A gift

Bob gifted me this brooch, it was a lovely lil' surprise waiting on my bench. I had given Bob the bone to play with...and play he did!

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That's So Ebendorf

Bob Ebendorf, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor in the Department of Art at East Carolina, has an exhibition currently up at Gallery Loupe in Montclair, NJ.

The title says it all; Bob has such an impact on his students and especially on the field. You can see his influence on so many of his talented former students: Autumn Brown, Jesse Bert, Sharon Massey, Daniel Dicaprio, Marian Sak, Jennifer Wells, Laura Wood....I could go on and on.

Bob is so beloved at ECU; I have the utmost enjoyment of being one of his students. I love it when I get a Bob moment, of sharing methods, ideas and enjoying the moment of creating.

Hope you enjoy viewing his work on my blog and if you're in the Montclair area you should see his work in person!
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Featured Artist: Tara Locklear

Tara herself, in Italy last summer.

If you follow my blog or have read older posts, you'll recognize the name Tara Locklear.

Tara is also an undergraduate student in the metals program at ECU and a friend of mine. We work well together in the undergrad studio; from running the metals guild (Tara is the treasurer), maintaining the studio to coming up with ways to boost income for the guild and students.

Not only is she an awesome guild treasurer but a very talented metalsmith. It's been inspiring watching her work evolve and progress. Her work challenges me to rethink the material and have fun with it. You can see both an elegant lady but also a punk-rock chick wearing her pieces.

Tara loves experimenting with new materials and putting a modern spin on them - especially the look of gemstones, whether it's cast in silver or concrete.

Unbridled Royalty, 2010
(Tara has won several awards for this amazing necklace)

The Lighter Side of Status, 2011

Close up of center pendant.

Pile of Rocks ring, 2011

Cocktail Overload bracelet, 2010

Too Many Coctails ring, 2010

Rings on Deck, I & II (the ring on the left is mine and on the right is Kat Cole's) - from a trade)

Cast in Stone, 20111

From the pieces Tara's turned out within the past 2 years - I can foresee Tara going to some high places.

Stay tuned for details on our combined trunk show along with Sarah West this summer...it'll be kick-ass!

Thank you for reading and Happy Eostre!

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cluster

So for Bob Ebendorf's mixed media class our 2nd assignment was 'cluster' - to create a piece that displays a cluster of objects or found material. Once again, I struggled with what I wanted to use and how to arrange it.

I went back to my beautiful black coral and worked on a chased silver backing. I'm almost done but it's not entirely what I envisioned. That's okay though, as with art, it can change you and where you originally intended it to be.

*Above is a wide shot of some of my classmate and my work that has yet to be completed. Can you spot mine? Pin It

me lucky charms!

Several weeks ago the ECU metals guild held our 5th charms swap (beginning to lose count of how many we've held!). We had a great turnout, with several of the new grad students joining us, along with Ken Bova, visiting metals instructor.
Josh Craig's 'legwarmer/spiculum brooch' below, Sarah West's silver honeycomb and several others I can't remember.A wooden charm and silver nutbolt charm from 2 undergrad metal students.
Mine is below (with the purple and red riveted beads), Tara Locklear's cement and painted jewels along with Ken Bova's fun saw frame.
I really enjoy the charms swaps, it's a great way for us to get away from the studio in a more informal setting and marvel at our different styles. So far I have 4 charms, it's fun to show them off and represent each other. Pin It