Exhibition - Redefining the San Andreas Faultline: Women Jewelers

It's been a while since I've visited
Southern California, and I admit
missing all sorts of cultural events and festivals.
But I don't miss the earthquakes!

There is an exhibition currently on view called,

Redefining the San Andreas Faultline: Women Jewelers

that runs until October 27

at the Craft in America Study Center

in Los Angeles.
 

Curated by Carolyn Benesh,

Co-editor of Ornament Magazine,

an international magazine on wearable art,

this exhibition is described as, 

Showcasing a stellar line-up of nine of California's

boldest and brightest female jewelry artists.

Taking inspiration from California's natural landscape

and environment of creative experimentalism,

their work expands the definition of wearable art

in the twenty-first century.

. . . Redefining the San Andreas Faultline

will demonstrate how California's creative edge

in art and design, dating from the

mid-twentieth century,

includes the individualistic characteristics of

women studio jewelers

who challenge themselves through their work by

experimenting and redefining the possibilities

of jewelry, its role and meaning, into the

second decade of the twenty-first century.

 

Participating artists include:
 

Harriete Estel Berman, Petra Class,
Karen Gilbert, Carol Webb, Alexandra Hart,
Marianne Hunter, Valerie Mitchell,
 Marne Ryan, and Christina Smith.

 

 

This exhibit serves as a seismograph of the
influential contributions

 made by these jewelry artists,

and just as the San Andreas Fault occasionally

redefines the landscape by being the source

of most of the serious earthquakes

occurring in California, these artists have made

 an equally profound impact on the

 landscape of the art jewelry world.

 

These artists are among those of the highest magnitude.

Each has created a seismic shift by demonstrating

levels of creativity and inspiration that go

off the Richter scale.

(Ok, enough with the earthquake metaphors.)

 

Redefining the San Andreas Faultline: Women Jewelers

 runs until October 27

at Craft in America a nonprofit organization

dedicated to the exploration, preservation

and celebration of craft and its

impact on our nation's cultural heritage.

 

See more at their website and Facebook page.


 



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Floral Abundance - Izabela Safin Jewelry

Sweet dainty little posies made
by Izabela Safin demonstrate her
delicate workmanship
and her eye for infinite details.

She works on an intimate scale
yet the results make an enormous impact.
 

Each piece in her collection is
made with silver precious metal clay.
Each bloom, leaf and tendril is handcrafted
and individually applied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicate and fresh florals dominate her creative style;

happily there is a lot more to see at her website.

 

 

 

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Industrial Jewelry by Hila Rawet Karni

Recently, we were asked a rather

thought-provoking question,

"so what happens when industrial materials

meet contemporary jewelry design?"

Apparently the answer is, "you get inspired

 jewelry created by Hila Rawet Karni. "

Blending together a passion for both

 industrial design and contemporary jewelry,

 Hila expresses a distinct point of view

 by marrying a variety of

industrial materials like plastic components 

and metal springs to textiles, leather and pearls.

By transferring the skills and knowledge she

learned while studying industrial design

to the traditional world of jewelry she creates a

connection between mundane materials

 and a graceful aesthetic.

It's jewelry that suggests a feminine style

with an urban edge.

There are many pieces in her collections

that we simply adore. Here are a few

 of our favorites.

  Several of her necklaces are made with

silver-plated stainless steel springs and

hand-woven leather laces.

It's exciting to see the delicate potential in

 industrial raw materials and to have them

 be transformed into objects of beauty.

 

These earrings feature stainless steel springs,

Swarovski pearls and sterling silver.

She makes it easy to develop an appreciation

 for jewelry that is not made out of

gold and silver but is just as

beautiful and sumptuous.

These bracelets are made with

stainless steel springs and silicone connectors.

This artist is willing to experiment with industrial

materials to create items that can be appreciated

as adornment.  We're inspired by her ability

to see beyond the common uses

 of items and to expose their

hidden potential as jewelry.

Bravo!

Additional information and images can be

seen by visiting her website.

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Exhibition - "Souvenirs" - Tory Hughes Jewelry

Acknowledged internationally as an innovator

and leading polymer clay artist and teacher,

Tory Hughes is one of the preeminent

polymer jewelry designers.
 

Over the years her techniques have

helped pave the way for

many current polymer artists.

The hallmarks of Tory's creative style are

precision combined with extraordinary imaginativeness.

It's her attention to detail, her masterful use of color,

 and the intricacy of her designs

that always distinguishes Tory's work.

 Her work is currently on display

during the month of August

at a local coffeehouse in her hometown

of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Conveniently located in the central plaza of town,

the Santa Fe Plaza Starbucks Gallery Space

is exhibiting

‘Souvenirs - Tangible Memories, Wearable Imagination.‘

What makes this exhibit so enticing is not only

the fact that it is a relaxed way to see her work

but the coffeehouse is within strolling distance

of her studio and gallery, where you can see more

of her work and actually

get an opportunity to meet her.

 

Here's an example of some of the

work on display.

This one called, Au Printemps Necklace,

is a homage to Paris and a building that

is known for its vast stained-glass roof

and historic detailing.

 

And, of course, the reverse side of this piece

 is equally beautiful showing

hand-painted silk coverings on the

back of each floral cup.

Another piece featured is called, Moorea,

uses a technique that is an adaptation of one her

 imitative techniques: imitative rayskin

 

One of her legendary imitative techniques

is making polymer look like agates,

as in this piece called,

Agate Disc necklace.

and this piece called Santa Fe is

aptly named for the

layers of multiple cultures and beliefs

that symbolize the town of Santa Fe.

Approachable, friendly and down to earth,

Tory is an artist who is accessible and unpretentious.

Working as an artist, writer, teacher and

creative consultant, Tory keeps herself busy.

Very busy. Yet, here she is making her work

accessible in so many ways.

For anyone who would like to see her

work in a casual setting

this exhibit is the place to be.

It runs through the month of August.

You can get more information

about the exhibit, on her website at

‘Souvenirs-Tangible Memories, Wearable Imagination.’

On a different yet related note,

this casual exhibit serves as a delightful prelude to the

upcoming exhibition that is planned at

the Racine Art Museum

in October where many of the polymer field’s

creative pioneers will have work on display.

"Terra Nova: Polymer Art at the Crossroads"

will be on display

October 21, 2011 – February 5, 2012.

Among the artists that "Terra Nova" will showcase

(there will be 34)

the focus will be narrowed down to

spotlight 8 artists who are considered

"Boundary Breakers"

- recognized within the polymer field

for their accomplishments and contributions -

and Tory is one of the

8 Boundary Breakers.

For more information about the

exhibit at the Racine Art Museum

you can visit their website.

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Eliana Arenas Jewelry

Over the years we've developed an appreciation
for jewelry that features alternative and
nontraditional materials.
Personal adornment can be more
art than jewelry and we like the idea of using the
human body as a pedestal.

Eliana Arenas has a series of brooches created
with aluminum and clear plastic spoons.
The spoons have been cut and melted
to transform their original shape.
We find the scale and proportion of each piece
establishes a sense of presence - so while
the collection itself is called Absence, these pieces seem
filled with a presence we find intriguing.
Meant to be decorative they actually seem to present
themselves as personal amulets designed to protect
 the wearer against negative energy.

The collection has a breezy cloud-formation vibe.
It magnificently showcases volume, structure
and texture. And we like how she punctuates
the designs with negative space.

Take a look and see for yourself.

 

Each variation draws the eye inward.

 

Similar yet so different.

 

Repetitive elements create movement.

 

 

The variations are never ending.

Jewelry can be many things to many people.
We're glad to have you join us as we continue to explore
what jewelry is and what jewelry can be.

Enjoy!

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Reiko Ishiyama Jewelry

We love to be surprised. 

Reiko Ishiyama creates jewelry

that surprises the viewer

both in terms of the materials she uses

and the manner in which she uses them.

  In her current collection, she hammers thin
sheets of silver and manipulates them into

small works of sculpture that seem delicate

enough to be easily damaged.  They almost
look like they're made of paper and it's

disconcerting to realize that they are not. 

She describes her work as follows:

My work has an almost fragile quality, stressing lightness and mobility. By shaping paper-thin sheets of silver, I can house space itself. When people hold my work in their hands, they are often surprised by its delicacy and lightness. There is an evanescent, momentary quality that I hope people can truly savor when they wear my pieces.

It's intriguing and pleasantly surprising.

Here are a few of our favorites.

We just can't get over how much it

looks like paper.

It all seems so fragile.
But that's just the illusion.



 

These pieces have so much texture
and layers of interest.

 

We love the delicacy in each piece.

 

It makes you want to gently tap it
to orient your senses. 
It's all so paradoxical.
Seemingly tenuous or flimsy they are sturdy.

The shimmer of light and shadow
combined with the artist's sculptural skills
to create a three-dimensional shape

 from two dimensional material

is simply inspiring.

 

Enjoy!

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Pamela Pereyra Jewelry

We admire work created by
metalsmith Pamela Pereyra.
Her intensely personal approach to design
is accentuated by the distinctive

handmade mark of the artist.
One gets a sense of motion
in many of her pieces.
 And each combination of
 shape, contour and texture
 seems like a little
piece of wearable modern sculpture.

As an example, we love her hammered
necklace and earrings.
Graceful yet intense at the same time
they're visually and tactilely intriguing.
And filled with energetic motion.

Here's the necklace from that series.

One of this artist's signature looks is the

lotus flower with layered petals.

It's especially noteworthy because it

features moveable parts.

Again, we get that sense of motion in her work.

It's simply elegant.

And we really like this piece from her

Kinetic series - the wearer can decide

 how she'd like to mix and match

the pendants each time she wears it.

It can be worn with
all the pendants together,
a few at a time, or just one for
a simpler effect. Each variation
is proportional, balanced and harmonious.

 

We admire the natural organic textures

of each piece and how each of the simple pieces

becomes more layered and more textured
 to create more energy.

Enjoy!

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Martha Collins Jewelry

Woodworker Martha Collins has spent the
majority of her woodworking career in
some form of furniture making, from
cabinetry to yacht interiors.  

Along the way she has turned her attention
and prodigious skill to the art of
jewelry making. Each of her wooden bracelets
and earrings are created from
domestic and foreign hardwoods with exotic names
like Brazilian Rosewood, Lacewood, Zebrawood,
Obeche, Satine, Chatke Viga - just the names alone
evoke images of romantic and mysterious locales.
Each type of wood is carefully chosen for its
natural color and texture then accented
with hand-dyed veneers.

Martha's work is easily recognizable for
its impeccable craftsmanship and
attention to detail. These pieces truly are
three-dimensional works of art.

We are especially enamored with her bracelets.
Here's an example of what the artist calls her
 Simple Series. We love the soft sheen of the wood
and the eye-catching color selections.
It's made with seven different species of woods
and comprised of 26 individual pieces.

 

Her Brilliant Mosaic Series is made up of relatively
thicker pieces of wood arranged in symmetrical yet
complex patterns. This series typically
uses 400 to 550 pieces in each bracelet.
Here's an exquisite example of
her meticulous work.

We consider the pièce de résistance of this artist's
repertoire to be her Jeweltone Mosaic Series.
These are typically made with up to
1000 pieces.  Featuring deep, rich earth
tones and beveled edges, the overall effect
is soothing and luxurious.

 This exceptional jewelry
showcases the intricate detail and
superb workmanship this artist
brings to her craft.

The process is detailed and exacting.
It's beautiful work and we'd each love
to have one of everything!

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