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David Secrest is to the manor of craftsmen born. Coming from a family of creative people his father a potter, his mother a painter, his brother Peter now a respected contemporary glass artist - he notes that his training derived from hands on observing and assisting, rather than through formal education. His father and brother Phil built and operated a ceramics studio in New York State, which Secrest considers his primary training ground. His uncle later opened a small gallery and studio in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, where Secrest worked during summers while in high school.... (2004) Complete Story
Visitors to craft shows may know Steven Ford and David Forlano by their company name, CityZenCane, the polymer clay guys, but that doesn't cover all they do. True, they emerged from the world of polymer clay with a highly developed aesthetic, and have only recently considered the conceptual side of jewelry. But their spirit, their constantly evolving designs, and their refusal to coast on a well-earned reputation warrants attention. Ford and Forlano have been making jewelry together since 1988. As sophisticated interpreters of the new idiom of polymer clay.... (2003) Complete Story
The fork that lays to the left of the dinner plate has a rich past, not often enough considered when twirling spaghetti around its tines. Functionally it fills the need to spear and pick up food. Its antecedents were probably the stick and skewer used for cooking over an open fire. Successive ages have decorated and interpreted the fork according to varying views of morality, beauty and manners.... (2002) Complete Story
From early history through modern times, gemstones and jewelry have played a vital role in India's culture. Forget diamonds. An Indian woman's best friend is most likely to be her ruby ring, or the string of pearls her mother gave her for her tenth birthday, or perhaps the giant garnet earrings that have been family heirlooms for over six generations. India's love affair with precious gems dates back thousands of years. It could be said to have reached its peak in the Mughal era.... (2004) Complete Story
Over the past forty years, jewelry making has become increasingly rich and diversified as the time-honored reliance on precious metals and gems has been augmented or even disavowed. After the Second World War, jewelry artists more and more turned to intellectual and artistic concepts as their starting points to provoke a reexamination of the role of jewelry itself as well as of the relationships between maker and wearer. Jewelry artists in northern Europe and the United States led the way, and in Germany, Hermann Junger exerted a strong influence on the development of contemporary jewelry both as an artist and mentor.... (2002) Complete Story
