Two Roses- John and Corliss Rose

Today we present the interview from John and Corliss Rose-I'm looking forward to meeting them in person at the Yuma Symposium later in February (if you have never been to the symposium you are missing out on a great event...check it out- a wonderful lineup of lectures every year- that , and there's the kitchy wackiness of Yuma itself) 

OK- so here's the interview with "2 Roses"

  

How would you describe what you do as an artist?

Unbridled experimentation. We are driven by “what if” in terms of cross-pollinating metalsmithing technique and jewelry design with materials and methods taken from other disciplines. This had resulted in an extremely eclectic catalog of work as we continue to collaborate with each other and many individuals and companies in and outside of the art/jewelry world.

- What inspires your designs?

Our inspirations are as eclectic as our art. Nature & Biology, Ancient Civilizations, Industrial design, Arms and Armour, Anime, Mechanical movements, Optics, Stage Magic, and Psychology are just a few of the pools we swim in.

- How long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?)

We have both been working artists from childhood. Corliss started working in the arts at age 8. John was a late bloomer, apprenticing at age 12. We have been collaborating for 41 years.

Big Sylph Brooch 01
-SOLD-

Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Industrial Neoprene Cord, Shell, Pearl, Opals

- where are you located?
 We are located in Anaheim California, directly across the street from Disneyland.

-do you have a website or etsy/artfire/1000market etc store?
http://www.2roses.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/2Roses
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2rosesjewelry/

- what other ways do you market your work?(shows, galleries, stores)
We sell primarily through galleries & museums, but we also do select retail craft shows throughout the year as well as selling on-line. Much of our work is commissioned.

- do you teach? if so, where-
We have been involved in teaching the business side of art for many decades. We have been guest lecturers and held seminars at colleges in almost every State in the Union as well as the National University of Mexico and the University of Buenos Aries, Argentina.

- any advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
Get out from behind the bench and get involved in your industry. This is so important for artists at any stage of their career. This is typically the first step in building the contacts to learn how to sell your work.

- where do you envision your work going in the next year? (artistic or business direction)
We are starting to focus more on public advocacy for the arts. This is leading us towards efforts to organize the arts industry much as other business sectors have done long ago. It is clear to us that political action is required to re-establish the arts as an important part of the American educational system and a valued component of American society.


anything else you would like to share? (favorite techniques? any good jokes? you can even put your flickr/twitter/blog links here too)
A lawyer, a doctor and an art jeweler all win a million dollars in the lottery and are interviewed on the evening news.

“What will you do with your winnings?”, the news anchor asks.

The lawyer replies, “I’m going to buy a huge house and a sports car”.

The doctor responds with “I’ll write a big check to charity and take my family on a vacation”.

The art jeweler thinks it over for a moment and says, “I’ll just keep doing craft shows until the money runs out”.


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LOL- thanks for a great interview- (see you at the Yuma Symposium!)
ciao- Maureen

ps- as many of you know it is Tucson Gem show time- I will be running around to some of the shows, taking pics,  meeting some of the Metalsmiths unite members, and running myself ragged..:-)
I'll do my best to keep posting on the FB wall, and hopefully will be able to also get a few blog posts in about the happenings around town-
Any Metalsmiths Unite members who would like to contribute to this blog please feel free to contact me - I'd be happy to have some fresh input!
thanks + happy smithing!
ciao- Maureen BZ

Jill Livengood

In the continuation of our member interviews, today we are meeting Jill Livengood....

"Ring of Fire" bracelet by Jill Livengood

How would you describe what you do as an artist?
I make jewelry combining chainmaille, metalsmithing, semi-precious stones, and whatever else catches my fancy.

how long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?)
I've been making chainmaille for two years. That led me to wire wrapping, which led me to fused chains, which led to metalsmithing. Cuz once you melt metal with fire, there's no going back. :)

where are you located?
I live in Fuquay-Varina, NC - about 20 minutes south of Raleigh (the capital) in roughly the middle of the state.

do you have a website or etsy/artfire/1000market etc store? (list url here)
yep - www.livngoodjewelry.com

what other ways do you market your work?(shows, galleries, stores)
i'm on etsy, artfire, 1km - I also do local handmade/artisan/indie craft markets. One local store carries a few of my pieces, but I hope to get in more this year.

do you teach? if so, where- I teach a monthly chainmaille class for the Raleigh Jewelry Makers Meet Up group: http://www.meetup.com/raleighjewelry/

any advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
Don't be afraid to screw up - you can always send it to a refiner. Play with copper first if you're worried about messing up expensive silver.

where do you envision your work going in the next year? (artistic or business direction)
I hope to bring in more metalsmithing to my work. I have a studio set up now where before it was my kitchen table & sofa.

anything else you would like to share? (favorite techniques? any good jokes? you can even put your flickr/twitter/blog links here too)
My hubby is also a metal artist, but he makes sculptures. http://www.artfire.com/users/metalartbymac

Thanks Jill!

New Flickr pool!

Another one of those things on the "Why haven't I done this before?!" list...
Metalsmiths Unite now has a Flickr Group for photosharing.

 I will be keeping it a closed group for members of Metalsmiths Unite only-
(so please put your name in the group entry request.)

I've set the limit of images at 4 per week- and we'll see how that goes...
if the group page needs adjustments it will happen- but for now I just want to keep it simple
In the future I can envision events like "self portrait day" or "messy bench contest"...for now, let's just free form and put up some pics! (they need not always be metal either- if it is an image that inspires you go right ahead and post that too)

here is the link-
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1311938@N20/

Have fun- please remember to put your name on the membership request!
thanks- Maureen

David Huang- chasing forms

Today's Interview is with David Huang. I met David very briefly at the SNAG Savannah conference, and was struck by how gorgeous his work is, and by his unassuming nature. David's work is beautiful to look at and has a very warm and comforting feel to touch. I'm excited to see the progress on his big project this year (which he explains in this interview) and I hope to have the opportunity to chat again soon!

Name- David Huang

How would you describe what you do as an artist?
My short verbal description is that I make decorative holloware, or decorative vessels. However, I always keep several business cards with different images of my work on me to illustrate the verbal description. For other metalsmiths I can say that I work almost exclusively with raised vessels, often with chased surfaces.

what inspires your designs?
There is no one source for inspiration. Much of it develops from the interaction, or dialog, between the tools, materials, and myself. I watch what happens as a piece develops and each piece usually suggest other variations to explore on later work. I've also found inspiration in such varied things as crop circles, artwork of others, nature, intellectual studies, and viewer responses.

how long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?)
I've been doing raised vessels since about 1996. I began working with metal in high school around 1986 which is when I first found the chasing and repousse technique.

Picture of David's Studio

where are you located?( email if you want to share, or city/town that you live in)
I live just outside of the tiny village of Sand Lake, Michigan (this is not too far from the bigger city of Grand Rapids). My email address is huang@davidhuang.org.

do you have a website ? My website is http://www.davidhuang.org
what other ways do you market your work?(shows, galleries, stores)
I sell the bulk of my work through galleries around the US. On rare occasion I sell a piece to someone contacting me through my website. Oddly, I also must admit I sell a fair amount of work directly to other metalsmiths at conferences or workshops. I was completely surprised by this when it started happening, and still feel deeply honored that others in my field value what I do that much.

do you teach? if so, where- I've started teaching workshops in the last few years for various groups around the US. While I enjoy this I think I am going to have to cut back as it's taking too much time away from the studio work I enjoy most.

any advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
For artistic growth I recommend drawing, and I don't mean drawing your metalwork designs. Personally I like figure drawing, but still life or landscape drawing should work fine too. This sharpens your ability to see, perceive the emotional expression of forms, and fine tune composition skills. In short, you can learn the very subtle details needed to make a work sing much quicker through drawing and then transfer this understanding to the laborious creation of metal objects.

For financial stability needed to make a career as a metalsmith happen I suggest looking into the simple living movement to reduce living expenses while learning what brings fulfillment to YOUR life. (Maureen's note: I Love this comment! it's not about having what you want, it's wanting what you have)

where do you envision your work going in the next year? (artistic or business direction)
Plans for 2010 include an effort to solve the issues that still plague me with my raised and chased figurative vessels. Broadly I plan to push my chased designs into newer, and hopefully better territory. I'm working with another metalsmith, David Barnhill, to develop some raised and chased mokume gane vessels with the idealistic hope of doing something new in this area. However, I am scheduling the bulk of my time for 2010 to what will hopefully be one large masterwork, a vessel raised and heavily chased from a 48 inch disk of copper.

anything else you would like to share? (favorite techniques? any good jokes? you can even put your flickr/twitter/blog links here too)
I suspect times will be quite tough for us financially as metalsmiths in the coming years as societies deal with economic problems, compounded with (or perhaps a result of) the peaking of energy resources, and the "high grading" of raw materials. Personally I foresee a contraction back to more local economies and small scale manufacturing, at which time those of us with skills in "craft" based industries may very well find our abilities in demand. I think it would be wise to really study what may happen and be ready to creatively adapt. Where others may see only strife and collapse we may be able to see opportunities to sculpt a new and wonderful future for all.



www.davidhuang.org

Great interview- thanks David!

Skye Milliken

Today's interview is with Skye Milliken, who is beginning to develop her body of work- Having diverse levels of experience in Metalsmiths Unite! is what makes it a dynamic community-

It's great to see how we develop as artists and the enthusiasm that we have for our craft- at all levels of making- from beginning to almost retirement, I can see the passion for this craft emanating from the responses to these questions!

Name: Skye Milliken
How would you describe what you do as an artist? I have fun! Creating something out of nothing is so liberating. Dedicating time for creativity always makes me feel more grounded.

what inspires your designs? Everything. Because I am new to this, sometimes I am just trying to hone my skills. I become more inspired by every project that I see through to the end.

how long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?) I started metalsmithing last year after taking an introductory course in college. I loved it so much that I made it my major! I have just recently completed the program and continue to work on projects during studio time.

where are you located? Lakewood, CO

any advice for newcomers that you would like to share? Try to grasp the basics first. If you start with complex designs, you may become discouraged.

where do you envision your work going in the next year?  I am excited to get a workshop together and start creating a body of work. Having been so excited to share my stuff with friends, I tend to give pieces away faster than I can make them

Thank you for sharing Skye! we look forward to seeing your workshop develop!

Metalsmiths , Unite!  (ps, my favorite science teacher in High School was named Elenor Milliken- she was awesome, won teacher of the year -nationally- in '84) good memories :-)

- MBZ