Pages

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

living vicariously through others. part 1.

Slanted for Granted by Nicole Beck, Melanie Isverding, & Despo Sophocleous.
Photo taken by: Danae Natsis


So if you're like me and didn't manage to hock off all you belongings so you could travel to Schmuck this year, a good mate of mine Danae Natsis was deservedly awarded an ARTstart Grant so that she could do some much longed for traveling and professional development, She has just been in Munich and experienced the magic.

Follow the link to her blog for a nice run down on what we all missed.



Next year maybe we'll all be there! Fingers crossed!
- Z

Friday, March 23, 2012

Just a little more urgency!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

WANTED 100 JEWELLERS


THE YEAR WAS 2006.

It was a common year that started on a Sunday. John Howard was PM, the Yellow Wiggle retired for health reasons, Pluto was no longer classified as a planet and the price of 925 Silver was about 52 cents/gram.

It is often said that art is a reflection of our society; so we thought we might test this theory out.

Studio 20/17 is calling for the ambitious number of 100 jewellers who were making work back 2006.


DEAD LINE FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST - 27th April 2012

EXHIBITION DATES: 19th - 30th June 2012

THE DETAILS:

+ One piece of jewellery per artist made in 2006

+ One page artist CV

+ One highres image of the piece (preferably on a white background)

+ Caption details (title, materials, dimensions and approx month the piece was made)

+ $20 artist fee to be paid on submission (deadline for EOI 27th APRIL 2012)


For more information, please contact Zoe Brand - exhibitions@studio2017.com.au Phone + 61 2 9698 7999 or +61 416 069 881

Please feel free to forward this on to any and all.

Zoe Brand - Exhibition Coordinator at Studio 20/17

Monday, March 19, 2012

SO GREAT!



BEFORE: An image I took while I was visiting Pocket Studio

AFTER: I stole this image off their website

Just a quick little up date on those little bowls that I saw Alison Jackson doing when I went to visit her a few weeks ago!! How great did they turn out!?! AMAZING!!

Check out their web page for the full story. LINK.

SO GREAT!!

JEMusings.





I was asked to write some words about my time at JEMposium, which almost seems like a distant memory, by the lovely NZ ladies who edit OVERVIEW, a great little e-publication that comes out once every few months. You should really subscribe if you haven't already, the next issue comes out in the next day or so (e-mail - sandringhamjewellersguild@gmail.com).

I ended up writing some JEMusings, and if you haven't already guessed, they are just some of my musings!

So here are a few, the ones I have submitted for OVERVIEW, I'll put up in the next fews days once it has gone out to the punters.
----------

It has been just over a month ago since I set out with Nina ‘activities’ Baker, my jewellery traveling buddy, to attend JEMposium the much-anticipated jewellery conference in the delightful and unexpectedly sunny and wind free Wellington, NZ. As you may well know, there are two ways for things to go once you have returned from the rabbit hole. Either you’ve come back feeling depressed, insignificant, ‘hands up in the air’ overwhelmed, I call this hung-over or well-hung. Conversely you return recharged, eager to get your hands dirty and the only word you want to hear is ‘YES’. I am delighted to report I came home as fresh faced as a daisy with a torrent of ideas to ponder and plans to put into action.


JEMusing #1 - Dreaming of Fidels.

Many of the sticking points that keep reappearing in my mind after JEMposium revolved around sitting at a table, often the actual table was different, but in many instances it was situated in a cafĂ© called Fidels. We ate there everyday, in fact twice on some days, and it wasn’t only that the food was de-licious, but it just seemed to have a certain air about it that was just conducive to free flowing and open conversations. My dinning companions were a varied lot and the caliber of jewellers passing through my midst was rather thrilling. While I spent two delightful days being talked at, I found that what happened around the eating table was just as, if not more engaging.

JEMusing 3# - Bottle of Vodka, a hotel room, and 2 jewellers.

Oh you know, just whipping up some make-do jewellery, after a few too many drinks and heavy jewellery conversations. Made from makeup sponges and metal jump rings. Well, we thought it was hilarious.

More to come.... soon soon soon.

Not quite as DELIGHTFUL as I had hoped.

Back to the drawing board.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Everything is URGENT!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Sunday morning breakfast!

Oh you know, Haloumi shaped like bench pegs, just a standard Sunday morning breakfast.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Delightful Canberra Times!

So my delightful new life affords me the luxury to spend a few days visiting my ma and pa in old Canberra town. As you're all probably expecting my JEMposium writings, they are on the way, to be perfectly honest that's actually what I'm working on while I'm here. But a few little adventures where also on the cards.


BILK
I visited to the jewellery gallery in Canberra, Workshop Bilk, well it is now known as Bilk since it relocated to Manuka from Queanybeyan a few years ago (web/blog). The show on display, opened just last Friday night and I was pretty excited that I managed to see it.

'Embark' an exhibition showcasing the work of 6 emerging jewellers from Melbourne and Canberra, was quite a delight. Bilk is known for its incredibly high standard of craftsmanship and, like most galleries has it's own aesthetic, I think this show is a testament to that. A 'best of the best' emerging showcase in the Bilk aesthetic. The absolute standout work for me was from Jill Hermans. Her work is luminous! It is masterful and if funds where permitting I think I would have bought a piece. If you get a chance you should pop down to Bilk and have a look. The show isn't going to change your life, but I think give it some time you will enjoy the quite moments this show can offer.
POCKET STUDIO
Recently I did a callout for jewellers, and the delightful Alison Jackson responded to my request. Since I knew I was coming down to Can Can, I thought I would hit her up for a studio tour, luckily she was most obliging and we talked the talk over a cup of tea.

Alison and a fellow jeweller started the workshop in Queanybeyan (just down the road from the first Workshop Bilk) about 4 years ago and since then it has become Pocket Studio under the sole guidance of Alison. She shares her space with 3 other studio tenants and has just started teaching classes on Monday nights. We had a lovely afternoon talking about the jewellery community (how to engage), workshop/studios (how they work and how they don't work), professional practice (or lack thereof in teaching institutions) and a little collaborative project her, an architect buddy and a product/industrial design pal have been working on for the last 3 weeks (thats the little bowls and spoons you see in the pictures), I can't wait to see the end product.

For a lady who can only be in her mid to late 20's she is going great guns! I'm pretty impressed, it's always nice to meet someone who is just doing what they do. Seemingly effortless (which of course it isn't), humble and generous. I'm looking forward to seeing where she steers herself next.

Thanks Alison for taking the time to have a cup of tea with me this arvo, mucho appreciated.

Cheers - Z