contemporary jewelry

celebrations

(of) woodstoves, bathtubs and jimson weed

events, inspiration, studio offers, studio tales

about woodstoves

and so it’s happening again.

i am moving the studio.

a rough ride these past 3 years, relocating in and out of unsuitable places, strewing bits and pieces of my beloved studio across mesas, steep and rocky dirt roads and not-so-shallow rivers…. yes, there are still rivers to cross in new mexico.

but this time is different.

recurring themes in all these past wanderings keep circling back to me, like the bathtub.

the bathtub in the middle of the room, sitting there, mockingly. just like one of my last recent places. and just like in Diva (a beautiful movie i once had a tape of) …must be a good sign.

Diva movie

got the bathtub… and even the aquarium, aka the fish tank and 2 golden fish!

and in the backyard, just like this past spring and still in winter clothes, there is an old friend waiting…it must be a very good sign indeed!

‘celebrations’ then.

but this time is different.

this time there are 2 doors opening at the end of the tunnel: stepping into a new studio this month! a new space at last and special gift from the universe for my birthday…

this too is happening and just in time, at the very end of this month!

‘celebrations’ then will also be a very special STUDIO SALE  – feb 25-27.

celebrations

‘celebrations’

3 days only of unique and one-of-a-kind statement jewelry pieces at ‘birthday gift’ bonus prices, just for my studio subscribers and a few other aficionados!

(hint..) i will need a refrigerator at my new place and a couple of good work tables for all my trays with work-in-progress i’ve been holding onto for so long…can’t hardly wait.

so stay tuned and keep in touch for updates, more are definitely to come!

in celebrations.

patty’s garage

events, studio tales, studio visits

a quiet, on the splurge of the moment holiday open studio with a couple of neighbors, patty o’connor (beautiful and colorful blended media on canvas) and terri miller (very interesting recycled art out of old tires), for hot cider and sunshine from the new mexico’s sky.

here are a few shots. the sun’s glare was really bright…

jewelrywork display

holiday open studio 2016 – my display

 

 

HolidayOpenStudio2016-Patty1

holiday open studio 2016 – patty 1

 

thank you to all who could stop by!

finding each other

events, studio tales, studio visits

sometime it happens in a flash, sometime it takes longer… but each piece always finds its human match. always.

this one below is the last of a one-of-a-kind brooch series from a few years back.

the first three were bought by jewelers’werk galerie at an american craft council show in baltimore, some while ago.

roundstainedbroochs-blog

round stained brooch

she walked confidently into my booth, looking straight at it.

round stained brooch was hanging on the wall, pinned to a little black neoprene panel, swinging from a chain in the sunny november day.

she picked it up, running her fingers around the edge of it, then she put it on.

adjusted it to the soft woolen collar folds of her sweater and looked in the mirror.

everything was in place just then: the bluish greens of the brooch perfectly matched the color of her sweater, the darker tones her pants, the silver blended smoothly with her short hair and her hat was calling to the subtle greys of the metal.

there, they had found each other.

 blog-card

13 gift boxes in closing

retrospects, studio offers

2015 is moving out fast, all of a sudden just 5 days to its closing!

it’s been another dense one, caught in between studio relocations and time spent in catching up with studio relocations… i still have most of my tools and equipment with me, amazingly so i must say, after all the dirt and rocky roads traveled this past year.

to the south

view from the studio window

 

right now, staying put.

outside, the mesa to the south

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

studio-area1-benches

inside, looking in…

 

 

inside.

inside a much smaller (but ahh, so focused!) space now, studio is slowly in becoming again and taking on a new shape.

it is going to take some time.

 

 

in retrospect, not much work at the bench….

most of all the new and old ideas, thoughts in the making, drawings and visual notes scattered about and on hold, for all the right times to come.

a closing wish for a year ahead of new things and new beginnings, welcoming all the unknown and intriguing challenges to come…

and so, to celebrate and summarize a time of seemingly unchanged progress, in these last few days of these last 12 months, this came to mind:

13 gift boxes for closings and new beginnings!

gift boxes

put together a ready-to-go last (or first!) minute gift idea, small collections from the twisted&wires line arranged, as per arbitrary play of color, in suggestive line drawings…

offerings, tokens of appreciation and gratitude we gift one another with.

snow storm is intensifying outside, firewood, black tea, honey within reach.

and a tool or two, beckoning.

can be here  for a while, hands begin playing again, rhythms of continuity for the making.

wishing all reading this a peaceful end of this year and a joyful beginning for the new.

to you!

Hand-made in America – Myths and Reality

uncategorized
rings in progress

new rings in progress

the picture above does not specifically refer to the post below… but these rings ARE being MADE BY HAND, here in THIS country, in MY studio, by MYSELF…

a couple of weeks ago i was approached by someone who had recently started doing the ‘big shows’ (acc, philadelphia craft show, smithsonian, etc) and whom i had met at one of them; they wanted me to make some components for their jewelry, prototypes that i would have fabricated directly in metal and would have then been cast and reproduced abroad… after several exchanges with drawings and quotes and a couple of in-person meetings (they are local), i produced an estimate for them for what i deemed a fair quote (also given that the pieces would have been cast for mass production AND outside of this country). after receiving a bit of resistance at my pricing, i suggested they look at jewelry suppliers to buy the components already made in bulk and even emailed them a couple of direct links with similar product they were looking for, telling them it would have been more cost-effective for them (and me) to go that route. but they insisted, saying they ‘really liked’ my work and wanted something ‘special’.. so i reviewed my estimates and emailed them back my quotes, which were pretty much the same as the first ones. they live in the best part of town, somewhere i cannot afford, they ‘design’ the pieces, but all the work is effectively made outside of this country by someone else… yet, they are in the ‘best’ shows here nationally, where the hand-made in the usa is usually a requirement (or, am i mistaken?).  today they decided they ‘cannot afford’ my prices and will turn abroad where cheaper labor is available… silly me, right? silly me… i make almost EVERYTHING in my studio and BY HAND, including the melting of some of my metal, the pulling of my wire and sheet, the fabrication… and am barely making it. so much for the made in usa.

custom copper ring

custom work

a quickie i have handy today… final soldering phase of a copper custom ring for a customer not long ago..

 

plus some retouching at the bench later on…

 

and the presentation/process card that went with the finished ring…. really enjoyed this project!

(thank you john!)