from The Age, 27th January 2012

Excellent to see!

Today I found the most beautiful purple rose my garden has yet gifted me.

purple rose

It made me smile.

• Part B, Melbourne Jewellery gathering, has their ‘ManJewellery’ work exhibiting online on CraftHaus [link]
• also on CraftHaus, I found a post seeking applications for an online exhibition of ‘Behind the Brooch’ [link] – I’ve often enjoyed the back of jewellery [see previous post] – deadline for application 1st August 2012
• I like the little container Elise Sheehan has made [link]
• Emma Grace is looking for ‘fixers’ for the Sustainability Living Festival (Melbourne) [link]
• through Jessica Morrison’s blog [link] I’ve found out about Schtick – I shall visit!
• striking new work from Katherine Bowman [link]
• Katie Jayne’s brooch back is too lovely to be hidden [link]
• Kim Victoria Warne shares some images of great new work [link]
• Lucy Hearn is exploring some new directions [link] – I like!
• through Mel Miller’s blog I’ve found an exhibition in Adelaide I hadn’t previously noticed but looks too good to miss [link]
• I continue to love reading Peaches + Keen blog [link]
• Zoe Brand will be moving on from Gaffa shortly … sad, but good too, in the right kind of way [link]

Happy reading.

4. ‘Madonna and Child with Saint Paul, Saint Agnes and the Cassotti donors‘ Andrea Previtali 1520 [gallery page]

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

5. ‘Portrait of a child of the house of Redetti‘ Goivan Moroni 1570 [gallery page]

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

exhibition media; click on image for original source

The picture above was my absolute favourite of the exhibition – the textiles are beautiful.

The more than 70 works are grouped into:

• Gothic to Renaissance
• Madonna & Child
• Altarpieces & Portraits
• High Renaissance
• Late Renaissance
• Northern Italy

There is a kind of cohesion to the exhibition actually … one you don’t usually find in a blockbuster. Perhaps the majority of the works were donated by the same collector, and as such have a kind of similar aesthetic or collection quality … I can’t put my finger on it, but it was more like visiting a private collection than a group of works from a vast public collection.

This period of art is certainly one that I appreciate, though I wouldn’t say that it lifts my heart in the way that the later German/Flemish art or Impressionism does. I think I prefer to imagine the intellectual development and scientific debate, and adore the drawing of this epoch.

That’s not to say I was disappointed, far from it. Though I wasn’t euphoric; my heart didn’t sing like it has done in the presence of incredible art that I connect with before. Though I am very glad I made the effort to go.

‘Renaissance‘ is at the National Gallery of Australia until 9th April 2012.

—–

Update (24th January): I meant to mention in the original writing of the above, that the NGA website for the exhibition has exceptionally good documentation and images of all of the works. Therefore, if you want to see the whole exhibition from the comfort of your computer, you can. Of course it’s not the same as seeing them in person: the colour, the scale, the relationship with other works in the room, the ambience … though if you’re not sure if you want to go or not, you may use the gallery listing to determine if your favourite artists is there…

—–

Exhibition media: “These treasures are on loan from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy. Borrowing from its marvellous collection is only possible because the Accademia is renovating its display spaces, and the museum is temporarily closed.“

I usually dread a visit to a blockbuster; however this visit was pleasant. The NGA has learnt from the many awful experiences of visitors to ‘Masterpieces from Paris‘ (at which I lined up for over three hours; see mention in this post), and offers timed tickets for this exhibition. As the flight from Melbourne is short, I chose the first session at 10am (though there is a guided session at 9am at a greater cost; I baulked at the additional cost, though think now it would have been worth it).

The NGA has a standard policy of no photography at all; and of course that extends to this exhibition. Therefore I did a little bit of sketching – again, I was the only one doing so and was looked at with some bewilderment by many of the other visitors.

The standout paintings for me were:

1. “Madonna & Child” Jacobella di Antonello 1480 [gallery page]
The colouring and richness of the fabric depiction shone from across the room and was clearly the most beautiful in this room.

2. “Saint Sebastian” Raphael 1501-2 [gallery page]
The textile is exquisite.

exhibition media; click on image for original source

3. ‘Portrait of Lucina Brembati‘ Lorenzo Lotto [gallery page]
Finally, I spotted some jewellery in the exhibition … of course though, the earlier groupings were mostly religious works and therefore bereft of such luxuries.

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

I have more to write, and images to share, and so I’ll continue tomorrow ….

‘Renaissance‘ is at the National Gallery of Australia until 9th April 2012.

I’ll write about the exhibition shortly, though in the meantime share a few images from the beautifully sunny day.

Canberra; NGA; lovely sunny morning

On my previous visit it was cloudy and I had no idea of the beautiful green sheen on the metal sculpture below in the sunshine.

Diamonds; Neil Dawson; hanging sculpture

Eran; Gloria Fletcher Thapich

Yes it now has awful associations; but the symbol has had positive connotations for many centuries before the early 1900s.

A couple of interesting things about the swastika:

• is derived from the Sanskrit word SVASTIKAH, which means ‘being fortunate’ [from here]
• the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck [from here]
• especially common in India; it can be seen in the art of the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Celts, Native Americans, and Persians as well Hindus, Jains and Buddhists [from here]
• about 2500 years ago, when Sakyumuni brought Buddhism to China from India, the Chinese also borrowed the swastika and its sense of auspiciousness [from here]; the swastika was supposed to be one of the thirty-two marks of a Buddha; in the year 693 Empress Wu decreed that the swastika should henceforth be regarded as a Chinese character, to be pronounced the same as the character 萬 wàn “ten thousand” [from here]

From my favourite learning resource, Wiki, the following:

• The genesis of the swastika symbol is often treated in conjunction with cross symbols in general, such as the sun cross of pagan Bronze Age religion.
• One hypothesis is that the cross symbols and the swastika share a common origin in simply symbolizing the sun.
• Another hypothesis is that the 4 arms of the cross represent 4 aspects of nature – the sun, wind, water, soil.
• Some have said the 4 arms of cross are four seasons, where the division for 90-degree sections correspond to the solstices and equinoxes.
• an amazing neckpiece found in Iran, dating from 1st millennium BC
  

  image from Wiki; click on image for original source

• Greek silver coin, 6th century BC
  

  image from Wiki; click on image for original source

• Etruscan pendant, 700-650BC
  

  image from Wiki; click on image for original source

• Roman mosaic, in Spain
  

  image from Wiki; click on image for original source

In my youth I would borrow the same book over and over again from my library – a book of chinese embroidery; in that book, this symbol is common in the Imperial robes. So I feel that I’ve known from primary school of the original meaning of the symbol.

beautiful embroidery from late 19th century Chinese robe; click on image for original source

It’s curious that a symbol can have its meaning so totally turned around (well, at least in “western-centric consciousness”).

I wouldn’t use the symbol in my art or making, due to its capacity to offend. More importantly though, I have no feeling of genuine connection to the symbol.

Though I can understand others wanting to use it for its positive connotations, and have no problems with them doing so. Though as my recent post highlighted, it’s so easy for an intent to be misread by the observer. There is use also for its specific capacity to provoke and offend, which needs to be done carefully by artists and with the knowledge it may only be understood by an ‘educated audience’ (where ‘educated’ here means more in terms of understanding the artist and their intent; not in the scholastic manner).

Its presence in/on historic pieces can be understood in the context of their era. Though the use of the swastika in contemporary work needs to be acutely aware of its layered associations.

Pretty tricky really. What do you think?

-> to the east

east morning sky; no photoshopping at all

-> to the west

west morning sky; rainbow above my rainbow yarn-bomb

A beautiful way to start the day and it made me smile so much.

Second year, first semester, History & Theory, project #2: I cannot recall the exact nature of this assignment, though I know it was to take a theoretical book and provide an overview or critique of it.

DARIAN LEADER
STEALING THE MONA LISA
What art stops us from seeing
[ISBN: 0-571-21263-8]
KarenThompson_Y2S1_Theory2_Essay

This book was so dense and initially so impenetrable to me that I went to the extreme lengths of reading it probably three or four times and eventually needing to summarise each paragraph in my own words as I went to put it all into context.

Second year, first semester, History & Theory, project #1: ‘Analysis of a Specific Work‘

As an object-based student I wanted to choose both an Australian and a three-dimensional artist. My topic was:

FIONA HALL
PARADISUS TERRESTRIS ENTITLED, 1996
Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia, Ian Potter Centre

I’ve made my first attempt to upload my theory essay:
KarenThompson_Y2S1_Theory1_FionaHall
[this is an original research essay; no content is to be reproduced without permission]

image provided by NGV; not to be reproduced without permission

I thoroughly enjoyed researching Fiona’s work. See her profile on Roslyn Oxley9 gallery site here.

After writing this essay, our class actually visited a major exhibition of her work at the Art Gallery of South Australia. There I fell in love with more of her work (see this work of ink drawings on currency) … and wish I had seen it before writing!

… last post on RMIT Year 2, Semester 1, Drawing …

This time it’s a book. Yes, I know, a BOOK.

I’ve been reading “Is That a Fish in Your Ear – Translation and the Meaning of Everything” by David Bellos. It’s about translation, obviously. Initially I was pretty interested in the historic and current needs and challenges, though my interest was starting to wane by about half-way through (I felt the writing style was starting to lose me).

I then read the below paragraph and was so incensed I almost threw the book down in disgust. I’m not violent, but I did gently put the book down and decided not to continue reading. Oooh, I was angry.

In a chapter about the possibilities and problems with ‘automated language translation machines’, the following was written about the period just after WWII (pg 257):
“… if language could be treated as a code, then there would be huge development contract available for mathematicians, logicians and engineers working on the new and exciting number-crunching devices that had only just acquired their modern name of computers. But the temptation to see ‘language as code’ comes from much deeper sources than just an intuition that it would create interesting jobs for very smart boys.“

THE HELL?!? Boys??

This goes to the very core of what I detest – limiting people and their capacity for anything on the basis of their gender.

And to make it worse, this paragraph came on the same page as a passage of the code-breaking work during World War II, especially Bletchley Park. Err, Mr Author, do you realise that 80% of the individuals involved in code-breaking were women? Women can be very smart too mister.

Regular readers know I’m a mathematician; so yes this is personal! Though it’s important to point out, I’d be angry if I’d read something similar about farmers or nurses and gender-stereotyping of any job or capability or skill … it makes me furious.

I’m truly annoyed, angry and bewildered how the last few words even made it to publication. Why didn’t the editor pick it up? It would be a simple change to ‘very smart people’ … why on earth has it been permitted to be published with such a disgraceful gender bias?

Angry. Angry. Angry.

—

Update (16th January): a friend has suggested the following:
“I think he’s denigrating the practice of attempting something very difficult on the basis that it would be interesting/profitable to make a failed attempt.
Basically, you come across a hugely difficult problem and instead of asking whether it is possible, you just start, like an idiot on the basis that having a go will be interesting.
The phrase “Jobs for the boys” references work-creation on this or other basis. He is saying that the problem is worth solving – not just to get a grant for your mates – but because it is a genuine problem.
His style is confusing though because if he’d said “jobs for the boys” it would have been clearer but instead he inserted “very smart”, which meant that the reference has been lost.
Furthermore, there is a second usage of “jobs for the boys” which refers to employing soldiers when they returned from the war… which will explain the post world war II context“

My friend is very smart and reads a lot. And is from Britain, so this phrase is more common in his vernacular.

I’m inclined to see it this way now … while the context of the writing earlier in the chapter hadn’t led me to think this way, it’s a strong possibility.

—

Update (16th January): I’ve received an email from the author. Shown below in full.

“Dear Person

I’m surprised that you think that the word “boys”, in the phrase “jobs for the boys”, refers to disciples, students, hangers-on and suchlike of the male gender exclusively. I suppose it only goes to show what a huge variety of dialects are awkwardly grouped together as “the English language”. But maybe we can do a special edition with the offending phrase adapted, just for you guys down under.

Please do read the rest of the book. There are a few decent jokes still to come

Yours ever
Author“

Well, it appears that I’ve been corrected.
And his use of Author and Person has made me smile.

—

12th January: Craft Vic, window, GoldenInk [link]; “Katherine Wheeler works in an organic and spontaneous fashion; she is fascinated by the correlation between object and memory. Abby Seymour approaches her work in a more planned manner, and her focus on decoration is inspired by portraiture and adornment. Together, through Golden Ink, the pair have committed themselves to creating finely-detailed, one-off pieces, and already we are seeing that their work is becoming widely sought after.“; until 29th February

18th January: Studio 20/17, Julia Middleton ‘Adaptations of Objet Trouve‘ [link]; “Indelibly sculptural, Middleton’s pieces are crafted from her direct environment. The NSW bush offers up a multitude of organics to be fused with metals and abandoned industrial miscellania. The pieces represent the marriage of installation art, found art, appropriation art and of course…contemporary jewellery.“; until 4th February

20th January: opening night for Lord Coconut, ‘BEARS, BOOMERANGS, BATHERS & BOOZE – KITSCH AUSTRALIANA‘ [link]; “Mulga wood ashtrays, shell houses, souvenir spoons, tea towels or a southern cross tattoo. We all have (or had) a secret collection of these fabulous, or not so fabulous, souvenirs of our travels throughout Australia. Lord Coconut is celebrating Australia Day 2012 with his own take on Kitsch Australiana with this exhibition. Local jewellers, designers and artisans were challenged to create jewellery or a display piece which represents their own view of kitsch Australiana.“; until 11th February

exhibition media

21st / 22nd January: Yarragon Annual Gem show (holds a special little place in my heart! see my post from a few years ago) [link]

26th January: NGV, Time Catcher [link]; until November 2012

28th January: Part B, Melbourne jewellers gathering; 2pm at Lord Coconut to see the above exhibition [link]

30th January: last day for application to Craft Vic Hatch Markets for March 2012 [link]

…

now for February 2012

all month

• Powerhouse Museum, ‘Love Lace‘ [link]; until April 2012
• ‘Renaissance‘, National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) [link]; until 9th April 2012

5th February: last day for ‘Kaleidoscope: Art & Colour‘, NGV [link]

7th February: Studio 20/17, new work by Anna Davern [link]; “Gold and Steel are materials that are intrinsically tied to stories of our culture and how we define ourselves. Our cultural myths abound with references to gold and steel: Our egalitarian heritage that can be tied back to the Gold Rush and it’s opportunities for all, and the steel of Ned Kelly’s armour which represents our distrust of authority. The landscape from which these materials originate, is a defining element of our identity, from the iron-oxide red of the centre to the golden sands of its edges.“; artist talk on 18th February; until 21st February

10 – 13 February 2012: JEMPOSIUM: Jewellery or What; International Jewellery Symposium; Wellington, New Zealand [link]

…

please tell me of other exhibitions or events … there has to be more happening in February!

Melissa Cameron has some more events and deadlines to note – see her post (I won’t repeat them here, as I didn’t know about them until I read her blog!)

…

plan ahead for [see also]:

1st June 2012: last day for application to New Traditional Jewellery 2012 award [link]

…

… last calendar post: Calendar: January 2012 sneak peek …

This was actually a one-week intensive course, [held in either January or February, I cannot remember exactly which now], so it could be completed before semester started. This kind of arrangement made is much easier for me to fit in my day-job during the main part of semester.

Upon arriving at 9am on the first day, we were told that first few days were to be life drawing. A nude man was first. Panic set in. I lack confidence in my drawing ability, though in time I have become more comfortable that I am pretty capable. However at the time, the thought of first testing my drawing on a nude man was beyond overwhelming. I thought of running out of the class immediately – I’m not joking. Perseverance won over and I stayed.

From memory the pattern of the week was two days life drawing, one object drawing and one landscape (urban) drawing, and one day for one large scale drawing.

Three of my favourites from the week are below:

Karen Thompson; life drawing; image not to be reproduced without permission

Karen Thompson; still life with crystal ball; image not to be reproduced without permission

Karen Thompson; large scale drawing; image not to be reproduced without permission

… last post: RMIT Year 2, Semester 1, Assessment …

You may have noticed yesterday that my blog had be “deactivated” by WordPress; and you may have seen some terrible message saying I’d breached their terms and conditions etc… The message I had on my admin page is below.

screen shot from my blog

NOT HAPPY!

It took many messages to the “help desk” but finally some time in the wee hours of this morning it was reinstated with this message:
“Hi,
Our apologies. The system should not have done that.
We have removed the warning in your dashboard and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.“

Not happy “the system” went a bit haywire … but happy I’m now back online.

Oh, and in some kind of odd irony, this not-so-splendid post is my 700th!

… memories!

Year 2, Semester 1, Assessment - formal pieces

Year 2, Semester 1, assessment - formal and working pieces

Second year, first semester, Silversmithing, project #2: ‘Recycling an Idea‘

Project brief: “Using an object that already exists, effect some type of change that will improve the ‘performance’ of that object. The reading of ‘performance’ may be expressed in terms of function, metaphor, emotion, humour, environmental or other concepts of your choosing.“

I very very very much dislike smoking. Therefore very early in the ideation of this project I knew I wanted to amend a cigarette holder so that it no longer worked. Happily I found a beautiful one in a local antique store.

original cigarette holder

I made a little plug (on a lathe, in brass to match the original finish of the holder above) and a collar (from copper chenier cut and soldered together and powder-coated in black) – it is inserted into the cigarette holder to make it no longer effective.

in working; image not to be reproduced without permission

Recycling; image not to be reproduced without permission

More than that though, I wanted to make a box for it to all live in … the kind of fitted case that accompanied high-end glamour pieces in the twenties and thirties. I cast two pieces, the top and bottom of the box-to-be, in a container with black two-part plastic.

Then I machined the spaces for them to fit into (bottom piece) and for the tapestry (top piece) … using a big crazy piece of machinery I no longer remember the name of!

plastic; bottom

Then I had the top of the bottom, and the underneath of the top, and the plug too (so it would fit snuggly) flocked.

working; image not to reproduced without permission

From the cigarette holder I made the new piece of tapestry for the top of the new box – I wanted the box to look like it was made for the original piece. The design of the long strip is an exact replica of the original.

Recycling; image not to be reproduced without permission

Again, I enjoyed this project so much … I used materials and processes I hadn’t used before. The cheeky subversiveness is appealing too.

… last post: RMIT Year 2, Semester 1, Silversmithing #1…

Second year, first semester, Silversmithing, project #1: ‘Inside Out‘

The brief was “focusing on an object’s “inner” in relation to the making of objects and how this potentially impacts on the way objects read. The reading of ‘inside’ may be expressed in terms of function, metaphor, emotion or other concepts of your choosing. For example, how the inside informs the outside. … To realise a group/groups of work that engage with the notion of inside.”

I had been playing an idea in the year before, the idea of the ‘exquisite inside’ … an object with a most incredibly beautiful inside, barely noticed from the exterior. The idea fit the brief wonderfully and so was worth exploring further for this project.

image taken at the time; image not to be reproduced without permission

In deciding on the outside of the object, I wanted something plain, unassuming, ordinary, unattractive even. In looking through my visual diary of the time, my first pages of development had already thought about casting the exterior from a sweet potato; though I had originally considered casting in metal from a sculpey shell.

Some notes from the first few weeks of this project include those I took in class discussions:

• reduce the complexity until the object doesn’t make sense anymore
• the object needs to exist in the world on its own; need to be cogniscent of how others may view it; needs to be clear and have clarity of intention

Working through the characteristics I wanted for the exterior, the possibilities included thin cast porcelain. At RMIT the G&S department was close to the ceramics department, so I asked them for help in casting. I tried a few different shapes, but eventually decided on a paw paw that had the shape and volume I liked.

image taken on assessment day; image not to be reproduced without permission

So first step in construction was the plaster cast (below). Then I used porcelain slip casting, pouring porcelain slip (liquid) into the cast, wait a few minutes (from memory, my testing was at 10 minutes), the longer the thicker the shell. Then pour out the remaining liquid and wait for the porcelain in the cast to dry enough to slip it out (this could have been a few hours). Then wait a day or two for the plaster cast to be totally dry again. So to make a few, the elapsed time can be pretty substantial.

Because things can go a bit astray in the kiln, I made more than I needed. So after they were biscuit-fired I chose the one to have the ‘exquisite inside’. Then it was on to the frame – which had to wait until this stage so I could make the exact fit to the edge of the piece.

In the meantime though I had been working on the interior elements. Kind of like an interior magic garden. The fine silver was roller printed with lace pattern, cut and plique-a-jour enamelled. The colour of the enamel is a dark green.

construction bits and tests

To construct the final object, the enamelled objects are cold-joined to the frame, and the ceramic shell is ‘chemically bonded’ (“glue” was a swear-word at RMIT!) to the outside of the frame.

This is one of my most favourite pieces … it speaks to something I think is really important, “inner beauty”. I loved the making process and I especially like that the porcelain is translucent and you can see in the middle image above that the shadow of the inner elements can be seen on the outside.

… last post: RMIT Year 2, Semester 1, Jewellery #2 …

“These jewellery intensives are in response to many requests from our students and colleagues who want to improve their skills and techniques in a specific area.
One day courses include:

• Stone Setting – Tension Setting and Tube Setting
• Intensive Torch- Soldering
• Intensive Torch- Fusing and Reticulation
• Chain Making
• Finding – Or How to Make the Perfect Brooch Back“

Personally, the brooch-back one sounds good …

The first site that pops up when searching that particular term is Frostings. Yes: “the highest quality fashion jewellery for simple (and interchangeable!) attachment to your average thong“. [For the international readers, 'thong' in Australia is a casual footware and are more often referred to as flip-flops in other countries - phew, we don't want any confusion here.] So, okay, ‘jewellery’ for footware (kinda cute, I could see my nieces getting into that).

I’ve also noticed (but tried to block it out) ‘glass jewellery’ or ‘wine glass charms’. They’re put around the stem of a wine glass, so you know which one is yours if you put it down.

randomly selected image from internet

Oh dear lord – the indignity of the clanking as you drink!

Do these uses of the word “jewellery” cause you concern? I was getting pretty annoyed with them personally, so thought I’d check dictionaries first… definitions include:

• Dictionary.com:
  1. articles of gold, silver, precious stones, etc., for personal adornment.
  2. any ornaments for personal adornment, as necklaces or cuff links, including those of base metals, glass, plastic, or the like.
• Wikipedia:
  a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
  The word jewellery itself is derived from the word jewel, which was anglicized from the Old French “jouel”, and beyond that, to the Latin word “jocale”, meaning plaything.
• Cambridge Dictionary:
  decorative objects worn on your clothes or body which are usually made from valuable metals, such as gold and silver, and precious stones
  
• Merriam-Webster:
  ornamental pieces (as rings and necklaces) worn on the person
• Macmillan:
  objects that you wear as decoration. Types of jewellery include rings, which you wear on your finger, bracelets, which you wear on your wrist, and necklaces, which you wear around your neck
• Reverso:
  objects that are worn for personal adornment, such as bracelets, rings, necklaces, etc., considered collectively
• Illustrated Dictionary of Jewellery, quoted by this site:
  any decorative article, including any jewel, that is made of metal, gemstones or certain organic materials, of high quality and with artistry or superior craftsmanship and intended to be worn or carried on the person for personal adornment or, in the broader sense of the term, used by a person for some purpose closely identified with his convenience or pleasure rather than only for a utilitarian purpose
• I’m sad that to access the Macquarie and Oxford English Dictionaries one needs to subscribe

So a general consensus that it is personal adornment, on body or clothes (remembering that the English monarchy loved little gems on their clothing) … so does that mean the ‘thong jewellery’ is perfectly fine?

The last definition quoted is interesting as it includes the possibility of carrying the item … though ‘carried on the person’ probably excludes ‘glass jewellery’ right?

Maybe I’m just a snob with the word ‘jewellery’? Maybe I need to relax and enjoy the evolution of the English language as it changes and adapts over time…

Then I thought … jewellery for pets … yes, it’s possible. A few sites caught my eye, with fancy collars and leads and pendants (for the collar, naturally). I can kind of understand decorating these objects, for even the bridles of the celtic warriors were adorned with magnificent work of goldsmiths (though I’m not convinced they called the pieces ‘horse jewellery’). The objects I’ve seen are restricted to cats and dogs …I was going to mention the menagerie of jewellery-lacking pets, and the possibilities of jewellery beyond the mere collar … but I best stop before I get carried away.

Next thing we hear about will be ‘house jewellery’ … no people, that’s called decorating. Plant jewellery? Car jewellery? Surely not…

In this state, I noticed they’re stamped with numbers (in the middle of the front piece on the base):

chair 10

chair 16

This intrigues me. I want to know more.

All I know is that their Danish – well, they were bought in Denmark (by Ed from Grandfathers Axe) recently. We think they’re between Art Deco and Modernist … maybe more mid-century, maybe not even Danish.

beautiful ... bringing sexy back ... yeah!

I wonder how many were made…
I wonder who the maker was…
I wonder how I can find out more ….

I did a little bit of reading a found a similar shaped chair, perhaps a precedent, attributed to the Scandinavian Art Deco period [here] … but I want to know more!

Update (29th December): I emailed the store with the similar shaped chair and they replied in super-speedy time (how great is that!). Their advice is that my chairs are likely Danish and from around 1930-55. Cool! Though my investigation continues….

A : Animals talking in all caps & ABC news

B : Bureau of Meteorology & BBC news

D : Dictionary (I like to spell stuff)

E : e.g.etal

F : (almost embarrassed) Facebook

G : Google mail (of course!) & The Goldensmith (David Neale) & Grandfathers Axe (I kind of stalk this site!)

H : Hotmail (yes, lots of emailling!)

K : Katherine Wheeler & Katherine Bowman & Katie Jayne Britchford

L : Lucy Hearn

M : my blog Melbourne Jeweller & Maker Wearer Viewer (Zoe Brand)

P : Pieces of Eight & Peaches + Keen

Q : Qantas (I like flying places)
R : Readings (I like books)

S : Stuff my Girlfriend Says (it’s a little bit naughty sometimes)

T : The Age (I like the news)

U : unhappyhipsters

V : Vetti Live in Northcote

Of course, I still regularly read the blogs and sites on my Links Page … but not as often as I look at the above ones it seems.

That’s all for now.

This one was on Anna Davern’s blog and information was also sent to me by the coordinator at Fibre Arts Australia.

Now you may not usually consider Fibre Arts to be a jewellery kind of thing – but you’d be wrong on this occasion!!

—- (info from Fibre Arts Australia site) —-

Art Jewellery @ The Winter School

Dates: 30th June – 5th July 2012
Where: Ballarat
Enrolment by: 1st March 2012

Workshop teachers:

BOWMAN Katherine, AUSTRALIA: Wax carving and casting including casting from nature

DAVERN Anna, AUSTRALIA:  Jewellery from sublimation printed metal and plastic

DOREMUS Sarah, USA: Kinetic Jewellery

GUINEY Caz, AUSTRALIA: Location based jewellery making 

HASH Arthur, USA:  Up cycling/ Design challenge

LIMB Ali, AUSTRALIA: Design and make simple contemporary jewellery pieces.  

PFEIFER Hilary, USA:  the playful object | ssǝɔoɹd lnɟʎɐld ǝɥ

SIMON Marjorie, USA: The Essentials of Torch-Fired Enamel

TAVERN Amy, USA: The Whole Jewel

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workshop media; from Anna Davern's post; click on image for original source

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Sounds a-maz-ing. I just may consider going myself … though you know I’m not so magnificent in workshops … this does sound great though…

Why do I care? Because LEGO was one of my favourite playthings when I was little, and I consider it “making”.

Controversy has been stirred by the release of a new ‘girly’ range – including figures with sort-of-little-boobies. See this news article for more.

There are quite a number of aspects of the backlash I totally agree with – especially if LEGO was excited about the new colour range (which they have said repeatedly in the defence of the range), then why not just introduce a new colour range in their traditional range of bricks and body shapes …

This old-school advert is being used in the response … it’s just gorgeous!

media image; for original source click on image

I checked out the facebook page mentioned in the news article – an interesting comment that caught my eye was “remember how well the Lego Jewellery line went?“. What? LEGO jewellery? To the interwebs to investigate…

There’s nothing on the official LEGO website. There’s one news story from last year, though no image; one here with an image; oh and another new story with a more extensive image, reproduced below.

media image; click on image for original source

The trouble with searching for LEGO jewellery (as in that made by the company), is that the blocks are so iconic that they are regularly used in jewellery by many others – making pieces for quirk and fun.

Anyway, back to the original point … I realise that companies need to evolve their product lines to make profit and to continually access niche market pockets (I mean this is only one of their huge range, include a whole bunch of movie-related products) …  perhaps the story just made me feel a little nostalgic, especially the image, and the recollection of the joy of spreading out huge box of LEGO pieces on the floor and playing innocently with my brother for hours (until one of us knocked over the other’s construction in ire because they took the block you wanted …. ah memories!).

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Update (27th December): an opinion piece has also been written about this here

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Update (28th December): I’ve been watching the debate (especially on the Facebook page) and find it interesting to think about. There is an exceptional degree of vitriol and gender-stereotyping accusations being thrown around.

I don’t like the new collection, but so what? I don’t like almost all of the various ‘specialty’ collections that have been released over the years either. I’m more of a classic-bricks kind of girl. The classics are still being produced. The other collections are ‘options’, not replacements; and are there to make the company money. If they keep making money, they’ll keep producing the classics (hopefully!).

Some of the ‘feedback’ to LEGO includes “go back to what works” … but we can’t go back to the 80s! And besides that, this isn’t the only ‘diversion’ from the classics that LEGO has made, they’ve been evolving their collections for years.

The more interesting issue is perhaps not the product but the marketing … and with the wide ‘news’ coverage, LEGO is getting lots of that for free. There seems to be criticism for the recent ‘exclusive’ gender-specific marketing and lack of the ‘inclusive’ gender-specific (as seen in the 80s) … that, I think I can agree with (though it must be said, I’m no expert in the LEGO marketing of the last three decades, so maybe I’ve missed stuff!).

I’m still going to buy the classic brick sets for the children I know, and still not buy the themed sets – nothing’s changed here. On reflection, I’m not sure why people are getting their knickers in a knot – you can choose what you spend your money on; and children may be influenced by marketing, though aren’t parents the most important influence in their development?

[ps. the title of this post is in reference to the catch-cry being used in the media ... ]

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Update (29th December): okay, last thought on this topic … if this is the first and only time LEGO have changed the body shape (except for aliens in their ranges; it’s true), then I am not happy. I don’t know if it is the first time, if it’s been done before, if there are non-classic boy shapes too; and I’m really not going to start to research that now, it’s not that important to me! But as I said, last thought on the topic.

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The upholstery is the original, an amazing apple/acid green, gorgeous though difficult to capture in photographs well.

The woodwork is beautiful when the cushions are all off …

my beautiful chairs

They’re low and smaller than you would imagine from the image … I adore them.

Excluding ‘Home Page’ and other pages, the top 10 posts with the most ‘clicks’ during 2011 were:

• #1: Show me the dates Melbourne Museum
  11th April 2011: I was a little frustrated with the initial vagueness around the closing date of the Tutankhamun exhibition.
• #2: Makers Mark Gallery news
  13th July 2010: an old story, but I think it was reached by people generally searching for ‘makers marks’ (not the gallery, or the alcohol; #2 last year too)
• #3: More about jewellery insurance
  4th October 2010: another story from last year, though insurance has been a news topic this year with the flood and fire disasters of recent years
• #4: Pandora jewellery / Trollbeads
  4th December 2009: another old story; I’m a bit sad for people who are genuinely looking for information on these ‘jewels’ (ah-hem) and end up finding themselves reading my post putting the boot in (#3 last year)
• #5: Artist Profile: Nicole Polentas
  13th May 2009; again, Nicole is a popular artist (and is searched for by her full name; this story was #8 last year)
• #6: Artist Profile: Michelle Taylor
  24th November 2010: closely behind Nicole is another of the artist profile stories, and again Michelle was searched for by her full name; it’s fabulous to see these kinds of searches hit by blog – I love to think I’m helping jewellery-lovers learn more about makers
• #7: ‘Chinoiserie: Asia in Europe 1620-1840‘ @ NGV
  6th November 2009: a reasonably old story, so this was a surprise entry
• #8: Otto Kunzli & Therese Hilbert ‘Leonids and Fumerols‘ @ Gallery Funaki
  22nd November 2010: absolutely beautiful exhibition
• #9: Karla Way & Natalia Milosz-Piekarska ‘Bad Beasts Do Not Harm Me‘ @ Craft Vic
  17th September 2010: another very lovely exhibition, the exhibition design was outstanding
• #10: Julia deVille ‘Nights Plutonian Shore’ @ Sophie Gannon Gallery
  16th August 2010: still a very popular story, being #10 last year too

Most popular posts since I started writing (March 2009):

• #1: Most famous ring in the world?  (17th October 2009)
• #2: Makers Mark Gallery news; as #2 above
• #3: Pandora jewellery / Trollbeads; as #4 above
• #4: Show me the dates Melbourne Museum; as #1 above
• #5: Schmuck’ @ RMIT Gallery #4 (26th June 2009)

I’m looking forward to a busy 2012 writing more… happy reading!

“Not knowing, Not wanting, Just playing.”
Transformation from a drawing to a 3-D object with Doris Betz, Germany

workshop media

“A 5 day workshop that will give participants the opportunity to work closely with renowned artist Doris Betz.
The outcome of the workshop might be a complete piece of jewellery, or several models as a starting point for further investigations.

3rd – 7th February, 2012
9.30am – 4.30pm
5 sessions by 6 hrs
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday“

More information here.

photograph with permission

The aesthetic was quite different to last year – there seemed more installation focussed work, and much less colour than I would have expected of a group exhibition. It was surprising to me actually.

image with permission

Artists selected to participate are (alphabetically):

• Matthew Benjamin (VCA, Photography)
• Dan Bowran (Monash, Glass)
• Hannah Chamley (RMIT, Fashion)
• Jia Jia Ji Chen (RMIT, Ceramics); right below
• Allona Goren (RMIT, Gold & Silversmithing); left above
• John Gosper (RMIT, Fashion)
• Elly Hall (Monash, Photomedia)
• Lisa Imai (VCA, Sculpture / Spatial practice)
• Wendy Korol (RMIT, Gold & Silversmithing); right above – overall winner
• Sophie Moorhouse Morris (RMIT, Ceramics); left below
• Rosina Prestia (Monash, Sculpture)
• Nellie Rogerson (Monash, Painting)

image with permission

Last year’s exhibition post is here.

‘Fresh!‘ 2011 is at Craft Victoria until 23rd December 2011.

• “Contemporary artists are increasingly turning their talents to jewellery-making …. “It’s a growing trend,” says Louisa Guinness, the founder and creative director of London’s Louisa Guinness Gallery, which specialises in the sale of what it describes as “wearable sculpture”.“
• “The skills of the fine artist and the sophisticated craftsmanship of the jeweller share their early history. It was only in the 16th century that the two disciplines came to be viewed separately. With the Renaissance, the painter and sculptor were elevated to a loftier aesthetic sphere, leaving the goldsmith behind in his artisanal workshop.“
• “The idea that a piece of jewellery can also be an original artistic creation is increasingly finding a fresh currency.“
• “Like art, jewellery can convey the social, political or economic climate of its era. It can speak of the human condition…. But with the 20th century a succession of cultural movements — art nouveau, art deco, arts and crafts, the Viennese secession, bauhaus — gave fine arts and craftsmanship equal weight.“
• ““I see artists’ jewellery as sculptures in miniature,” says Guinness. Each piece of jewellery is signed, numbered and editioned. They are treated as artworks. “Ninety-five per cent of the people who buy these things are in fact art collectors,” Guinness says.“

Some of the artists / exhibitions / galleries mentioned include:

• “Last month Jack du Rose, the designer of Hirst’s diamond skull, launched his debut collection, Danger.“; unfortunately I couldn’t find a website for him, though this post has lots of images of the pieces (and a google search shows a lot of recent articles)
• “The Shizaru gallery in London’s Mayfair is staging Art Rocks, a show in which the work of such jewellers as Sevan Bicakci, who carves miniature cityscapes inside faceted gemstones, are displayed in a gallery context. …. Their creators are concerned with the same sorts of issues as sculptors.“; the gallery website has some more information about this exhibition here
• “And it’s easy to see the erotic confections of such contributors as Sophia Mann, who began her career as a fine artist, as the jeweller’s answer to Tracey Emin.“; see Sophia’s website
• “The story of modern art jewellery began. This is the story that is being told in Picasso to Koons, an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Based around the collection of Diane Venet.“; Diane Venet’s site is here (so many pieces!), and the Museum link here

Some interesting links to explore… and some points to think about …

logo by Andrew Philips

Information from Katherine Bowman’s blog and Anna Davern’s blog (repeated here with permission):

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Northcity4 is Ali Limb, Anna Davern, Caz Guiney, Romani Benjamin and Katherine Bowman.

We are 5 contemporary jewellery and object makers who want to celebrate, support and promote Melbourne’s amazing contemporary jewellery community.

NORTHCITY 4 is a not-for-profit organisation encompassing a shared jewellery and object studio in a healthy and professional workspace and learning environment.

We are excited! Nc4 Is a Real Thing. We have been planning and meeting and discussing and raving over bottles of wine and, finally, celebrating over bottles of champagne as our ideas and plans have come to fruition. Northcity4 is the culmination of all our hopes and passions as makers and members of our community.  It will be launched officially in the new year, towards the ends of feb. (we hope)

Northcity4 is not just about us, it’s about the community we live and work in and we hope to bring it all together into this one space and share it with you and your friends.

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NORTHCITY 4 is committed to promoting and supporting the integration of sustainability into all aspects of jewellery and object based practice. We aim to work closely with local and international jewellers, artists and educators to expand the exploration of skills and techniques (both traditional and contemporary) and encourage the dissemination of that knowledge through mentorships, seminars, access studios and workshops.

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YAY! So excited about this and look forward watching it blossom and grow and succeed. Best wishes!!

cushion loveliness

Still awaiting the muse ….

As at 15th December 2011:

1. Gold price in US$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; gold in US$; click on image for original source

2. Gold price in A$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; gold in A$; click on image for original source

While it looked to have temporarily recovered from the tumble in September,  gold now looks to be back around the low levels we saw in September. Probably due to a mixture of the doubts about the European economic condition and (likely less of a consideration) the impact our own economy on the exchange rate.

What could gold prices do next year? Hard to say – and I’m absolutely not a commodities expert! However during times of extreme economic uncertainty historically gold has been a stable haven – that is, the demand for gold as a reliable place to put money increases (compared to shares or bonds), so the price tends to also increase.

15th December 2011; 5 year gold price in A$; click on image for original source

3. Silver price in US$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; silver price in US$; 1 year graph; click on image for original source

Silver doesn’t look to have recovered anywhere near the same extent as the gold price. So interesting that it is still at levels seen near the start of the year.

January 2012 sneak peek

all month

• ‘Kaleidoscope: Art & Colour‘, NGV [link]; until 5th February 2012
• Powerhouse Museum, ‘Love Lace‘ [link]; until April 2012
• ‘Renaissance‘, National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) [link]; until 9th April 2012

As yet there aren’t many (jewellery focussed) exhibitions advertised
- but if you know of any, please tell me …

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plan ahead for [see also]:

10 – 13 February 2012: JEMPOSIUM: Jewellery or What; International Jewellery Symposium; Wellington, New Zealand [link]

1st June 2012: last day for application to New Traditional Jewellery 2012 award [link]

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… last calendar post: December 2011…

scanned: the (melbourne) magazine, Dec11, pg79

The text includes identifying Emma as a “contemporary jeweller and repairer” and “lean, mean fixing machine”; and describes her passion for The Repair Workshop and her monthly “The Treasury” gatherings.

Congratulations Emma!

For more on Emma and her initiatives, visit her blog and site.

media image; click on image for original source

“The 27 clear stones surrounding the main stone were found to be diamonds. In the centre of the brooch is a near-flawless topaz weighing 20 carats.
Its fiery pink colour makes it the most desirable of topaz stones, known as an Imperial, which was once exclusively preserved for Russian royalty.“

Check your jewellery boxes!

bright yes?!

In the original image you can see quite a number of embroidery skeins (left to right):

• pale green: chain stitched over the curled frond
• orange: long-and-short stitched in a purple flower (centre)
• aqua: stem-stitched around the leaves (top left)
• white and black: still thinking about where to put them
• rusty red: herringbone-stitched inside pink and purple flower (top right)
• dark purple: back-stitched around a large purple flower (not in the image above)
• lilac: running-stitched in the same pink and purple flower as the red
• pale pink: open satin-stitched (bottom left)
• yellow: still deciding what to do with it
• dark green: blanket-stitched around the edge of the whole cloth

close-up 1

close-up 2

It can be somewhat therapeutically meditative for me … something to do instead of zoning out in front of bad television while I await the jewellery-making muse to speak to me!

“Exciting residency opportunity!!!!

3 Month Residency Program for recent Graduates
SquarePeg Studios, Newtown Sydney

We are calling for applicants from graduates who have completed tertiary jewellery/object design related study in the past 2 years.

SquarePeg is offering two 3 month residencies in 2012 (February and June) for highly motivated recent graduates who wish to expand their practice in a supportive and creative studio environment.

The Residency program provides the successful applicant with studio space, for three months, to develop their own work. As part of the program one or two SquarePeg resident artist will provide guidance, focusing on areas of skills development in professional practice, business and grant writing. Further feedback and critique is provided through visiting artists, designers and through a process of peer-to-peer learning with tenants who have successful independent practices. The residency offers 3 months rent free for a 2.5m x 3m work area in a 200sqm warehouse, with access to machinery, including hydraulic press, sandblaster, drills, belt sander, soldering area and kilns.

SquarePeg Studios is a new contemporary jewellery workshop located within the vibrant arts precinct of Newtown in Sydney. A space for emerging and established jewellers to work together in a creative and supportive environment, the studio provides a range of activities for the Sydney jewellery community and general public, including jewellery classes, master classes, residencies, mentorships, artist talks and studio sales.

Applications close on 24 December 2011. Applicants may be asked to visit SquarePeg to discuss their applications with members of the Studio. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in early January. All decisions are final.

For an application form (which must be completed) and to discuss this further contact Erin Keys on 0406 794 112 or email mail@squarepegstudios.com.au“

auction rooms

Auction media: “Experience the thrill of a live art auction and buy exceptional, affordable artworks by RMIT’s most promising artists at New Collectables.

Works on offer showcase the imagination and skill of RMIT’s art and design students, and include painting, drawing, jewellery, ceramics, sculpture and photography.

As no commission is taken on sales, and there are no expenses or fees for students to enter work, auction and backroom purchases exclusively benefit the participating artists. All auction reserve prices are less than $250.

Bidding starts 6:30pm sharp“

auction rooms

I was especially impressed with the following:

• Samira Ghasempour ‘Just Leave it Behind‘ print
• James Jardine ‘Centrepiece‘ photograph
• Ohm Pattanachoti ‘Self Portrait No. 2‘ drawing
• Lizzy Sampson ‘The Colour of Money (20)‘ photograph [blog, site]; my favourite in the rooms
• Tanya Ungeri ‘Rebranded‘ photograph

Along with the auction is a ‘back room sales’ of other artworks … worth getting along to!

image taken with gallery permission

Gold and Silversmithing artists are:

• Mary Hackett [site, MFA page]
  

  image taken with permission

• Claire O’Halloran [site, MFA page]
  
  

  image taken with permission

  

  image taken with permission

• Leah Teschendorff [MFA page]
  

  image taken with permission

Other participating artists are:

• Emily Boyle [MFA page]
• Michael Carolan [site, MFA page]
• Leonie Connellan [MFA page]
• Nicholas Dallwitz [MFA page]
• Paul Dew [MFA page]
• Maryla Elmahdy [MFA page]
• Mary Gray [MFA page]
• Beka Hannah [blog, MFA page]
• Samantha Harris [tumblr, MFA page]
• Clinton Hayden [site, MFA page]
• Ben Howe [blog, MFA page]
• Paul Keller [MFA page]
• Aaron McMurray [MFA page]
• Harry Metcalf [MFA page]
• Robert Mihajlovski [MFA page]
• Marisa Ramos [MFA page]
• Hayley Scilini [site, MFA page]
• Mateja Simenko [MFA page]
• Agnes So [MFA page]
• Wan Su [MFA page]
• Tul Suwannakit [MFA page]
• Helen Taylor [MFA page]
  

  image taken with permission

• Kate Walsh [MFA page]

The RMIT MFA Exhibition is at Gossard Project Space until 8th December 2011.