updated website

It only took me almost two years but i finally got around to updating my website.
Not having studio access is really forcing me to confront all the tasks I have been putting off. January 11th can not come soon enough. Although I am sure by the time the studio reopens I will have fully adjusted to my couch-potato ways. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays!

Snakes, Mice, & News

Snakeskin Mouse Brooch
Materials: Sknakeskin, Sterling silver, Fine silver, stainless steel

The semester is almost over but that doesn't mean the work is over. Above is a brooch that I put the finishing touches on this week...that touch being the double loop in loop tail. It had been a while and I had forgotten the meditative state making a loop in loop chain can take you to. I highly recommend it.

I spent a good chunk of the semester working on a snake-like necklace. I would post pictures but I am planning to revisit the clasp over the break as it is still not quite right. I have taken the entire necklace apart so many times now that I think it has become quite an epic piece. I just hope it will all be worth it in the end.

Currently I am working on a Snakeskin clutch purse that fill conclude the sake series. Sorry, pictures of that either. I've decided not to post any progress shots until the piece is actually finished.

In other news, the Swarm necklace is actually in the Craftforms 2009 exhibition held at the Wayne Arts Center. The show is up until January 23rd so if your around the area check it out. Tybre Newcomer, a fellow grad's husband is also in the show.

I also have a couple pieces in ARTspace at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center as part of their One & Only: Gifts Made by Hand. The show will be up till January 17th. Below is a picture of the installation that Katie Travers, the exhibition intern was nice enough to send.

just a quck post of a new piece

20 Rings
Materials: sterling silver and stingray skin

A few of the 10 pieces

Below are a few pieces from the 10 piece we have to make in 2 weeks at SUNY New Paltz. Most of these are more of an exploration of an idea rather than a finished piece of jewelry

Signs of Life

Ok, just a quick post because I should be making 10 pieces for Wednesday, but I wanted to post the link to Facere's 2009 Signs of Life show. The show officially opens October 7th but you can view the work online here . If you are in the area for the opening I recommend going and taking pictures for me because I unfortunately, will be stuck in the studio trying to figure out what on earth to make for my thesis. eeek!

Here are some better pictures of my beehive pieces although I would like to get the necklace photographed outdoors somewhere to give it some context.

Swarm detail
Swarm, necklace
leather, bronze, stainless steel
Beehive brooches
leather, bronze, stainless steel

Beehive brooches detail


Well that's all for now, although I am working on carving some handles for the cake serving ware for YokoTazaki and Sean McMullen's wedding which should be a blast!! I 'll be sure to post pictures once their done. But right now I'm living in a world of wood dust as I am forced to carve in my apartment having been kicked out of the studio at SUNY New Paltz till classes begin. The start of which both cannot come soon enough and yet is approaching way too fast. Actually come tho think of it I should be working on my 100 drawings assignment..... eeck!

Summer class part II

Above are the students samples of leather Repousse and Pyrography. These techniques as well as the scrimshaw technique shown below prepared the the students for the second project.

Project #2: Surface
Every culture handles the treatment of surface decoration differently. In this project the students researched different decorative motifs in order to understand how each came to function within the society of its origins. Each student made a decorative motif in response to the motiff they researched. This motif was applied either my means of scrimshaw, leather burning, or leather stamping. Below are a few images of their work but you can visit the rest here.

Nicholas

Laura

Theresa

Sarah

Summer Class

I just finished teaching a class titled "Not Metal Jewelry" in SUNY New Paltz's summer program. It was only a five week class but the students managed to get a lot of work done regardless. The class covered techniques such as small wood carving, leather working, and scrimshaw. The picture above are the samples the students carved in wood. They were given the choice of carving either a soy bean (just as Sharon Church first taught me to carve), a habanero pepper, or a chinese water chestnut.

Their first project was called Structures. I left it a bit open but wanted them to choose a structure (such a skeletal structure) and either recreate that structure or use a structure as the support to make another piece. All of the pieces were made in wood, leather, or metal using the techniques learned in class. Bellow are a few pics of some of my students work. click here to view the rest.

Justine

Preston

Rebecca

Becky

Heather

More bees

I forgot to post these in my last post. After I completed the bee hive necklace I was interested in making some accessories that would look like they were imposing on the body in nontraditional ways. Like the necklace these pieces are made out of Leather, Bronze, and stainless steel.





I will hopefully be getting better pictures of the necklace soon. Until then I'm busy getting ready to move to New Paltz (hurray no more commuting!) and teaching my class "Not Metal Jewelry" at SUNY New Paltz. Despite the title there is some metal involved so fear not.

busy as a bee

This semester flew by and I am still recovering from it. It has literally left me speechless as I have come down withlaryngitis. But it was well worth it. It 's been a while and since I have posted anything so I better bring y'all up to speed.

I am proud to have been a part of Decorative Resurgence which was up from April 21-May 24. The show was juried by Jill Baker Gower and Jessica Calderwood, Assistant Professor of Art at The University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. It was an international exhibition of contemporary jewelry and metalwork inspired by historic decoration and ornamentation including 90 artworks from 72 artists. There is a beautiful full color catalog, which I am eagerly awaiting in the mail. Below is my piece "The hunt for the White Stag" which was in the show.

I was also invited to take part in the Hudson Fulton: Take Two

The first pin was created for the 1909 Hudson-Fulton celebration. The image below it is my response to the original piece. If you ask me the original is far more cool but I'm banking on the fact that by the time the next centinal celebration of the discovery of the Hudson river comes along my piece will be an antique then too.

This past weekend I attended the 40th SNAG conference which took in Philadelphia, my home away from home. It was really good to be back and see a lot of familiar faces. On Thursday I was really happy to be a part of Jewelry in Motion, a jewelry runway show held at the Philadelphia Museum of art. I owe a big thanks to Gail Brown who invited me to take part in the event and to my model Mallory Weston who did a fabulous job. Below are some pictures from the night.

Tomorrow I begin teaching my class Not Metal Jewelry at SUNY New Paltz which I am very excited about. And thats about all for now. ok time to feed the cats.

new work

hot off the bench...