Current Read

Enameling on Metal by Oppi Untracht, 1971 (first published in 1957).  I love reading vintage jewelry and craft books and even more exciting to me are the period images which are great for inspiration.  Of course I make sure to read current books for advanced techniques and safety measures.  Oppi includes asbestos gloves and an asbestos block in the quipment list which have of course not been available in artist stores for years.

Sketchbook Project 2011

The Art House Co-op received my sketchbook and it has been cataloged and checked into the exhibition.  The sketchbooks will be on display at the Brooklyn Art Library at 103A N. 3rd Street until February 27th at which point they leave for their cross country trek.  The first stop will be Austin, Texas on March 12th.  See the full schedule for an opportunity near you to check out the artist's sketchbooks.

With my sketchbook theme "Science Project Gone Wrong" I explored jewelry design concepts that bordered and crossed into the obscure and odd.  Below are a few of my favorite sketches.

Art Forms of Nature

One of my go to books.  Ernst Haekels' illustrations of bizarre sea creatures is an artist's dream.

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel – born February 16, 1834, died August 9, 1919.  Duplication of his work has been prolific recently as his work is now in public domain.  Ernst was an eminent German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist.  He discovered, documented and named thousands of new species.  His publication Kunstfomen der Natur (Artforms of Nature) included over 100 detailed and colored illustrations of animals and sea creatures.

Reading List

The Ultimate Jeweler's Guide, I checked this out from my local library. Yeah I have a library card!  The instructions were concise, clearly written step by step, easy to follow and great photos.  This one just moved to the top of my Amazon list.

Claude Verlinde, my new favorite artist.  Evocative eye candy. 

Art Nouveau is inspiring me again.  Alphonse Mucha's drawings and jewelry is stunning.

For my love of art and nature, The Painter as Naturalist.

Snow Crystals

Wilson A. Bentley photographed the first snowflake in 1885 with a camera he adapted to a microscope.  He sent 500 of his photographs to the Smithsonian in the early 1900's.  Later 2,400 images were published in his book Snow Crystals.  Along with another several thousand images the belief that no two snowflakes was documented.  You can see several of Mr. Bentley's images in the Smithsonian online archives.

Insect Robots

Elegantly executed using a combination of gears, parts, springs and insects.  Mike Libby has created Insect Lab.  His recently published book touches on his process and includes photos of his finished work.

This one is definitely on my book list.  www.insectlabstudio.com