Local-to-Global 14 November 11-5

The current issue of the Walker Magazine has designated a full page to a jewelry collage for the upcoming Jewelry Artist Mart on November 14th that I will be taking part in. I am very honored to have two pieces featured in the spread again. The BUNCH necklace in black acrylic and olive leather and the WOOD_STRIPE bracelet in paduak and wenge woods. I love the feeling of the collection they featured. Very different feel from the local mart this May, but still the same high standards when it comes to quality of representation. (photo by Cameron Wittig)

For the record, it is 7pm on Halloween and I am sitting alone in my house with a bowl of candy, waiting for the neighbor kids to ring the door bell. Only the ticking of the clock and my keyboard are keeping me company. My son is out tricking and treating with my husband. while I am inside nursing a cup of hot tea due to cold-symptoms that came on yesteday. YUCK. I think I'll blame it on the rain....even if the sun did shine for a little bit today.

a vision

It was raining again this morning when I woke-up. I can't remember the last sunny day we've had. I came up from working in the basement around lunch time and the rain had momentarily turned to big, wet snow flakes. It was quite a sight. At this point, I think I'd rather have snow than constant rain mixed with cool temps. Anyway -- the snow inspired me to wear my favorite winter hat when I went out....and after nearly 2 days of getting used to the new pair of (kinda risky) glasses that I ordered online - it was the pairing of the two that solidified it for me = I LOVE my new glasses.

new work

As promised, I am sharing images of some of the new work that I showed at last weeks trunk show. I have a tendency to draw-out my design process - where I "live with" pieces before revealing them to others. I draw things out to the point that even after a new piece is made and shown to people, I need to see it in a photograph to really know how I feel about it. Probably just helps me step away from the work to see if from a more unbiased perspective - but this also is part of the reason why it takes me a while to post images on my blog. I have to feel ready - to be vulnerable.

That being said - I feel really good about these new pieces. I feel like I've been exaggerating my moves - taking them further, making them bigger, thicker ... more rich in material and statement, while also achieving a classier look - that hopefully has longevity. This first image is of a BUNCH_STONE necklace in paduak wood. And the WOOD_STRIPE bracelets in 11-wide versions below.

I've expanded the BUNCH necklace to the POD forms and I just can't get enough of this new Ivory color with the warm rusty-leather on the neck-band. The ivory BUNCH_POD earrings were the first to sell at the trunk show and the red pair wasn't far behind them! They are super fun, a bit heavier than my other earrings, but still lightweight in comparison to large metal earrings.

I made a smaller version of the BUNCH_POD earrings as wels as a smaller version of the DRAPE earrings (and the POD - not pictured)

And on a simpler note, these RAIN earrings also had a great response. Somehow they seem perfect for fall ... maybe that is simply because we have been having so much rain these days?!?

one picture

The trunk show at Gallery 360 last Thursday was a lot of fun. I dropped off 2 boxes of jewelry for the show on Wednesday and then just showed-up on Thursday evening to find that Merry had done a wonderful job setting-up the displays. There were 3 featured jewelry artists and we each had a pedestal on wheels that was set-up with a plexi-glass case, hanging rack, "slab" and a mirror - like you see in this ... the ONE picture that I took that night - with my cell phone! (arghh) I realized when I got there that I forgot my camera. The "documentor" in me just about died. Luckily I had at least photographed the work before dropping it off, so I will be sharing some of the newer pieces from the show in the next post. --- My friend, Martha, from Uniform Natural (formerly Uniform Studio) was there all evening and it was so much fun to catch-up with her. My mom and aunt drove down from up north for a day of shopping that ended at the trunk show (thanks for making the treck!) Thanks to everyone who came to the show. I met many lovely women who (if I do say so myself) looked so smashing in my jewelry!

gallery 360 / cards

I am honored to have my jewelry (on Phon, in one of Paige's lovely photographs) on the postcard that Gallery 360 sent out for their annual Jewelry Trunk Show where I will be one of 3 featured artists. It is happening this Thursday October 15th from 6-9pm. They've just updated their website today with the details and for any of you not sure how to get there, they also provide directions. They have a great selection of local art & goods - and if you notice, they are offering 20% off everything in the store that day! I would love to see you there!

*I should give a little disclaimer about the image of the card - as I have used my little stamper to round the corners of the card (which is not the way they sent them out) ... because I've been doing some experimenting -with rounding the corners of our existing business & post cards to tie it back to the new detail on our website. During the redesign of our website there was much discussion with my brother, Kai, about whether or not to round the corners of the images on the main page of the site. I felt there was a strong connection back to the floor plan of the airstream - but we also discussed the level of trend associated with a rounded corner. I actually feel that the BIG trend has already passed, which is partially why I felt good about doing it. One shouldn't try to be too cool... (he he) But seriously, I am in love with our new site and the way the collection of images creates a larger pattern and texture. It just isn't the same without the round-ness..... and I like that I am able to tie that little detail into other parts of our 'brand'

kiddie_name_cuff

My son is always asking me to make him some jewelry. In the past I've just thrown something little together for him to play around in, but now that I am working with wool, I've been throwing around some ideas with him in mind. This is a name bracelet that I made for him. I kept it really basic in order to make it as sturdy as possible since he loves to take it off and put it back on all by himself. I could probably shrink it down even more (with a smaller snap perhaps) to make it even more scaled for his little wrist.
I made a pink one as a gift for a neighbor girl (with her name on it) who just turned 3 and I've been thinking it might be fun to offer these custom KIDDIE_Cuffs exclusively through my etsy shop - so that I can try to bring the price down -(closer to a wholesale price since I wouldn't retail them anywhere else)- and into a more reasonable range for "childware". I could offer them in the same colors that I've selected for the HIVE cuffs. My question is, would anyone buy these? ... and, how much would one pay for such a thing? Maybe they are simply destined to be special gifts for friends.......
Since he was such a good sport to model for me, I tought I'd include a shot of my son in his bat costume. He can't wait to go trick or treating!

two and three....

While I was working to fill the order for SFMOMA, I was also working on filling my second purchase order for the Grand Rapids Art Museum store in Michigan ... and a third purchase order for the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus. Both have been filled, delivered and received. My theory is that my work belongs in museum shops - all part of the "master plan" I spoke of earlier this year. Now, is the waiting period to see how people in these new markets will respond to my work. I will hold my breath (lightly) and hope for the very best!

milestone

This is a picture of my first official purchase order. That means that up to this point I have only consigned my work to local shops. Since I was new to the market, it has been a way for them to test out my work to see which pieces will sell better than others, and it is a way for me to get my work into stores that otherwise might not take a gamble on a "newbie" -- but this order marks a milestone for me = a PURCHASE order.

But it is more than that, too, because if you look at the address label, the box was sent out to the SFMOMA museum store - not just any museum shop, but the Museum of Modern Art's in San Francisco, CA. I even held my breath when I typed that! I am super excited! Now let's hope that San Franciscans will like my work.(cross my fingers)

Another thing you will notice resting in a pile on the box are my new wool HIVE cuff and band bracelets. They come in a variety of wool colors and 3 different sizes (the medium and large should fit men, depending on their size.) Both items are now available in my shop here and here. You specify the color and size you want and I'll ship it out to you! They say it is going to snow in Minneapolis this weekend, so this wool cuff can help keep your wrists warm - well, at least one of them!

catalog model profile eight & last

Our last photo shoot was the first shoot that Paige and I had discussed on our second meeting about the project. Our mutual friend, Amanda, seemed only appropriate in hindsight, considering that Paige and I didn't really know each other very well when we first started discussing the project. But the subsequent reasons really stack-up. Amanda is a mother-earth sort of woman. She has a calmness about her that can sooth even the most restless one among us, a perspective that brings her wisdom, a little family that nurtures her as much as she nurtures them, and beauty that resonates beyond face-value. She is a beautiful friend and I still have much to learn about her.
In terms of the catalog, and considering the previous 3 shoots we'd already completed, I suppose I was also thinking that she/the farm represents the part of me/us that yearns to feel connected to the land, to the basics of "organic" food, to the slower pace of life in a rural setting.....whether literally or figuratively: it might also represent the need to feel more connected to the simple things in life. with the economic downturn, I think a lot of us are yearning for that?
Amanda is a farmer. She probably wouldn't call herself one, because she knows farmers, married the son of a real Minnesota farmer and she knows the details of such things much more than I do (despite the fact that my father grew-up on a dairy farm.) But in my eyes she is. She works on a "small" CSA (community supported agriculture) farm just outside Northfield, MN - is part of the planting and growing and harvesting routines. She is like a little red hen, working through every step of making food from seeds. She cooks and cans and freezes just like our grandmothers used to. Before we increased the size of our garden this year, I used to be amazed that she did all of this. Now that I know first hand how much work it is (especially at a larger scale) I am in awe.
So given all this, Paige and I had envisioned photographing her at the farm. The evening we went for the shoot, was the first time I'd been there. I didn't feel overwhelmed like at the Walker shoot, but I definitely was visually-stimulated. It had been overcast and even rainy the entire day which gives the photos an entirely different feel than if it had been full-sun -- almost like you can feel the weight of the air in some of them.
NOT a horse-lover, Amanda was a trooper for feeding the horses! Her son was a sweet pea the entire time and I am so glad that he is in a few shots. I love the connections between the BUNCH necklace with the apple tree, the TABS necklace with the sauna, the DRAPE with the horse, the HIVE with the sunflower. Some of these were intentional, some were discovered after the fact - not sure if we were lucky or maybe just intuitive? Either way, I am happy it happened.
I've said that with each shoot there has been something that is really meaningful, or has personal connections, or pays tribute to something in one of our lives. Well, in these shots (which are perhaps my favorite from the shoot) Amanda is wearing the jean-short of her father-in-law .. the farmer I mentioned earlier - who passed away just a few years ago. she said he would be proud - i hope so.
Thank you, Amanda!



all photos by: Paige DeWees


digital catalog can be downloaded here
printed catalog can be ordered here