Jane Dodd, Fuchsprellen, 2014, brooch, lignum vitae, beef bone, marcasite, sterling silver, 57.2 x 31.8 x 12.7 mm, photo: Studio La Gonda Bonnie Levine: You studied religion, anthropology, history, and native Maori language in college, followed by a serious career as a bass player in several well-known indie pop bands in New Zealand. With such […]
Jane Dodd: Rococo Revolution Read More »
AJF asked this years five young Artist Award finalists to give us their thoughts on the future of the field. Their work represents a group of outstanding pieces of contemporary jewelry. This is the first of five interviews, including one with Seulgi Kwon, the winner of this year’s prize. Attai Chen, Untitled, 2014, necklace, paper,
Marjorie Schick, Deflection, 1993, neckpiece, papier-maché, paint, 483 x 470 x 305 mm, photo: Gary Pollmiller Marion Fulk: I understand that the jewelry you donated, called Gifts From America, was part of a larger overall exhibition celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage. Helen Drutt: Initially, allow me to correct a misconception—I did not donate
Helen Drutt: The State Hermitage Museum Exhibition Read More »
Tabea Reulecke, Dreamer, 2012, brooch, oxidized silver, enamel on copper, 75 x 80 x 10 mm, photo: Manu Ocaña Susan Cummins: You were born in Berlin but you have traveled and studied in many other places. You are truly an international jeweler. Can you give us a travel guide to your education as a jeweler?
Karin Herwegh is known for creating jewelry that depicts intimate human narratives through her use of stylized figures and simple yet nuanced forms. In her show at Galerie Ra she draws inspiration from folk art and lore from around the world, and her work often carries undertones of dark whimsy. For her latest series, she
Karin Herwegh: From the Familiar to the Wonderful Read More »
Evert Nijland’s show at Galerie Rob Koudijs features imaginative and nostalgic objects. A Dutch jeweler, Evert loves the Rococo and Baroque styles of the past and so has reinterpreted them for the present in these ornamental objects. He is following an original path with this series, which veres away from the smooth Dutch style that
Evert Nijland: Ascendance Read More »
Diane Azzam Diane Azzam: I left the Middle East twice. The first time, in 1967, I followed my parents, who had decided to leave. It was just after the Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab states. We were living in Lebanon and the political situation was beginning to get tense. So my father, who
Hide a Face, Hide a Sex: Jewelry at the Edge of Resistance Read More »
The gallery Four in Gothenburg, Sweden, has just joined the AJF community of supporters. Its owners—Karin Roy Andersson, Malin Lövgren, Linnéa Eriksson, and Hanna Liljenberg—hosted the AJF trip to Gothenburg last year. We thank them for that, and for joining us in presenting original material on our website. Jorge Manilla, Extreme Seductiveness, 2014, necklace, leather,
Jorge Manilla: Oscure Sacrifices Read More »
Peter Bauhuis is an original. His new show at Gallery S O is named after a mushroom called Armillaria, which creates a large underground network from which the mushrooms sprout. Peter’s jewelry looks like it’s related to the mushroom and in his telling is connected to a network of ideas. You can feel his love
Peter Bauhuis: Armillaria Read More »
Aimee Petkus’s collection of jewelry was briefly on display during a trunk show at the Heidi Lowe Gallery on December 13, 2014. In this interview, Aimee discusses her background in geology and the influence it has on her work. Missy Graff: How did you become interested in making jewelry? Please tell me about your background.
Rebecca Myers has been designing and fabricating custom jewelry for more than 20 years. Drawn to the sculptural, engineering, and problem-solving aspects of making, she is inspired by nature and its curiosities: her garden, the allure of the natural world, and the dichotomy that is captured in nature—the rough and the smooth, the dark and the light. Her designs are delicate and feminine, but with an edgy and organic quality. Rebecca is the featured artist for December at Gravers Lane Gallery in Philadelphia; on the eve of that exhibition, Bonnie Levine spent some time chatting with Rebecca about her work, inspirations, success, and longevity in the jewelry world.
Bonnie Levine: How did you get started as a jeweler, and when did you realize you were hooked?
Rebecca Myers: I had to fulfill a craft requirement when I was a sophomore at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. While I was actually making something, the other kids in my class were melting things and setting their clothing on fire. I realized that I was actually pretty good at it. It initially was the path of least resistance. I then got hooked on figuring out how to design things that were desirable and wearable. Once I started down the path of putting an actual line together, the process got really exciting for me. I sold the small line I made my senior year to a gallery in New Hope, Pennsylvania. That $500 may as well have been $5,000. I was elated!
The hardest thing about building a successful jewelry line wasn’t acquiring or applying the skills, but figuring out how to make something that got people excited enough that they wanted to buy it, while still fulfilling my own aesthetic requirements. I wasn’t drawn to commercial jewelry, but was partially trained in that world. I worked for a jeweler in Milwaukee for five years or so. The skills I acquired working in that world have been a key to making the kind of work that appeals to the public. My work is the result of those skills, accompanied with an interest in fine art, fashion, and an art school education.
The show of work by Andrea Wagner at Platina gave me an opportunity to catch up with the artist. I first met her in Amsterdam when she and several other jewelers were working together in a loft studio. At the time, the idea of the garden and its relationship to architecture was of interest to them. I remember realizing that people in the small country of the Netherlands need to think about land and building in a very deliberate way. There simply isn’t room to take it for granted.
Susan Cummins: Are you still thinking of this Jardin Intérieur in the same way now as you did then, or have your ideas developed? How?
Andrea Wagner: The first time we met, I was in a rough period following a couple of life upheavals. My prolonged living circumstances in what was originally intended as a temporary solution turned my craving for privacy and my own space into a real obsession that started infecting my work. A micro series from that time was even called Arcadian Flights! Another small body of work leaned on the idea of floral friezes on buildings, with the resulting pieces looking like flowers turned into shelters.
Andrea Wagner: … And the Architect Is Still Facing His Jardin Intérieur Read More »
