Home Studio

I was lucky enough to go to an Amazing workshop at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan last weekend and what an amazing experience! I stayed with Lynn Batchelder and Alissa Lamarre who are recent graduates from WMU, who also participated in the workshop and they are both making truly exciting work. While staying at their lovely house in Kalamazoo I got a chance to see their studio setup in their home. It's perfect! Its very simple, but it has all the necessary components for making work. Open, flat space to work on, torches and pickle pot (if you work in metal), space to put images of the work that inspires you and natural light. I think its important to show studio spaces that work, especially for someone just coming out of an academia setting where every tool possible is readily available to you. This studio space works because its perfect for the type of work that they are both doing. I think all too often people think they can't make work unless they have all the tools that a full university studio has, which is totally not the case. There are so many places out there that you can shop out processes like casting, laser cutting, and stone setting that having these machines is not necessary. Just grab a torch, get a crock pot from the thrift store and your hand tools that you were using at your bench in school anyways, and see what you can make! Limitations can be very honest and produce beautiful work. Try to enjoy this remarkable period right after school where you are really deciding if making is what you really want to do. You will either make amazing work and push forward, or shift and start doing something else that works better for you. Thanks to Lynn and Alissa for allowing me to share images of their space.

First Day of Ruudt and WMU's awesome new facility

Today I started a two day workshop with Ruudt Peters, dutch jeweller and all around awesome guy. It was awesome. We started off the day screaming "hate" at each other and spent the rest of the day "hating" our materials. I chose pipe cleaners and have had a lot of success today. Ruudt is a super awesome guy, and I have to say I was a bit worried, considering he is such a rock star...I wasn't sure if he would be awesome and friendly or not, but luckily..he is the coolest. Such a fun first day..I am really looking forward to tomorrow

Student Exhibition, Body/Image Show, and Caroline Gore's Simulations

Ruudt Peters

Yevgeniya Kaganovich

Caroline Gore

Caroline Gore

WMU Students

WMU Students

WMU Students

WMU Student

B91 Exhibition

So, the residents of studio B91 decided that we would all get together and put our work in this really great cabinet, which is kinda like a cabinet of curiosities, right outside the elevators in the basement in Kenilworth. Stacey Lee Webber, Jason Houchen and myself have our work all included in this cabinet. The work all actually looks really great together, which is a really nice surprise. We have been given permission to keep the cabinet there permanently, so look forward to some new exciting shows from us!

Isabell Schaupp

Searching for artist images for my students who are just starting their newest projects has lead me to the work of the German Jeweler, Isabell Schaupp. I really enjoy the line work in her pieces which exists somewhere in between two and three dimensional physical extensions. I love the material choices in the work, the use of steel and enamel compliment each other well. Her funnels and months series contains several pieces with tubular extensions reaching from them that she considers to be organs, which function as communication tools between the inner and outer world. Each piece has between 28 -31 funnels, which represent days in the month. I like this new sensoral system which Schaupp has manifested, perhaps leading us to understand some sixth sense.

Brooch: Tentacle creature 2008
Silver, copper, fotoenamel
13,5 x 92, x 4,7 cm

Brooch: Rolling cactus 2009
Silver, copper, fotoenamel, plastic, lava, textiles
7,3 x 6,1 x 3,7 cm

Brooch: Month-brooch 2 2009
Silver, iron, copper, fotoenamel, white agate
15,5 x 14,3 x 3,6 cm

Brooch: Month-brooch 6 2009
Iron, copper, fotoenamel, silver, white agate
11,5 x 9 x 3,9 cm

Book: Month-brooch 5 2009
Iron, copper, fotoenamel, silver
18,8 x 9,8 x 1,2 cm

Brooch: Month-brooch 8 2009
Iron, copper, fotoenamel, plastic, silver
17,5 x 13 x 2,8 cm

RVA

I am always talking about Richmond here in Milwaukee...so just in case you have ever wanted to know what Richmond is all about...Check it out here:

Fever Ray

I saw Fever Ray deliver an amazing performance this weekend in Chicago at the Metro. I really enjoyed how the hand made costumes and technology intersected to give us, the viewer, this other worldly feeling, which is what I believe they were trying to achieve. There was only a short while that Swedish electronic artist Karin Dreijer Andersson (who is also half of the band The Knife) took off her Bison headdress but her remarkable costume, along with all the others in collaboration with all the lasers and smoke was a really interesting spectacle of the mind. Its nice when technology supports artistry like singing and performance, and doesn't hinder it or become the most significant part.

Fire Extinguisher Training!!