Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Influences ....

I think I have always had a bit of a "thing" for folkart and religious iconography. I love all those sad eyed saints depicted on Russian triptychs. And what is not to love about the beautiful nichos and reliquaries associated with Mexico? Not to mention flowery decorative shrines and the like. I am often drawn to simple symbols like hearts and hands - they have such universal appeal and most cultures relate to them. I also have a propensity for chopping up dollies for their eyes ....It is no surprise then that of late I have been borrowing heavily from all these cultural influences to create my jewellery. I also think that my mind is wandering to Mexico 'cos I have a trip planned there!


The heart with the hand inside it and the heart with the eye are both brooches. I am working on getting better at bezel making. The eye has its own little bezel too. I have used resin to fill both of the brooch bezels. The hand one has tin as a background and in the eye one I used paper. I cut the bezel strips from copper and brass trays but used copper sheet for the backs. There are some vintage rhinestones and earring bits involved too! The heart with the cross is a pendant. I approached this one a little differently - mostly because as it turns out I am a bit impatient about waiting for resin to cure! I still made the bezel from recycled material with a copper back. I added brass stampings top and bottom. The main difference is that instead of resin, I made a heart shaped die and used my homemade hydraulic press to form up some tin to sit inside the bezel. Hence it has that nice domed look. I riveted the cross and heart to the tin before I set it into the bezel. There was a fair amount of fiddling etc because I am not yet very skilled at the whole bezel thing ...Still I am pleased with how they look - and I will keep on persevering with the bezels!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Pop up shop ...


four days to go ...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SueGarrard



Monday, August 26, 2013

Something is afoot ....


Sneak  peek ... Pop up etsy shop happening! Starts Monday 26th August. Five days only. Finishes Friday August 30th.


Friday, August 9, 2013

Flatwear ...

,So the last of my work is installed ... Sooo happy to not have to keep making list so I stay on task and focuse ( that will be enough heckling from the stalls thank you - you know who you are!)  it really didn't take long to set up and I to to some lovely people who were very interested in the provenance of some of the elements in the necklaces. I am not sure how I can remember where all the stuff comes from when I can't even remember to buy milk when I am out but there you go ... Perhaps it is "selective memory syndrome"!



It was tricky to photograph but I guess this gives you an idea of the space. It is a museum-like cabinet in a gallery/shop. Lots of South Australian artists are represented here...

I typed up a little story for each piece. Not sure anyone else will get the reference to the Batty Koda Rap (Fern Gully people aside!) but I was indeed brain-fried by then and there was a bat in the piece - and well,it just kinda happened!

This is all one necklace. It looks great on even if I do say so myself! I am proud that I made a bezel for the dolls eye and the skull! I couldn't do that before I started preparing for this show ... Ah the joys of being a self taught jeweller! That gorgeous turquoise blue chain is some vintage Swarovski that I was lucky enough to get my hands on when an old family business in Adelaide closed its doors.


Detail of one of the bits I made. I cut this cross from an old silver plated coaster and added the little brass Herat. I do love combining different metals...


And the eye. It freaks a lot of people out but I really like the talismanic allure of an eye you can wear! I made the bezel (eyelashes and all!) and mounted it on a vintage teaspoon. Now I am planning to play with some colourful beady stuff for a minute. Some simple threading is just what I need!

Oh and just in case you have a burning desire to discover (or rediscover) The Batty Rap ...

http://youtu.be/XaTFgY8kZcU

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Been a little busy ...

I feel a bit like I have been holed up in my studio for ages ... Well I guess I have been in there a fair bit. August is a busy art month here with a statewide arts festival that I love being a part of. On Sunday my show "BrinyDeep" opened , today I set up a joint display of my jewellery and my daughters papercuts and on Wednesday I have a "mini cabinet" opening at a gallery in the city ...  After that I will be having a little break I reckon! So here are some pics of what has been moving out of my studio ...

Briny Deep set up in a beautiful cellar door, Tscharkes Place, in the Barossa Valley. Great opening, great space and lots of red dots - yay!


Ellen's amazing paper cuts (pics don't really do them justice) and the set up in Nuriootpa. 
Love being busy but I won't be complaining about a little downtime!