Exhibition - Put A Ring On It

I’ve been carrying a romantic torch

for rings for quite a while.

Big or small, ornate or simple,

as long as it's made with

thoughtful craftsmanship and amazing design

I'm interested.

 

Taboo Studio in San Diego, California

has a cure for me –

an exhibition called Put A Ring On It.

They're describing this show as,

“ . . . extraordinary and unique rings by

23 accomplished artists.

Designs will include silver rings with

bezel set cabochons, animal rings,

gold and diamond stacking rings,

architectural rings, flower rings,

bee rings, and Damascus steel rings 

. . . a virtual ring extravaganza!”

 

Artists include: Brooke Battles • Steven Brixner •

Jim Cotter • Christine Simpson Forni • Diana Hall •

Barbara Heinrich • April Higashi • Deanna Jacobsen •

Dahlia Kanner • Ananda Khalsa • Janis Kerman •

Christy Klug • Kristin Lora • Sydney Lynch •

Victoria Moore • Rebecca Myers • Brigid O'Hanrahan •

Christina Y. Smith • Julia V. Turner • Myung Urso •

Donna Veverka • Jeff and Susan Wise

  

 

These are just a few of the incredible rings 

currently on display at Taboo Studio.
 

Luckily for us

Put A Ring On It will continue until March 22, 2013.

Exhibition of Art Jewelry - Marilyn da Silva

Exhibitions of art jewelry are always

memorable events. Taboo Studio recently held

 an exhibit of new work created by eight jewelry

artists revolving around the theme of birds.

Titled "Bird by Bird" this exhibit

featured work by Marilyn da Silva,

Christina Goodman, Gabrielle Gould, Judith Hoyt,

Rika Mouw, Rone Prinz, Sarah Wilbanks,

and Kristi Zevenbergen

In this post we'd like to showcase

the work of one of these artists:

Marilyn da Silva.

It was very apropos that

she be a part of this show since

her body of work has been inspired

for more than a decade

by all things ornithological.

 Her pieces are rich and lush and tell

specific stories that are augmented

by her personal philosophy.

Here are her words regarding the

 brooches that are part

of this particular exhibition.

These brooches focus on the songbird family known as warblers. They are often difficult to see with the naked eye, but they can fill the air with song. These small treasures along with other songbirds are diminishing in number because of insecticides, feral cats and the loss of their environment due to human intervention. Hopefully, their beautiful songs will continue to enchant us throughout time.

We feel this brooch is one of her prettiest.

Called "Serenata III (Bay Breasted Warbler)."

It features materials such as textured sterling silver

and copper handpainted with gesso and colored pencil.

 It's an example of her wonderful designs

that could easily be displayed as art but

 also happens to be wearable as jewelry.

Here's another lovely example of her work.

This brooch is called "Serenata I

 (American Redstart)."

And this brooch is called "Serenata II

(Black and Yellow Spotted Warbler)."

It's just as delicate and lovely

as the others.

This artist is a master at using nontraditional

coloring techniques on textured metals, and it's

 her immense skill and talent that allows each piece

 to seem alive with subtle, exquisite details.

Who could resist?

Exhibition - Mary Hallam Pearse and Julia V. Turner

We recently became aware of a jewelry exhibition
currently showing at Taboo Studio.
"Fresh Air” is running from
February 11 – March 25, 2011.

"Fresh Air" is a contemporary jewelry art show
featuring new work by eight artists (several of whom
we have previously seen on this blog).
JEWELRY ARTISTS in this exhibition include:
Brooke Battles, Joanna Gollberg, Christy Klug,
Brigid O’Hanrahan, Mary Hallam Pearse,
Ingrid Psuty, Claire Sanford, and Julia V. Turner.


Let's take a look at some examples of the one-of-a-kind
jewelry included in this exhibition.


We find the brooches made by
Mary Hallam Pearse
to be rather exciting and different.
She works with found images and prints
them on thin sheets of aluminum
then incorporates materials such as
sterling silver and diamonds to
create pieces that are unique.
This brooch called "Diamond Tears"
is a real attention getter.

 

And this piece is called "Three Words."

Truly eye catching.

Another artist we admire in this

exhibition is Julia V. Turner.

She is showing a series of

fascinating pendants that feature distressed wood.

This piece is called "Blue Migration Pendant."

In this piece the unspecified type of wood

has been burned and stained.

It’s enclosed by steel and meticulously

decorated with Japanese glass beads.

 

Here's another intriguing example of this artist's work.

This pendant is called "Orange Scatter"- and

here again we see wood that has been

burned and stained, and decorated

with Japanese glass beads.

 

We'd love to see these pieces in person.

If you get the opportunity to attend this exhibit

let us know your thoughts and impressions

of the jewelry on view.

Enjoy the exhibit!

Christina Goodman Jewelry

There are a number of fascinating pieces

of one-of-a-kind art jewelry currently 

on exhibit at Taboo Studio. 

The current show, “The Essence of Nature” 

runs through March 26, 2010. 

(You may wish to see our previous discussion of this show).

Each of the jewelers have created

pieces that explore the natural world

and the theme of nature in design.

Christina Goodman has long held a reputation for

her exquisite hand-painted miniatures

and in this show

it's her miniature paintings

made as jewelry that are so striking.

We're inspired by Christina's talent for

utilizing 14th - 16th century gilding

and painting techniques in creating

these lovely jewelry treasures.

Here are some examples of the work she

has created for this exhibition.

This piece is called Iris Pendant

 

This is her Landscape Necklace

This piece is called Tulip Pendant

Enjoy!

Helen Shirk Jewelry

We have often admired work created by Helen Shirk.

Over the years, she has designed vibrant, incredible pieces of jewelry

that one could say, wore the person rather than the other way around.

Now, we've become aware of a new exhibition being offered
at Taboo Studio
where we can see work from Helen Shirk and other jewelry artists.

This exhibit is called, "The Essence of Nature," showcasing new jewelry by such artists

as Sandra Enterline, Christina Goodman, Barbara Heinrich, and Jan Smith. 
The exhibit runs from February 12 - March 26, 2010.
The artists have created work representing the common theme of "nature in design and the
vital role it plays in our daily lives."

Here we see Helen's contemporary work is vibrant yet wearable. 
Traditional yet intriguing. 
Sophisticated yet accessible.

These pieces are from her Traces Collection. 
They are made from sterling silver, china paint, and patina.

This brooch is called,

 Ruby-Ochre Trace

This brooch is called, Green-Amber Trace

This one is called

Garnet-RubyTrace

We are excited to see this new work by this wonderful artist.
Enjoy!

Brooke Battles Jewelry

We love the chunky boxy-ness of the jewelry created by Brooke Battles. Each combination of geometric shapes seems like little pieces of wearable modern sculpture.  These two pieces are currently on display at Taboo Studio in San Diego, California.

This mesmerizing piece is called "Pearl Couple Pendant."

Brooke's work evokes a strong sense of strength and forcefulness. This phenomenal ring is

called "Flower Ring with Raw Diamond."

We'd be happy to wear these pieces on days when we want to feel strong, vibrant, and decisive. 

Our sense of mastery and confidence increases whenever we see Brooke's work. Makes us

want to wear some sculpture today.