that which keeps you.

a carefully selected oeuvre of paul romano's emotive & haunting works will be on show starting tomorrow night at the new gallery 309 here in philly. if you're in town i hope you stop by to say hi.

xo

Beadwork as Meditation

by Jennifer VanBenschoten

Ask anyone who knows me well, and they'll tell you that I'm scattered.  All you have to do is take a look at the current state of my beading table to see for yourself:

But somehow, out of all that chaos, I can take a pile of beads with a needle and some thread and create something of beauty, even if the finished product itself seems to be a bit chaotic:

When I first started beadweaving, I was amazed that those tiny little beads and long lengths of thread had the power to relax me the way that they did.  When I was beading, I found that I was totally focused on what I was doing, and any other worries or problems that I had seemed to just melt away while I immersed myself in the rhythm of the thread path.

Even now, over fifteen years since I first picked up bead and needle and thread, I still think it's wonder that beads have the power to relax and focus me.  In a world where things seem to be zipping past at lightning speed, it's so important to find something that you love that makes you slow down and really pay attention.

There's something very Zen-like about the repetition of the needle moving through the beads as I work.  And there's the transformative aspect of the work as well: I start out with a pile of beads and some thread, and I end up with a piece that is definitely more than the sum of it's parts.

Is there a particular aspect of handmade work that appeals to you? 

Sharon Massey Jewelry

 Since when does someone use rust as

part of their jewelry design?

Metalsmith Sharon Massey has decided that

rust is a necessary component of her vision.

She creates jewelry that celebrates the old,

 the worn, the layers of history that

reside in her surroundings.

 Rust fits perfectly into this vision.

It reflects the idea that things gain more

personality and character as they age.

Her work is made primarily of non-precious

materials - things like iron wire and

cotton muslin. The structures of her pieces

are based on ornamental patterns

 of ironwork as found in bridges, buildings

and other symbols of industrial life.

It's softened with cloth that is manually

inserted into the metal, and

then to celebrate the discolorations

and the flaws inherent in all things,

this artist uses self-initiated rust.

 

It's a vision that she defines

simply and eloquently on her site:

 

 

 

 

My work is a response to things I find beautiful. . .  I am drawn to rusted steel, peeling paint, and faded fabric—images in a state of decay that suggest layers of history and personal stories.  Living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a rich source of inspiration for my work.  The history of the steel industry in Pittsburgh is evident throughout the city, which is why steel and iron are the primary materials in my work.  I appropriate the ironwork designs that I see everyday, and I allow my pieces to rust, hoping to give them the aged quality that is so attractive to me. . . I’m not interested in merely recreating these things—that would be easier with a camera.  I’m trying to capture the essence of the beauty of Pittsburgh, make it tangible, and share it through jewelry.

 

The more we ponder her ideas, the more we

appreciate her work.

This bracelet is a perfect example of her

use of iron wire, white cotton muslin and rust,

 with the techniques she

uses to create her pieces.

We especially admire that while it

looks as though it would be heavy

and dense, in reality it's lightweight -

as are all of her pieces.

These Pink Cuffs are made with

similar materials. We like their daintiness

and subtle colors.

This necklace is called, My Version of a Pearl Necklace

and it includes pearls, silk, and gold.

Here we see a brooch that features the

concave side of her pieces - and it's

equally intriguing. Entitled Cameo Brooch

it also uses iron wire, cotton muslin, rust,

silver and gold.

We appreciate and admire

jewelry that features unusual materials

used in unconventional ways to express

a point of view.

We find it to be inspiring.

Enjoy!

the fault line.

i'm interested in how the grotesque can present itself; as fragile as a braid, milk colored & huddling betwixt the tenuous realm of sorrow & the locus of a ghostly epiphany.

- - - - - -

"I am terrified by this dark thing
that sleeps in me;
all day I hear its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.”
- from elm - sylvia plath

more otherworldly carolein smit sculptures here.

xx

Necklace: Fuchsia Flower, Golden Leaf

Fuchsia Flower, Golden Leaf
18" (45cm) .925 Sterling Silver Necklace
.925 Sterling Engraved DSK Tag
Crystallized Swarovski
*sold out*

"Snow Flower"
.925 Sterling Silver Earrings
Swarovski Crystal Flowers
*Last One*
$24.50

Christie's to Auction Elizabeth Taylor's $150 Million Jewelry Collection

Jewelry hounds? This is one of those times when I wish I had a few $mil burning a hole in my pocket. OK. That's not an 'uncommon' thought, but the news that Christie's is auctioning Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection is sending my blingy consumption habit into orbit!

Yes, it's true. People.com reports the famed auction house will be putting Dame Liz's baubles on the block - and yes, the stash includes all of her 'big hits' - including Taylor's rumored favorite, The Krupp Diamond(!!!)

Christie's declined to comment on the story, and there is no word yet if the proceeds will benefit Elizabeth Taylor's charity, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation - but you can be sure jewelry lovers the world over will be pushing the paddle hard to get their paws on a little piece of jewelry perfection.

In the meantime, I'm loving all of the jewelry-related tidbits that keep trickling out as the world mourns the loss of an icon. Lorraine Schwartz (famed red carpet jeweler and friend of Taylor's) told People that magnificent gems were a natural part of Taylor’s day-to-day life.

“People always gave her gifts … it was something that she learned to love.” And she took great care of them, too. “She [had] collections and collections, and rooms. She [knew] where every single piece was. [It was] amazing.”

In fact, Schwartz remembers receiving a phone call one morning in 2003 after Taylor had taken a fall. “She was like, ‘I don’t feel good, my hair is dirty but I’m wearing my bracelet,’” she recalls. “I mean, fabulous."

Inside the Beadworks

by D'Arsie Manzella

Usually when I invite someone into my studio my heart rate goes up and I start chattering on like a wild raving metal enthusiast explaining the workings of my machinery, the mold making process and even the composition of my metal alloy.

This will happen no matter the guest's vocation or interest. I just can't contain myself. I will inevitably treat their visit as a college course they are not sure they signed up for. My friend will nod, smile and even exclaim "Oh!" or "Wow!" no doubt thinking that they have stumbled into the wrong classroom. The one with the crazy little animated professor.

But my blog reading friends, I will spare you the lecture, I will remain calm and try not to hop around with excitement while giving you a small peek into my beadworks.

This is my workstation.
You see my molds stacked to the right,
my sweet sisters on the left
and the pile of work before me right now!
The Count helps me keep track of inventory.

Working here on a large order for Chautauqua Institution.
These are Bell Towers and Hall of Philosophy Pendants.
I grew up in this place and am so
honored to be able to do this project.

Inventory awaiting the grinding and the tumbling.


And me, myself in my super hot safety goggles.
Hey, safety is sexy.

I hope you're having a wonderful and
productive day in your own sacred studio space!

Student seeking...a learning experience

by Patty Lakinsmith

I've been thinking a lot about classes lately, and what makes or breaks the experience from the student perspective. Bead and jewelry classes, that is. Classes can be very expensive, and sometimes require that you travel to some far away destination, and you want to feel like you've gotten enough from the experience to justify the time and expense.

I've had some really fantastic classes with amazing teachers, and I've had a few where I left feeling somewhat less than satisfied. What makes a learning experience valuable for a student, I'm wondering? I'll offer some of my own thoughts, and then it's your turn.

I like to feel that I've landed in the right class for my skill level, so I'm interested in a little reminder up front about the basic skills required for the class. If it becomes evident that I lack some particular type of experience for the class, I like to feel that the instructor will help guide me through the parts that might be challenging.

I like to feel that the instructor is paying attention to me, what I'm doing, how well I'm following what he or she has explained that I do. In short, I like to feel that there is a creative conversation going on, back and forth, and not just one way communication.

I like to feel that I'm learning some special techniques, like no other I could find on the internet by just googling around. I just love when an instructor shares a breadth of tips with us that transcend the particular bead we happen to be making.

I would like the instructor to ensure that help is given out to each who requests it, and not just to the most vocal students. Once I had a bad experience where I was explaining my specific need for help to the instructor and another (louder?) student completely derailed the instructor to help her, leaving me out in the cold with the problem I had asked for help with. I would like my instructor to be sensitive to that and politely prevent the derailment from occurring, and to deal with one student at a time.

I like leaving class feeling like I have a brand new set of tools that can be applied as I want them, in my own unique work. It's especially cool when an instructor teaches techniques that are so multipurpose that each student could use them and nobody would end up with the same end product. Making that transition from learning how one instructor creates to how you can apply those techniques in your own special way to your work is the very difficult homework that we all take away from our classes.

What about the less tangible side? Do students want to take classes in a vacation-like setting, to just relax? Or do they want to learn as much as possible, foregoing many comforts in their quest to pack in the information? I've definitely leaned toward the latter, although the older I get the more I entertain thoughts of the former. Yeah, a cruise with beads, sounds great!

Now it's your turn. What classes have you taken that live on in your memory as outstanding learning experiences? What made them so special for you? What teacher characteristics are important? What is your biggest class peeve?

Week 11-Spring is Sprung Bracelet

The theme for this week is Spring Has Sprung. You couldn't tell that where I live in Michigan but hope springs eternal. This bracelet was inspired by one in Sharilyn Miller's book "Arty Jewelry". However, I wrapped the apatite and mystic quartz beads and the keishi pearls around a length of 1/4" copper tubing from Homeowner's Hell. Of course, they slid around like crazy. So to hold them in place I ran some wire through a tube wringer and wrapped it around the copper tubing to secure the beads. I added a larger copper core wire, some silver spacers domed into caps, coiled silver wire and a clasp to finish it.

Old work, new direction

I made this piece almost 20 years ago! It's huge, about 2.5" in diameter (65mm) and the cost of the silver alone would be well over $100 these days, though back then it was probably $10 - $15. It's totally fabricated from sterling sheet, I sawed, I used my pitch bowl and repousse' to give the cheetah form, I chased the details in, and did a whole lot of soldering. Phew! I didn't keep track of how long it took but it was a considerable amount of time.

I've been wanting to do some personal pieces lately, so I've been looking at my work from the olden days, when my livelihood wasn't dependent on selling my work. I've always been fascinated with dioramas and boxes, and much of my older work reflects this. I've been kind of stuck as to what I want to do though, because while I'm sketching and pondering my designer voice invariably takes over and beats the poor artist voice back into submission. Doing this for a living has really changed my creative process. Not that it's a bad thing, I just approach it very differently than I used to and I'm finding it difficult to switch gears.

My friend Lora Hart, teacher and jewelry artist extraordinaire, has recently started offering mentorials on her Etsy shop. I figured she might offer a good perspective on my dilemma so I decided to give it a try. I'm very happy that I did. She offered me some really excellent advice and thoughtful insights and I'm feeling unstuck and ready to create some things just for the sake of creating now - yay! I highly recommend her! You can find her shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoraHart

I've already started on my first personal piece, I'll post it here when it's done.

Bling at Perez Hilton's Blue Ball Birthday Bash

Jewelry sparkled at gossip queen Perez Hilton's 33rd birthday party in LA this weekend, where the blue-themed bash brought out everyone from Dancing With The Stars divas and Real Housewives to Disney starlets and 80s popstars.

In other words? A D-listers dream come true.

What jewelry hound worth their salt doesn't love a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills appearance, right?

Adrienne Maloof Alert! This gazillionairesse has enough in the coffers to create this crazy cart-heavy cuff out her her son's names!

Taylor Armstrong wore this serious blue gemstone statement necklace to go with her perma-smile.

And my favorite BHHW, Kyle Richards, rocked it with this cool winged pendant thing happening. Like!

Other bejeweled divas were 80s chaunteuse, Deborah Gibson, who wore what appeared to be a sapphire and diamond choker and a crazy cuff with her blue sequined mini.

And Disney diva, Selena Gomez, was Perez's personal arm candy in blue jewels that appeared to be painted on.

The "hot mess" highlight was the why-is-she-still-famous? Aubrey O'Day, in a blue Little Red Riding Hood get-up with some strange strands. Huh?

It's never dull, right? Thoughts?

in the land of milk fog & rust.

whether closed to accidental deaths, nuclear meltdowns or poor sales, these photographs chronicle the abandoned amusement parks overseas left to decay in haunted splendor. the eeriness of these photographs appeals to my simultaneous attraction and fear of such landscapes; left in a frozen standstill as the natural settings swallow what was once populated by the laughs & screams of children & families. take a peek over at nileguide to read about each park and why it was closed & to see more creepy photos.

xo

monday giveaway -

mary jane dodd

'i shut my eyes in order to see.'

~ paul gauguin

i find that when i work in metal, my desire is to enhance its innate ability to be soft, to provide contrast to what one often associates with this medium... 

using color palettes that are often much more subtle than this, i found myself inspired by the monthly challenge at art bead scene - 'nave nave moe' by paul gauguin... his rich colors and luscious forms... 

these earrings are offered up as the giveaway, they are copper but have sterling silver ear wires... the drawing will take place on april 11th... 

please leave a comment to be entered and perhaps share your thoughts on this::

if you had to share 2 of your favorite books - technique, project oriented, or even just eye candy, what would they be? do you have a technique that you have learned that is indispensable to you? do you have one that you desire to learn? i am hoping that by sharing your tried and trues here, it may help someone else in their process... 

Nirit Dekel Jewelry

Flameworked glass is amazing.

The process of sculpting glass by twirling and

melting slender rods of glass by hand over

an open flame has produced some of the most
exquisite pieces of jewelry we've ever seen.
We specially love designs featuring intricate details
that look as if they are painted on the glass.

A glass artist we admire is Nirit Dekel.  
 Using an extensive color palette,
 her designs range from intense to delicate.

Here are a few examples

of work that Nirit creates.

We love the intense icy blues

in these pieces.

Metallic embellishments on these beads
provide a lovely sparkle.

This necklace makes us feel like we've just

ransacked grandma's jewelry box.

All these ruffles are so dainty and sweet.

We love the contrast these

transparent beads bring to this piece.

Luscious colors and elaborate swirls

produce jewelry with grace and charm.
The artist creates a lovely vase-shaped bead
that adds additional pizzazz to her designs.

This artist creates richly textured

work with intriguing details,

and each piece is prettier than the last.

It's exactly what

we love - intricate, vivid
and eye catching.

Enjoy!