Hello Press

I don't often talk about my press, only when it happens and then I quietly walk away. I've been very lucky to get some really wonderful press over the years and it is always exciting for me: the cover of Metalsmith, my work featured in the Lark Book 500 Series, a necklace worn at the Grammys…

With my most recent press in the current issue of Metalsmith, I thought I should get some of my press out there again. I just added some of my press highlights to my website and created a board on Pinterest.

Thanks for reading.

I Live Here Now, Part 8

I finished the work a few days ago with some really good, quiet moments and, also, some serious second thoughts. I did get to spend a day just sitting with the work on Thursday and then I shipped everything to my photographer on Friday. Well, almost everything. I got stuck on one piece right at the last minute. I ended up reworking it and then finished it on Saturday…and what I felt when it was all over is not what you might expect. I was not elated or excited. I didn't jump for joy or scream with delight. Instead, I was very quiet and not due to a sense of relief or satisfaction. I felt detached and distant and I had no idea how I felt about the work or what I had accomplished. To be honest, this is normal for me, and I imagine for many artists as well. There is so much effort that goes into the work, it makes sense that in the end one is exhausted and completely depleted. The one good thing is that I now know these feelings are probably going to happen and I accept them. I don't avoid them or try to make them go away, instead I sort-of resign myself to them and I just let them be. It's not as peaceful as it sounds, it's actually quite challenging and uncomfortable. It is what it is…and so is the work.

When I was done on Saturday I drove to a place I haven't seen since the night I graduated from high school in 1992. There is a Russian monastery just outside of the village and I still find it completely magical now. I've never been inside and this last visit is the closest I've ever been: I parked my car and walked up to it just for a few minutes. It's a remarkable building and the atmosphere there is serene and quiet. Finding my way there was interesting, too, because I did it from memory and even thought I felt unsure, I got myself there without making any wrong turns. There were a few points that literally felt right: a long curve here and passing a certain building there. When the road opened up and those gold domes became visible, I gasped. It was such a good way to end my day and end my time with the work.

Thanks for reading.

Etsy Monday

Large and Small Arc Necklace $106

Today's Etsy Monday picks: my Line Drawing elements as pendants in different combinations…All five variations are now available in my Etsy shop.

 Large Circle and Large Arc Necklace $104

 Large and Small Circle Necklace $102

Small Circle and Small Arc Necklace $100

All Four Necklace $200

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star #133…Renee Zettle-Sterling

from the series "Objects of Mourning: Untidy"

I'm switching gears for today's GS post by revisiting jewelry with the work of Renee Zettle-Sterling. I've been talking with Renee about my work over the last few weeks, looking to her for insight because I admire her work, but specifically, because of its highly-personal content and Renee's use of sentimental, priceless, irreplaceable clothing. For my new work I have been using irreplaceable things, so speaking with Renee has been very helpful.

"Object of Mourning: Permanence #1"

Renee makes jewelry, objects, sculpture and installation. There is also a performative aspect to many of the works shown through narrative photographs. I'm interested in how she creates with different forms and materials and admire her ability to convey experiences and emotions. The work is labor intensive, too, and I imagine this is an important part of the process, adding even more depth and complexity.

"Object of Mourning: Recall #1"

I met Renee a few years ago at the ECU metals symposium. She was the key note speaker that weekend and I really enjoyed her lecture. She talked about objects expressing "universal content" and I think about that a lot still. The source of much of the content in her work is death and mourning. Her experiences are unique to her, but universal with all of us. I think her pieces serve as a way for her to understand and accept and further serve as a vehicle to communicate and connect with others. Her pieces are sensitive, beautiful and articulate.

a page from my sketchbook, notes taken during her lecture

from the series "Necklaces in Mourning"

from the series "Objects of Mourning: Untidy"

from the series "Mourning Brooches"

You can read this article about her use of death and mourning as inspiration. It's a good introduction to what she does. 

Thanks for reading.

I Live Here Now, Part 7

I'm nearly done with the work…I finished the metalwork last night and today have a few details to execute involving some of the objects that complement the pieces. But, for most of the day, I will be sitting with the work, something I've been doing since my first solo show in 2011. I like having some time to just be with the work, to lay it out in front of me and look at it, think about it, sit with it. This "sitting" I do is a chance to see the completed body of work altogether before I ship it to my photographer or pack it up for the exhibition. I also do some writing which usually helps me to understand what I've just done. Writing is a great way for me to sort things out and, later, I can use the text in my artist statement. Sitting is also one of the ways I honor the end of the making process.

Tomorrow I will measure and photograph everything and then ship it off to Seattle to be photographed.

Hard to believe this part is almost over...

Thanks for reading.

I Live Here Now, Part 6

A few weeks ago I woke up one Saturday morning and the moment my eyes opened I felt extreme doubt. It washed over me, confused my thinking and turned my stomach. This is not a new thing for me. It happens every time I make a new body of work for a big show, and at this point, I'm not surprised by it. However, I'm also never prepared for it. What happens in the following days is pretty much terrible for me. I become nearly paralyzed in the studio and it's hard to focus, to motivate and to move my hands. I have this strange feeling of no longer knowing what I'm doing. I don't know my ideas or my intentions. I look at the work and my plans and I question their validity, their strength. I cry a lot. I also can't eat and I don't sleep well. It feels awful. It's the worst.

I don't often talk about my struggles here and I don't know exactly why. It's not because I don't have them or because I don't want anyone to know. I think I like keeping things positive here as much as possible. But, after this last bout with doubt I realized I wanted to talk about it a little bit. Doubt, uncertainty and fear are all things I feel often and most of the time I'm able to keep them in a healthy place. I see them as these creatures that hang out behind me, all the time. They help to keep me grounded. They help keep the balance. However, there is this moment when I've been working really hard and pause ever so slightly, and they climb up my back and sit on my shoulders. Then they noisily stick around, indefinitely.

So what do I do to battle them? The first few days I tend to just feel so bad I can't do anything, or I do very little. Then survival kicks in and I realize the only way to get through it is to work. Work. No matter how hard it is to physically pick up a tool or how challenging it is to think about the next step in an idea, I must work. At first it's awkward and clunky, but slowly it gets easier, and slowly, those creatures quiet down. They don't go away, but they do get quiet. Then I find my rhythm again and I just keep going.

I had a great conversation with my brother about this and I said something like, "I just have to keep working. What else am I going to do?" To which he replied, "Like a shark." He said it in a way that made me laugh. Then he said, "You gotta keep swimming."

Well said, Mark.

Thanks for reading.

I Live Here Now, Part 5

Today…materials. I mentioned the other day that I'm using a variety of things in this new work, things not limited to jewelry or metals from materials to objects to arrangements to installation. Here are some of the materials and objects:

Thanks for reading.