Custom work

EEEKK!!  I realize this isn't exactly a Holiday-themed photo, but it was too funny not to share.  I just completed this custom spider brooch which incorporates a glass cabochon made by artist Sarah Bookbinder.

The spider is fabricated in sterling silver using a hollow-formed construction, with a black onyx cabochon accent.  Have a wonderful Holiday everyone!!

Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival!!

It is once again almost time for Plowshares, my final show of the year, and also one of my favorites! Full of good energy and friends, this is a really fun show.  Its a great note to end on after a super busy year.   Below are some recent pieces I thought I'd share with you.  The rings and labradorite necklace will be available at Plowshares.  The raven pieces all sold at the Delavan opening, but I wanted to share them anyway because I'm super fond of them, and might make more:)  Have a great Holiday everyone!!!

Three rings: garnet, peach moonstone, and turquoise with peridot.

Labradorite wreath of leaves.  

Ravens, with black drusy, turquoise, 14k, and blue topaz.  

Of Ladders, Lace, and Twigs

Here's a preview of some pieces that will be for sale this weekend at the Delevan Open Studio Event! You can find me in my studio on the second floor.  There will be wine and snacks, (and jewelry!). I hope to see you there!  

Ladder earrings with gem silica, snowflakes with jasper, and lace agate earrings.

"Arwen": sterling silver twig necklace with crystal.

You're Invited!!

Join us for this annual event, meet several Delavan artists, enjoy wine and snacks, and catch up on your Holiday shopping.  You can find me in my studio, #219 on the second floor.  I will have many new pieces for the show.  Hope to see you there!!!

Angels and Turquoise

I thought I'd share a quick post of some earrings finished this week.  I'm really fond of these designs, and plan to replicate them, particularly the angel wings.  I hope everyone is having a lovely autumn.  It certainly has been a gorgeous one in Upstate NY!!

Giving Tree Gallery

I am very excited to announce that my work will now be available in Massachusetts on the Cape! Giving Tree Jewelry in Sandwich, MA expressed interest in my work, and after visiting their lovely gallery, I was happy to accept their invitation.  My pieces will be on view there within the next few days, and eventually will also be available on their website.  Follow the link to the right for more information about them.  If you visit don't miss a walk into their beautiful gardens as well!

It seems almost inconceivable that it is already mid-October!!!  The last few months have been so crazy busy they seem to have flown by like a gust of wind.  It occurred to me this week that it is already time to work on pieces for the Holiday season!!  Below is a collection that will be going to Gallery 54 later this week:  labradorite, azurite, and skulls for the season:) 

I also just completed a collection of tree pendants and earrings.  I've been making these for years and years, but my customers love them, and they are perfect for gift-giving, so here they are!

A Locket

Sometimes everyone needs an angel, right?  A dear loved one of mine recently faced something that could have been fatal, and we are oh so thankful that he pulled through.  I think he had a guardian angel by his side.  With him in mind, I made this angel wing locket.  It sold last weekend at the Clothesline Festival, but I plan to make more, just in case someone else needs a guardian angel along for the ride:)

 

Summer's End

Alas, all summers must come to an end, but I'm looking forward to the Clothesline Festival in September and the gorgeousness of the Upstate New York autumn.  I was recently able to attend a gem festival in Massachusetts where I purchased an awesome variety of stones, most of which are still available for customer orders.  I also wanted to share a photo of a collection of pendants recently completed. Follow the link to the right for more details about the upcoming Clothesline Festival in Rochester!

Stones for inspiration:  turquoise, azurite, malachite, ocean jasper, variscite, dendritic agates, garnets, labradorite, etc..

Sterling pendants with ocean jasper, turquoise, dendritic agate, labradorite and azurite.

Sunshine and Smiling Faces

Last weekend turned out better than I could have imagined with sunny skies, mild temperatures, and oh so many friendly and familiar faces!  I wanted to share some highlights from the weekend, and a few snapshots.

Here I am with the booth all set up, ready to rock-n-roll.

One of my very sweetest customers, Sarah, wearing "Anemone".  It was great to see her!

Leslie modeling her new bling!

 

My friend, Robbi , of Lost Girl Metalworks in her booth opposite mine.

These are just a few highlights from a great weekend.  Be sure to check out Robbi's work on her website at: http://www.lostgirlmetalworks.com.  Robbi and I met in a metalsmithing class at Syracuse University a few years ago and her work has continued to develop into a very awesome, edgy, and modern collection.

Next weekend you can find me in Rochester again at the Park Avenue Festival.  Wish me luck and visit if you can!

Argentium Silver

Today I completed a fun experiment and I'm very pleased with the result!  I made my first cuff bracelet with Argentium Sterling silver.  Argentium combines fine silver with metalloid germanium instead of the traditional alloy of fine silver and copper that is commonly referred to as "sterling silver".  Ok I realize I'm getting a bit technical here, but sometimes it's good to educate folks.  You see, silver in its pure form, like gold, is too soft to hold it's form well for most purposed.  For instance a cuff bracelet made of fine "pure" silver would become bent out of shape and scratched in no time at all.  So....as is the case with gold, alloying silver with small percentages of other metals takes care of this problem and provides the silver with work-hardening qualities that make it more durable.  Each alloy has its own qualities.  Traditional sterling has some problematic qualities, primarily fire-scale, and tarnish.  Fire-scale is a discoloring of the metal that results from heating it.  In a piece that involved multiple soldering applications, it can become almost impossible to prevent fire-scale completely.  As my work has developed and I have become a virtual soldering fiend, I have struggled with this quite a bit.  So......today I finished this piece, and was ecstatic with the finish and complete lack of fire-scale!  The silver still allows for deliberate oxidation where it is applied, but will tarnish much slower over time and retain a brighter color.  So, now that you know way more than you ever wanted to know about silver alloys, here it is!

Spirals

The spiral is symbolic in many cultures and appears in artwork dating as far back as the neolithic period.  The spiral is symbolic to many religious as well and can be found in burial sites of the celts, in Buddhism, and in ancient goddess religious.  Perhaps what is most astounding though is the perfect geometry of the spiral in nature.  These ammonite fossils are fine specimens of one of nature's most awesome designs.

These pieces will be for sale this weekend at the Syracuse Downtown Arts Festival.  You can find me on Jefferson St. at booth E-10.  Stop by and say Hello!

Little Pretty Things and the Syracuse Arts Festival

This coming weekend you can find me at the Syracuse Downtown Arts Festival.  I've never done this particular show before, but in the past I have always been pleasantly surprised and flattered by the support I've found in our little Syracuse community.  I look forward to seeing many familiar faces and plan to have an overall good time!
When I'm designing new pieces I find they can usually be described in one of three ways:  little pretty things, pretty ugly things, and pretty interesting things - narrative works that have much research put into them.  The latter are by far my favorite things to make, but they typically take many days to design and construct.  Pretty ugly things would describe my spiders and other insects.  They are super fun to make.  Then there are little pretty things.  Everybody once in awhile just needs something little and pretty to bring a smile or brighten up the day for a loved one.  Little pretty things need not be boring, in fact I hope to always produce work that is unique and inspired, whether it is a simple earring set or a more involved art piece. As a jewelry artist, I try to maintain fluidity in my work and move between different modes of creativity to keep things interesting, for both myself and my awesome customers.  On that note, I hope many of you have the chance to come by this weekend and see what's new from my little studio!

Corn Hill Arts Festival

This weekend you can find me at the Corn Hill Arts Festival in Rochester, all day Saturday and Sunday.  This will be an adventure, as I have never done this show before, nor have I ever attended it!  I'm curious and hoping for the best.  The weather forecast is awesome so it should be a great weekend to come out, and I hear they have great music too.  Check out the link at the right for more info...
Here are a couple pendants I completed today and will have with me this weekend.

Kyanite and spectrolite set in sterling.

Plume agate in sterling.

Landscape Studies

I've been playing around with some landscape scenes.  These necklaces all incorporate jasper and sterling, plus a touch of gold.  My favorite is the tropical island piece.  I know its a little cheesy, but hey, doesn't everyone need their own private tropical paradise with a ready supply of coconuts?!?

Sterling silver with (left to right) landscape jasper, dry head agate w/ druzy and sunstone, and imperial jasper w/ 14k gold.

Anemone

I titled this piece "Anemone" because it reminds me of an undersea garden full of anemones.  In my research I was surprised to find that sea anemones and garden anemones look surprisingly similar. The stone is called Feather Ridge Plume Agate.  The color and delicacy of it is incredible, and hard to capture in a photograph.  This piece was originally made for the May opening of the Celebration of the Arts at St. David's Episcopal Church in Dewitt and it sold this morning at Gallery 54 in Skaneateles.

Pink

I'm not a huge fan of pink in my everyday attire, but I am amazed at the beautiful pinks that nature creates in stones.  Every now and then everyone needs just a little pink in their lives right?  Pink is even better when it is paired with an antique abalone fly button:)  Below are three rings hot off the press from the studio.  They are sterling with pink sapphire, green tourmaline, and an antique button.

This necklace was also completed this week.  The stone is picasso jasper.  It looks so much like a dark forest of branches!  I knew immediately what it  needed to be paired with.  This one is hard to part with, as it is truly a one-of-a-kind.  It will be for sale at the Westcott Art Trail though!  We got some bad news on a car repair this week, so in other words, now is when I am selling some very favorite pieces to pay for my car:)

Twigs and Spectrolite

With many shows close on the horizon, I am hard at work trying to build up a nice inventory.  My first show is the Westcott Art Trail, which is being held this year in honor of my good friend Lauren Ritchie, who we sadly lost unexpectedly this winter.  She was a wonderful potter, and a super fun person, who also was one of the founders of the Art Trail.  This is a fun event that takes place in the Westcott/ University neighborhoods of Syracuse the first weekend in June.  I will have my booth set up at the home of Candace Rhea on Clarke St..  Follow the link to the right for more information!

Here are a couple new pieces finished recently.  This necklace of spectrolite (labradorite) and cast branches is a beauty.  It's funny how some stones come to life as soon as they are set in silver!

Below are sterling and lapis skull earrings, part of my Frida Kahlo collection.  Enjoy!

"Many Faiths"

This bracelet titled "Many Faiths" was in my imagination for a many months before it finally came to be.  It is at last complete and will be in the gallery opening this Friday evening called the Celebration of the Arts at St. David's Episcopal church in Dewitt, NY.  The bracelet was inspired by the entrances to several different churches, synagogues, and buildings of worship.  I hope that this will be the first of a series.  Follow the link to the right for more information about the opening and stop by if you can!

"Many Faiths" bracelet: copper, sterling silver, peridot, tourmaline

This photograph was taken by local photographer John Dowling.  He has taken many photographs for me in the past and I've been very pleased with the results!

Agua Nueva...

….as in agua nueva agate set in sterling silver.  This stone is such a beauty and the necklace is definitely a statement piece.  I've never seen such gorgeous shades of neutral combined so well before, and by nature!  I kept the setting for this stone simple and modern because I think it stands on its own and is best without too much embellishment.  It would look stunning with a solid black or white dress:)

Inspiration

This weekend I returned from a glorious trip to the Caribbean.  I am always awed by the beauty of the sea and wildlife there.  Before I left I ordered several stones from my lapidary suppliers out west in order to be ready to get right back to work upon my return.  Here are some of my finds!

Over the past few weeks I have also been confirming my summer show schedule.  I am excited to be adding several shows this year including two in Rochester and the LARAC (Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council) shows in Glens Falls, NY.  I will also be doing the Downtown Syracuse Arts Festival for the first time.  Links to all my shows are at the right of the page.  Stay tuned!

Band Rings!!

I have been experimenting this spring with some variations on ring designs as well as making some rings in silver/ 14k gold combinations.  While I don't usually stock rings in gold, these styles are always available by custom order.  The rings on the right of the photo are custom wedding bands for a couple roll-printed with a pattern taken from the topographical map of their favorite hiking spot.  These bands are anticlastic formed and I think they are an awesome twist on the traditional…unique and one-of-a-kind!

Frida No. 6

I just completed another "Ode to Frida Kahlo" cuff bracelet, this one with a beautiful chrysocolla stone that looks like planet earth!  This is the 6th in the "Frida" cuff series.  Each cuff is a little different.  The series is inspired by Frida Kahlo and the Mexican "Dia de Los Muertes", Day of the Dead.  The side of the cuff features a quote from Frida's last painting, "Viva la Vida" or "Long Live Life".

Completed cuff: Sterling silver, 14k gold, chrysocolla.

Progress shot, side view.

Links….

I just completed 3 bracelets.  Loving these stone combinations!  Agates, jaspers, turquoise, sugilite, boulder opal, etc..  Welcome spring!!

Emerging from the Deep Freeze of February

February is finally drawing to a close, and with it being one of the coldest on record here, I am happy to see it go!  As March approaches I am at work applying to some new shows for this year.  I am hoping to add shows in Rochester and Buffalo.  I will keep you posted as I finalize plans! Here is a sneak peek of some new pieces coming out of the studio….

Sterling silver with Picasso jasper necklace

Sterling cast branches with dendritic agate

Sterling silver and chrysoprase earrings

Tourmaline ring in sterling, and blue lapis ring set in 14k gold and sterling

Cicadas and Wild Roses

AKA waiting for spring to come!  Ocean jasper and an antique bakelite cicada from 1920's France - here I am playing with combinations and asymmetry.  I love asymmetry, but asymmetrical pieces are hard to design.  This one took a lot of thought.  I'm still wondering if the clasp needs to be a bit bolder….yes I think it does!

Below is a custom piece just finished today.  The elements were chosen by my customer.  I love the prudent man agate! It's colors are somewhere between a canyon sunset and a pond full of algae.  Earthy.  Beautiful.

Winter in the City

This is the view from my studio at the Delavan Center.  It's really the best part of the studio - a huge window with lots of natural light and a view of the Niagara Mohawk building in the distance.  Today was a rare sunny day in the city, which has been deadly cold for the past few days.  Negative digits cold!
After a long and busy few weeks, I am back to creating new work.  I have some awesome pieces in progress!  I'm thinking about spring and getting my creative juices flowing again.  Stay tuned...