to be a part of this piece. Virginia said she can't remember details of the necklaces she sent, but perhaps she wore one of the strands to her prom, too.

Read the other stories here and here.

Thanks for reading.

Ten More Days

Sea and Land, Land and Sky

Parallel Constellations will be on view at Crown Nine for ten more days. It's been great to have the work there because it's among some pretty incredible handmade jewelry by artists from around the U.S. and it's being seen by a different audience every day. I know a few pieces have sold, too, which is very exciting of course! If you live in Oakland, or the Bay Area, I do hope you'll stop by, see the show, and say hi to the wonderful women who work there.

In Tandem

Maps: Magnetic, a collaborative piece with Raissa Bump

Crown Nine is open from 10-6 Monday-Friday and 12-4 on Saturday. It is located at 515 9th Street in Oakland, CA.

Here's a link to Crown Nine's blog and a great post about the show.

Thanks for reading.