Happy Holidays!!

Hello all!  I just wanted to post a Happy Holidays wish to all my readers.  2013 has been a great year.  I am so appreciative of all the people who support my work.  This past weekend was the Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival.  It was a fun show, as always, and good to see many return customers and old friends!

"Let it Snow", sterling with dendritic agate.

I have many things planned for 2014.  After some much-needed R&R, I will be gearing up for an opening at Edgewood Gallery in Syracuse at the end of February.  Stay tuned for more details!  Have a warm and wonderful Holiday everyone!!

Bling.

I just completed seven rings, all sterling with a dark patina.  Once in awhile we all need something sparkly to put us in a festive mood, right?  I had fun making these.  The first is dendritic quartz, with lovely tree-like formations in it.  On the right is amethyst.  In the middle is my own take on the classic skull, also known in Victorian times as a "memento mori" ring.  The Victorians often wore skulls to ward off death.  "Memento mori" can be translated as "remember that we all must die", in other words cherish life!

Below is a reversible pendant in sterling silver with imperial jasper.  On the other side you can see the full round green cabochon.

In the Studio

I finally have a moment to post!  I hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely fall weather.  It has been warmer than usual this year in Central New York and perfect for day hikes. I have still managed to fit in some work time, despite being tempted to enjoy the outdoors daily!

I wanted to share a glimpse of my studio where all the jewelry is created.  Below is a shot of my work bench.  I purchased a traditional jeweler's bench a few years ago and I love it!  It is heavy and sturdy, and withstands much hammering and abuse.

The piece on the right is one of my latest.  The stone is ocean jasper.  To me this stone looks like a beautiful moonscape in shades of green and pink.

Below is a bracelet, recently finished.  The stones are blue calcedony and peridot, with heavy sterling links.   Over the next few weeks I will be producing many new pieces for the holiday season.  This year I will be once again participating in the Plowshares Craft Fair and Peace Celebration the first weekend in December.  Stay tuned for more information!

Clothesline Festival this Weekend!!!

Sterling silver octopus cuff bracelet with peridot and blue topaz. 

This weekend is the Clothesline Festival at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester.  I hope some of you can come out for this show.  Clothesline is a juried fine craft show with over 400 vendors.  The weather forcast is great.  I wanted to share some of the new pieces that will be available this weekend.  I've been working very hard and I hope you all love the new work! 

 



Antique French bakelite cicada set in sterling with pink tourmaline, and  rhodolite garnet.  I love these antique cicada brooches.  They are getting harder to find, and this one is a beauty!

 

Green tourmaline, ocean jasper, sage amethyst, amethyst stalactite, ruby in fuchsite bracelet.



I think my mother would like this one.  Ocean jasper and peridot "Endless Summer" bracelet and necklace. 

Dreams of the Sea

Tim and I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Cape Cod. We spent a week boating, kayaking, hiking, and biking. Our favorite spot on the Cape is Wellfleet. It is a sweet little village full of galleries and excellent food with a very laid-back atmosphere. Our trips to the Cape have inspired many jewelry pieces over the years.  This one is titled "Poseidon's Queen".  Poseidon was, of course, the Greek God of the Sea.  The stones are ocean jasper, sunstone, aquamarine, freshwater and saltwater pearls.  This necklace was included in the "Celebration of the Arts" show and sold last month.

 My feet, on the beautiful pebbled sandy beach of the Cape.......for some reason I'm very fond of this photo.  Cheers!

A Path Through the Forest

"A Path Through the Forest" could mean many things, but in this case it is a locket within which something can be kept safe.  I made this locket in the last two days as a custom order for someone to give his beloved.  I love to imagine all the things my designs could signify.  The locket is entirely hand-crafted.  The top layer is pierced using a jewelers saw and then soldered to another layer of silver.  The hinges and catches on these little guys can be very tricky but I'm getting better at it!  I also made a similar one with a tree of life on it. 



                                                                                        I finally succeeded in taking some presentable photos of earrings.  For some reason I find earrings the hardest to photograph.  I'm still working on developing my skills with photography.  The red flower earrings are made with fossilized coral cabochons.  The pair to the right are lace agate and turquoise.

This evening I will be attending a meeting for the SALT Makerspace.  SALT stands for Syracuse Alternative Learning and Technology Makerspace.  The group is still in the planning phase, but are well along the way to making this awesome idea a reality in Syracuse.  A "makerspace" is essentially a space for people to get together for the purpose of making - as in art, sculpture, etc. - and provide the tools and facility for such making to happen.  Ideally it creates a unique opportunity for people to work together, share ideas, share equipment, teach each other, and above all MAKE STUFF!  I'm not one of the original group, but have joined recently and I'm very excited about the project.  I hope I have described the mission accurately and I'll keep you posted as the project develops! 

A New Frida Cuff Plus an Opening

Hello.  Wow, June has been a whirlwind busy month!    I have barely had time to catch my breath.  I am working on some special pieces for an opening next week at Gallery 54.  I am one of two featured artists.  The other is my friend Sharon Bottle-Souva, a talented fabric artist.  We will have live music as well. Join us July 5 from 5-9!


"Viva la Vida" cuff with 14k gold and turquoise.

So the truth is that I rarely keep my own jewelry, but the piece above is one I don't think I can part with.  It is very similar to the Frida cuff I made a couple years ago that sold.  This one is specially sized to my wrist and I just love it.  I searched for a long time for just the right piece of turquoise to put in it.  I am almost finished with a second Frida cuff, similar to this one but with a gorgeous dark blue azurite stone.  It will be for sale next week at the opening.  Also for sale will be this awesome quilt made by Sharon titled "Above the Falls".  Hope you can make it!

100 American Craftsmen



Sterling silver necklace with labradorite

 Friday is the start of the 100 American Craftsmen show in Lockport, NY.  This is my first year participating, and I am excited and nervous at the same time.  Luckily I will have helpers!  My 15 year-old son Trevor will my assistant for the weekend and I'm looking forward to having him along.  I hope to have several new pieces ready for the show.  Above is a necklace in sterling and labradorite.  I recently was commissioned to make a feather necklace as a gift for a girl who had recently lost her father.  The feather represented how she imagines him to be now.  I decided to do a series of 3 feather necklaces and this is one.  I hope to see some folks this weekend!



Etched copper cuff with sterling bezel ad labradorite



Viva la Vida!!



"Frida", sterling silver with Kingman turquoise and bamboo coral.


This is one of my pieces that will be featured in the St.David's Celebration of the Arts, which opens this coming Friday at 8:00 PM.  This piece is inspired by Frida Kahlo's famous painting "Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird".  Frida is one of my inspirations.  Her passion and creativity were bottomless.  She lived life according to her beliefs and passions regardless of the dictates of her culture.  I first became inspired by Frida while I was facing a serious back surgery a few years ago.  I was reading the Biography of Frida at the time and the story of the accident and injuries she survived helped me to keep my own situation in perspective.  The bracelet below which sold a couple years ago is the companion piece to this necklace.  I think I need to make another one.  Viva la Vida - Long Live Life!!



Pearls in the Forest

Sterling cast branches with mabe pearls

Spring has finally arrived in Central New York and I am ecstatic!  My daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and I wake to the sound of birds every morning.  What could be better?

I have many events on the horizen this spring and I am working non-stop to prepare.  The first is the Celebration of the Arts at St. David's Church in Dewitt.  It is a show celebrating local artists in which each artist contritutes 2 pieces for a one week gallery show - definitely worth the visit if you have time!  In May I am going to a one-week intensive course in Portland, Maine to study with Kate Wolf, master wax carver.  I have really wanted to fine-tune my wax carving skills for lost wax casting, and this promises to be a great opportunity.  Following my trip to Portland, I will be in Lockport, NY beginning May 31 for the 100 American Craftsmen Show at the Kenan Center.  This is a very selective show of fabulous artists from across the country.  It's my first year participating and I am very much looking forward to it.  I hope to see you there!

The Crows at Oakwood

These two necklaces are made in collaboration with my brother Kevin Blythe who did a photographic series on the crows at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse.  I recently revisited this series after a customer of mine requested a custom pendant incorporating them.  The top necklace is accented with aquamarine.  Both are high quality photographic prints framed in sterling silver with cast twigs and sealed behind jewelers grade resin.

Showcase 500 Art Necklaces





I recently received the exciting news that this necklace will be included in Showcase 500 Art Necklaces, being released this summer by Lark Publishing!  I am so happy to be included in this wonderful collection.  The locket was created as a portrait of my great-grandmother, Georgia Helen Griffith.  She was was an independent, college-educated woman who traveled to Jamaica in 1890 as a Quaker missionary.  The materials in the locket include etched copper, sterling, sapphire, garnet, and found objects; elements are hand fabricated and lost wax cast.  Above the antique map on the back of the locket is the Quaker star. 

The book will be available on Amazon and can be pre-ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/Showcase-500-Art-Necklaces/dp/1454703520/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363141953&sr=1-1&keywords=showcase+500+art+necklaces

Rocks and Fossils

What amazing things come out of the earth!  Here are a few pieces I completed this week.  The first is a bracelet with plume agate, fossil coral, ammonite, and trilobite fossils.  The bracelet is big, sturdy, and elemental.  I used a heavy gauge silver for the links and it is a gorgeous statement piece!



This set of four pendants are also excellent stones with a very elemental quality.  They are fossil coral, crazy lace agate, laguna agate, and ocean jasper.  The metalwork in these is very minimal.  I made them with the simple riveted bail detail after drilling a hole at the top of each cabochon.  This enables me to make a simple piece using less metal, thus keeping the price of these affordable.   All four stones were cut by lapidary artists in the USA.  I think they look quite nice on a simple leather cord.  These pieces will all be at Gallery 54 late next week.

Inspiration

At the Museum of Natural History Butterfly Exhibit, Washington, D.C.

My brother is a photographer.  He has studied photography for years and is quite talented.  I am not a trained photographer, but his work has inspired me to have some fun with it.  What better to photograph than gorgeous living things?  I took these in a live butterfly exhibit at the Smithsonian.  Nature inspires most of my work, whether literal or abstract.  There is no better source for generating creativity.

Delicate fuzzy green ferns.  This one I took last year in April.  It looks like a tentacle.  I can't wait for spring!! 


Taken in my mom's backyard!

Some Custom Pieces

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope everyone has a sweet day, with or without a sweetheart.  I plan to eat some chocolate, one way or another!

I thought I'd share a couple custom pieces I've made recently.  Both are destined to be gifts, and I hope they will be warmly received.  The first is a sculptural piece, a spider that showcases a gorgeous glass cabochon made by Sarah Bookbinder.  It is fabricated entirely by hand in sterling silver.

The ring design below is the symbol for "om".  Om is sometimes referred to as "the universal sound" and is symbolic in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.  It can also be translated as representing "universal spirit or consciousness".  This ring is fabricated in sterling with a tiny diamond.  This piece was custom made for a friend's sweetheart.

Arctic January

Morning frost on my window.

Happy New Year everyone!  I am finally getting around to posting some new work.  It has been very cold here lately - sort of an arctic deep freeze!  Being originally from the South, I am not particularly well-adapted to this sort of weather.  I've been alternating between hibernating, watching movies, and working in my studio to make new pieces for my galleries.  December is always super hectic for me and it takes awhile to catch my breath afterward!





Peruvian opal "cascade of leaves'.