ALL THAT REMAINS

Just recently I learned a new jewelry technique called FOLD FORMING. This method of working with metal was invented by Charles Lewton-Brain in the late 1980's and is recognized the world over as the only new original innovation in metal working in a millennia. By using fingers...hammers...mallets...anvil...vice and /or rolling mill one can achieve wonderful organic shapes from a single piece of metal with no soldering. Usually when working with metal one insists their will upon it making the metal 'behave' to achieve an expected result. In form folding the beauty comes from allowing the metal to follow natural laws without exerting a will over it. I think that is the reason that the end result looks so organic.

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I call this neckpiece ALL THAT REMAINS. It so reminds me of a sea creature who has left it's exoskeleton behind or of a spent seed pod....not unlike a milkweed pod. The truth is, as a jeweler/metal worker, I hardly ever wear any of my own jewelry... except for the occasional gallery opening. Since making this piece I find that I wear it most all of the time and constantly get comments about it. ALL THAT REMAINS is made of 26 gauge sterling silver and though it looks delicate, it is quite tough.

This small sterling silver boat, which I call WHAT THE TIDE BROUGHT IN, is less than 3" long and is made using the same technique and the same size and gauge metal. If I had continued to hammer and thin the bottom edge, the bow and stern ends would have continued to curl towards each other making another piece more like the ALL THAT REMAINS neckpiece.

I look forward to exploring the new territory that fold forming provides me....stay tuned...I think I see a rolling mill in my future.

PICNIC

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For the month of July Bainbridge Arts and Crafts in Bainbridge Is, WA is curating a group show with the theme of PICNIC. I am one of 16 artists participating in this show. The PICNIC exhibit will be on display from July 6 thru July 30. It's the perfect theme for July as people head for the beach or the mountains or their own back yards with blankets....sun screen...and an eclectic picnic.

When I was asked to be a part of the PICNIC show I was excited about the theme and several possible images immediately jumped into my mind....but the more I thought about it, I realized that I did not want to use imagery that was trite or expected....and so the quest for how to express myself in this show began.

For the last several months I've been thinking about how to use vintage images in my work that are not etched on metal. Not every vintage photo translates into an etching....and sometimes I want there to be just a bit of color.....or maybe a tint of sepia to help convey the antiquated nature of the image. So this wall piece titled DELIVERY SERVICE was my first attempt at trying a new look....well, new to me. This box is 12" x 12" x 1.5" with a cherry support, photo collage and a photo etched copper frame with canada geese flying the perimeter.

I was walking several months ago and found a pair of sunglasses on the side of the road. I thought this seemed fitting considering all the sunglasses I have lost over the years. When I put these sunglasses on they fit like a glove and had wonderful polarized lenses. They have become my magic glasses. Now I've had polarized lenses before but nothing like these. Clouds especially look just amazing through these sunglasses and ever since my lucky find, I have been mesmerized by the clouds....I just can't stop looking at them and capturing them on film....well, I mean with my digital camera. So it's one of my cloud images featured in DELIVERY SERVICE...the perfect backdrop for a cloud tethered zeppelin....a V of canada geese....a delivery man in his personal flying machine....and a picnic basket.
I am a huge fan of zeppelins....I really can't explain it....I just love their shape and their float-iness. It's amazing to me that up until now I had never used one in my artwork. I think that will change.

What ever you are doing plan a PICNIC in the near future. Take along a kite and a good book....eat some cherry tomatoes and good cheese...laugh....tell stories....and don't forget to put on your magic sunglasses and look at the clouds.

RUNNING BEHIND

I seem to be running behind when it comes to posting on my blog....sorry about that. My show at THE GALLERY AT DUNGENESS DESIGN has come and gone. Many thanks to Karla Forsbeck for the opportunity to show my work in her beautiful space and to a new audience in Sequim.

Here is a mixture of some images from the opening....some taken by my friend, Gregg Graff of Natura Designs, and some taken by me. Remember to click on any image to see a larger version.

A few boxes and some jewelry...

a couple of boats...

...and a fibula.

A big THANKS to my peeps who journeyed from Port Townsend to support me in this venture!! Also, a thanks to Shirl and Jan who drove up from Portland to surprise me at the gallery.