Announcments! Announcments!

I am so confused. How did it get to be the middle of April already? Yikes! Here's just a few updates on what's coming up in my world:

Things are rolling along with the show. I ordered postcards (fantastically designed by Steve Steiner) which should be here by the end of the week. And speaking of the conference, I finally got my information packet for the Trunk Show which makes it feel so much more real and scary. The conference is coming up quick and if Hot Under the Collar and the Trunk Show weren't enough, I'll also be blogging the Conference over on Crafthaus, with none other than Jillian Moore! I'm going to be all OVER this conference!

May is also shaping up to be jam packed since I'll be heading back to Peter's Valley for the summer, this time as their Artist Fellow in Fine Metals! I'm super excited to return to PV, and the list of instructors looks steller! So the next few weeks will be spent finishing up my class (so much to cover!) putting in my last few days at the museum (so sad to leave so many great people!) and packing (again!). Hopefully I'll have ample studio time once I get to PV to bust out more work for that Trunk Show!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!

Trades

Check out this great article on trading work by Jillian Moore, over on Art Jewelry Forum.

Swap Results

So, I got my Artist to Artist Element Swap stuff back about a month ago from super talented Jillian Moore. She turned my reject enameled electroforms from my first semester of grad school into these juicy, weird, fantastic little brooches and a pendant! The brooch in the top right of the photo above is all Jillian though. Love them! Whenever I wear any of them I get bunches of questions and comments. Everyone keeps asking me if the pendant opens. It does not. It never did. But it does have metallic purple dots on the other side!
I didn't photograph the stuff I sent to my partner. I'm kinda embarrassed about how long it took me. In the end, I only had one small piece that was inspired by the objects she sent me. I also sent her a pair of earrings, that reminded me a little bit of her work, and I sent her a rock brooch.
I really enjoyed taking part in this swap, I just felt really bad that I didn't devote the time and attention to it that I should have.

Element Swap

A couple of months ago I was invited to participate in an artist to artist element swap. Each participant sends an element to another artist, who makes a piece of work that either physically incorporates that element, or uses it as inspiration. Elements can be scraps, elements an artist has made, a found object or even a piece of old work.
My elements came from ceramic artist Emily Jull. She makes lovely vessels that incorporate felt, crocheted lace and stitching. Her work is simple and beautiful. You can see her work on flickr and on etsy. I've been very excited to swap with her and I finally got my elements in the mail today:


I love them! I'm so excited! My first thought is to electroform some of these, but our bath here is deffinatly not up to it. So I've got to do a little creative thinking. Which is what the swap is all about! First up though, is lots of "Moments" pictures using these.
I got to send my element to Jillian Moore. I was so so so excited to get her as a swap partner! I've been a fan of her work since I saw it last year at the SNAG conference. I forgot to take a picture of my elements before I shipped them off. These aren't exactly what I sent her, but they are quite similar. In fact, I think I meant to send these too, but somehow missed them.

For more on the swap, check out Amy Tavern's post about the wonderful things she got from Japan, and what she's sending to my friend Shand.