Process Shot of the Week

Night River layout.

Hot Under the Collar Prospectus

Here is the prospectus for the Hot Under the Collar Show, both as a PDF and a Word Doc.

Hot Under the Collar

I've been keep mum about a largish project I've had in the works for several months now. I'm curating an exhibition for the 2012 SNAG Conference in Phoenix. It's been a bit nerve wracking, and a HUGE learning experience, but I think it will be a spectacular show.

Hot Under the Collar: A Survey of Contemporary Necklaces

Choker, collar, lariat, torque, pendant, the necklace is one of the most diverse formats available to metalsmiths today. Whether cascading down the front, or draped down the back, the possibilities are nearly endless. The human torso provides us with one of our largest canvases, while still keeping body as site.

From comments on the classic strand of pearls to contemporary takes on armor, this jurried exhibition seeks to showcase how metalsmiths today interpret this incredibly versatile object.

Jurors

Bob Ebendorf

Robert Ebendorf is the Belk Distinguished Professor at the East Carolina University Metal Design program. He has also taught at the University of Georgia and the State University of New York at New Paltz, as well as conducted workshops all over the country. Ebendorf has received numerous grants and awards, including a Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant, an American Crafts Council Award, and most recently the North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor awarded by the state of North Carolina. He has exhibited work extensively both nationally and internationally. Ebendorf has works in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Amy Tavern

Amy Tavern received a BFA in Metal Design from the University of Washington and a BA in Arts Administration from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia. In addition to being a studio artist, Tavern has taught at the Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and the Pratt Fine Arts Center. Tavern has lectured at the 2008 Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference, East Carolina University, and Winthrop University. She has exhibited at Sienna Gallery, Aaron Faber Gallery, and Heidi Lowe Gallery, among others. Tavern’s work has been published in numerous publications, most recently in SNAG’s 2011 Exhibition in Print. Tavern is currently a resident artist at the Penland School of Crafts. Her work can be found in galleries around the U.S. and abroad.

Hot Under the Collar will be shown May 24-27, in conjunction with the 2012 SNAG Conference. The exhibition will take place at the Scottsdale Museum of art, in a large atrium. Please note that while the exhibition space is secure, the museum will not be providing insurance. Accepted works must arrive at SMOCA on or before May 23, 2012. Return shipping costs must be covered by the artist either by pre-paid shipping label or by credit card. Work may also be picked up from SMOCA at the end of the conference.

Contact me for the prospectus at hotunderthecollarshow@gmail.com

Etsy Adds

Some recent Etsy adds to both the jewelry shop and the paper shop.

Bob Necklace

So I think I mentioned the other week that I had a trade in the works with Bob Ebendorf. I asked Bob if he would make me a chain, thinking of something simple that I could put all my charms on. But I told Bob he had free rein, my only other input was on length. Well. Yesterday I received this fantastic piece of work. I love it. I love wearing it. I love the neutrals and little splashes of color.
Love this pearl.
Love this bone.
Bob said he put this rock on there just for me! How sweet! I don't think I could have asked for a better piece!

Just in case you're wondering, Bob will be getting a selection of wall brooches in return.

Thanks for reading!

Blast from the Past

I was poking around in a jewelry box of stuff I don't really wear anymore, and I came across this necklace. I made this when I was 16, when I was just starting to get really into jewelry making. I remember how old I was, because I wore it to my brother's graduation. It's funny to think about how far I've come. Ten years later and I'm making my thesis work. I don't know what I find more fascinating: the differences in the work or the similarities. How much I've changed, or how much I've stayed the same.

I'm interested to see where the next ten years will get me.

Quote of the Week

Ever have the past come back to haunt you? Specifically your art past? It's unsettling, isn't it? Like the Universe knew something well before you did.

It seems like lately I've been coming across all these realizations about how my making past has shaped my making present. I was cleaning out some stuff today and found all kinds of crazy crap. Post cards from my undergrad show (why the hell did I order so many?). Some bad sketches, which I threw out. A manifesto I wrote my first semester of grad school. This still holds up, so maybe I'll post it another time. And some very interesting index cards.

I tend to make my notes on index cards. By the time I die, I'll probably have a mountain of them. I'm not sure when, where, or how I picked up this habit, but apparently it was sometime early on or before my grad career. I found some index cards from either my first or second semester at Towson. On one, I wrote this quote:

"From the earliest times humans stung stones, wood, feathers, and bone on strings of hide around their necks. The neck is where mind and body, head and heart come together. It is a transitional point from the celestial to the terrestrial, and as such it is a fitting point to place an object of adornment or magic."

~ Robly Glover

I feel like I just saw a ghost.

Process Shot of (Last) Week

Sorry these are a few days late.

New Work

A couple pieces I finished up for crit on Tuesday. Actually, I finished the slate piece a few weeks ago, but just now got it photographed. A big, big thanks to Jennifer Wells, who was kind enough to model for me.
As always, more here.

Gfits!

It's always nice to come in in the morning and find lovely gifts on your bench! This morning I found a necklace by Bob Ebendorf waiting for me, along with a geode from friend Marissa Saneholtz! I gave Bob this crab claw last week, and am tickled that he made something for me out of it! Marissa is one of the featured artists on Crafthaus this week, so be sure and check out her amazing and hilarious work!

Before and After. . .

Well, more like a during and after. These are pics of a piece I just finished. It's fairly simple, just rocks and spool knitted thread, but with a personal twist. These are the rocks that my friends used to decorate my birthday cake, instead of candles this year. At first I set out to make a piece just for me, using those rocks, but as I was working on it I kept thinking about issues of time and rocks as indications of time and history, and how this was marking a piece of my history. Then I began to think about some things that were mentioned in a critique this past semester about knots in string and ways that people used to mark time and how each rock acts like a knot in the string, marking one year of my life. It all just came together and it kinda tickled me. It's not the most involved piece I've ever made, nor is it the prettiest, but for now I'm pretty happy with it. The top pic is of the piece steeping in tea to dye the thread.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Through the Airport. . .

So I lent this piece to a friend of mine, who was going out to California to spend some time with a with a well respected enamelist. She had the piece packed up with some other work and had to unpack the whole thing when she went through security and apparently my necklace didn't pass! Security told my friend that she couldn't take it on the plane. She had to leave it in a locker!

I find this whole thing hysterical! I thought about reasons why my piece might not have passed security and the only thing that I can come up with (and this may be stretching it) is that they couldn't identify the materials on the string. But whatever the reason, I still find it hilarious that I made work that's not allowed to fly!

Process Shot of the Week

It's a bit messy, but I'm all about the graphite lately. Nevermind the minor disators that occured to my studio space floor. As always, more on flickr.