Ornamental Elements » laurie

Expression Through Adornment

laurie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:26 +0000

Sue Savage, like many artists, uses natures colors, textures and patterns as inspiration. “ Combining natural stones, pearls, hand made elements and fine-quality metals, the designs reflect unique natural beauty. Each design is produced only once at Sue’s studio in Southeast Alaska, so it is truly a personal expression through adornment.”

Unique Shapes & Colors

laurie — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:18:42 +0000

Carol Martin’s jewelry includes kiln cast glass, precious metals and stones. The process is labor intensive, but Carol feels the unique shapes and colors are worth the effort. This excerpt from her bio could describe all of us…“Making things is as natural as breathing to me. I grew up in a family of Artisans and have always worked with my hands.”

Metal Fusion

laurie — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:29 +0000

Namu Cho immigrated to the US from Korea to attend school at Bowling Green University in Ohio. He utilizes the ancient technique called Damascus steel that creates the high contrast between the dark background, the precious metals and gemstones of each piece. “The process of Damascus steel is a lamination fabrication technique that fuses alternating layers of iron and steel. The unrefined, spontaneous patterns created by the Damascus steel create a great sense of balance with his overall artistic vision.”

Endless Options

laurie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:05 +0000

Shana Astrachan continues our exploration of artists utilizing ‘repurposed’ materials. “Besides her love for metal, Astrachan loves experimenting with all sorts of materials. When asked what three materials she couldn’t live without, she sighs and says “I feel like there are a million.” Being open with new materials is what draws the artists to her unique designs. The jewelry maker adds that she loves the flexibility of mohair silk and the playfulness/fun of sequins.” Scroll through her site for jewelry made from sequins, felt, bottle caps, bag clips…the options are endless!!!

Identity Crisis

laurie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:13 +0000

Harriet Estel Berman uses post consumer materials to construct jewelry, teacups, even entire lawns. Her Identity Bead series “symbolizes our personal search for identity in our material culture. Bar codes and brand name material from post-consumer tin cans recycle our unconscious consumption of advertising, marketing, and possession as identification. In a society so transitory and hyper-marketed one may wonder who we really are, for how much of our own identity is derived from what we consume and why we consume it?”

Map It!!!

laurie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:03 +0000

In our digital directional world we rarely use an ‘old fashioned’ paper map. Our vision is focused on moving from point A to Point B with as few distractions as possible. Anna Lindsay MacDonald focused on maps in a different manner. “My work with maps began as soon as I moved to Toronto. As I navigated the city I was struck by the grid-like quality of the Toronto streets, the intersections and interwoven connections. The imposing urban sprawl I reduced in size to a more legible scale, neighborhoods became bracelets and rings, adornment objects as well as informative objects. I wanted the wearer to engage with their neighborhoods, with transparent acrylic pieces wrapped around their hands and fingers like tattoos, their walking history etched into their skin. The gold and silver dotted paths or the walk to work became the adornment object.”

The Year of Paisley

laurie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:03 +0000

If you like paisley…then this is your year. Etro has a collection of purses in traditional paisley, and a stylized version for their spring and summer 2012 clothing line. Sit back and relax for 12 minutes of color, design and jewelry inspiration.

Showers of Flowers

laurie — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:42 +0000

The headline reads…designers love taking risks. The photo is…an enlargement of the FABULOUS necklace in the featured photo. The necklace reminded me of the dominant textures at the last two furniture markets…swirls of stylized flowers. This link will take you to a Wall Street Journal article and a collection of fashions from Giambattista Valli. Scroll through the photos for a variety of floral texture and placement.

Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers during this last week. Bill is home and gaining strength. He still has a long road to a full recovery and another surgery sometime this summer. With luck…he will be on the golf course later this year.

Sorry for the OOOPS!!!! post Saturday. My finger hit the wrong key while I was writing. Lesson learned…schedule the post before you begin typing. My goal is to resume the Monday through Friday schedule…but there may be a few misses here and there…

Challenges

laurie — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:37:01 +0000

Due to a medical emergency there may not be daily posts for several weeks…it all depends on time and energy. My husband had emergency abdominal surgery last week and will be hospitalized for awhile. He is progressing well…albeit slowly. I hope to resume posts ASAP…

laurie

Spice Up Your Wrist

laurie — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:00:38 +0000

This striking cuff from Blu Bijoux caught my eye. As I read further, I realized that the materials were all sitting in my studio…faux agate…hammered metal cuff…silver plated wire…WE CAN DO THIS!!! ”Spice up your look with this magnificent blue faux agate wire cuff from Blu Bijoux. The cuff is full of spunky personality. Not for the faint of heart, the bracelet prominently features a simulated blue agate stone which sits on top of a wide silver plated cuff. Silver plated wire literally ties the two elements together.”