Paris!

Louis Vuitton trunks and images of what you would find inside

I am in Paris! Today I went to the Musee les Arts Decoratifs to see two different exhibitions: Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs and Un peu de terra sur la peau. Bijoux contemporains en ceramique (which basically translates "A little clay on the skin. Contemporary ceramic jewelry."). One of my favorite things to do is to see exhibitions of fashion and jewelry so I was psyched to discover these two shows! The LV-MJ show began with displays of LV trunks--my favorite included x-ray-like images of the things a man and a woman would carry in his or her own trunk. Then upstairs the work of MJ was displayed in varying themed vignettes. The trunks and the clothes were exquisite, incredible designs and details! It made me want to run back to my apartment and put my heels on!

two Marc Jacob gowns 

Next I roamed around the museum and looked at its permanent collection of furniture and objects as well as a special rarely-on-view selection of trompe-l'oeil pieces. I was happy to spy some gorgeous antique jewelry and a few contemporary works. I also got to see several rooms from the apartment of French designer, Jeanne Lanvin.

view of the exhibition with work by Marie Pendaries (front left)

I completed my visit with the contemporary ceramic jewelry exhibition and was informed by the attendant I was both the 100th patron of the day and the "only one to spend so much time" there. Sweet! I was the only one there during my visit, too, which was such a treat. I got to examine every piece and really spend time looking. What a great show! My favorites include Rian de Jong, Manon van Kouswijk, and Marie Pendaries. It was also fantastic to see Ted Noten, Katja Prins, and
Shu-Lin Wu works in person.

Rian de Jong

 Manon van Kouswijk - "Perles d artiste"

Thanks for reading.

I Have so Much to Tell You! Part 5

And finally a little bit of this and a little bit of that...30-Minute Bracelets by Lark Books is now available. I have two projects inside. One is called "The Minimalists" and the other is titled "Abstract Bangles." I got my copy just before I left North Carolina and only had a chance to glance through it, but I liked what I saw. As usual, Lark has put together a lovely book with interesting and varied projects from simple to more elaborate. 

 Abstract Bangles

The Minimalists

My work is currently in a show featuring the work of Penland artists at Light Art + Design in Chapel Hill, NC. My silhouettes traveled there and were installed just the other day. I am so psyched that they get to be out in the world again, instead of just in my studio. The exhibition opens tomorrow with a reception from 6-9pm and runs through September 1.

I will be presenter at the 2013 Yuma Symposium in Yuma, AZ! I've been curious about this conference for years and I'm excited that I finally get to see what it's all about. Everyone I know who has attended before just raves about it. The symposium is February 21-23.

I think this concludes my catch-up series...I fly to Paris on Monday, arriving there Tuesday afternoon. I will blog again as soon as I can.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

I Have so Much to Tell You! Part 4

interior of my gallery "Beyond Fashion" in Antwerp, Belgium

And next week I "move" to Europe...I fly to Paris on June 11 and will spend a few days there before I head to Antwerp, Belgium for the summer. I will be living in an apartment outside of the city and making work for a solo exhibition that opens on September 6 at Beyond Fashion. I'm not sure what I will make for this show, but I have a feeling it will be about travel and place. I am looking forward to the process which will be quite different from my solo at Velvet da Vinci. I had a year to make that work while this time around I only have three months. Following my show opening, I will travel to England to spend time with friends and meet up with my sweetheart who will be there tattooing. Then we will travel together for a bit and end up in Certaldo, Italy where I will be a visiting artist for the East Carolina University Italy Intensives study abroad program. After that I will travel around Italy. Finally, I will spend November and December in Skagastrond, Iceland at the Nes Residency.  I will try to blog regularly and keep you up-to-date on what I'm up to while I'm away.

Certaldo, Italy

Skagastrond, Iceland

Whoa.

Thanks for reading.http://www.freaks-n-geeks.com/galen.html

I Have so Much to Tell You! Part 3

my work at the SNAG Showcase

And then I went to the SNAG Conference in Phoenix, AZ...I gave a 15 minute lecture as part of the "Spotlight" series along with Caitie Sellers, Loring Taoka, Allyson Bone, and Andrew Hayes.  I was terribly nervous for this talk, more than I have ever been. There were maybe 600 people there, all colleagues, and I have never spoken to that large of a group before. I second guessed myself at the last minute and read my lecture form a script. I usually rely on my memory to give my talks and it usually goes pretty well. I was just so worried I would forget something! It's all a blur now and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I think it went ok. I have gotten some wonderful comments from audience members which makes me think it did indeed go just fine. The other talks were all fantastic and I want to say congratulations to my fellow Spotlighters! How fantastic to share the stage with such talented metalsmiths and all-around awesome individuals!

Hot Under the Collar display

I also co-juried "Hot Under the Collar" with Bob Ebendorf. The show was the brainchild of Liz Steiner and featured necklaces from traditional to contemporary. Back in March Bob and I chose the work, beginning with over 400 pieces. After more than 10 hours, we had created a collection of about 30 pieces. I really enjoyed the process of choosing, debating why or why not, and then finalizing a group that not only showcased the finest work, but also a group that looked good together. Once I arrived at the exhibition, I was just speechless. I knew it would be a beautiful show, but it was better than I had imagined. (Note: I hope I got those numbers right! I can't remember the exact details...I will correct myself if necessary.)

my work at Heat Exchange

Also that night, I got to see "Heat Exchange," an enameling exhibition featuring the work of artists from Europe, Australia, and the United States. The show was incredible and I am still in shock that I was included, considering my limited experience with the material.

The following images are all from the gallery crawl that evening...including "SNAG Showcase: 2012 Conference Presenters," "Cu/29: Contemporary Works in Copper," and "eleMEnTAL: Becky Chader McDonah, Tedd R. McDonah, and Lynette Andreasen."

SNAG Showcase

Lynette Andreason

Susie Ganch looking at the work of Robin Bold in the copper show

Other conference highlights for me include the lecture by Bettina Speknor, acquiring a few souvenirs at the Trunk Show Sale, and spending time with dear friends. The conference was fantastic and I am honored that I got to participate at the level I did...giving a lecture, jurying a show, exhibiting my work...it's good to give back and I was honored to do so. 

Thank you to Becky, Tedd, and Lynette, conference chairs, and thank you to SNAG!

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading. 

I have so Much to Tell You! Part 2

taking down my security envelop collection

So I moved...and it was very, very hard. What an overwhelming task to pack up such a space and my life. I found I had to work systematically and with blinders on. It took about a week to pack everything and a day to move it all into storage where it will remain until I return from Europe in January.

my bench on the last day I used it

my bench after packing

my studio just before I began packing...

...and during packing

almost packed-up... 

...and done.

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

I have so Much to Tell You! Part 1

from left - Amy, Mary, Kathie, Angie, Pamela, Rachel, and Anna,

enjoying a little Motown and a cocktail

I do love a blog series so here I go with a new one in which I catch you up, and there's a lot I want to tell you. You may have noticed that I've been gone from the blog for about a month, something I did not plan on. The end of concentration was intense and as soon as it was over I began moving. Then I went to the SNAG conference and now I am spending time with family before I fly to Europe on June 11. Needless to say, keeping up with the blog was one too many things for me to do and I couldn't wrap my head around writing. So I'll begin this week-long series with concentration...

Spring concentration was wonderful! It's an intense experience, but I loved teaching for eight weeks. I was "on" every day, juggling daily demos, weekly crits, field trips, visiting artists, Penland-related activities, and, of course, my 10 awesome students. I really did have the best class and they made excellent work, impressing me daily with their level of aptitude and enthusiasm and their strong work ethic. We also had a lot of fun together, doing something together as a class every week--like Motown and cocktails on the metals porch and a trip to Asheville for tattoos and dinner. I enjoyed every minute of teaching them and getting to know them.

Amy hammering away

Rachel soldering a copper container with two torches

my bench with flowers from my sweetheart

a bracelet I made for my dear friend and fellow instructor in hot glass, Martin Janecky

during our tattoo trip

a collection of tiny earrings by Anna

Penland Metals Studio Coordinator, Zac Lopez, shows us how to maintain a flex shaft

my class during our final crit on the last day of concentration

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Traveling Metalsmith

As my champs work, I prepare to leave the country...I will be taking my favorite tools on the road, or plane, I should say. My friend, Dana Fehsenfeld, is going to make me a custom traveling tool kit similar to the one pictured above that she also made for the metals studio. I complied a list of tools and then packed as many as I could in this existing kit just to see how it will all work. I am pretty happy with this design and will have her do something like it with a few adjustments--more pockets, a zippered pouch on the outside for my sand paper, and grommets on either side toward the middle so it can hang.

 some examples of Dana's work...above and below

Thanks for reading.