DeFine Metal and Fiber

I almost forgot to mention I was involved in the DeFine Metal and Fiber exhibition over at Crafthaus. Check it out here.

Here are some of my favorite pieces in the show:Yellow Tutu Brooch, Jill Baker GowerHuman Relationship, Lieun Lee

Felt Ring #4, Dixie Darling

DeFine Metal and Fiber features works that combine metal with fiber or that are made of metal using fiber techniques. These works defy our expectations, showing us how artists are reaching across media boundaries to express themselves.

Participating Artists :
Atticus Adams, Lynette Andreasen, David Choi, Dixie Darling, Joan Dulla, Ashley Ernst, Jill Baker Gower, Vicky T. Hunt, Jieun Lee, Miranda Lark Maher, Tracy McAlister Mackay, Jennifer Moss, Gary Schott, Amanda E. Stark, L.Sue Szabo, Rickson, Laura Wood

Curator- Thea Clark
Thea Clark makes jewelry, combining fibers with metal for the last four years. Her work has exhibited nationally in galleries and museums, as well as at wholesale and retail fine craft shows. She teaches at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ and at the Newark Museum. In 2008 she founded the New Jersey Metal Arts Guild.

Sneak Peek at Charmed

Sharon Massey, store manager at the society for contemporary craft, posted pics of the charmed show on facebook. I wanted to share some of them here since it looks like such a fun show! I SO wish I could see them all in person (and I totally want the whole bracelet!!!)

This is a view of the installation (above) and more info on the show (below).

"Charmed, an exhibition of artist-made charms in the Store at Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh) is available now through March 2010. Forty nationally recognized jewelers created charms in a variety of materials, from silver, gold, and enamel, to silk, plastic, suede, and romance novels. Priced between $20 and $500, you can create a collection of your favorite on a charm bracelet, or wear them individually as a pendant."I love Margaux Lange's Barbie Charms!Check out these mokume gane lovelies by Victoria Altepeter!Raissa BumpLynn BatchelderMelissa Manley Brittany SondbergCute little heart and key charms by my professor, Becky McDonah.

And of course, I love almost everything by Bob Ebendorf, and would die to have either one of these charm bracelets he made with found objects!

If you are in Pittsburgh, go see the show!!!

Something Really New

And scary and big and dirty and smelly! Right now I am working on the biggest unknown still left in my show. That sentence doesn't really make sense does it? Well, I am working on something big for my thesis exhibition, that is really new to me, so I have NO IDEA how it is going to turn out. But for the first time in weeks (okay, maybe months) I got really excited about my show. Its about time! Anyway, I am blacksmithing some chains. Not telling you all what they are for yet, that will be the one surprise I leave. They are going to be big. Or at least big for me. I attempted a few links tonight. I got filthy and smelly and my hands are killing me after only 4 links, but I think I am really going to like these! They are made from 3/8"x1/8" steel strap and each link is just under 2" long.
With only 36 days left to go, I can't wait to be DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naughty Rabbit

Sometimes my rabbit is naughty. He likes to eat our plants. Luckily this one was already dead. Naughty Coppersmith!

Face Lift!!

The Harry Wood Gallery is getting a face lift!! The Harry Wood Gallery is the gallery that all the MFA students at ASU have their thesis show in. Well, after 30 years they finally decided that the gallery needed new walls. Instead of having nasty, pitted, bumpy, ugly walls, there will be fresh, flat, clean walls for my thesis show. Its exciting! In case you ever wondered what 30 years of paint layers looked like, here you go! (Only 39 days until I install my show...!!!)

I almost forgot!!!

A couple of weeks ago my husband found me this anvil on craigslist! He had to drive pretty far to get it (2 hrs each way) but it ended up being totally worth it! He got a great deal on this awesome little 35lb anvil that is in perfect condition. It is made by a guy named Cilff Carroll in Colorado. He didn't think I would be an official metalsmith until I had my very own anvil, and as I am graduating this semester and loosing my studio, he thought it was time I got one. I love it:)

Clamp, Clamp, Clamp!

Working on making displays for my show! I am making round wood risers that will be painted white. They will be for displaying the jewelry pieces that go on pedestals, so that everything won't look so flat. Lots of work to do...!!!

31st Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition

I have a piece in the upcoming 31st Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition at Mesa Art Center. Here is the info for the show, I'd love to see you all there (the opening is this Friday)!

When:
Jan 22 - Mar 14, 2010

Opening Reception: Fri, Jan 22, 2010 (6-8pm)
Where:
Mesa Contemporary Arts

Free and open to the public

"Highlighting the finest in contemporary crafts from around the country, Mesa Contemporary Arts' Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition has become a benchmark for innovation and quality. Representative of traditional craft mediums including ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts, this exhibition showcases 52 artworks by 42 artists from 18 states.

Guest juror for the 31st Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition is Jane Sauer, owner of Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With over 34 years of experience as an artist and arts activist, Sauer is considered an expert in the craft community. "

Plugging Away

Well, in between near nervous breakdowns, I am getting work slowly and surely done for my show. I have finished lots more of the spoons in my "Collection" piece...which is good because I plan on this piece taking up a 12 foot space.
I actually really enjoy making these. They are fun, no pressure and fairly simple. I like that each one feels like a sketch, if I don't like it, it doesn't matter, I just move on to the next one.
They are starting to look really good all together and I think this piece may end up being my favorite one in the show. Which is funny because it is by far the most simple and non technical.
Not sure what that means but it makes me laugh.
Ok....back to work...only 50 more days!

T minus 51 days

My thesis show is in less than 8 weeks.
8 weeks. Eight weeks.
51 days.
That is not a lot of time.

I am constantly pinballing between really excited and totally terrified.
Every single night sleep evades me while I am haunted by questions like, "What if my show is boring?", "What if I don't have enough work?", "What if I don't pass my oral defense?", "What if people come into the gallery and say, 'thats it?'", "What if I can't fill the gallery?????"

There are other fears, but those are the big ones.

There is sooo much to do...and so little time.

My to do list is like 12 miles long. Ugh.

I am so stressed out and tired I can barely handle it. How am I supposed to fill 1600 square feet with small scale metalwork?? It seems impossible.
Sorry for the negativity...I'm just experiencing a little freak out moment. It will pass in 51 days. No more pity parties, I promise. Cross my heart.Okay...well at least none that you guys will get to experience:) Back to work...

Spoon Necklace!

New necklace...made of antique baby spoons, silk and pearls. It fits like a choker.

You may remember these earrings...they were made with the handles from the same baby spoons.

Charmed

I finished my charms for the "Charmed" show at the Society for Contermorary Craft in Pittsburgh. For some reason this project was really, really hard for me! I guess I am pretty happy with how these turned out, but I'd like some more time to explore charms and not be rushed, so maybe I'll come back to this later. Anyway, here are the details for the show:

"Charmed"

an exhibition of artist-made charms and charm bracelets at the

Society for Contemporary Craft

2100 Smallman Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

January 19-February 27, 2010
Other participants include:

Bob Ebendorf
Robert Longyear
Margaux Lange
James Thurman
Jen Townsend
Marlene True
Rob Jackson
Robin Kraft
Ana Lopez
Victoria Altepeter
Mary Hallam Pearse
Kathryn Osgood
Brittany Sondberg
Erica Stankwytch Bailey
Allyson Bone
Vince Pontillo
Adrienne M. Grafton
Lynette Andreason
Bryan Peterson
Tavia Brown
Autumn Brown
Talya Baharal
Tim Lazure
Renee Zettle-Sterling
Colleen Heineman
Rachel Ketzner
Sarah Holden
Stacey Webber
Lynn Batchelder
Raissa Bump
Alissa Lamarre

Tedd McDonah

Becky McDonah

Liz Steiner

Mailing List!

Hello! Want to get mail in March? Who doesn't like mail?! Well, I am currently in the process of putting together a mailing list for my thesis show exhibition announcement postcards. If you'd like one (it doesn't matter if you can't make it to the show) email me your address so I can mail you one!

lynette.andreasen@yahoo.com

Charms

I've been really struggling to come up with an idea for a charm. I was invited to participate in the Charmed show at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh and the deadline is Jan. 15th. We were asked to make 3-5 charms meant for charm bracelets for a Valentines Day timed show at the SCC Store. This is my first attempt at a charm...what do you think?
This is so much harder than I thought it would be!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great new years! I spent mine doing some research. I checked out a bunch of jewelry/metals books from the library. My favorite was "European Spoons Before 1700" by John Emery...I got immersed in that one for hours.

I didn't make any resolutions this year...I can't seem to think about anything but surviving the next two months and making it through my thesis alive. Maybe I'll make resolutions in April:)
Anyway, its a bit late, but Happy New Year to you all!