Wire Jewelry by Rachel Reilly

Knitting with wire can produce

beautiful jewelry.

The artful collection by

Rachel Reilly is rather theatrical

and showcases a fine control

of texture and movement.

Her one-of-a-kind wearable sculptures
made with wire and feathers

are especially enchanting.

Part of the reason may be her location;

she lives in Glastonbury, South West England

a place she describes as, "a very spiritual and mystical

place with many myths and Arthurian legends.

This undoubtedly has influenced my work."

We can see some of that influence in

these romantic pieces.

The subtle coloration she says is due to

blending several colors at once as she knits

the metal. 

 

She has an uncanny ability to make fine wire

look like fabric.

 

Knitted and sculpted wire has

never looked so romantic.

The graceful, flowing forms

are simply lovely.

For more information,

see Rachel Reilly's website.

 

Exhibition - Huesos: Kiff Slemmons

I've often wondered how it would feel

to immerse oneself in a project that is

all encompassing and completely focused.

Kiff Slemmons seems to live life this way.

Her work revolves around intense projects

that eventually surface as major exhibits.

For instance, the last jewelry exhibit of hers

that caught my attention was held in

San Francisco in 2009.  It was a

collaborative effort between Slemmons and

noted fiber artist, Kay Sekimachi, that

featured their beach combing finds along the

shoreline in Hawaii. 

Now she is having a new exhibition of her recent work.

Over the years she has spent time

 collaborating with the artisans of atelier

Arte Papel in Oaxaca, Mexico making

paper jewelry. Working with traditional

beadmaking techniques and indigenous plants

they have created intricate pieces that are

eye catching and highly sculptural.

The exhibit is called,

"Huesos: Kiff Slemmons."

It's currently running at Gallery Loupe

until March 6, 2012.

 

Once again she has captured my

imagination and created pieces

that are cutting edge.

For more information and images

visit the website for Gallery Loupe.

Exhibition - Knitted, Knotted, Twisted and Twined: Mary Lee Hu Jewelry

If I said that I adore the jewelry created by
Mary Lee Hu it would be an understatement.
Noted for her work with 18K and 22K gold wire
she creates pieces that could easily pass as cloth.

As one of the leading artists in the field
of contemporary jewelry, she applies
fiber art techniques to metal.
The results are truly remarkable.

One of the best things about a retrospective
exhibit is the broad collection of work
gathered for the event.  Spanning 40 years of
innovative experimentations in weaving metals
Bellevue Art Museum in Washington
is now showing an exhibition of jewelry

 created by Mary Lee Hu entitled,

"Knitted, Knotted, Twisted and Twined."

The exhibition describes her work as follows,

Using wire the way hand weavers use threads, Hu has blazed a trail both as artist and innovator, exploring the nexus between metalsmithing and textile techniques over the past 40 years. Her graceful and apparently effortless creations, formed by intricate twining, twisting and knotting, investigate both the possibilities and limits of wire as they fuse fiber art and jewelry, structure and pattern, light and line.

Using only her hands to create these pieces

she can take hours to complete just
 a few inches of woven metal. 
It's a slow, meditative process that she enjoys.

Graceful, sinuous movement is a hallmark of her work.

She uses textile techniques of braiding, weaving,

wrapping, and twining to create each piece.

Known for designing intricate patterns

 and surface textures, her work evokes

a sense of sophistication and elegance.

Some of her work is massive yet delicate at the same time.

This exhibit explores the evolution of her work
and features over 90 pieces borrowed from many
public and private international collections.
  
The exhibit will run from
February 7 ‐ June 17, 2012.

For more images and information
see Bellevue Art Museum's website.

Retrospective of Margaret De Patta

Most of the time this blog is about
current designers and their work
but we all got here, knowingly or not,
by following in the footsteps of our predecessors.

 It's easy to think of the history of art jewelry
 merely as dusty old photos and vague, irrelevant facts,
yet I find it enjoyable to learn about
 the pioneers and trailblazers who came before us;
 it helps me to connect the dots
between what came before and what we're doing now.

So in the spirit of learning and exploration
this post is about an exhibition at
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)
that takes a retrospective look at
 the legendary work of metalsmith Margaret De Patta.

"Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta,"

will run from February 3 until May 13, 2012.

Curated for significance and quality

this exhibit showcases over 60 pieces from 1930 - 1960.

As a leader in the American Modernist Jewelry movement,

 Margaret De Patta (1903 - 1964)

 was a visionary in the use of simplicity in line

and structure in jewelry. Her vision and work

shaped the role of the contemporary art jeweler.

This particular exhibition includes not only

more than 60 examples of De Patta’s work but

also archival materials that shed

light on her personal life,

her business “Designs Contemporary,” her point of view

 of the then-current trends in jewelry,

and the sketches and experimental pieces

she developed on the way to creating her iconic work.

This is an opportunity to view
a collection that acknowledges
and respects pivotal work created
by someone who is not a household name.

For an enlightening article about De Patta's life
visit this link.

For additional info and images of the work in this

exhibition see the OMCA website.

Exhibition - Signature: Myung Urso Jewelry

Myung Urso expresses herself with

a unique point of view.

Using simple techniques with simple materials

she designs and creates as she works

rather than planning and conceptualizing

every step of the way.

Her work is currently showing at Velvet da Vinci gallery

in an exhibit called, "Myung Urso: Signature."

My jewelry as an art expression transforms itself from my imagination and observations from life. It figuratively shapes itself from either abstraction or illusion through the use of black and white Asian calligraphy and hand stitching applications. Calligraphy in my South Korean culture is considered as an art form rather than a skill. The brush stroke freely expresses its strength and the water-based ink reveals the depth of contextual images. Sewing is a technique regarded as a common daily life skill for women in the culture.

She uses natural dyed silks, thread,

sterling silver and lacquer to create

these pieces.

Bits of calligraphy can be seen in this piece.

The hand of the maker

is always apparent in her work. 

 The exhibit will run from

February 1 through February 29, 2012.

There's more to see at Velvet da Vinci

and Myung Urso websites.