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Go For Gold: Start to Finish

I am very excited about my upcoming class at the Mendocino Art Center! I spent the morning on the coast in the misty North Bay, and I am can't wait to look out the studio window at the Art Center and watch waves hitting the cliffs over the headlands.

If you have never made a trip to the North Coast, go. Now.

This April 16 - 18th we will be doing what I love best, which is melting down gold, making myself a small ingot, and getting to work! The process is as satisfying as the results. The remaking of old, broken, or underloved gold jewelry into new work is an integral part of my studio practice, and my dedication to using only 100% recycled fine metals in my work.

I love to be a part of the refining process, in my low-impact, no-frills approach to having a small studio.

See the description of the class online at the MAC's website, and learn more about classes at the Art Center.

gates flyaway ring 2007
23K, 100% recycled sterling + 14K

cluster strand 2005
sterling, 18K bimetal, rubber


23K waiting to be melted down


favorite hammer

Cartier and America

Cartier emerald diamond necklace

Cartier crocodile necklace/double bracelets made for Maria Felix

San Francisco is buzzing with jewelry and metalwork this spring, and I am excited to be able to take advantage of the bounty. This Sunday I joined about twenty Metal Arts Guild members on a private tour of the Cartier and America exhibit at the Legion of Honor , which was fantastic.

The Legion is up on a hill in the northwestern wilds of San Francisco, and the building and view from its grounds are always spectacular. Any place you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay, Marin, and the Transamerica building from the same spot is alright with me!

The exhibit is a must-see, and drips with diamonds, platinum, and the almost textile-like articulated movement of thousands of tiny linked elements that Cartier did so well. The patrons of the famous jewelry are a part of the exhibit, and the early 'new rich' in America clearly loved their tiaras, necklaces, and body adornment. The historical pieces range from 1899 to the 1970s, with most of my favorites being the earlier work. None of the pieces are done justice by the images available online, so I have included only a few here.

The show has been extended until May 9, and the museum's well-attended free day is the 1st Tuesday of the month. The $10 special exhibit surcharge is well worth your hard-earned money.

Elizabeth Taylor wearing Cartier

Mexican film superstar Maria Felix wearing Cartier

Metalsmiths' Week-end, San Francisco

Amulet (open)

We are lucky enough in my household this week to have friend and metalsmith Rob Jackson staying with us, all the way from Athens, GA.

Amulet

He is here doing a seminar for City College SF's Metal Arts classes, while in town for his opening at everyone's favorite art jewelry and metalwork gallery, Velvet da Vinci.

Three Ruby Ring

His show, The Eloquent Nail, will be up until April 18th, along with Chased and Repousse, curated by Nancy Megan Corwin.

The opening on Friday was delightful. Corwin's talk, regarding her show in which contemporary examples reaffirm and push what the techniques of Chasing and Repousse can do, was stellar. More on the work shown there by Yuyen Chang, Keith Lewis, and my wife, Suzanne Pugh, among others, in the next post.

We were also lucky enough to have metalsmith Amy Tavern in town, for her own opening! Rare Device on Market Street showcased her in their four person show, FAULT LINES.

done!

progress

...marching ahead on the custom piece for a soon-to-be-betrothed friend. Tomorrow, I will add the opals and pearls to their cozy bezel cups.

23K

I am so happy to be melting, forging, stretching, shaping, and filing some 23 & 22K gold that a friend's mother sent me, to rework into a wedding pendant. Shown are some bezel cups for the project.