Wood Jewelry Class at Pratt

Jewelry that Grows on Trees
October 17-18, Pratt Fine Arts Center

It was my first time teaching at Pratt and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. All 12 students showed up raring to go, despite Saturday's treacherous downpour.


















Some had experience with wood, others with jewelry, but everyone was pleased to find how well their skills applied to creating wooden jewelry. Check out the gallery below to see some of the amazing work produced in just two short days!


















































Want to hear about the class from a student's POV?

Signs of Life Opening

Signs of Life 2009
Facere Jewelry Art Gallery
October 7-28

Every year the Facere Gallery puts together a show with an interesting twist: each invited artist submits a photo of a major work, which is then is given to a writer to serve as inspiration for a poem, essay, or story. The two are published together in a lovely glossy journal.

The exhibition of the submitted works opened on October 7. A number of the artists and writers showed up for a public presentation beforehand, where we showed slides and read passages from the journal. It was fantastic to meet so many of the participants, to see their work, and to hear the stories read aloud--it really brought the whole project to life!


















My catalog piece was Choros, a necklace made of 11 torsos carved in the classical style. In the accompanying short story, writer Erica Baumeister cannily describes a visit to the Louvre--the very place where I got the idea for this piece.

I also submitted a large maple pendant, Veneer (not shown), that looks sort of abstract but is in fact a portrait of Victoria Beckham's overengineered cleavage, and two brooches depicting cleavage of another kind. I carved the plain version, Low Rise (below, middle), a while ago, after trying in vain to find jeans that were neither matronly nor obscene. Further thoughts on sacral display led to Swallowtail (below, top), which is "tattooed" with a wood-burning tool, and Formline (below, bottom), whose lacquered thong also alludes to the sinuous lines seen on much native Northwest Coast art.