Exhibition - Outer Limits at Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery

I recently became aware of a jewelry exhibition

currently on view at Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery

in Seattle, Washington

It's entitled: 'Outer Limits'

and is running until February 24, 2015

As described by the gallery,

“Orbital by nature, jewelry art lives on the body. 

Jewelry art invites comment. Jewelry art says, "Howdy!"

 Outer Limits, is an exhibition of jewelry art that is 

as playful as it is avant-garde. 

Each featured artist experiments with peripheries - pushing the 

boundaries of material, technique and form.”

The nine artists invited to participate in this exhibit include:

 Jana Brevick, David Choi, Rebecca Hannon, Arthur Hash, 

Shayna Illingworth, Tia Kramer, emiko oye, 

Rachelle Thiewes and Myung Urso.

In all, there are 47 pieces to view, admire,

and purchase.

Materials used include: geodes, asian ink, linen, 

mulberry paper, glass infused nylon, 

metal embellished with car paint, recycled LEGOS, 

driftwood, handmade paper, exotic woods, 

along with more standard materials

 of precious metals and gemstones.

Let's take a look at some examples of the one-of-a-kind

jewelry included in this exhibition.

             

            

  

                   

                     

If you're in the area, pop in to see the exhibition.

I'd love to know your impressions.

You can see more at the

 Facere Jewelry Art Gallery.

Abstract Jewelry by Brooke Marks-Swanson

Jewelry created by Brooke Marks-Swanson
is multi-dimensional and abstract.

Her work is an ongoing study of variegated
color combinations and subtle surface textures
especially as they relate to how
environmental conditions can make impressions
and patinas on objects.

She describes herself as

 . . . drawn to the beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. I use fabricating, painting, scratching, removing and adorning to get pieces that provide information . . . .

 

There is a lot to see in her current collection.
You can view more of Brooke Marks-Swanson's
mixed media work at her website.

Exhibition - This is How I Remember It - Amy Tavern Jewelry

I have to admit that

when I took a look, it caught my eye.

Then I read the description and it

captured my imagination.

There is an exhibition on view
this month at

Velvet da Vinci Gallery

of jewelry created by Amy Tavern called,

"This is How I Remember It."

 

 

This exhibit is comprised of two separate

yet related bodies of work.

 

 

The first series is called,

"Fabricated Memory: Jewelry Box, 1980."

It's inspired by the jewelry box that the

artist played with as a child.

It belonged to her grandmother.

This imagery conjures up a strong sense of

familial memory and connection.

These are the pieces that

grab hold of my imagination.

 

 

The second series is called,

"Collected Memories: 1974-Present"

and is based on her own collection of jewelry.

 

 

Separate yet interrelated, these series both

relate to the artist’s journey to

connect with the jewelry of her past

and to recreate it as she relates to it today.

As the artist explains,

The jewelry that has come in and out of my life over the years has had a profound effect on me, fueling and sustaining my desire to be a jeweler. These special pieces changed my perspective on jewelry and form part of my personal history.

 

 

Here are a few pieces from the

"Fabricated Memory: Jewelry Box, 1980"

portion of the installation.

One can see she is looking at
repetitve patterns and
dismantling components
into simple elements.

 

 

As with so many personal memories

it's the simple pieces with simple shapes

that we remember most.

 

 

Her process includes a seemingly random yet deliberate

layering, arranging and shaping of design.

It’s interesting to study the modular components

of her pieces and realize that

she is tapping into a personal space

through her work.

 

 

Now, let's take a look at a couple of

pieces from the

"Collected Memories: 1974-Present"

portion of the exhibit.

 

 

The artist explains these pieces as

"materials I have collected and are assembled

in such a way as to emphasize the

impermanence and incompleteness of memory."

Each piece is sculptural and textural.

I admire artists who are willing to

think beyond traditional jewelry design

to create work that is both

personally significant and artistically edgy.

 

 

This artist's work seems ideally balanced for

an exhibition that is one part artistic process

and one part biographical experience.

 

 

I see this work as a celebration of family.

Of connection. Of authenticity.

 

 

This artist is willing to explore

a personal connection to her

work and embraces the depth

of its significance in her life.

Through artist's like her, we all

learn a bit more about ourselves.

It's inspiring.

To see more photos of her work
you can visit her website.

The exhibition runs until
November 30.