my new favorite

Wow, where has the time gone! I apologize for my recent lapse in blog-land, but I promise, I've been working lots in the studio and will have plenty of "new" soon.

In the meantime, check out the work of one of my new favorites, Eun Yeong Jeong. She was a featured artist on crafthaus a couple weeks ago and all I could think was... How have I not seen her stuff before?! Currently an MFA candidate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a 2009 Niche Award recipient in the student category for wearable fiber, I think we'll be seeing lots more from Eun Yeong Jeong in the future.

ipod fun

Lately, I've been listening to this fun podcast by Jay Whaley Studios on blog talk radio...
It's all about metalsmithing, the jewelry trade, tools, tips and tricks, plus super-great interviews with the likes of Tim McCreight and Harriete Estel Berman. Love it! Awesome and inspiring entertainment for the studio. Check it out!

very small objects

Being a metalsmith and a jeweler, I LOVE little tiny things! I ran across the most amazing website today and had to share it with you all...
Artist Brian Collier has developed a whole system for collecting, naming and classifying very small objects. According to Collier, a very small object is defined as:

1. Any object that is visible to the naked eye but small enough to go unnoticed most of the time.

2. The maximum dimensions of a Very Small Object are 8 mm by 8 mm by 25 mm long. The object must be able to fit, unforced, into a 1 dram vial. Anything larger than these minimum dimensions should not be classified under this system.

3. Very Small Objects may consist of any type of solid material.

4. Liquids and gasses may never be categorized as Very Small Objects.

5. Living things may not be classified under this system due to possible overlap with other existing classification systems.

Here are just a few of my favorite examples from the extensive very small objects database...

And, if you are wondering about the names, help is on the way with Collier's very easy to read classification chart. Better yet, if you happen to discover a very small object, he has a process for submitting it to the master collection located in Bloomington, IL. For lots more, click here...
Finally, it's good to know small objects are getting the respect they deserve!

what's new?

A quick peek of new wall pieces in progress...
more soon!

Arizona Biennial '09

Well, I finally made it to the Arizona Biennial this weekend. It's been up since July 11th, and will only be going on for a couple more weeks, so go and check it out now if you haven't seen it yet!
For those of you who don't know about the Biennial, the Tucson Museum of Art presents this juried exhibition of Arizona artists every other year. It's meant to show regional trends in contemporary art, both conceptually and aesthetically, and usually it's pretty amazing. My absolute favorite piece this year was Icarus, by Alan Bur Johnson.

He photographed bug wings and meticulously installed these little transparencies to resemble a swarm of insects. Beautiful!
I was blown away by Angela Ellsworth's Seer Bonnett III and Seer Bonnett IV.


The excessive pearl corsage pins - 14,164 pins to be precise -render this otherwise wearable object, impossible to wear. The surface is absolutely lucious and kind of frightening too...
Lastly, you have to check out this video, Every word, is a bullet, is a pearl by U of A MFA grad, Jeejung Kim.

I first saw the video at her MFA thesis exhibition in May, and am still transfixed by some of the imagery. Of course, it's much more powerful large scale, in a darkened room... but you get the idea. :)

Go check it out - the show is up till September 26th.

Metalsmith Exhibition in Print

I'm so excited! I finally got my copy of this year's Metalsmith Exhibition in Print. It's a beauty! The theme is Color and Metal and there are lots of great artists represented. I'm honored to be a part of it!

summer in chicago

Chicago is an absolute mecca for art lovers! Kevin and I just returned from a trip there and I'm itching to go back already. I feel like I barely scratched the surface of what the city holds in terms of art and architecture.
In the short time we were there, I went to Millennium Park twice. The public art in this park is really something to see. Above is a photo of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry. This outdoor concert space offers up free performances daily.

The Crown Fountain by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, immortalizes the faces of people who live and work in Chicago...


and, of course, Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor... aka "The Bean", was one of my favorite pieces. It's kind of disorienting to be near this work. I actually got a little dizzy when I looked at it, but the surface is so beautiful, you can't help but be drawn in.

Lastly, we just happened to stumble upon this triple-life sized rendition of American Gothic, sculpted by Grant Wood. It's located just off Michigan Avenue, near the Chicago Tribune building.



There's so much to see in this city, I can't wait to visit again!