Wendy Edsall-Kerwin Jewelry

Metal collars that wrap around the
neck in sultry swirls and
asymmetrically-shaped rings and pendants

are just a few examples of the gorgeous

handcrafted jewelry by Wendy Edsall-Kerwin.

Made with sterling silver, copper, 

gemstones and even river rock

  this jewelry evokes a spirit of

spontaneous movement.

I like how the artist innovatively

explores contrasts such as,

rough with smooth, light with dark,

and precious with non-precious.

 

 

See more of Wendy Edsall-Kerwin's work on her website.

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Retrospective of Enid Kaplan

 If you have the opportunity

to travel in Canada
be sure to visit Montreal to see a
fascinating retrospective exhibition
on the life and work

of Enid Kaplan (1954‐2002) at the

Musée des Maîtres et Artisans du Québec.

One of the first to apply heat to
 reactive metals like niobium,

Enid Kaplan used form and color in unusual ways.

 It's also interesting to note that many of her 
brooches and pendants 

had a talismanic purpose as she was deeply

 connected to the spiritual side of life.

 

 

 

Not only did she create imaginative earrings
she also found delightful ways to display them.
 

 



Be sure to take a look at Enid Kaplan's website

to see a wide range of her work.

 

Enid Kaplan: Retrospective is

currently on view until January 13, 2013.

 

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Aleksandra Vali Jewelry

Aleksandra Vali describes her work

perfectly as "feelings carved into metal."

Her highly-textured work revolves
around experiments with silver

combined with various materials

like gold, shells, diamonds, gemstones, pearls,

corals, textiles, lava rocks, and plastics.

A variety of techniques allows her to
make the most out of these materials
through carving, casting, riveting,
oxidizing, etching and metalsmithing.

 

I especially like how

the rough texture of the metal

is contrasted by

smooth pearls and other gemstones.

 

Take a look at Aleksandra Vali's website

to see more of her wonderful work.

 

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So Many Rings, So Little Time - Nora Rochel Jewelry

Sometimes it's all about

combining a love of vibrant texture with a

passion for botanical design.

Jewelry created by Nora Rochel

overflows with textural elements.

And it celebrates her vision of hidden gardens

 and botanical domains. 

Her exploration of these themes leads to

jewelry that, as the artist says,

"turns one‘s hands into small landscapes and gardens."

These are like country gardens where the

vegetation is allowed to grow with

wild abandon in secret corners.

Secret corners of those unkempt gardens

tend to shelter the most exquisite

specimens. Discovering those hidden gems is where

curiosity meets delight. That sense of

discovery exists in her jewelry.

 

 

The golden warmth in this ring

is almost luminous.

She uses different metals and several types

of patination to achieve

different effects.

The key to

 expressing one's inner vision

is to experiment and play.

And throw caution to the wind.

This artist definitely succeeds.

This work has a sense of playfulness

and discovery and enchantment

that's not easy to resist.

Each piece holds a tiny treasure within

its recesses

that begs to be explored.

It's jewelry that's off

the beaten path - where

being an adventurous tourist can be

rewarding.

You can explore more of Nora's

work at her website.

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Marne Ryan Jewelry

Once Upon A Time . . .

there was a daily television program called

the Carol Duvall Show.  

It was a how-to program that provided many

expert demonstrations of crafting

projects all of them done

with a personal touch.

For me the best part of the show's format

was the inclusion of an interview segment

talking with various craftspeople.

The interviewer and camera crew

traveled to someone's studio and

the footage of the craftsperson

at work in their studio

 was always interesting,

educational and inspiring.

And utterly priceless.

One of my favorite episodes featured

Marne Ryan at work in her metalsmithing studio.

She provided a vivid demonstration

of her torch techniques to fuse gold to silver.

What really made a lasting impression

 on me that day,

and what I still carry forward with me,

 is her devotion for her craft.

Even though she's been doing this work

for well over 30 years her passion

still burns as brightly as her torch.

 

Her specialty is fusing high-carat gold onto

textured sheets of sterling silver.

 These sheets of mixed metals

are then transformed

into one-of-a-kind

 jewelry and sculptural vessels.

Here's an example of one of

her awesome cuffs.

She often includes rare and unusual gemstones.

The wide variety of choices (especially her rings!!)

is amazing.
 

Her work shows simultaneous delicacy and

deliberateness that's been translated into metal.

It's an unbeatable combination.

 

 

 

 

She creates a smorgasbord of

cutting edge designs.

Variations on a theme just continue to evolve into ever more strikingly
 beautiful pieces of art to wear jewelry.

The bottom line is that

no two pieces could ever be identical

and the never-ending variations in her work

provide an incredible array of choices.

There is no doubt that her passion

and her torch will always be sparked

by her never-ending inspiration.

More of her exquisite jewelry can be

seen at Marne Ryan's website.

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Caroline Viene Jewelry

Some people follow their own internal compass.

Caroline Viene unleashes her inner visions

by creating wonderfully decorative jewelry.

Drawing upon her on metalsmithing

background, and utilizing techniques

such as reticulation, fusing,

embossing and roller printing

she purposely sets out to explore 

her own processes in patination,

surface texturing and patterning on 

 metal. 

Her vision is then set free to create

pieces that are richly textured

with strong coloration.
And each piece is more
appealing than the last.

Multiple layers of metal and processes

produce complex pieces filled

with visual and textural interest.

These pieces highlight the techniques she

masterfully incorporates in her work.

True to her training, she uses traditional

metalsmithing techniques to display

her distinctly unique vision.

Color and texture are deftly handled

by this artist who creates not just a piece

of jewelry but a sculptural piece of art.

We believe that the key to

creating art jewelry is

to find a way to express

one's inner vision.

This artist definitely succeeds.

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Exhibition of Art Jewelry - Marilyn da Silva

Exhibitions of art jewelry are always

memorable events. Taboo Studio recently held

 an exhibit of new work created by eight jewelry

artists revolving around the theme of birds.

Titled "Bird by Bird" this exhibit

featured work by Marilyn da Silva,

Christina Goodman, Gabrielle Gould, Judith Hoyt,

Rika Mouw, Rone Prinz, Sarah Wilbanks,

and Kristi Zevenbergen

In this post we'd like to showcase

the work of one of these artists:

Marilyn da Silva.

It was very apropos that

she be a part of this show since

her body of work has been inspired

for more than a decade

by all things ornithological.

 Her pieces are rich and lush and tell

specific stories that are augmented

by her personal philosophy.

Here are her words regarding the

 brooches that are part

of this particular exhibition.

These brooches focus on the songbird family known as warblers. They are often difficult to see with the naked eye, but they can fill the air with song. These small treasures along with other songbirds are diminishing in number because of insecticides, feral cats and the loss of their environment due to human intervention. Hopefully, their beautiful songs will continue to enchant us throughout time.

We feel this brooch is one of her prettiest.

Called "Serenata III (Bay Breasted Warbler)."

It features materials such as textured sterling silver

and copper handpainted with gesso and colored pencil.

 It's an example of her wonderful designs

that could easily be displayed as art but

 also happens to be wearable as jewelry.

Here's another lovely example of her work.

This brooch is called "Serenata I

 (American Redstart)."

And this brooch is called "Serenata II

(Black and Yellow Spotted Warbler)."

It's just as delicate and lovely

as the others.

This artist is a master at using nontraditional

coloring techniques on textured metals, and it's

 her immense skill and talent that allows each piece

 to seem alive with subtle, exquisite details.

Who could resist?

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Judith Kinghorn Jewelry

It's very easy to feel drawn to

Judith Kinghorn's jewelry.  Her work

is fabricated using a combination of techniques

 including fusing, embossing, die forming,

and granulation. Using a traditional

goldsmith's tool, a mouth-blown torch, she 
creates highly-detailed jewelry by working with
layers of sterling silver and high-karat gold.

 Using the power of one's breath as part

of the process of creating is a
thought-provoking concept.
She literally breathes life
into her work.

Her botanical pieces are enchanting.

The warmth of gold can be hypnotic,

 and the sharp metallic details

provide a vivid contrast to the gentle

blending of luminous color.

Her pieces are often comprised of hundreds

 of individual components that meld together

 exquisitely. Those separate elements seem
at first to be identical to the all the others
but each is distinctly unique.

 

 

 

Each strand is so similar yet different from the others.

 Multitudinous components are a defining
feature of this artist's work.

These surfaces create a delightful play

of darkness and light.

 We love the luminosity of the gold.

Texture and depth of color produce

a spectacular effect.

There is so much detail and
craftsmanship in these
contemporary designs.
It’s obvious the artist has a talent for
creating work of exceptional beauty.
Not only do we see the hand of
the artist in her work, we sense her
spirit is also ingrained in it.

We hope you enjoy it
as much as we do.

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