Regarding "Cameo Portraits"

I took these photos after a friend tried on this piece with the intended 'back' (pictured right) facing forward. "It's the prettier side," she said, "the side that should be shown!" Despite my efforts to replicate a neutral pose, these quickly snapped shots reveal the change in my posture and body language regarding the front/public and back/private of the pendant; a confidence and ease versus tension and turning inward.

While the typical themes of my work remain in this piece, this side-by-side image marks a shift in my making that very much reminds me of my brooch, Wishing.  Wishing is a piece I am fond of and, I dare say, proud of.  It not only solidified the aesthetic that would carry through my thesis work, but also proved to be the first intentionally visible and wearable piece I had made at that time.  Since making it, I have used it as a representation of myself and my work in both online and print materials.

Cameo Portraits is beginning to replace Wishing and though I am not necessarily fond or proud of this piece, I do recognize it as a transitional moment that I anticipate will carry me forward.  While the tangible, metalsmithed piece, Cameo Pendant, is not the first of recent works to incorporate a lighter color palette, it is however, the first piece that is neither a handheld object or a brooch.  The addition of a chain, allowed me to photograph this piece in a place other than my hand.  So, you see, it is one thing to have made small objects that are hyper-focused on addressing my vulnerability and unease, purposely excising my entire body from the image in which they are documented.  It is quite another to zoom out, to see my body reacting to my own work, and to realize I have been neglecting what that reaction looks like.  And yet another to use that image as a current representation of my work.

You would think these revelations and this allowance of vulnerability to expand from the hand to the entire body would be somewhat freeing, as if a pressure relief valve was opened.  That would only alleviate some tension, don't you think?  I don't know yet.  It feels a bit like opening a can of worms, if I'm honest.

KLE

---

As an aside, I often reference these definitions when I think about this piece and its consequent image(s).  There are connections and layers that I find curious.  How it all fits together, I am not yet entirely sure.

cameo
a usually brief literary or filmic piece that brings into delicate or sharp relief the character of a person, place, or event

portrait
a pictorial representation of a person usually showing the face

selfie
an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks

Kickin' Winter Blues

Cold and cloudy, northern PA winters inevitably make me feel like hibernating, hence the double sweater combo above. Fortunately, between a bit of traveling and some very special projects, I have resisted the urge to curl up in blankets and snore the day away, unlike my cats.

Every January I count on the East Carolina University Metals Symposium to kick my winter blues.  With inspiring lectures, demos, and exhibitions, this year was no exception.  And of course, I love having the opportunity to meet and reconnect with incredible thinkers, makers, and craftspeople.  Highlights included a thoughtful artist talk by Lauren Tickle, a pin back workshop by Marissa Saneholtz, the Smitten Forum 2015 exhibition, and chatting with both Mr. Chris Hentz and Mr. Leslie LePere.

Being in North Carolina, I decided to hop on over to Asheville to see my good friend, Jo Anna Hickman, who is currently a craft fellow at Warren Wilson College.  The whipping wind of an impending snow storm kept me from exploring Asheville, but I was able to preview the craft fellows' exhibition.  I was especially delighted by the felted dress forms and mixed media Miniature Collection of Jess Self.

After a week on the road, I was ready to get back to the bench, and I had a few projects lined up!  On the docket were two custom pendants and a brooch.  I still have one pendant pending, but for now I'm happy to share what happened with that empty setting pictured above.  If you've read my post, Old Experiments, New Thoughts, you know that I am exploring empty settings and thinking about the question, "Is this seat taken?"  Although that seat was, in fact, spoken for, I had to photograph the piece before setting the enamel.  I decided to wear the brooch, on a whim, and snap a shot.  It has turned out to be one of my favorite images, and I wonder if it is because this piece now only exists as an image. . .  In any case, here is the actual, finished piece, a donation to Contemporary Craft for their annual benefit auction, Out of Hand!

Here's to this piece melting someone's heart and finding a home in a lover of the handmade!

KLE

Old Experiments, New Thoughts

This little piece has me so excited!  In my last post I wrote about looking for a community of makers and craftspeople.  While visiting Contemporary Craft for Mindful, I expressed this want to a few people who were able to point me in the direction of metalsmiths who teach or make at SCC's studio.  I was happy to accept an invitation to attend a meeting of the very newly formed Allegheny Metals Club.  The particular meeting I was able to attend was a pinswap; how could I resist?!  A swap like this is a great way to meet people in my field, introduce myself and the work I make, and is the best way for me to make something (relatively) quickly.  Another jump-start project was in order!  I had some ideas swirling around in my brain that I hadn't yet gotten out on paper, let alone in metal.

Those ideas started forming a few months ago when I was given a small gold ring to use for scrap because of a broken prong and missing stone.  There was something about the empty oval setting and the three remaining prongs that I found very intriguing.  I began to think about empty spaces within a jewelry context, their ambiguity, and their potential.  Is there a part missing, or is that space a placeholder?  Could the space eventually be filled, and for how long will it remain empty?  When paired with another element, I imagine these questions as a conversation, and I especially think of the question, "Is this seat taken?"

What could I pair with an empty seat to evoke the questions I had in my mind?  When I started looking through potential objects, I came across some experimental enameled tiles I made a few years ago.  Although the experiments, silver knots embedded in opaque enamel, never evolved past their sample-like nature, I never completely forgot them.  When I considered the questions I was asking, the enameled knot samples mirrored by an empty setting fit the bill.

The things that have me so excited are a handful of never-would-haves.  I never would have come to this composition when I first made the enamels, which in itself feels like an accomplishment that has been a long time coming.  There's a feeling I wanted expressed, but it needed a few years to be realized a bit more accurately.  I am satisfied with this in part because I never would have used that setting for anything, and the decision to do that comes from thoughts and questions spurred by the little gold ring.  Finally, I never would have parted so easily with something I felt so good about.  However, I was making quickly and with the intention not to keep; I didn't have the opportunity to become attached, as I so often do with my work.  The makings of successful endeavors on all fronts, I think!

KLE

What Are You Thinking?

What Are You Thinking? is an upcoming show featuring UMass Dartmouth Artisanry alumni.   Anything goes, from a sketch, to a piece in process, to a finished work, as long as it is 6 x 6"!

My brain has been occupied with a few things as of late, but this show is coming to the forefront as it is very quickly approaching!  Here are a few different things I am thinking about: Wobbly hollow formed rings, hole-y enameled domes, and...

a new place to work!  I found a small desk, but it was about ten days before I took out that Plano tackle box holding all of the essentials.  In simply setting out a few of my most basic tools, I felt a deep sense of joy and satisfaction.  With a few modifications, this little desk will be a great place to use those lovely tools and to finish the thoughts started earlier this summer!  Be sure to check back soon!

KLE