tales of the heart

a delightfully challenging piece of mine, reliquary of childhood memories, recently took first place in mitsubishi materials corporation's Tales of the Heart juried competition. a dear friend of mine, an innovative and prolific artist of many mediums, catherine witherell, was a winner as well! i'm not sure how close catherine came to getting her photos in by the deadline, but i cut it pretty close...

i only finished the piece late the night before submissions were due, so how would i get photos when i worked 9 am-6:30 pm at the goldsmithing shop r & i patton the next day?  i was unhappy with the photos that i took between 7 and 8:50 am before heading to work, so one of my best friends came to the rescue on my lunch hour-- bill, who happens to also be a skilled and gifted  photographer--used my gradient paper, a plastic chair on the porch of the bajo el sol gallery (they show my work!), his camera and tripod and a little flashlight to work his magic on my newest automaton. he does good work under pressure, don't you think? thanks bill!

reliquary of childhood memories
fine and sterling silver, bronze, brass, copper, 18k solder, 24k foil, olivine, local cotton, india ink, found object
2013
photo by william stelzer

reliquary of childhood memories
fine and sterling silver, bronze, brass, copper, 18k solder, 24k foil, olivine, local cotton, india ink, found object
2013
photo by william stelzer

my work is now at bajo el sol gallery

i received a most unusual and happy christmas gift this past holiday, unexpected and surprising--the owner of a gorgeous local fine art gallery, bajo el sol,  accepted my work for display.  what is so wonderful is how excited tom and his wife livy were about the pieces that i brought to show them! they were happy with my choice of display furniture and comfortable with the details of my finicky packaging--i just love them! if you are ever on st john, visit their exquisite gallery filled with local artwork treasures in all mediums and don't miss livy's paintings--her specialty is capturing the inner spirit through portraiture, and she can also be found with her paints and easel at the local resort caneel bay, where she is a resident artist.

hmmm, how to set up a display with only what you have in your house? keep in mind that i cannot go to ikea or even to a flea market--i live on a little tropical island accessible only by boat/ferry/barge! this is my first attempt, which i knew would not work, but you have to start somewhere; somehow i usually start with the most ridiculous thing...

this is what i ended up with. i will be working on bringing the tags more in tune with what i am trying to convey, but for now, they are just some of my favorite quotes, ones that can transport you...

god of the palest flowers

one of the most beautiful poems i've ever read is "the kookaburras" by mary oliver. it is also one of the saddest and truest; it hit my soul hard...is there anyone who has escaped this feeling of profound regret, not for something done, but for something not done that she describes? i don't think so...

this past july i began work on a piece named "god of the palest flowers", named from a line in this poem. here is the finished piece, which i'm honored to say is in the upcoming art and design of metal clay 2013 calendar by the innovative artist and teacher holly gage.

when you turn the crank, the little bird in the cage flies up and down, while the little figure just moves a bit and stares.  he is unable to help the wild bird, but the wearer can open the door to the bird cage if they wish...the monkey lock that holds the "wooden" doors closed is my favorite part--it's actually somewhat functional! both the tiny chain and larger chain are hand fabricated of sterling silver...

god of the palest flowers

bronze, copper, brass, mica and sterling and fine silver

2012

god of the palest flowers

bronze, copper, mica, brass, sterling and fine silver

2012

god of the palest flowers

bronze, copper, mica, brass, sterling and fine silver

2012

god of the palest flowers

bronze, copper, mica, brass, sterling and fine silver

2012

god of the palest flowers

bronze, copper, mica, brass, sterling and fine silver

2012

now here are some process photos;  nothing looks neat and pretty here!

this little guy is bird number three; the first two just didn't work out for various reasons...

i love tiny parts!

little bird with his flying apparatus

a first step in housing construction...

getting comfortable...

getting the bird's mechanism together

the cage:  this was my second try--the first was genuinely sorrowful and utterly useless. yellow ochre was my best friend here, as ambivalent as that makes me feel about my skill level!

coming together...

sweetness!

assembling lots of parts...things are starting to happen here!

the back, which i love...

door parts

so close to finishing! 

now go back to the top again to see how it all came together! i would give myself a b- on this mechanism--it functions well, but does have a tendency to hitch every now and then.  i'm sure there are better ways to make a bird fly, perhaps i will have a chance to try again with different and perhaps happier subject matter :)

digging into my treasure box of brazilian stones...

does anybody else out there do everything backwards? all of the time? years before i knew how to set stones i accumulated gorgeous slices, cabochons, octagons, squares and other stone oddments, somehow knowing that i would develop the skills that i needed to put them into jewelry, while at the same time knowing that time simply did not allow for this to happen--such a conundrum!

prong setting, here i come...start with a rustic, earthy and ethereal pair of faded lilac included quartz slices and finish with a primitively elegant setting worthy of my favorite pair of jeans, which unfortunately it's too hot for me to wear at the moment...the trade winds will be coming through any day now i hope!  more details on etsy here

included quartz earrings
quartz, fine and sterling silver
2012

"The untold want by life and land ne'er granted

"The untold want by life and land ne'er granted,
Now, voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find." Walt Whitman

many do not hear the call of these words, so busy are their lives...i've heeded them, but in a very unorganized and oafish way, stumbling along following only my heart. it helps if you use your mind too; i learned that one too late for it to do much good for me.

so far i've made two pieces in my now, voyager series: the timid bunny, sadly is a metaphor for me...more details on etsy here

now, voyager bunny talisman necklace
sterling and fine silver, tourmaline, garnet
2012

reverse of now, voyager bunny talisman necklace
sterling and fine silver, tourmaline, garnet
2012

now, voyager fool in tarot talisman necklace
sterling, copper, tourmaline
2012

the second piece is a talisman with the tarot card of my heart, the fool, the essence of the beginning of a journey followed with all of your being...more details on etsy here

now, voyager fool in tarot talisman necklace
sterling, copper, tourmaline
2012

there is a third piece in this series, which i've assembled but have yet to construct, and it is mechanical, sort of, and will feature a monkey...

the making of an automaton pendant

several people have told me that they want to put a crank in their work too--these photos are for you! this mechanical pendant took me 2 months to make, and i  documented its making along the way...