First Annual World Champion Belt Buckle Competition

Hey everybody!
There is so much to catch up on. But for now, some eye candy: check out the beautiful buckles in this exhibition put together by Bryan Petersen and Richard Helzer: The First Annual World Champion Belt Buckle Competition. Finally, an exhibition on BUCKLES!!!

20 Questions

I am really excited to be participating in an upcoming exhibition at the

Tempe Center for the Arts:

"So often, the contemporary art realm is faced with the question "What is it?" This exhibition helps the viewer answer that question and embraces the unusual, quirky and off-beat appeal of

artworks that do not always fit into categories such as painting, drawing and sculpture.

Each artist created a site specific installation or environment for the artwork placed in this exhibtion. The TCA worked with artists, creating story lines, questions and conversation topics for audiences. Several types of interactive games are being made available including brochure scavenger hunts for adults, coloring pages and worksheets for children and social media options

such as Twitter, Facebook and online blogs.

The exhibition featues 12 Arizona artists working in a variety of media and themes, playing with the popular game "Twenty Questions"

Participating artists include:

Ron Bimrose, Tempe

Miro Chun, Phoenix

Mitch Fry, Phoenix

Corinne Geertsen, Mesa

Mary Bates Neubauer, Chandler

Kimberly Nikolaev, Chandler

Christy Puetz, Phoenix

Joe Willie Smith, Phoenix

Kaori Takamura, Carefree

Beata Wehr, Tucson

Denise Yaghmourian, Phoenix

I will be posting images of these amazing artists work soon, but for now, check out the links! I have been working on my Nebulae series- it has grown and multiplied and will include around 25 pieces for the exhibition.

If you are in the area, be sure to come by the Tempe Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 23

from 7-9 for the opening reception. Many of the artists will be there! If you have not yet been to the Tempe Center for the Arts, go! It is an absolutely gorgeous building that looks on to Tempe Town Lake, with many art pieces installed on the grounds. The structure actually mimics nearby Hayden Butte, complete with a copper roof.

Stay tuned for more!

NAU Students

For the first time, I have been teaching full time. I'm instructing at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and loving it! The only downside? Workign on my own pieces has taken a major back seat. It rarely happens these days! We have been covering marriage of metals, hollowforming, hydraulic press forming and embossing, enameling, a variety of casting techniques and much more... Here is a small sampling of some of my students work here at the mountain campus:

Erica Lund

Josh Schretenthaler

Lia Sawalqah

Doris Benally

Theresa Wallace

Ben Alonzo

Interested on the happenings in our metals department? Check out the Metals Club Blog!

500 Silver Jewelry Designs

I just recieved my copy of the new Lark Book: 500 Silver Jewelry Designs in the mail! This book contains an image of a belt buckle I created in grad school-part of the series below-and was chosen by juror Talya Baharal.

The image below is included in the book. I am so excited to be a part of this, and have been glued to the pages as this book contains silver designs that are unexpected and manipulate the material (silver) sometimes beyond recognition. Its a page turner, and will be available in stores very soon!

Dynamical Balance

Silver, nickle, holloformed and fabricated, marriage of metals

2009

Yuma 32 Pins

check out some of the beauties i traded for at the yuma symposium:

betsy douglas, ellie richards, james thurman

maureen brusa zappelini

patty smith, mary chang, fred zweig

leon nash- available for sale here

lynette andreasen

already thinking about the pins i'll make for next year! ...and better start making trade pins for snag!!

To Yuma and Back

ok, its been a while. and no, i have not been in yuma this whole time! teaching here at nau keeps me more than busy, and in the studio working less and less. those to-do lists just get longer and longer, and time shorter...

i attended the yuma symposium last weekend, and had a blast catching up with old friends and meeting new. it is so inspiring and refreshing to listen to other artists talk about their work and process. i was able to talk one student into going, and i know he will be attending for years to come. please click on the link to learn more about this great opportunity to listen, learn and meet some amazing people. there is so much more that happens here besides what the symposium has to offer- i highly recommend a trip to the symposium next february!!

michael dale bernard giving a post lecture demonstration of powder coating

the asu gals

my student matagi sorensen and i at the student show

lute's famous "especial" mmmmm

lute's casino- where the pin swap and lots of fun happens

can't wait until next year!

Small Metals, Big Ideas

Check out what the ASU graduate students and faculty are up to on this video about the exhibition Small Metals, Big Ideas showing until November 28th at the Night Gallery in the Tempe Marketplace. Grads, faculty and alumni have work on display. While all the metalwork was created at the ASU metals shop, it is incredibly diverse! Stop by and check it out, or watch the video, which aired on Phoenix' PBS station:

Small Metals, Big Ideas

Craft in Appalachia

Blogging has taken a back seat to teaching and preparing for the Philly Craft Show, but I wanted to share an exhibition that is currently showing at The Slocumb Gallery, at East Tennessee State University. I was invited to be a part of this exhibit, which is showcasing artists who are crafting in Appalachia. Artists that have affiliation with The Appalachain Center for Craft, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and Penland School of Crafts were included. The postcard really has me curious about the exhibition, giving viewers just a glimpse of what they will see at the gallery.

Participating artists:

Victoria Altepeter

Anastasia Azure

Jeanne Whitfield Brady

Linda Darty

Catharine Ellis

Thaddeus Erdahl

Bill Griffith

Lisa Klakulak

Sung-Yeoul Lee

Sarah Perkins

Vince Pitelka

Norm Schulman

Melody Tiemann

Jerilyn Virden

Christine Zoller.

The work ranges all craft media. I am bummed I'm not able to see it in person! A big thank you to Karlota Contreras-Koterbay for organizing and installing the exhibition! I am delighted to be a part of it.

Some of the work I sent away included a tea infuser, a wall piece, a selection of brooches and a selection of a small series of wall pieces:

What I think is so neat about this exhibition is that some of the participating artists are doing more than just exhibiting- there will be a panel discussion following the reception on October 7th, as well as workshops in fibers, ceramics, and metal throughout the week. Wouldn't it be great to be in East Tennessee these days?

August in Flagstaff

Flagstaff in the summertime is quite a treat. That is, if you are unaffected by forest fire, or mudslides caused by torrential monsoon rains. This summer has been especially hard on Flagstaff, but the beauty must be shared! August is especially gorgeous, with the simultaneous bloom of millions of sunflowers and other variety of wildflowers. I live just south of town and am surrounded by National Forest. Thats right, trails that connect to secluded and well traveled lakes, wild animals, and lots of elk! I am loving it. I even have to make hummingbird rescues from time to time when they whiz into our house. Hope you enjoy the views:

Out the backyard after a monsoon.

Lake Mary- just two minutes down the road from my house!

Winston enjoying some fetch in the crystal clear waters of Oak Creek.

Sunflowers-

are EVERYWHERE!

A far off view of the San Francisco Peaks from Lake Mary Road.

The road home! I live a minute off this road, it is such a pleasure to drive to work!

Its Winter Park time!

Last March, I participated in the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival in Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park is a suburb of Orlando, a really pretty town! I The application is now online for anyone interested in showing. Just click on the link! I was selected to exhibit as an emerging artist, and this opportunity is what I am really wanting to share with you all.

It was such a positive experience. The WPSAF has been running a program for many years that helps emerging artists- those who have not had the experience of showing at a larger festival. They pay for your travel to and from the event, put you up in a nice hotel, pay your booth fee, advertise for you in their festival book; even pay for your meals!

This experience allowed me to talk with other artists there, those making a living doing shows like this one. I learned about how to survive on the road, how to set up a booth that will attract attention and is easily packed down for transit. I got so much good advice there. This experience gave me the confidence to apply to the upcoming Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

I will never forget the people I met at this Festival! From the other emerging artists- Richard Auger and Jon Nate Cotterman, to experienced artists like Janine DeCresenzo and Jamie Lampert, what an awesome experience!

Thank you to the folks at Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival once again!

Here, There and Everywhere!

Since finishing up an extremely magical residency at Arrowmont, I have been city hopping! I made my way West again, stopping to be with family and friends in St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, and Phoenix, now I am home again in Flagstaff, Arizona. FINALLY!!In August, I will once again be spending my days at Northern Arizona University. This is the school where I completed my BFA in metals with Joe Cornett. I will be teaching in the Jewelry and Metals department at the School of Performing and Fine Arts. I am very excited, and cannot wait to meet the students and see them through the rest of their journeys as undergraduates. I’ll be teaching five sections of class, including: two advanced techniques courses, casting, a calss that gears students up for their BFA exhibition, and 3-D Design. I have a lot of students! This will be a new experience in so many ways. I am so grateful to have had the Arrowmont experience preceding this as it gave me a chance to reflect and grow as an artist and as a thinker.

The San Francisco Peaks during monsoon season

Though the Jewelry and metals program is scheduled to close in two years, I have high hopes for the future. All in all, I am grateful for the experience to teach on a higher level and affect the lives of the next generations of metalsmiths and makers! (and in Flagstaff, to boot- I love this town!)

Winston takin a breather on the trail

Oh yeah, I have had a new friend with me since leaving Arrowmont! His name is Winston- he’s a two year old pit bull terrier/ Greater Swiss Mountain dog mix. He’s a stud, and keeping me on my toes! Its nice to have a buddy to hike all the trails that are right out my backdoor!

More on Flagstaff and the University to come! Thanks for reading!

2010 Artist in Residence Exhibition

So... I want to finally share some images of the 2010 Artist in Residence Exhibition. Jill Greene, Arrowmont's in-house photographer captured the exhibition and the opening reception for us, and we are so lucky for that! Check out what the Thaddeus Erdahl, Martina Lantin, Kent Perdue and myself were able to accomplish in our eleven months spent in Gatlinburg, Tennessee as resident artists:

The Residents!

Martina Lantin

Kent Perdue

TJ and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stuefer

Thaddeus Erdahl

Me and Martina

Vic

Two of our most favorite people on campus- Darren and Maxine!

Hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of what we worked on. I'll be adding more images to my flickr and crafthaus pages soon! Time is ticking here in East Tennessee, we will be parting ways this weekend... it seems like only a short time ago that we were all meeting each other for the first time on campus at Arrowmont. Next post: where are we headed?

Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show

This year, I finally applied.... I finally did it! And the outcome?

This November, I will be exhibiting in the Philidelphia Museum of Art Craft Show as an Emerging Artist. I am really, really excited! There is so much work to do! Because I participated in the Winter Park Sidewalk Art and Music Festival, I understand a little better than before what it will take to do a good job at this event.

On my checklist:

lighting

back and side walls

jewelry display cases and tables

business cards

packaging

marketing brochures

signage!

and of course, new work!

I have lots to do between now and November 9th! If anybody has advice, I am all ears!

Resident Open Studio

Our days are coming to an end here at Arrowmont, so the residents got together to throw an Open Studio one last time. It was an all day affair, to make sure we could visit with as many people as possible. We grilled, had a fire in the pit, ate good food and laughed. It was awesome to see old students, Arrowmont staff and Board members, and friends.

Thaddeus Erdahl

Martina Lantin

Kent Perdue

This is my studio- and some new work...

An Arrowmont family photo- with Bill Griffith, the Assistant Director here at Arrowmont.... and Zoe- Bill's dog, our mascot! It was a great day. Thanks for coming to visit everybody!

Soon I want to share our resident exhibition with you all. I posted a video Kent made a while back, but I'd like to show photos of the exhibition, and share some of my new work, and where I'm headed next.

Two weeks to go here in the Smoky's, time to get busy art making and trail blazin'!