Wearable Art Blog

Katie Poterala Jewelry

Katie Poterala's work is now on display at Velvet da Vinci's "Monochrome Noir" show that I featured last week. Here are a few of her inventive pieces that may not be in the show.

Gold-Dipped Earrings with "Gigantic" Cubic Zirconia Stones.

Poterala, who currently lives and works in Greenville, South Carolina, did her graduate work at Arizona State University. Her MFA thesis exhibit, "Decadence + Decay", from which many of these pieces are taken, addresses the question: "Which is flawed, this rusty necklace, or your idea of what a necklace should be?"

Brooch of Copper, Powdercoat, and Green Quartz.

Poterala places jewels in unexpected settings, which gives her work a nice edge. I like her more "pretty" pieces, like the earrings and brooch that you see here.

Gold Tone Post Earrings with Coral Glass Beads.

 

Earrings of Copper, Patina, Cement, Synthetic Rubies.




These pieces look "rich" but are actually very affordable. You can see more at Poterala's Etsy site.

Monochrome Noir at Velvet Da Vinci

"Monochrome Noir" recently opened at Velvet Da Vinci and looks like a great show. It's conceptual work built on the color black plus one other color. Besides, the name of the show implies intrigue, kind of like a noirish movie. Here are a few of my favorite pieces.

 

"Berry Alive Cluster" ring by Michael Dale Bernard (Los Angeles, California)

Bernard is a teacher and designer who likes to work with steel, silver, copper, wood and enamel. He uses a polymer paint process called powder coating to create the brilliant colors that you see in this stunning ring. He creates his own 'jewels' without using 'genuine' stones. Bernard is one of the two artists who curated this show.

 

"Claim Brooch" by Sarah Brown

Brown likes to work with materials like metal, bone and found objects that are inspired by nature. To me, this brooch seemed like it could be a stylized fish or insect or maybe even something like a pine cone you'd find on a forest floor.

 

"Black and Blue Dangles" earrings by Kat Cole (Greenville, North Carolina)

Cole's work is in the permanent collection at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City and will be on view in February 2013 as part of a show featuring recent contemporary jewelry acquisitions. The contrast between the bright blue and black works especially well here. 

 

Squiggle Brooch by Leia Zumbro (Greenville, North Carolina)

This brooch is from a collection based on growth patterns found in nature, using hollow forms with repeated patterns. I pinned a gorgeous ring of Zumbro's on my Pinterest page, which was quickly repinned by several people.

 

Ring by Katie Poterala (Greenville, South Carolina)

Poterala often works with textured gold surfaces that she achieves through oxidation to reflect the process of natural decay. I love how the gold blends seamlessly into the black textured surfaces of this funky ring.

 

"Heartbreaking" Neckpiece by Tanel Veenre (Tallinn, Estonia)

Veenre is a favorite of mine, whom I've featured on the Wearable Art Blog. He likes to put together different combinations of materials to great effect. The "Heartbreaking" neckpiece, below, is from his latest collection, United Heart Series. The unusual inverted heart shape and the combination of ribbon, wood, garnets, tourmaline and metal caught my eye.  

There are many wonderful pieces to see from this show. You should check them out for yourself at Velvet Da Vinci.

Also, I'll be showing works by a few of the artists from this show in coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

 

 

A Unique Partnership: Noon Passama Jewelry and Capara Fashion

This post is about a fascinating partnership between a jewlery designer from Thailand and two fashion designers from Holland.

Noon Passama, a Thai designer currently studying in The Netherlands, recently won the 2012 prize for an emerging art jeweler from the Art Jewelry Forum for her unusal collection of chain necklaces.

The necklaces came out of a collaborative project between Passama and Capara, an Antwerp-based clothing line founded by sisters Vera and Olivera Capara. They were part of Capara‘s Spring/Summer 2012 Collection, Favorite Dreams.

"The chain is the classic backbone of the jewelry field," says Art Jewelry Forum Emerging Artist Award juror Marjan Unger. "Everything that matters in a good chain lies in one element and the way it links with its neighbors." Which may help to explain why these deceptively simple looking necklaces snagged the top Art Jewelry Forum prize.

Besides the visual appeal of the neckalces, I'm struck by the collaboration between art jeweler and fashion designers that spawned them. Even though she's just starting her career, Passama favors collaborations. She reached out to Vera and Olivera Capara with the idea of collaboration, and they accepted.

 

At Jewelry Unleashed! The Symposium in the Netherlands in 2012, Passama shared her process for this collection. She started from scratch, basing her ideas on the Capara sisters' description of their collection. Passama began with identifying key words such as color, texture and detail, and then, through a series of drawings, began developing concepts. Once the concepts were ready, she shared and then revised them with input from the Capara sisters.

As it happens, the Capara sisters collaborate with artists to add other objects, such as furniture and art, to their clothing collections. Could this be the beginning of a trend? Does collaboration lead to more innovation? 

What makes Passama so interesting is that after studying industrial design in Bangkok, she went on to study jewelry design in Amsterdam. There, she decided to link her design background to fashion. 

These necklaces are appealing with their interlocking pieces of different sizes, shapes and colors. Who knew that a simple object like chains could be elevated into works of art? 

Passama's work will be exhibited by Gallery Ra at the 2013 Collect International Art Fair in London. In the meantime, you can see more at Noon Passama.

 

 

Knits by Helen Rödel

With winter here, I'm on a bit of a knit kick. Here are some gorgeous knits from Brazilian designer Helen Rödel's Spring-Summer 2013 collection.

I'm a big fan of hers because she designs these very expressive and colorful pieces in small numbers and because she creates them with help from a team of six artisan knitters in her home town of Porto Alegre, where she was born and still lives. 

Rödel, who produces one small collection a year, loves creating 'artisanal' fashion on her own terms and using environmentally and socially sustainable methods.

She says, "I've chosen to work with slow and manual techniques in which the numbers are pretty different from industrial production," reflecting the artist in her. 

Rödel seeks to push the boundaries of the traditional techniques of knitting and crochet that she learned from her mother. You can hear her describe her design philosophy and approach on Vimeo.

I love Rödel's use of bright colors, patterns and overall sensibility. She's doing a great job of creating beautiful fashion in a way that is in line with her values and on her own terms. She's an inspiration to independent designers who want to make their own way in the world of fashion.

Here's a photo of the artist at work.

You can see more from Helen Rödel at Not Just a Label.

 

Amie Louise Plante at RISD

I want to wish all of you very happy holidays and a wonderful 2013.

Here's one more artist I met at the annual RISD Alumni Holiday show in Providence. Amie Louise Plante, who lives and works in nearby Cranston, earned her undergraduate degree in fine arts at RISD and a master's degree in artisanry and metals at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth.

These are a few of my favorite pieces featured on Plante's Etsy store.

Earrings: enamelled silver combined with jade, jasper, and aventurine.

Blue Blossom Dogwood Post Earrings: Metal flowers strung with pearl centers.

Bell-Cluster Jingle Lariat Necklace (Green Enamel): enamelled silver and 18 karat gold are combined with chrysoprase, jade, jasper, peridot.

 

Waterlily Ring: oxidized sterling silver.



Peach Spray Earrings: Peach glass enamel, peach moonstone drops and pink pearls.

Aren't these lovely pieces? Such delicate combinations of stones and enamel and silver, all with beautiful colors and many formed into organic shapes.

Plante will accept commissions on one-of-a-kind pieces and make customized  versions of any item on her site.

You can see more at Amie Louise Plante.