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.