Hick Party: projects.

Here are some Hick Party project updates. Monday, we had a Hick Party work party and it was nice to see things coming together. My super pink and purple supplies are finished and ready for the Little Girls chair that will be part of the themed chair auction at the Hick Party. I am excited to see how the chair and rest of the items will look together. But for now here is a picture of the crown and wand I made:


Christy Pelland wanted to have some Shot Belt Drink Dispensers for the Hick Party. My handy little sewing machine and I made four lovely belts for the "Shot Belt Team".



Also, posted two new pieces in my etsy shop! Will be posting more new pieces in the week to come.

This weekend I will be working on some orders. My jewelry will be available in two new locations....in next weeks post I'll include where.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tacoma Art Museum - Metal-Urge/Iron Artist

Tomorrow is the Metal-Urge Free Community Festival! The festival will include the third annual artist competition at the Tacoma Art Museum known as Iron Artist Challenge; where you will be able to experience a competitive, real-time art making competition inspired by the "Iron Chef" TV show!



Tacoma Art Museum - Metal-Urge/Iron Artist

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Etoile Boutique: new pieces.

The weather has truly been amazing here in the Northwest. Temperatures lately ranging from 100°F or more in places. I love it!

Earlier this week, I sent out some of the NEW malinka pieces to Etoile Boutique in Orlando, Florida. Etoile Boutique is full of clothing and accessories that are handmade, rare and one of a kind items for men and women---they promote local, handmade and under-the radar designers and artists!

In the Best of Orlando 2009 poll, Etoile Boutique was recently voted:

1st Place Vintage Clothing
1st Place Womens Clothing
1st Place Local Designer
2nd Place Mens Clothing

YAY! Congrats!

Take a look at this awesome BBQ party that will be coming up August 23! The Dirty South BBQ is also a fundraiser & pot luck buffet! Wish I could be there. If you are in the area....head on over!

new malinka pieces.

So the heat wave has started here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm definitely not complaining about this gorgeous weather. This weekend was absolutely wonderful, I got to go raspberry picking again. hehe. Speaking of raspberries... here are the new malinka (raspberry) pieces:


Now there are few MORE choices! Red plastic raspberry earrings with sterling silver that have been given a liver of sulfur patina or perhaps even a necklace. The necklace is also available with the pink plastic berry and the sterling silver has been given a matte finish.

raspberries.

Just a few days ago, I went raspberry picking with my boyfriend and our friend, Mario. I was really excited to go because raspberries are my favorite fruit. So many rows to choose from....


I really liked the wooden stands for the berry pickers. I wanted to take one home, but instead just ended up taking a few pictures.



View of Mountain Rainier in the distance...

Our containers full of raspberries!

Here is a photo of my Malinka (Raspberry)- Earrings, inspired by my favorite fruit. Malinka is the word for raspberry in Polish. These earrings are made with sterling silver and include pink plastic raspberry shapes---fun and playful!

Monday's post will include some photos of NEW malinka pieces!

Hick Party: Little Girls Chair

So here are my super pink and purple supplies for the themed chairs that will be auctioned off at the Hick Party. Definitely not my colors, but I had to think about what a little girl might like. My lovely wand and crown will be part of the Little Girls chair.

Found this fabulous pink foam crown that I am going to decorate!

Stay tuned for the results of this new crafting endeavour. HAHA.

opening reception: Entrance Denied

This past Saturday was the opening reception of Entrance Denied: the Art of the Chastity Belt at Mineral in Tacoma. Three of my fellow University of Washington metalsmithing classmates were showing together and I was definitely excited to see their work!


Entrance Denied: the Art of the Chastity Belt explores the underpinnings of desire through an iconic form - the chastity belt - recast by more than 20 artists.



The following work is a piece by Amy McBride, who is the City of Tacoma’s Arts Administrator and the Metal-URGE Event Organizer. She created Metal-URGE as her first large-scale project for the cultural tourism program, nearly a decade ago.


It was a truly beautiful and hot summer day here in the Pacific Northwest as you can tell from this next picture.


Fanning herself is Naomi Landig, one of my fellow classmates from the University of Washington. She had collaborated with Dorothy Cheng (another classmate) to make Playscale.


Here is a description written by Dorothy Cheng and Naomi Landig of their work:

"The idea of the chastity belt has its origins more in the cultural imagination of Western society than it does in actual practice as a tool for oppression and control. We have sought to explore this myth by placing it in the context of Barbie, another sexualized myth. Here, the chastity belt becomes merely another accessory of the prolifically outfitted Barbie, highlighting the absurdity of sexless but sexualized toy wearing a garment that was originally imagined to prevent the act of sex, but which now is sometimes used in contemporary practice to enhance the experience of it."

The following close-up is of Naomi Landig's pieces: Mod Rivet (upper left), Original Rivet Barbie (on body), and 'Sixties (upper right)


Next image includes pieces by Dorothy Cheng: Confectionery Princess Barbie (lower left), Gothic Spiderweb Barbie (lower right)


This last image is of a piece by my friend, Frederick Park. He had previously told me in earlier conversations the scale of the piece, but I was definitely taken back by the size in person. It was really interesting to see him take on such a large scale, since many of his pieces are composed of mainly just a few (1-3) tagua nuts. While here he included 23 of them! He had dyed the tagua nuts with cherries.


Perfect weather + art= a great summer day!

Tacoma's Third Thursday Artwalk: Nancy Worden Discussion.

Last Thursday was a truly beautiful summer day in the Pacific Northwest and what better way to enjoy it, then to head over to Tacoma's Third Thursday Artwalk. Perfect weather and art!

The Artwalk was first launched in 1989 by a small "dedicated group of artists and gallery owners to help draw more patronage to the downtown arts scene." Each third Thursday of every month from 5-8 pm member galleries have receptions, demonstrations and artists on site. Also, the Museum of Glass and Washington State History Museum have free admission during the artwalk, while the Tacoma Art Museum is free all day.


Last week, the Tacoma Art Museum had a discussion of Nancy Worden's work in connection to her exhibition (Loud Bones: The Jewelry of Nancy Worden) at the museum as well as Metal-URGE. In her discussion (The Mythological Maps of Nancy Worden), Nancy Worden talked about her work and how she was trying to describe moments in her life, which evolved to "her search for the universal threads in the stories of our lives".


After the discussion, we made our way to the gallery to see her work.(However, unfortunately your not able to take pictures in the gallery areas of the museum.)


The Tacoma Art Museum also currently has another jewelry exhibition up, titled "Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection."


Here is a brief description of the exhibition:

"Ornament as Art is the first major exhibition of contemporary jewelry to fully explore its impact as a global art form. Drawing from the highly regarded collection of jewelry expert, gallerist, and educator Helen Williams Drutt English, the exhibition examines the art and design of contemporary jewelry, placing it firmly within the artistic movements of the 20th century."

It was so neat to see such an array of work. I am planning on going back some time soon to take a bit more time to look at this stunning exhibition. If you live in the area or are planning a visit to Tacoma, I definitely recommend seeing the "Ornament as Art" exhibition.

Hick Party.

Today, I wanted to share with you an event that I will be taking part in. Christy Pelland and her husband Shaun are putting together this wonderful Hick Party...


This year it will be a blowout benefit where 100% of all donations go to the American Cancer Society.


They've also come up with an auction which will include themed chairs--- similiar to themed baskets, but with hand decorated chairs that are filled with all kinds of goodies. I will be making a princess tiara and wand for the Lil' Girls Chair (non-metal of course... so this should be very interesting). HAHA. I will also be making the crowns for the winners of the Best Dressed Contest. As well as some hickalicious jewelry for the best dressed lady. HA! I think it will be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to being a part of this cause. I will keep you all posted on my non-metal and metal crafts in the weeks to come.

This weekend is also the opening reception of Entrance Denied at Mineral in Tacoma. Description of gallery show:

"Entrance Denied explores the underpinnings of desire through an iconic form - the chastity belt - recast by more than 20 artists including Carla Grahn, Julia Lowther, Dorothy Cheng, Frederick Park and Naomi Landig. This exhibit is being shown in tandem with The Seven Deadly Sins at Mineral/Gallery 301."

I am looking forward to seeing my friends work! Hope everyone has a great weekend. Ciao!

sneak peek: 80's revisited.

Here are some quick images I took of two different pieces that are part of the 80's revisited series....



Next week's posts will include some more more pictures of other pieces.

Today, I will be heading to Tacoma's Third Thursday Artwalk which includes receptions, exhibitions, lectures, a screening at The Grand Cinema, a live bronze pour at The Bronze Works, and a Native Arts Market/Festival at the History Museum. Everything is free. I think it will be a lot of fun! The Tacoma Art Museum is also having a great Metal-URGE event with Nancy Worden speaking (The Mythological Maps of Nancy Worden).

Here is a description of today's discussion at 6pm from the Tacoma Art Museum website:

"Jewelry artist Nancy Worden will discuss her work and her search for the universal threads in the stories of our lives. Following her lecture she will answer questions in the gallery and sign copies of her exhibition catalogue."

Bolivian food.

Last week, when I was putting together my blog post about my awayo earrings and how my travels to Bolivia have influenced my work. I stumbled upon some photos I had taken of food---more specifically Bolivian food and I'm now definitely craving some. haha. Too bad there really isn't any authentic Bolivian restaurants here in Washington. Here are just a few photos of all the lovely items that can be found at various markets throughout Bolivia:








One of the most common staple foods found throughout various regions of the world is potatoes and the origin of the potatoe is the Andean Mountains of South America. The potato was cultivated more than 6,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, on the border between Perú and Bolivia, where still the greatest diversity of wild species can be found. The Aymara Indians developed over 200 varieties on the Titicaca Plateau at elevations above 10,000 feet.


This photo is of "chuños" or freeze-dried potatoes. Chuño is still produced the same way as it was in the time of the Incas.

The process for making chuño includes spreading the potatoes out on the ground on frosty nights. During the day the potatoes are covered with straw to protect against the burning rays of the sun. This is what causes to the potatoes to be completely white. After exposure to several nights of frost, the potatoes are then trampled by foot to eliminate any remaining moisture the potatoe might have retained as well as to remove the skins. After this, the potatoes are exposed to the cold for two additional nights. This basic freeze-dry process is the starting point for two varieties of chuño: black and white.

I really do think that food is a great way to learn more about the culture, history, and people of a country-- thus I believe you should try everything. And by everything, I mean everything from lamb's brain to tripe. Really....you might be surprised by how delicious some things might taste.



that's me...


Here is one of my favorite Bolivian pastries....


Salteñas! Salteñas are delicious pastries that are filled with your choice of meat: beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spice or very spice sauce. The pastries include green peas, pieces of boiled egg, a black olive, some raisins and a few other ingredients.

Street vendors are another great way to get a feel of what is typically eaten in a certain region.


This is another item I am craving. Don't get me wrong, I have tried making my own anticuchos de corazon or beef hearts here in the states. But these street vendors really have some sort of special secret since they taste so delicious there. Anticuchos can be readily found on streetcarts and street food stalls (anticucheras).


The anticuchos often come with a boiled potato on the end of the skewer...


Tomorrow, I'll get back to some photos of a few of the pieces from the 80's revisited series!