"Sorry About That"

If you find yourself on James Street North in Hamilton this Friday (October 10th), keep an eye open for some of my work in the window of Hamilton Jewellers. "Sorry About that" was design by local artist, Andrew McPhail. I constructed it out of sterling wire and chain this past winter.

Ring Reconstruction

I had planned to share more of my school experiences on here shortly after leaving GBC, but just kept procrastinating. Finally, I’m here. I plan to talk about at least a couple of other projects that stood out for me.

This particular ring was not something I made initially, but something I made better in repair class by reconstructing the bezel and polishing the band.

In the “before” photo you can see how poorly the bezel around the stone was made and how banged up the ring was.

The “After” picture shows what the ring looks like now. The bezel is even and the finish is a high polish. I also opened up the back of the setting so the stone shines much more brightly. I'm quite proud of this ring because of the contrast between the before and after.

The Work of Robert K. Chen

I thought it would be interesting to share some of the work of at least one of my classmates from George Brown College. Robert Chen is a graduate of the Jewellery Arts Program at GBC, a program that differs from the one that I took in that it runs a year longer and students have the opportunity to focus on perfecting their design skills as well as their technical skills. The award-winning rings to the left are an example of some of Rob's work.

"My Formula is: 1", a composition of three rings in bronze, sterling silver, and 22k yellow gold, which have been highlighted with colour using a specialized car paint application, won Best in Show for 4th annual Zilberschmuck Art - Jewellery National Juried Exhibition of Canadian Fine Jewellery and Metalwork. For this Exhibition, Canadian jewellers and metalsmiths both professional and jewellery arts students were invited to interpret the term “FORMULA”. This word motivated Rob to make Mercedes-Benz F1 race car inspired rings, the materials referencing firsts, second, and third place winners of Formula 1 racing.

My Etsy Treasury

If you've ever been to etsy.com you would have noticed that there's always a colourful collection of items on the front page. These items are chosen from a bunch of lists that people who frequent the site make called Treasuries. I made a Treasury the other day featuring a few of my favourite Canadian Etsy artists, including a couple from Hamilton and this morning it made it to the front page of the site! It's no longer there, but you can view my treasury here until it expires in about one more day.

Intersession Week

Two weeks back, I had a week off from school. Of course I managed to spend just as much time on campus as I do when my regular classes are in session. I spent a lot of time catching up on work and I also took a mind opening workshop on acrylic plastic taught by the internationally recognized jeweller, Adam Paxon.

The workshop consisted of a little bit of demonstration and a lot of experimentation. Adam taught us about the properties of acrylic and the way it can be shaped and manipulated into interesting forms. I have only ever seen acrylic (in jewellery) as 2D shapes cut out from the material. The idea that it can be bent, stretched, and laminated to create beautiful works of art really excites me and I can't wait to work with it again. The image to the left is an example of some of Adam's work.

Since I don't have much of my own stuff happening right now, I thought I'd show off a few of my favourite items from etsy.com that have been posted by other sellers.

a) nervoussytem's radiolaria lines pendant (white)
I love plastic and can't help but be impressed by everything that the creators of this shop have done. They laser cut polystyrene plastic into interesting shapes. "The pattern displays shifts in direction and scale, creating a sense of movement and tension. These complex forms recall those of radiolarians, plant cells and even the familiar honey comb." This shop also has another similar necklace made up of ellipses in black, but there's something about the crispness of this white piece that appeals to me.

b) ninetailfox's Everybody has to work Sterling Silver Giraffe Ring
This definitely isn't any conventional ring. It rises approximately 1 inch above the wearer's hand, and may not be the most comfortable thing to wear, but it's just too much fun to pass up. I know that if I was having a hard day at work, this giraffe sitting on my finger would cheer me up... after all, "Everyone has work, apparently even giraffes." And the best part, he's wearing a tie.

c) showpony's Bugs - blue purse
This seemingly innocent looking pattern of birds and flowers has a surprise, when you open the folds of the fabric there are bugs and spiders creeping underneath! Many people may also be interested to know that shadowpony uses organic, fair-trade and natural products wherever possible in her shop.