Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival

This weekend will be my second year participating in the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Downtown Syracuse.  I'm looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. So far the weather looks great.

I thought I'd share some pics of my new work that will be at the show.  I hope everyone is having a fun summer, and hope to see you this weekend!

Sterling cicada pendant/ pillbox with opal wings.  The top of the pillbox can be worn as a pendant:)

Sterling, trilobite, and peridot necklace with a hand-crafted chain.

Chrysocolla drusy set in sterling with a hand-made chain.

Honoring My Favorite Female Artists

For a few years I have made pieces of jewelry inspired by Frida Kahlo, one of my favorite female artists and historical figures.  Her passion for life despite being faced with multiple challenges and physical disability is what initially drew me to her life story and from there I fell in love with her artwork.  This summer I have continued to add to the "Frida" line and have also begun a series inspired by the work of another favorite artist, Georgia O'Keefe.  The Frida line has lots of bold color, and skulls reminiscent of the Mexican "Dia de los Muertos", or the "Day of the Dead".  The Georgia O'keene pieces are inspired directly by her paintings, also full of color and passion.  Many of Georgia O'Keefe's most famous paintings were painted during her years living in the New Mexico during the second half of her life.  I highly recommend the biographies of both of these women, who lived fascinating lives that intersected with the lives of many other fascinating characters of their time.  Viva la Vida!!!

The first of the "Georgia O'Keefe series, inspired by her painting.

New additions to the "Frida" collection, all with turquoise from Kingman, AZ.

"Frida" ring with turquoise.

Allentown Art Festival

Thank you to Buffalo, NY for a wonderful weekend!  This was my first year participating in the Allentown Arts Festival and it was a great time!  The weather was forecast to be awful and it turned out to be sunny all weekend.  I met lots of really nice people.  One of the highlights of the weekend was winning third place in the awards ceremony for the jewelry category.  There are hundreds of vendors at this festival so winning an award is a big honor.  I look forward to returning to Buffalo for the Elmwood Art Festival in August.  Thank you Buffalo!!!

Me in my booth at the Allentown Festival.

My locket, a memorial to my grandfather James L. Blythe, won third place in the awards ceremony:)

Spinning into Summer

Summer seemed to arrive last week with a streak of super hot sunny days.  I always kick off the summer with the Westott Art Trail, the first weekend in June, which is this Saturday and Sunday. This year I will once again be set up with my jewelry at the home of Candace Rhea on Clarke Ave.. She is a potter with gorgeous work and a wonderful garden as well.  The show is throughout the Westcott Historic Neighborhood in Syracuse.  Follow the link at the right for details on times and locations!

Sterling silver spinning band rings with moons and stars.  

Heading to Philadelphia!!

You're invited to the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen Rittenhouse Square Show this weekend. The show is right in the heart of Philadelphia, outdoors, and free!  It funs Friday and Saturday 11-7 and Sunday 11-5.  This is my first time exhibiting in Philadelphia.  Wish me luck, and stop by if you happen to be in the area:)

Sterling silver earrings with (clockwise) Kingman turquoise, Montana agate, azurite, and chrysoprase.

"Courage"

"...to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." -Joan of Arc

I'm in the process of submitting several of my projects for possible publication (wish me luck!).  In preparation for that I recently borrowed some older pieces from one of my treasured customers so that they could be photographed.  It is really fun for me to visit with my past work for a time. Revisiting the ideas that inspired those pieces stirs up my creative process and helps me to think through where I've been and where I'm going in my work.

"Courage":  sterling silver, black spinel, black onyx, found bobcat claw, antique Joan of Arc medal.  

Speaking of where I'm going, I think I have caught the travel bug in a serious way.  I am once again traveling, this time to Prescott, AZ where I went to college.  My son is considering it for school himself so he is here with me for a tour.  I am so in love with the Southwest!!  I left in 1993 and have wanted to return ever since.  The landscape is simply spectacular.  We drove yesterday from low desert in Phoenix up through saguaro cactuses and into the pine forrest landscape of northern Arizona.  There is so much here to fuel creative energy!  Today I'm hoping to visit several galleries with Native American art and jewelry, which I adore and finish the day with a hike.  I'll share some photos later!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Cicada

I have long been fascinated by cicadas. As a kid growing up in the south I would collect cicada shells along with my brother every summer. The cicada songs would fill the air on hot August nights. Perhaps the most well-known species, called the 17-year cicada, lays its eggs underground and they remain there for 17 years before hatching. When they emerge they often come out all at once in dramatic numbers.  Some people think they are pests, but they are harmless to humans. The 17-year cicada is common in the United States, however, there are many other species of cicada around the world.

Cast bronze cicada pendant with articulated hand-pierced silver wings.

I love the symbolism of the cicada as well. The cicada symbolizes transformation, as it undergoes metamorphosis changing from a crawling insect into a flying one with translucent wings.  In China the cicada has for centuries been a symbol of eternal life.  In ancient China, when a person died a cicada would be place in their mouth to grant them eternal life.  In France the cicada is the symbol for Provence. Vases or wall sculptures in the form of the cicada were often given as a house-warming gift.  I have a collection of cicada brooches from 1920's France.  One of the brooches was incorporated in the the necklace below.

Antique bakelite cicada set in a hand-made sterling silver setting with kyanite.