Joanna Gollberg: Collected @ Velvet da Vinci

  Joanna Gollberg is one of the 'super star' jewelers i have admired for years. (I *will* own a piece of her jewelry.. i just have to save up for those lovely purple earrings at the Metal Museum!)

In her new exhibition at Velvet da Vinci, she displays pieces that have a slightly different narrative than her usual work- they're documentations of her travels in wearable, portable, and extremely beautiful form. Just when i thought i couldn't adore her anymore, she goes and does this. :)

From the exhibition release: (click the image above to go to the full text)

On this pivotal new body of work, Gollberg writes: 
“I had never before given myself permission to use (these elements) in my 
 jewelry, because they were physical objects that kept me connected 
 to places that made my whole heart feel crushingly full... I chose to use 
 techniques that I rarely employ in my day to day jewelry making life—mold 
 making, wax carving, casting, enameling which gave me deep pleasure. I 
 freely used gemstones and materials that suited each piece,disregarding 
 any pre-planned price structure... The results are twofold: I am spiritually 
 refreshed and ready to re-enter my work life anew, and I have created a 
 body of work that is personally meaningful, yet still beautiful and true to my 
 aesthetic.”

I relate strongly to this kind of creation-  the spiritual refreshment and the personally meaningful part as well as the desire to create with no pre-planned price structure. That's creative freedom.

I also relate strongly to the idea of being a gatherer...  I've got little jars of things i've picked up on trips that sometimes work their way into jewelry or art projects, but more often just get pulled out, arranged and then I decide that they're still too precious to put out into the world. I still need them to invoke the smell of the surf in Cozumel or the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet as i hiked to a waterfall. I envy her ability to share and covet her pieces all in one breath.

Most importantly, i am reminded that 'being creative' and 'being an artist' isn't an action you do at a certain time or a certain place. It is something that permeates everything you do. It's what makes you look at the ground as you walk along the beach, picking up the perfect limpet shell or pebble, it's what makes you notice the shiny landscaping rock that has fools gold on it in the flower bed outside the restaurant you're having dinner at. It's what drives you to take a picture of the table at Starbuck's, to the protestation of your friends because of the way the light, shadows and texture relate.  It's about color, texture, sights, sounds and smells and how we can capture those, preserve them and ultimately share them. And by capturing and sharing these things, teach others how to see the world in its full HD, 3-D wonder.

New Work- incorporating GOLD!

 See the process below!

It started as a sketch.. i purchased this amazing Canadian ammolite from one of my favorite Etsy sellers (devali) after he sent me a pic and asked if i was interested (it's nice to have that kind of rapport with folks that i buy from on a somewhat regular basis!) 

well.. truth be told, it was even more amazing in person than the picture he sent, and i was sort of in love with it from the picture, so i knew it had to be made into something special... 

here's the sketch- i tried not to think about it too much- just trust the artistic gut and go with it. (i sketched out several more designs after this one, but i kept coming back to this one because 1- the simplicity lets the ammolite be the star and 2- it just felt right.)

Here's the stone laid out on the back-plate with the bezel on the main stone and the tube settings laid out. I was playing with the arrangement of the cups to see which way was more balanced. 

  

Here's the layout with the bail (sporting it's 14kt gold 6mm tapered tube bezel!) and the 2 pieces of 14kt gold 18 gauge wire, prior to balling the ends. 

 Here it is all soldered together. the gold balls and wires are all well attached and it just needed a long soak in the pickle to get the crud out of those tube bezels. I thought i was going to mirror finish the piece, but i really dig the satin finish on the bail as i was cleaning it up, so i decided to reevaluate once it's cleaned up to see which way to go.

Out of the pickle

 With the accent stones set and a satin finish on the piece...  then into the tumbler to work harden (as if i hadn't done that enough already with the hand finishing!!!!) and clean up any small scratches from setting

out of the tumbler and the main stone was set! Ta-da!

Jewelry a Week Challenge- New Work

I've finally completed the piece i started back in February using a lovely artisan cut Lepidolite in quartz rounded triangle cab and Amethyst pear CZs. It was intended to be a brooch/pendant but after i melted one pin setting and flooded another, i decided the piece was telling me that wasn't the direction to go. 

I envisioned a modernized take on a Balinese granulation technique- so i made big, bold fine silver 'granules' to adorn the piece. By the time it became a pendant, instead of a brooch, i knew the chain was going to need to echo the streamlining of the pendant's design. So i paired sterling mod components i fabricated with strong, sleek rosary links featuring spiral cut amethyst beads. 

The toggle closure is fabricated to match and the cross bar has balled ends to keep the circle/dot theme going. the entire piece has my signature sea foam patina. (here's a pic of what it looked like before polishing- the black and purple are really striking!)

This piece was a challenge to me. I had to let go of my idea of how it was supposed to be and let the piece (and apparently my skill and patience levels) direct the development. Once i decided to just go with the flow, the piece became something that i enjoyed working on again and finished as a lovely piece i'm proud of. :)

Upcoming Class- Chain Making 1- Solderless Chains

You’ve just made a gorgeous and unique art pendant, put your heart and soul into it and you’re looking for a chain to wear it on. STOP! Don’t put your amazing hand crafted pieces on generic store bought chains!

Join jewelry artist and teacher Brandy Boyd for a day of chains that are unique and strong, without the need for solder! You can whip these babies up with nothing more than wire and pliers. Perfect for waiting at the doctor’s office, in the carpool line, or anywhere else you have a lap and 10 minutes or more. Add a steel block and hammer and you’ve got a variation on a theme and a totally different look.

You’ll learn how to make a horse-shoe chain (with variations), a beaded rosary chain (VERY versatile), a sticks and stones chain (this one can go so many ways) and an infinity chain.

Your class fee will include several spools of wire, various jump rings, instruction sheets, and a steel mandrel set to keep. There is enough wire to complete 4 necklace length chains. We will cover handmade clasps as well so your piece can be 100% yours from start to finish!

You will need to bring to class- round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, chain nose pliers, and files for cleaning up the ends of your wire.

If you have these items, bring them- steel block and hammer, hole punch pliers, smooth jawed hemostats.

Contact Laurie at the Memphis Botanic Gardens to sign up at 901-636-4128 Members $75, non members- $90

I've been working.. promise!

I haven't been very good about posting regularly, but i have still been working. My piece a day has (realistically) become a piece a month, but i'm still making smaller things all the time.

Here's what i've been up to lately.

i had some Gibeon meteorite beads custom cut for the necklace that will showcase this lovely pendant. 

This is one of Ryan's gorgeous cabs set in sterling and fine silver

Finished up the fold formed pieces from my June class samples, Finally finished the piece with the branch and made another gum-drop ring with another one of Ryan's cabs. :)

Upcoming Class- Kitchen Table Silversmithing- Bling Ring Edition

Join me June 21st 10am -5pm for Kitchen Table Silversmithing- the Bling Ring edition!

Ready to take your silversmithing skills higher? In this workshop class, we will create a bezel set statement ring. I will have an assortment of fabulous boro glass cabs made specifically for this class by local glass artist Ryan Pleso.

You must bring a butane micro torch, fuel, firebrick, jewelers files and pliers for this class. Additional tools that you may wish to bring are- texturing hammers, rawhide mallet, burnishers, decorative/letter metal stamps, ring mandrel and metal shears. Some shared tools will be available for use in class.

A class kit containing silver sheet, solder, bezel wire and ring shank/pattern wire is included in the class fee. Bench incidentals like finishing supplies and flux are included in the class kit. Additional wire options will be available for purchase in class for those wishing to try more advanced techniques.

Contact Laurie at the Memphis Botanic Gardens to sign up at 901-636-4128 Members $95, non members- $110

Fold Forming class this Saturday!

If you're looking for something AWESOME to do this weekend- come bang on some metal with me this Saturday at the Memphis Botanic Garden ! Fold forming is easy to learn and is infinitely customizable (and pretty much impossible to mess up!)

If you've never done it before, all you need is a hammer and a bench block and a desire to do some greatly satisfying, stress-relieving forging. At the end of class you will have a bracelet, pair of earrings and pendant to show for it. (All in sterling silver!)

All materials are included in the class fee of $150 for members of the Gardens ($170 for non-members). Bracelets like the ones you'll make in class start at $250 on etsy!

Call  Laurie at 901-636-4128 to register. Email me if you have questions about the tools required for class (or borrowing tools if you're just not sure if metal work is for you )

Untapped! or How to save the Tennessee Brewery

I had the pleasure of going to the volunteer opening of Untapped last night. For those that don't know, the historic Tennessee Brewery, home of Goldcrest 51 beer and some freaking amazing architecture and views, is under the gun. The owners have been unable to turn it into viable space since purchasing it in 1997 to save it from demolition and are looking at having it torn down at the end of July and the land sold off. 

When I first heard the Brewery was set for the chopping block, I freaked out... I literally cried at the thought of the loss of this amazing building. (and at this point, i had never been inside it- only taken photos of the facade and seen photos from within). I started researching the economics of the area and projects that had saved buildings like this- i'd been pretty active on Indiegogo and Kickstarter looking for 3-D printers, so i'd seen a few where they raised money towards something like this. The Huntridge Theater in Las Vegas was my case study- they raised $207,355 against a $150,000 goal to just put on an event to show the space was viable and worth saving. 
Per their indiegogo campaign "Even if we raise this campaign’s full amount and end up with $150,000 or more, that’s obviously not even close to enough to lovingly renovate, and reopen, or even buy the Huntridge.
It will prove that community support exists to justify much larger private investment in a project that is motivated more by passion than just profits."
>So i decided to start an indiegogo for the Brewery, but i needed help. Photographer Walter Arnold (look here! ) had taken some amazing photos of the Brewery, so i asked if i could link to his images to show people what they were saving. He was all about it and suggested i contact June of Memphis Heritage to see how they could get involved in saving the Brewery. I'm sure my email came across as a little bit of begging, but i was desperate to get people in action- the newspaper article said we only had 30 days! I flooded my facebook feed with photos, links, requests for action, and down right pleading.
June was already in action. Memphis Heritage also sent out the call for people to save the Brewery and on a cold evening in January, Andy, Chris and I squeezed into a packed room at Memphis Heritage to brainstorm and discuss the future of a building. Our idea of the Brewery as a beer garden (and potentially the host of the annual brew fest) was well received (thank you Chris for speaking up and sharing it!) 
>I'm loving the idea of using the Brewery as a pop up shop (i believe the MemShop folks had a hand in that! It's worked great in Crosstown and Broad Ave and i have my fingers crossed it's going to do its magic at the Brewery) Doing sectional revitalization as opposed to a top to bottom renovation means that you can make an impact with less initial investment. If only the first floor of the Brewery was utilized as a mixed use space for retail, food, and a performance venue, the whole building could be saved. (excellent piece here about ways to use the space that the whole city can enjoy)

I am looking forward to the next 6 weeks with cautious optimism. I am hoping that this will provide the basis for a long term sustainable and profitable use for the Brewery. I'm hoping that in July, i won't be mourning the loss of a landmark, a gorgeous building rich with history, uniqueness and a presence that takes me to another time. I'm hoping that i'll be able to say that i was involved in helping save something- that i helped make memphis a better place. Instead of letting it be the city that 'destroys its history and defiles the graves with stripmalls', instead of letting memphis continue to bear the label of "The City that Doesn't Care".  

Keep tuned here, on my G+ page and my Facebook for updates and images. 

And if you want to get involved:
Here's the link to the Untapped page on Facebook, and their Google+ page
Also, I recommend following Memphis Heritage on Facebook for info on this building and dozens of others in Memphis that are just as important.

Show season!

I have jewelry pieces from this weekend to post, but i forgot to take pictures. So, here's a teaser of the booth set up that Erin and I have been working on for our shows this season.

I've added some vertical space and Erin has brought in some non-traditional displays to create some visual interest that i'm really digging!

Be sure to come see us at the Broad Ave Art Walk April 11th, 5-10pm, V&E Art Walk, April 26th 11am-6pm and East Buntyn Art Walk, April 27th, 2-6pm.

Something to do this weekend- Forging on the River!

You all know I *love* the Metal Museum, so I have to give a shout out when they have something going on.

April 4th, 5th and 6th, they have their annual Forging on the River event. It's not just for blacksmiths! There's an art auction and wild game dinner Saturday night that is a huge event for the Museum. Tickets are only $50 and they're for a great cause (the museum and its programs) *AND* you can bid on some amazing works, like a pierced vessel from enamelist Sarah Perkins (i love her work) .
Click the link below to go to the Metal Museum's page on FotR for all the details.
Forging on the River

If the conference isn't your style, there are some spectacular exhibits on display right now- including a kinetic sculpture exhibit that is quite neat. Think of star gazing. :) 

Jewelry a day challenge- March 28th

Sterling silver fabricated from 18 gauge square wire. Approximately 3/4"- commissioned earrings -triskle design.

Wanaree Tanner is coming to BMB Designs!

That's right! The super talented Wanaree will be offering her Metal Clay Gallery Box pendant 2-day workshop, September 13th and 14th from 10 am to 5 pm. 

Please take a look at the prospectus here for more information. 

 Go here to claim your spot in this amazing class on Square Market. Only $100 deposit to reserve a seat!

Jewelry a day challenge- March 26th

Well... It looks like I lost over a month of making- but I'm working on getting back on track.
I *have* been making things, like today's piece that has taken me almost 2 weeks to finish.  Inventory,  getting sick twice, concerts, midsouth con and trying to balance having a social life with being a hermit artist has had me ping ponging. It's a difficult balance- being a part of the world, having a family and friends, working a full time job and being an artist. The day to day is sometimes enough to drain the creativity right out- it's a slippery slope but I am climbing back up :)

So tonight I present for you a piece that was originally a pin/pendant combo and is now just a pendant. It features a rounded triangle lepidilite in quartz cab flanked by 3 faceted pear purple CZS and balled silver.

And since it matches the color scheme, me in my dark elf (drow) costume from Con. :)

Jewelry a day challenge- February 19th

Three spinner rings (still doing catch up)

One sterling with a sterling and titanium mini Helm weave chain maille spinner.
One copper with copper pattern wire spinner
And finally,  copper with two hammered copper spinners

The class i am teaching at the gardens this Saturday is a silver ring with silver spinner(s), but the copper is easier to take pictures of for my instructions and I can make tons of them! :)

Jewelry a day- February 18th

Here's the piece I put the finishing touches on today. It's a size 16 men's spinner ring in sterling silver.

Jewelry a day challenge - February 12th

I must be dreaming of sundresses and walks on the beach. This set makes me think of a barefoot stroll on the sand, with my hair pulled up, a flowy dress fluttering in the breeze and my movie star shades and floppy hat on.

Yeah- i need a break from this cold!

This set has exotic wood beads paired with hand blown hollow beads, Bali silver, and a large floral design pendant, also of dark wood. The matching earring are super light weight and feature the gorgeous gray blown glass as their focal.

This set is available. Email for details.

Jewelry a day challenge- catch up

After finishing my-favorite-piece-EVAR!  Last monday, I started working on some mokume gane pieces- soldering on rings at the tops of the earrings, filing down the surfaces, hand sanding.... The Super labor intensive part. And they were going along well Tuesday night- i figured I would finish both pair on Wednesday and be current with my challenge.  Then Wednesday had other plans- i stayed in bed all day with flu like body aches and sore hands and joints. :(

So, today, I sat down and made some earrings to get me back on track :)

Clockwise from the top: Bali silver with red coral and hypersthene, aquamarine puffy cubes, amethyst and sterling silver, pink amethyst and rose gold filled, tanzanite and sea green apatite on sterling silver, Ruby in kyanite with microfaceted rubies on 14k gold filled, and finally, hand carved quartz leaves with rose gold filled. 

All are available for sale and are priced as follows for my Valentine's special: (again- clockwise) $12, $32, $36, $18, $45, $35. Please email or Facebook message to purchase. Prices go up after Valentine's!

First pic with flash is to show the sparkle on those pink amethysts- they're gem quality :)

Jewelry a day challenge - February 3rd

Today's piece is my favorite I've made to date.
The fabricated pendant features a bronze trilobite I cast from an original (from Utah) I bought at the last rock show, a gorgeous Labradorite with a full soft rainbow, a pyritized ammonite with rainbow druzy pockets and a rose cut labradorite.  The edges of the pendant are coined and the back bears my makers mark, sterling quality mark and an amazing patina that looks like bubbles in the surf.
The necklace has microfaceted pyrite with mystic labradorite faceted rounds and micro Bali silver daisy spacers. It's finished off with an old stock box clasp with a smooth oval bezel set labradorite that balances it nicely.

Jewelry a day - follow up

I decided to finish up the charoite and moonstone pendant with a necklace.

Here it is: hand forged toggle, native cut rainbow moonstone and faceted amethyst rondelles, sugilite rounds, microfaceted amethyst,  old stock Bali silver and charoite puffy squares.

Jewelry a day- February 2nd

I have been trying to break the dragon habit of hoarding all the pretties. Today's piece uses an exquisite cab of oolite with lovely orbs and consistent pattering. It is polished on the back as well, so I've cut a window out behind the stone so all its greatness can be admired.

I set it in a scalloped bezel, to echo the pattern. Then paired it with a bronze cab I made from a vintage button mold. Its smooth bezel is complemented by a halo of bead wire. Topped with a brushed bail,  it's an eye catching pendant. 

I learned I need to brush up on my sawing skills as the 22g sterling base gave me a few fits. My maker's mark is on the back, sterling quality mark on the bail.