Engraving with Pierce

We had a wonderful engraving course at LOD last weekend. What an inspirational day! Engraving was a really satisfying technique and very direct - like drawing but slower and more controlled.

That's us learning how to sharpen the gravers and how to pick the tool up so that it's held correctly when engraving. Oh and that's my first bit of engraving there.

Corresponding Graphics In Unexpected Places

I've been noticing beautiful graphics all over the place of late and in quite unexpected locations. This little bottle top stood out on this drenched forest trail whilst we were out walking at the weekend. Someone's trash is another's treasure. A little beacon of nice design.

The significance of a dot

The dot can be a symbol for something or someone. One dot or several to represent family members or simply just a pattern?

Buttons and Storm Clouds

I was listening to P3 on Friday whilst working on some Button Necklaces and happened to hear a program hosted by Swedish Musician, Timbuktu. The theme was 'Storm' and it brought with it an unusual and excellent mix of music for daytime radio, which made for several hours happy working.

This necklace was a special commission and a variation to the original design with only three units and a double chain. It needed to be soft and tacile to the touch yet strong and sturdy whilst still holding on to the feel of the first designs. Petronella Eriksson took the top photograph on the street in Stockholm and in the studio it's me behind the lens. Soon I'll be posting the new versions of the Button collection that I've been working on. It just might be in Göteborg and a storm cloud or two in the background. I have a feeling.

The highlight of Friday's program was 'Storm' by Jose Gonzalez which stopped me in my tracks - literally. Files down, micromoter off! If you want to be swept along then click vidare to - http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/.

Göteborg

I moved to Göteborg at the start of the month and have been wanting to share some images of the city and its surroundings. On Saturday we walked through the town and up to a hill overlooking the port and then we drove out to the archipelago as the sun was setting. Bitterly cold, but beautiful images.

I have taken some time off from LOD at the moment to pursue different opportunities in Göteborg. I'll still be a familiar face at the gallery in Stockholm however as a 'vilande medlem' and I'm already I'm looking forward to participating in the up-coming 'Engraving Workshop' in a few weekends time with Pierce Healy. Check out some of his work at this link: http://www.velvetdavinci.com/artist.php?aid=127

Currently I am working on some new collections at studio SJU, http://www.sju7.se/ alongside the talented 'Jewellery Artists' who trained at HDK. It's always really interesting and beneficial to get the chance to work alongside different designers, share opinions and live in new cities. It's all about exploring.

And if you're in Stockholm this week you should take a look at Erik Tidäng's latest exhibition at Gallery LOD.  I had the chance to see the exhibition pieces whilst they were still in progress. Here's a link for those of you who aren't going to be able to swing by the gallery whilst the exhibiton runs http://lodmetallformgivning.blogspot.com/2011/09/delarna-gor-helheten-utstallning-pa-lod.html.

Rainy days and subtle statements

Today I came accross these images from late summer. This oxidised silver ring is one of the thinner versions in this collection.  I have a white version of this ring without stones, which I wear as often as I remember to. It started as a test scenario, to see how the design faired with the trials of everyday life. I grew to like it more with time as it assumed it's own patina of scratches, and brought that little something extra.

The thin band and slight 'easy fit' curve on the inside make it a pretty practical ring, whilst still being that little bit different.

Leaf Earrings

I've been wanting to blog about these earrings for a while. I made these as a special commission just before the summer. It was a lovely project as they were a development from a necklace that I had made for the Spring Exhibition at LOD and they were designed for a wedding.

Long and elegant yet light and airy with a matt white finish. The edges of the earrings were accentuated with a burnished line which captured the light and sparkled, highlighting the graphic design of the leaves with every movement.