Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : artists

Art Jewelry magazine now offers free desktop wallpaper downloads!

Addie Kidd — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

I don't know about you, but I could look at jewelry morning, noon, and night. No, seriously – I'm surrounded by it every day, and oftentimes jewelry even ends up in my dreams. (If you dream about jewelry too, I'd love to hear about it in the comment section below. It'd be nice to know I'm not the only one!)

There's inspiration to be found in other artist's jewelry work. Plus, well...it's just plain beautiful stuff. And I'm not alone in this art appreciation. Judging by the response we get to both our in-print Gallery and our online Gallery, you guys looooo-oooove looking at innovative and stunning jewelry.

I guess it's no coincidence that the Show Us Your Work section of our Online Reader Forums has more views than any other section!

So that got us thinking here at Art Jewelry. We've got all this beautiful imagery of equally beautiful jewelry. Hmm, what could we do with it? What...to...do?

Simple: Wallpaper!!!!

There's something for every jewelry maker in this first batch of 6 images:

Metals: silver, gold, copper, and brass
Polymer clay (metal clay to come shortly)
Gemstones
Tools and equipment
Techniques: soldering, fusing, cold-connections, hammered finish, keum-boo, chain-making, patination, and bezel- and prong-set components

These images are from articles featured in Art Jewelry magazine, and you can learn how to make each and every one of them!
(Okay, so we can't teach you how to draw a cute ilustration like in the Kiln Love image, but we can teach you all about how to operate and care for your kiln!)

Visit our wallpapers page for more details about the projects and the artists.

Top row: John Sartin, Patricia Tschetter, Jill L. Erickson
Bottom Row: Melissa Muir, article by Pam East, Kim Stephenson.

To get your own free wallpaper, head on up to the Resources tab at the top of our Web site, and click on Wallpapers link. You can download your favorite image instantly! You can also bookmark www.artjewelrymag.com/wallpapers. Then again if you're looking for ultra-convenience, sign up for our newsletter. It's free, and we'll send you link every month with the latest free wallpaper.

And if you've got a minute, head to our Web site's home page to take our new Reader Poll — we'd love to hear your opinion on our new wallpapers.

Take care everyone and have a happy Friday!!

~Addie~

P.S. If you have any favorite images from the pages of Art Jewelry, or a specific technique you'd like to see featured as wallpaper leave a comment below.

You can help! Rio Grande collects jeweler's bench sweeps to donate to CERF.

Addie Kidd — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:20:00 GMT

I hope everyone's having a fantastic holiday season!!
I know I am - so far mine's been filled with:

beautiful decorations and lights - everywhere I look there's something sparkling or twinkling!
fun times with friends - I learned a new card game; has anyone else ever played Liverpool Rummy?
tasty food - Apple pie, from scratch, has got to be one of the best inventions ever! Yum.
and thoughtful gifts - including jewelry! Though I obviously adore it, I very rarely receive jewelry as a gift. I think the idea of giving jewelry to a jeweler intimidates folks or something. Do any of the rest of you guys get that?

And now New Year's is almost upon us, can you believe it?? Maybe that means that spring will sneak up on us quickly too. Not too quickly, I hope - I'm actually pretty fond of winter. (Living in Wisconsin, I guess I'd better be, right?)

In the spirit of the holidays and this generous time of year I wanted to draw your attention to a great program that Rio Grande has started. They're collecting jeweler's sweeps (that's floor, bench, or polishing dust that's swept up), to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF).

If you aren't already familiar, we've talked about CERF before. They're a wonderful organization that helps craft artists in need.

Why are sweeps valuable? Rio's Web site explains:

"Both sweeps and buffing material contain various amounts of precious metals that can be reclaimed. The value of what is reclaimed from your sweeps and buffing material will be donated directly to CERF."

So if you have some extra sweeps that you were just going to throw out anyway, maybe think about donating them to assist fellow artisans. Every little bit helps.

Happy Holidays!

~Addie~

Thanks to The Daily Jewel blog for the heads up.

14th Annual Whatcom Artist Studio Tour in Whatcom County, Washington, runs October 4th-5th and 11th-12th

Katie Streeter — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:51:00 GMT

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and are looking for an artistic weekend getaway, check out the 14th Annual Whatcom Artist Studio Tour, in Whatcom County, Washington.

The free, self-guided tour is a juried fine art and fine craft event. On October 4th-5th and 11th-12th, you can visit the studios of over 50 artists in Whatcom County, purchase their artwork, and view demonstrations by some of them. The artists' studios will be open from 10-5 each day of the tour.

The artwork will include ceramics, fiber, glass, sculpture, painting, and jewelry.

For more information on the annual event, visit www.studiotour.net. To search for events in your area, check out our online Events Calendar.

—Katie

Fairhaven, Washington (above), is one of the towns where artists open
their studios to the public for the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour.

Video gives sneak peek inside Ford Forlano studios and how they make polymer clay art jewelry

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:26:00 GMT

If you like polymer clay jewelry, chances are you've seen work by Ford Forlano; that is Steve Ford and David Forlano, with Maryanne Petrus-Gilbert doing metalwork. We first featured Ford Forlano's work in "A Rarefied Medium," an article by Ronna Weltman (September 2006) about A-list polymer clay jewelry. If you've never seen their work, prepare for a treat. For me, Ford Forlano pieces never disappoint. The texture, the shape, the color — the pieces are always exciting and elegant. When I'm feeling creative, I tend to work better on my own. So it was really interesting to learn more about the team's collaboration in this video.

It shares not only great images of their studios and finished pieces, but also a bit about their history and how they continue to work together. Check it out!

—Kristin

Etsy Finds: Wear Audrey Hepburn on your wrist and Sonny and Cher on your ears with these cool pieces of jewelry!

Katie Streeter — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:41:00 GMT

I always enjoy seeing what new things the artists on Etsy are creating. I inevitably find something that's extra clever and creative and deserves some recognition. Today, jewelry influenced by movie and TV stars caught my attention.

First, I found these cool seed bead bracelets. I usually don't get into seed beads, but these were too cool to pass by without a second look. Pink Pooch Designs uses seed beads to stitch the likenesses of famous actors and actresses, including Audrey Hepburn (left), Lucille Ball, James Dean, and many more.

Pop Bangles was my other find of the day. This artist prints images of celebrities on photo paper and seals them in plastic. Sonny and Cher (below), Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and the women of Sex and the City are a few of the stars available in Pop Bangles' earrings.

––Katie

Can you make a living by making objects of beauty? An exhibit of Wiener Werkstätte jewelry at Neue Galerie inspires questions.

Kristin Sutter — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

From now until June 30, 2008, you can visit Neue Galerie in New York to see an exhibit of jewelry from the Weiner Werkstätte (Vienna workshops), a movement that developed at the same time and with a similar ideology as the English Arts and Crafts movement. I found out about the exhibit from an article by Ken Johnson that appeared in the New York Times.

Johnson's review, "Rage Against the Machine with Artisans and Beauty," piqued my interest, because the more I read, the more I recognized similarities between those artisans from a few generations ago and our beloved Art Jewelry readers. Johnson points out that the jewelry's value for these artisans came "not from the raw materials but from its aesthetic, the purview of artists and designers, and its craftsmanship, handled by the workshop’s expert artisans." In every issue of Art Jewelry, we publish pieces that fit this description — it's one of our defining characteristics.

But in his review, Johnson goes on to talk about how the Wiener Werkstätte was an "ultimately untenable business model" that failed partly because it didn't have a "political vision." Instead, he says, "Its only purpose was to make beautiful things without compromising artistic quality, an expensive ambition." He hopefully suggests at the end of his review that perhaps such a movement could survive in, say, the 21st century with "rich and enlightened patrons."

The article raised a lot of questions for me:

How do you, as an artist, find the line between accessible art and quality materials and craftsmanship? Or do you even feel the need to make your art accessible in the first place?
Is it necessary to have a political vision behind your work in order for it to sell? Or can you simply make objects of beauty that are marketable on that merit alone?
Do the "political" pieces sell better than the "beautiful" pieces, or do 21st-century buyers actually fork over more money for objects of beauty rather than for pieces with political vision? Are you finding "rich and enlightened patrons"?
How does the mass-production of jewelry continue to affect you as a craftsperson?
How do modern concerns about social responsibility (where do we get our metals and our stones, what chemicals are we using, do we have sustainable working practices, etc.) compare to the concerns that the early-19th-century artisans had?

Of course, the list could go on. But I'm really eager to hear what you have to say about this. To share your thoughts, leave a comment in the comment box below.

—Kristin

Are you easy to help? A question for jewelry artists, business owners, parents, hobbyists,...well, pretty much everyone.

Addie Kidd — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:22:00 GMT

So, are you easy to help?

That's a question that I read on Elaine Luther's blog (click here to read it) back in February. And it's stuck with me ever since.

• Do you know what you need?
• Do you ask for what you need?
• Do you accept help that's offered to you?

• Or do you try to tackle everything on your own? (like so many of us independent-types do)

This could apply to your life as an artist, or as a business owner, or as a parent. Or it could could simply be in regards to your hobbies, or goals in your personal life.

Since reading Elaine's blog, I've realized just how little I ask for help from my friends, co-workers, and family.

So I started asking.

First, I asked for help with a hobby of mine:

Early this winter I took advantage of a sale at a local shop, and bought yards and yards of gorgeous, otherwise out of my price-range, fabric. Since then, it's been sitting in my spare bedroom, taunting me.
I just never seen to find the time to cut and stitch it all together into the lovely duvet I have envisioned in my head. (And, okay maybe I'm a little nervous about how it will turn out too.)
So, seeing that I needed help, I marched into Kristin Sutter's office and asked if she would hold me accountable on my duvet project. She happily agreed, and we have a date set on our calendars when she will come over to my house and simply chat and keep me company while I work. (And I'm sure she'll bring something, like that scarf she's been knitting, to do too.)
Knowing that someone else is taking time out of their schedule will push me to set aside the creative time for myself. Plus two friends get to hang out. It's a win-win.

Next I asked for help with work stuff:

In the same vein, Jill Erickson and I have been meaning (for quite some time) to work in the studio, making jewelry and creating cool projects for the pages of Art Jewelry.
So instead of putting it off any more, we decided to help each other simultaneously, and finally set a date (a "play date," if you will). It's now firm in our calendars, and like any other appointment, in no danger of being pushed aside any longer. Plus, again, we get to hang out together. Another win-win!

So, I think I'll be subtly (and perhaps not-so-subtly) broadcasting my needs from now on.

And then, of course, trying to graciously accept the resulting help offered.

~Addie~

What about you?

I'd love to hear your ideas for how you'll ask for help.
Just post them in the comments below.

P.S. Elaine Luther's not only an entertaining blogger, artist, and business owner. She's also an Art Jewelry magazine contributor! Check out her most recent metal clay project, by clicking here. It's a free download if you're an Art Jewelry magazine subscriber.

Reflections on ancient Scottish jewelry

Katie Streeter — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:08:00 GMT

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I recently went to Scotland for vacation. One of the great places I visited in Scotland is the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. The museum is 7 floors high, and it's packed with fascinating exhibits on nearly everything you can image. Many of the exhibits include videos and other interactive elements, making it a great place to visit with children.

One of my favorite exhibits is the large exhibit on the early people of Scotland. The exhibit includes jewelry that's centuries old, such as this brooch (left). The brooch is constructed of silver and includes red glass and gold inlay. The piece dates to 700 A.D. and was found in Westness, on Scotland's Orkney Islands.

The chain (right) dates from 600 A.D., and was found near Gaulcross.

I think it's amazing that so much jewelry has lasted for centuries, and it makes me wonder what will happen to the jewelry that artists make today. Will one of your creations be discovered 1400 years in the future? Who will find it? What will the people be like? Will they wonder about you, the artists who made the piece in 2008? What do you think?

"Art" jewelry: a souvenir bracelet from the Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer special exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago

Kristin Sutter — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:12:00 GMT

I recently went to Chicago to visit a good friend, and topping my list of must-do activities was a very overdue trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm embarrassed to say that I live less than two hours from the city and haven't been to the museum in 12 years — all I could remember was that both Seurat's painting of the park (A Sunday on La Grande Jatte) and Georgia O'Keeffe's cloud painting (Sky Above Clouds IV) are huge.

My friend and I decided to check out the special exhibits on Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer. I had only really seen Hopper's most famous painting, Nighthawks, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was in for a treat. The exhibit was beautiful (his color palette was mesmerizing) and intriguing, and I was impressed by both his early and late work. He is now one of my favorite artists. I also really enjoyed the Homer exhibit — it's amazing to see such beauty!

Since I was so touched by the art, I wanted a souvenir. My first instinct was the tried-and-true high-quality postcard book, but the colors just didn't look as vibrant as the actual paintings (tall order, I know). Lucky for me, my friend found the one item that I would, of course, have to buy: a bracelet with images from Hopper's works.

It literally is "art" jewelry. It's so cool to have portable inspiration!

What's your favorite type of portable inspiration? Write your response in the "Comments" box below and click "Add" to share!

—Kristin

The entrepreneur and the microloan – a little can go a long way.

Addie Kidd — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:47:00 GMT

When was the last time money that you'd given to a charity came back to you? Not likely, right? Once it's on its way to whatever good cause you've chosen, it's generally gone and all you're left with are all those lovely warm-fuzzies. Don't get me wrong, that's a fantastic feeling. But what if instead of donating your money to help someone, you lent it? How would that change things? Would the recepient then feel more like a business person and less like a charity case? Perhaps.

That's sort of the concept behind Kiva.org – it's a non-profit organization that's based on microloans. If you haven't heard about microloans, the concept is fairly simple: multiple people pool small individual amounts of money together, generally through a third party, into one larger loan for a person or business in need. And with the magic of the internet, that business can easily be half-way around the world.

Earlier this week I got an email from Kiva.org, letting me know that the one of my micro-loans has now been fully repaid. My first full repayment! That means that the $25 that I originally lent out to this entrepeneur has now found its way back to me. I can now take that money and run, or donate it to cover Kiva's operating expenses, or re-lend it out to a new person somewhere else around the globe.

I've decided to re-lend it, which is the fun part. Now I get to get to click through profiles of businesses from far away places like Tajikistan, Cambodia, Uganda, and Ukraine; learning about each of these people and their dreams and plans. I enjoy that personal feeling. My funds aren't going to some amorphous organization, but directly and 100% to individual people, individual entrepeneurs. And periodically the recepients will post journal entries to let the lenders know how their business is doing.

While plenty of these businesses sell food, weave textiles, raise animals and the like; some of them manufacture jewelry. The idea that my tiny contribution could help a fellow jeweler out there is pretty special. Plus once I get that money back, it can help again, and again, and again...

~Addie~

Here are some quick facts I found.
Kiva's impact, this week alone:

$486,150.00 loaned
3.6 hrs to fully fund a business
8,057 new lenders joined
289 businesses finished paying back loans
679 businesses fully funded

Fun at the One-of-a-Kind Show in Chicago!

Kristin Sutter — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:09:00 GMT

Lunchtime on Dec. 7, 2007, found Jill, Addie, and I (plus Addie's mom and a friend of Jill's) at bluprint, a restaurant at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. We met there to fuel up in preparation for the journey we were about to take through the floor of the One-of-a-Kind Show, which was going on above our heads about seven floors up. I ended up taking a picture of my gourmet mac & cheese.

I wanted to show the picture to Naomi Fujimoto, senior editor at BeadStyle magazine, one of our sister publications. Naomi has a thing for gourmet comfort foods. The food was so beautiful that everyone wanted a picture of their as-yet-undevoured dish.

Yum!

Thus sustained, we took the elevator upstairs and spent the next five hours inundating ourselves with beautiful works of art. Most notably — you guessed it — jewelry. Many times, we stopped by a booth and asked that all-important question, "How did they do that?" (When we ask that, we know we're seeing something magazine-worthy.)

When we're scouting for jewelry artists, we try not to take too much time away from the jewelers; we understand that they're at the show to sell their work. But many people were gracious enough to take the time to hear us out about why they should submit a project or an image for gallery. (If you're thinking of submitting something, we'd love to hear from you! Check out our guidelines.)

Some artists encouraged us to try on their work for fun — and how could we resist!! Of course, some of us went home with a couple you'll-regret-it-forever-if-you-don't-buy-it pieces.

So, thanks to the art jewelry community for delighting us! We hope to return the favor! (If we did our scouting job right, you'll be seeing some fabulous work in our pages in the coming year.)

–Kristin

SOFA Chicago or Bust!

Kristin Sutter — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:32:00 GMT

Art Jewelry's associate editors, Jill Erickson, Addie Kidd, and I, are heading down to the SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art) show in Chicago this Friday, November 2, 2008, at Navy Pier. We plan to be there when the doors open at 11 a.m. (The show goes until 8 p.m.) I've never been to the show, but I'm so excited! From what the other editors (the ones who have attended) tell me, it's the place to see beautiful art that's known for pushing boundaries. Ever since I saw the 2004 catalog, with its spike-in-the-heel glass slipper on the cover, I've been intrigued and hoping for a chance to go. Of course, scouting for jewelry and artists is the main reason we're going, but I'm also looking forward to seeing the furniture and anything that falls under the category of industrial design. A pitcher, silverware — how people design the things they encounter on a daily basis fascinates me.

The show has a lecture series that includes talks by some amazing jewelry artists: Anya Kivarkis, Sayumi Yokouchi, Susie Ganch, Graziano Visintin, Gerd Rothmann, Tod Pardon, Melissa Huff, Berd Munsteiner, Terhi Tolvanen, Evert Nijland, Marjorie Schick. I hope to have time to attend at least one!

I also hope to meet some of you there!

–Kristin