Sometimes …

Do you sometimes fall out of love with making?

Do you sometimes avoid your studio … for weeks and weeks (and perhaps months)?

Do you sometimes wonder why you even want to make jewellery?

Do you sometimes think that playing with ideas and drawings is way more fun than actually making at the bench?

Sometimes creativity is an uncooperative playmate.

Calendar: June 2013 sneak peek

all month

• NGV ‘Top Arts 2013‘ [link]; “An annual event at the National Gallery of Victoria since 1994, Top Arts is an exhibition of outstanding work by students who have completed Art or Studio Arts studies in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in the previous year.“; see list of exhibiting students and images of their work here; until 7th July 2013
• NGV ‘Containment‘ 2012 Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award [link]; “The participating artists in 2012 are: Garry Bish, Robin Bold, Emma Davies, Mark Edgoose, Neville French, Titania Henderson, Marian Hosking, Richard Morrell, Ian Mowbray, David Pottinger, David Ray, Owen Rye, Yhonnie Scarce and Katherine Wheeler.“; until 21st July 2013; see my review post
• Heide Museum of Modern Art, Fiona Hall ‘Big Game Hunting‘ [link]; “One of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists, Fiona Hall is best known for extraordinary works that transform mundane man-made materials into vital organic forms with both contemporary and historical resonances. This trans-disciplinary survey exhibition highlights her recent practice and her continuing focus on the political interface between nature and culture. Compelling new bodies of work appear alongside related earlier pieces…“; until 21st July 2013
• ‘Afghanistan‘ at Melbourne Museum [link]; Hidden Treasures from the Museum of Kabul; until 28th July

1st June: Craft Victoria ‘Hatch’ market [link]

4th June: Gallery Funaki ‘the lunatic swing‘ Attai Chen / Carina Chitsaz-Shoshtary / Sungho Cho / Laura Deakin / Melanie Isverding / Emma Price [link]; until 29th June

exhibition media

4th June: Studio 20/17 (Sydney) Sean O’Connell ‘the monsters we make‘ [link]; until 22nd June

5th June: White Horse Jewellery (Box Hill Tafe) silent jewellery auction [link]

event media

8th June: last day for Lord Coconut ‘Indelible‘, “A group exhibition of men’s jewellery, created by local jewellers and artisans, inspired by vintage and contemporary Tattoo Art. Each of the Exhibition pieces have been inspired by vintage tattoos, dragons, Sailor Jerry, roses, Celtic symbols, roses and anime (as personal as your own choice of tattoo). Participating jewellers, artisans and designers include: Justine Austen, Emily Belcher, Sebastian Cilento, Metal Couture, Beth Croce, Silver Cyanide, Petr Hanzak, Frances Rose Jewellery, Windfall Jewellery, David Parker, Tim Peel, R M Perry, Melanie Rice and Roxanne Watts.” [link]; opened 23rd May

exhibition media

30th June: last day for application to Art Jewelry Forum’s 2013 Emerging Art Jeweler Award [link]

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please tell me of other exhibitions or events
also check out Melissa Cameron’s excellent informative blog (especially for competitions)

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Plan ahead:

14th August: last day for application to MAC-ITAMI International Craft Exhibition, Theme: Jewellery [link]

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… last calendar post: Calendar: May 2013 …

Knitting for winter

I’ve been quiet lately, and knitting lots to keep myself occupied.

With winter on its way, I’ve made a few cowls to keep my neck warm. I find them more convenient than scarfs, as they don’t unravel and fly off with the wind.

One in purple [if you're on Ravelry, see my project here]:

purple cowl

One in a dusky pink [if you're on Ravelry, see my project here]:

pink cowl

Pretty sure I’ll be all warm and cosy this winter!

Time to get back into the studio … soon … I promise …

Dear Contemporary Jewellery …

Zoe Brand writes a regular column ‘Brandlandia’ for a NZ jewellers newsletter ‘Overview’.

In this issue she wrote a love letter to Contemporary Jewellery (CJ):

“I’ve been thinking lately, what is this thing that has become my life. I wanted to write it a quick note just to let it know how much it means to me. I though a love letter would be a lovely vehicle in which to express freely and informally my relationship with it, or what I more affectionately call it: CJ (aka contemporary jewellery).

Dearest CJ
Thanks for being the reason I jump out of bed in the morning!
Thanks for being the reason that I look for the edge and want to push past it.
Thanks for being the reason that I have so many BFF’s!
Thanks for being the reason I am I hardly content by just ‘pretty’ things.
Thanks for being the reason I am, who I am.
So much love, now and forever
ZB“

As she writes, she also “asked some of my good friends to drop a line to their lovers.“

This was my love letter … it took less than a minute to write and I was genuinely surprised by the content.

Dearest Contemporary Jewellery
You know of the deep admiration I hold for you.
In your rare quieter guise, I adore and relate to you.
I want to hold you close, be near you, be reflected in you.
But your wilder side is bewildering to me.
I wish I could like it more.
I wish I could be like it more.
I have tried. I am yet to succeed.
Can I not be brought into the fold until I am more like you?
Your uncertain lover
MelbourneJeweller

For more love letters see the latest ‘Overview’ newsletter #12.

Exhibition invitations

I’m excited.

Why?

During one of my sporadic cupboard clearouts I found an invitation to my 1st & 2nd Year exhibition ‘Construct‘, as well as the invitation for my graduate exhibition ‘Out of the Basement‘.

Whoo!

invitation for Construct

invitation for ‘Out of the Basement’

Opal gorgeousness

While I was making for the ‘My Australia‘ exhibition I tinkered with making earrings with these incredibly beautiful opals (unfortunately covered in my fingerprints in this photo!).

Aurora design; image not to be reproduced without permission

My workload, jewellery and otherwise, meant that they haven’t yet been made … though perhaps in the next few months they’ll materialize.

RMIT Year 3, Semester 2, Jewellery, even more

I promise, this is the last post about this project.

This collection had quite a number of components. I’ve already written about my most favourite ones, but thought I’d share some images of the other ‘minor’ pieces.

Exhibits 6 & 7 ; image not to be reproduced without permission

Exhibits 3 & 4 ; image not to be reproduced without permission

Exhibit 5 ; image not to be reproduced without permission

More below.

… last post in this series: RMIT Year 3: graduate exhibition  …
… see more projects from RMIT Year 3 here …