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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Exhibition - Mary Hallam Pearse and Julia V. Turner

We recently became aware of a jewelry exhibition
currently showing at Taboo Studio.
"Fresh Air” is running from
February 11 – March 25, 2011.

"Fresh Air" is a contemporary jewelry art show
featuring new work by eight artists (several of whom
we have previously seen on this blog).
JEWELRY ARTISTS in this exhibition include:
Brooke Battles, Joanna Gollberg, Christy Klug,
Brigid O’Hanrahan, Mary Hallam Pearse,
Ingrid Psuty, Claire Sanford, and Julia V. Turner.


Let's take a look at some examples of the one-of-a-kind
jewelry included in this exhibition.


We find the brooches made by
Mary Hallam Pearse
to be rather exciting and different.
She works with found images and prints
them on thin sheets of aluminum
then incorporates materials such as
sterling silver and diamonds to
create pieces that are unique.
This brooch called "Diamond Tears"
is a real attention getter.

 

And this piece is called "Three Words."

Truly eye catching.

Another artist we admire in this

exhibition is Julia V. Turner.

She is showing a series of

fascinating pendants that feature distressed wood.

This piece is called "Blue Migration Pendant."

In this piece the unspecified type of wood

has been burned and stained.

It’s enclosed by steel and meticulously

decorated with Japanese glass beads.

 

Here's another intriguing example of this artist's work.

This pendant is called "Orange Scatter"- and

here again we see wood that has been

burned and stained, and decorated

with Japanese glass beads.

 

We'd love to see these pieces in person.

If you get the opportunity to attend this exhibit

let us know your thoughts and impressions

of the jewelry on view.

Enjoy the exhibit!

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