Conceptual musings about art and fine craft
Philly’s Freedom: Artists Speak Out opened this past weekend in downtown Philadelphia as the first exhibition to re-open the National Liberty Museum in historic Old City. Imagine my excitement to be in the company of 50+ Philly-area artists sharing such relevant, socially-engaging and moving artwork. I attended the artist-only preview event last Tuesday to see…
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Last Thursday evening, Creative Philadelphia opened Crafting Narratives at the Art Gallery in City Hall – a group exhibition juried by noted gallerist/curator Bruce Hoffmann, depicting handmade works that demonstrate a narrative approach to making. Thirty-four Philadelphia metro-area artists are exhibiting one-of-a-kind pieces that use narrative to capture/interpret events and processes that explore interconnectedness and…
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Philadelphia artist Heather Riley does not seem to limit herself or the genres that interest her by pursuing strict mediums. Her artwork encompasses work on canvas, panel, paper and wood construction. Last Friday evening, 3rd Street Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia opened Interact, Riley’s foray into a full exhibit of her work with a particular…
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When one thinks of Mexico generally, at least locally, one thinks of a popular travel destination like Cancún, or the stunning beaches of Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. However, besides being a tourist haven, Mexico is steeped in so much controversy here in the U.S. We seem to be a nation divided in how we react…
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Anyone who knows me well and my method of working on a new jewelry piece knows that I refuse to rush things. This last piece has proven no differently. I remember arguing with my teachers as a metals’ student, thinking that a piece that I felt strongly about producing completely from scratch was something that…
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Paintings and sculptures of beautiful female subjects are not anything new to your average art aficionado. Last Friday evening, many gathered at the “First Friday” opening at Artists’ House Gallery in downtown Philadelphia to see the Year of the Woman exhibit: art created and envisioned by women artists about women-only subjects. Julie Bell’s Scheherazade is…
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Often times as a jeweler, the most enjoyable aspects of working on a one-of-a-kind piece are the less stressful moments of finishing up a project. Making sterling silver chains from scratch is something I find relaxing and often cathartic; it’s a very different aspect from the conceptually-driven mainstay of my lockets/necklaces. In this case, every…
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This past month, November, has been a whirlwind of excitement for me. Within days of each other I received word that two of my jewelry pieces have been accepted into two different international juried exhibitions. The first one is a fine contemporary craft exhibition coming up in December in North Carolina (a true epi-center lately…
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The last few days have been challenging to my patience for me as a maker: metalsmith and jeweler. I’ve placed an order for sheet metals from a trusted supplier, and I’ve started a new body of work that I expect to be fairly different content-wise from any of the metals’ work I’ve done in the…
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Last Friday evening, I braved the colder weather of Olde City, Philadelphia to investigate new work by artists showing as part of the “First Friday” evening art gallery openings. Katherine Fraser’s paintings at Artists’ House Gallery were by far the most engaging items I found amongst the various media on the numerous gallery walls and…
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