[Jewelry making - Article 00023] - [Orchid] Inspirations...

[Karen Goeller]

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Was: Conceptual Jewelry

    OK - I'm taking up Kim's change of direction from the "Conceptual
    Jewelry" thread and renaming it...(thanks, Kim, great idea!) 

    She asked if people would post some of their own ideas of who/what
    is an inspiration to them. Which artists do you admire? What are your
    ideas of conceptual jewelry? 

    Rene Lalique is one of my ongoing main inspirations. His sense of
    flow, use of color, and incorporation of materials that were, for his
    time, truly unique, are all characteristics that make his work
    mesmerizing to me. I was lucky enough to see the Smithsonian
    exhibition of his jewelry work a few years ago. The curators had
    mounted his sketches and developmental work alongside his finished
    pieces, and had organized the work chronologically, which provided a
    wonderful insight into his thought and design processes. I lost the
    catalog I purchased and have been looking for a replacement ever
    since, but it was truly a gem. 

    It's important in my own work that I have one or two conceptual
    pieces at any given time. They may never "sell," but they serve to
    keep me grounded and moving in a specific direction. The work that
    goes into them recharges my design batteries (and my construction
    skills) and pushes me into new directions and aspirations. They also
    act as a "draw" in my booth at fine art shows and as pieces worthy of
    highlighting on postcards or other materials, as conversation
    openers. 

    My own "conceptual pieces" tend to be works that explore scale,
    color, and/or materials in a new way. Perhaps the best example right
    now is my Septarian Amber necklace. It's a lovely and large cab of
    septarian... matrix stone cut from an ammonite fossil, bezel set and
    surrounded by silver vines and leaves with 24K gold keum boo, mounted
    on a necklace of graduated-color faceted amber. The septarian cab,
    although large, looks almost like it's "floating" over the
    surrounding vines, as its attachments to them are hidden or
    disguised. The piece is large... the pendant is about 8" wide and
    3.5" high. However, it's not only wearable, but comfortable and
    surprisingly light. 

    The pendant is also design to be easily detached from the amber
    necklace and mounted in a shadowbox frame as a wall hanging; and then
    amber necklace can be worn separately, as well. Aside from scale, I
    like that none of the components are actually what they seem... the
    piece incorporates mineral, animal, and metal, but the stones aren't
    really stones, the leaves aren't really leaves, and the animals
    aren't really animals; each component is something different than
    what it signifies. That may not matter to anyone but me, but it was
    part of the design exploration that went into the piece. 

    If you're interested, you can see a picture at:
    http://www.nolimitations.com/index.php?action=product&prod_id=36
    (click on the small picture to enlarge it) 

    Now, that's MY conceptual piece... doesn't mean it would be a
    conceptual piece for another artist. Nor do I see it as
    "ground-breaking concept art" in the broader world of art jewelry.
    But for me, it's conceptual. 

    I'm really looking forward to seeing what others share in this
    thread! 

Karen Goeller
www.nolimitations.com
No Limitations Designs
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