Monday, December 31, 2012

Shiny!

Back in the 70's when I was in high school, I had a very good-paying part time job - checker at the Jewel grocery store. I loved that job. It was a chance to get proficient at the cash register and challenge myself to beat my 'best time' in ringing up orders. It was always busy which made the time fly by. It was a chance to talk with customers... many of whom I knew. We had to wear uniforms but I was able to accessorize with extras from the Salvation Army store - beaded shrug sweaters, funky socks, whatever I could find to be artsy and unique. I wore jewelry. Always.

The best part of working was I had no obligations for the money I made. I got to save it and spend it as I pleased. I loved finding jewelry that caught my eye. Back in the 70's it seemed difficult to find highly-polished sterling silver pieces that had reflective edges and planes. It was my goal to find these pieces. I remember finding Italian chains and baubles that were shiny - a true 'find'. Around that time, Native American jewelry came into favor with the 'liquid silver' chains. Those chains were amazing to me. Those were the days when I thought of shiny silver as a beautiful accent in the hot summer sun, worn with blue denim and white linen shirts.

Times have changed and tastes have changed. I still love shiny sterling silver, but mostly love it when it's creases and recesses are patinaed with age. Jewelry that has been worn and worn and passed from one person to another...with it's dings and shine from life's buffing.

As I move into new work, I will make decisions to 'patina or not patina', but first my head will need to get out of my '70's.


Monday, December 24, 2012

Sentimental Jewelry

Whether I'm in my tent at an art fair, behind the counter at Veberod, or selling out of my studio, when dealing with a father looking for a gift for his daughter, I am in the selling groove.

My Dad knew how much I loved jewelry. When traveling, he listened and watched me, often purchasing things for me along the way. Some purchases were surprises, opened up after returning home.

While the jewelry is a 'thing', it represents how thought-full and interested my Dad was in me... interested in my interests. Jewelry is a really great father-daughter connection. We both shared a love of beautiful things and I am sure that's where I got my love and respect for the decorative arts. He was a detail, precision and craftsmanship man.

 Here is a gold rope chain I opened up one Christmas morning. When I burst into tears, he knew he made a fine choice!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Resonance Here... Art and Life

Well, I couldn't have said this more clearly.

"It is human nature to want to exchange ideas, and I believe that, at bottom, every artist wants no more than to tell the world what he has to say. I have sometimes heard painters say that they paint "for themselves": but I think they would soon have painted their fill if they lived on a desert island. The primary purpose of all art forms, whether it’s music, literature, or the visual arts, is to say something to the outside world; in other words, to make a personal thought, a striking idea, an inner emotion perceptible to other people’s senses in such a way that there is no uncertainty about the maker's intentions" - M. C. Escher

 
I believe that we (humans) yearn to connect on a 'soul-ful' level, to reconnect and re-establish our relationships on this Earth. Traveling along on the continuum, we share threads of common experiences that make us feel less alone.

(M. C. Escher at 15
1913)

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Blast From the Past


I had an interesting time at Veberod tonight.

 Mark Lindblom came in to buy some burs. I shook his hand and told him I met him 36 years ago! After graduating from college I moved to Southeast Minneapolis and frequented the shops in Dinkytown. I remember the jewelry I had Mark make (he did ALL the work in his shop back then), and remembered his modest beginnings, "Lindblom's Jewelry". He said I would be amazed at what that has grown into, and that I should visit his new location in Wayzata. I will definately do that soon!

About 35 years ago, Jen Herro gave me a gift of a beautiful pear-shaped garnet, so I had it set into a ring. Here is the ring Mark made for me in 1977 or so, when the price of gold was about $140.35 an ounce. That was back when I wasn't making much money. Jewelry was always a priority evidently!