Warren Feld Jewelry

Taking Jewelry Making Beyond Craft

THE STORY OF JEWELRY: See Kickstarter Campaign

Posted by learntobead on October 22, 2012

A STORY TO WEAR
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1326391752/a-story-to-wear-a-documentary-about-jewelry-histor

I wanted to share this email from the ASJRA about a film project seeking funds on Kickstarter.com.

— Warren

 

FROM ASJRA:

Through a small grant from the Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts (ASJRA) LLC, director Nicolas Cuellar has created a 3-minute “trailer” for what he hopes will become a full documentary on why it is important and fascinating to study the history of jewelry. Some of you got to see it at our conference on October 7.

Whether you are a jewelry lover, collector, artist,  appraiser, dealer, gemologist, auction house, curator, or in the retail jewelry business, this film will help bring education about the world of jewelry to a wider audience and benefit all of us.

The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts will make the completed film available to any jewelry organization that would like to screen it as well as to all college metals/jewelry and art history departments…free of charge. It will also be on the internet for the general public to see.

Please go to www.storytowear.com  and click on the photograph on the home page. This will take you to kickstarter.com where you can view the trailer and help support the film…even the smallest donation can help the filmmakers to reach their goal (even $1 will help) You will also find the rewards that are being offered for donations.

Although you make your pledge which is processed through Amazon.com, the filmmakers do not get a penny (and you are not charged) unless they reach their stated financial goal and they only have 30 days to do it!

The budget for the film will be $50-$70,000 but they are only looking to raise the first $10,000 on kickstarter.com. If they raise more than their goal they will get the full amount (minus the fee kickstarter and Amazon takes for processing the pledges). So please have a look today…the clock is ticking!

 

 

FROM THE PERSPECTUS ON KICKSTARTER:

Studying jewelry is a window into the history of cultures. Jewelry is the most personal of adornments and has signifcance in our lives.
Launched: Oct 21, 2012
Funding ends: Nov 20, 2012
Remind Me

We are creating a documentary film on the study of the history of jewelry. It’s probably something you never thought about but…

Did you know that:

–the earliest known jewelry is 100,000 years old?

–during many wars precious metals were in short demand and jewelry was made of alternative materials?

–the Victorians mounted hummingbird heads as jewelry? And Brazilian beetles?

–many cultures wear jewelry to ward off evil spirits?

–the famed jewelry firm of Cartier bought the townhouse where their headquarters is located in New York City by trading the owner for an incredible necklace of natural pearls? (Natural pearls are rare today since cultured pearls arrived on the scene circa 1900.)

–that diamonds can naturally be found in many colors?

–that in earlier times men wore more jewelry than women?

–that Harry Winston mailed the famed Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute by U.S. Mail? And that it was walked to the White House in a gentleman’s pants pocket for the Shah of Iran to see?

These fascinating facts are just a very small part of what you might learn if you study the history of jewelry. We view jewelry studies as a “window” into the history of the world and a fun way to learn about our own and other cultures.

Jewelry is not only a form of adornment and self-expression, it is a part of one’s family history, and a form of portable wealth. Its ownership is intricately involved in our lives.

And anyone can join in learning…it doesn’t take a lot of specialized knowledge to understand this fascinating subject. If you are interested in fashion, world events, anthropology, art, archaeology—any number of subjects—you can relate to learning about jewelry.

Our personal jewelry does many things—represents the happiest and sometimes the saddest moments in our lives, can signal our achievements, tell others where we went to college, indicates our religious beliefs, and can even relay our sense of fun. It can tell others, without a word, how we view ourselves.

It is so universal that if two women who don’t know each other stand in an elevator one may comment on the other’s jewelry.

The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, LLC (ASJRA) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of jewelry studies. ASJRA takes a broad approach to the subject, seeking to understand and place jewelry within a variety of contexts, including costume, the decorative arts, and fine art among others.

We publish Adornment, the Magazine of Jewelry and Related Arts (a quarterly), an extensive monthly newsletter on everything that is happening in the jewelry world, and organize an annual conference as a forum for curators, historians, researchers, and artists to present new and interesting
information about jewelry.

My co-director Yvonne Markowitz and I also consider it our mission to encourage the inclusion of courses in jewelry history at the college and graduate level for both applied jewelry students and decorative arts majors and provide aid to institutions in that pursuit. It promotes the development of study programs for jewelry design and jewelry history students at museums.

ASJRA is also working to make available previously inaccessible publications and information for educators, researchers, and collectors.

But right now we are, “preaching to the choir.” Our members know how exciting it is to delve into centuries of jewelry lore as well keep an eye on the inventive and unique contemporary jewelry being made today by studio artists and important fine jewelry firms.

This film will help a much wider audience gain an appreciation of how much can be learned and how interesting learning more about jewelry can be.

Documentary film maker Nicolas Cuellar, producer Harris Karlin, and Elyse Zorn Karlin, the co-director of ASJRA, have teamed up to educate the public on the story of jewelry and its place in our lives in the film “A Story to Wear.” We invite you to support this documentary film and get some great rewards to show our appreciation for your donation.

Once the film is completed it will be available to any organization with an interest in jewelry to show to its members, as well as to colleges and universities that have metals’ programs (jewelry making) and art history courses. We will also put it online so the general public can enjoy and learn from it as well. Help us tell the world about a subject that touches all of our lives without us realizing it…think about what your favorite piece of jewelry is and what it means to you!

Nicolas and Harris have extensive credits in the film world and Elyse is a well-known jewelry historian, author, lecturer and freelance curator. Together we will create a film to bring the fascinating world of jewelry to everyone.
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

Our biggest challenge will to keep the film on schedule…we hope to finish by spring or summer 2013. We are going to be working with diverse people to present a balanced story and scheduling them for interviewing with their busy schedules and still manage to shoot in several venues in one city in a short time (we can’t afford to pay the crew for extra days) will be a challenge.

Posted in jewelry collecting, jewelry making | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Pricing And Selling Your Jewelry – Video Class OnLine

Posted by learntobead on October 4, 2012

PRICING AND SELLING YOUR JEWELRY

Our class is now available online at CraftArtEdu.com

Learn how to achieve “fair pricing” for your art with businessman/ artist, Warren Feld. Understand your role in the world of jewelry commerce and how to make money by doing what you love, through fair pricing of your work. No handout is included in this class.

“TODAY’S LESSON IS ABOUT ONE KEY TO SUCCESS: SMART PRICING.

WE DISCUSS WHY JEWELRY SELLS.

WE GO OVER DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRICING STRATEGIES USED BY JEWELRY DESIGNERS AND THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY.

I PRESENT A SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL PRICING FORMULA.

I EXPLAIN THE FORMULA, AND BREAK THIS DOWN INTO LITTLE STEPS.

THEN WE PRACTICE APPLYING THE FORMULA AND PRICING SOME PIECES OF JEWELRY.

AT THE END OF THE LESSON, I DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES AMONG RETAIL, WHOLESALE AND CONSIGNMENT.

I BRIEFLY DISCUSS SOME KEY BUSINESS STRATEGIES WHICH ARE VERY RELATED TO PRICING.

AND I OFFER SOME FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE.

Price: $15
Media: Jewelry
Level: Beginner
Duration: 51:09

Posted in business of craft, jewelry making, Workshops, Classes, Exhibits | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mary Lee Hu – Wire Artist

Posted by learntobead on September 26, 2012

Mary Lee Hu — Wire Artist

Have you ever wondered how far you could push your wire so that it sings?    Mary Lee Hu shows you just how far.

She frames, knits, braids, weaves, shapes wire into wonderful jewelry compositions.

Her textile approach to wire working is captivating.    We can learn alot about how to use wire by studing techniques in fiber, textiles, tablet weaving and basketry.

 

There is also a beautiful book  Knitted, Knotted, Twisted, and Twined: The Jewelry of Mary Lee Hu which celebrates 100 of her designs over the years.

Posted in wire and metal | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Guzel Bakeeva Design – One Artist Take On Bead Embroidered Cabochons

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Guzel Bakeeva Design – One Artist Take On Bead Embroidered Cabochons

I love to explore beautiful jewelry as art.   Guzel Bakeeva uses bead embroidery techniques, and very smart and beautiful stones and found objects in her jewelry.   She often couples this with unexpected arrangements of components.    She seems determined to create pieces which have a combined sexiness and sophistication.

Take a look.

The challenges with bead embroidery are many:
– wearability (often the use of large forms, clustered together, which much take the shape of the body)
– artistic integrity (pieces of art when made, must maintain artistic integrity as worn)
– art vs. craft (avoidance of the reduction of art to craft, because of the materials — particularly the bead as a medium)

 

 

Posted in jewelry design | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Doris Betz – All About The Line

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Doris Betz – All About The Line

 

DORIS:  “My work is above all about the line: how it spreads and the possibilities of its arrangement. The line or the wire describes, through its movement, a space. There are overlaps, knots and different layers. At the same time arise apparently accidental, bizarre, three dimensional images. Plastic stands equally judged beside gold and silver. The pieces live through their lightness and transparency. Glamour and oppositions seek a beauty of their own.”

The “line” can be a frightening thing for a designer.   Once the designer commits to a certain line and its linear or curvalinear passageway, the line has to be managed towards some wearable aesthetic.    Not easy to do.

The line creates a boundary.   It separates one direction from another.   It forces, or at least implores, value judgements.  That is, which side of the line is better, more satisfying, more pleasing, more correct.

The line can also frame.   This sets up an inclusive vs exclusive quality, and recessive vs. forwarding seeking motion, a dimensionality, an encouragement vs. a restriction for movement and direction.

Doris Betz is not afraid of the line.

 

Posted in jewelry design | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Senses and Sensibilities at MAD, NY

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Senses and Sensibilities at Museum of Art and Design, NYC

“In the hands of imaginative craftspeople, jewelry can be more than a visual aesthetic adornment.  Forged out the right materials, it can invoke pleasing experiences in scent, touch, and taste.  This winter join MAD for an afternoon-long, hands-on workshop in constructing jewelry that titillates all the senses.  From using precious metal clay to crafting tactile jewelry, creating works out of sugar glass, and using the 16th-century technique of fashioning herb and spice necklaces, “Senses and Sensibilities: Jewelry Workshops in Sensory Materials” enables everyone to try their hand working with new  materials and techniques to create their very own sensory-expanding wearable wonder.”

This is a fun and imaginative exhibit of contemporary jewelry.

Herb and Spice Necklaces with Caroline Mak

 

 

Precious Metal Clay with Max Goodman

 

 

 

 

Posted in jewelry design | Leave a Comment »

Hanging Around – Jewelry From Recent Exhibit At MAD in NY

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Hanging Around – Jewelry From Recent Exhibit At MAD in NY

“The unique works on display in Hanging Around are from the Museum of Arts and Design’s jewelry collection. Dating from the 1960s to the present, these artistic creations encompass conceptual approaches ranging from the decorative to the provocatively political. Some of the necklaces on view feature precious metals and rare gemstones, but others derive their impact from materials as unconventional as pig intestines, gun triggers, mustard seeds, LED lighting, black coral, butterfly wings, phone directories, mirrors and lenses. The fabrication techniques employed by the artists are as different as traditional goldsmithing and cutting-edge digital prototyping.”

What do you think?

Liv Blåvarp, Untitled, 2002

 

 

Nancy Worden, The Seven Deadly Sins, 1994

 

Verena Sieber-Fuchs, Apart-heid, 1988

 

Marjorie Schick

 

Tory Hughes, Armillary,1992
polymer, steel, glass, brass, silver, mustard seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in jewelry design | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Contemporary Pieces Using Gemstones From Margaret De Patta Collection

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Contemporary Pieces Using Gemstones From Margaret De Patta Collection

The Velvet Davinci Gallery in San Francisco held an exhibit of contemporary jewelry artists creating new jewelry with old stones.

“The De Patta Project was born when Velvet da Vinci purchased many of these unset stones from the estate of Margaret De Patta. There are some beautiful cut stones by Francis J. Sperisen, cabochon stones and beach pebbles found by De Patta. De Patta’s nontradtional use of gemstones and non-precious pebbles are key to the understanding the importance of her influence on the field of contemporary jewelry. ”

Jewelers represented in this exhibit:

Deborah Boskin

Petra Class

Sandra Enterline

Geoffrey Giles

 

Joanna Gollberg

April Higashi

Tom Hill

Mike Homes

Dave Jones

Terri Logan

Deb Lozier

Maja

Dawn Nakanishi

Brigid O’hanrahan

Julia Turner

Andrea Williams

 

It is difficult, when creating jewelry for an exhibit celebrating the work of an historical figure, to decide the best balance among:

– referent and reference to the past, both in terms of De Patta’s jewelry style, as well as the overall modernist aesthetic.
– showcasing your own personal style
– demonstrating a sense of what contemporary style means today
– showcasing the gemstones used

It’s useful to explore these artists’ other work you can see images online, to get a better sense of the artist, as well as a better sense of De Patta.

 

Posted in jewelry design | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Margaret De Patta

Posted by learntobead on September 13, 2012

Margaret De Patta Jewelry
(1903 – 1964)


From about 1939, Margaret De Patta was a major designer in American Contemporary Jewelry history, perhaps one of the major influential forces during her time. She was a founding member of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild.  She is often credited as starting the modern jewelry studio movement.

Her pieces epitomize her use of simple lines and structure. There is a strong architectural sense.   You can see clear connections to the cubist and modern art and bauhaus and modernist architecturer prominent at the time.

She characterized her pieces as miniature wearable sculptures, and in reaction to the prevailing view of  jewelry merely as body ornament.   Her use of line demarcates boundaries, creates a sense of dimensional space, frames elements within her pieces.

 

De Patta envisioned a piece of jewelry as a dynamic object capable of changing perceptions of space and movement by creating reflections, optical illusions, and unexpected alterations of light.

 

It is interesting to look at her jewelry designs, and think about contemporary design today, the similarities and differences.

 

Posted in jewelry design | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

CONTEMPORIZING TRADITIONAL JEWELRY: ETRUSCAN COLLAR

Posted by learntobead on September 6, 2012

BE DAZZLED BEADS: WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

Create a sophisticated, contemporary Etruscan-style collar!
Layer two Ndebele stitched strips, slightly curving the interior edge and embellishing
with chain.

ETRUSCAN COLLAR WORKSHOP

Instructor: Warren Feld
at Be Dazzled Beads, 718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN 37204

Sat, 11/3, Noon-5pm
Register by phone (615)-292-0610, or in-person

(REGISTRATION CLOSES: 10/15/12)


($35.00 fee + Kit $160.00 + Upgrade Option) (deposit = $195.00 + Upgrade Option)
Kit at $160.00 includes gold plated clasp, chain and findings.

UPGRADE OPTIONS 

#1: 14KT CLASP and GOLD FILLED CHAIN Chain For Embellishment
ADD + $884.00

#2: STERLING SILVER CLASP and STERLING SILVER CHAIN For Embellishment
ADD + $148.00

#3: GOLD FILLED CLASP and GOLD FILLED CHAIN for Embellishment
ADD + $165.00

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Bead weaving is a collection of hundreds of different stitching techniques and
strategies for creating pieces that approximate a piece of cloth.

The Ndebele stitch, sometimes called Herringbone Stitch, is a loose-knit stitch that lends itself
to many creative variations. It results in a herringbone pattern, or zig-zag effect.

This Etruscan Collar Necklace consists of two overlapping strips of Ndebele Stitch, a chain embellishment, and an attached choker clasp. The strips are overlapped so that they curve slightly
along the inner edge.The challenge, here for me, was to create a sophisticated, wearable, and attractive piece that exemplified concepts about contemporizing traditional jewelry. There is considerable artistry and craftsmanship underlying Etruscan jewelry. I began to interpret and analyze this piece. I first broke it down in terms of its Traditional Components.

Contemporizing Traditional Jewelry has to do with how you take these particular traditional forms and techniques, and both add your personal style to the pieces, as well as make them more relevant to today’s sense of fashion and style. The challenge for the designer is how to keep traditional ideas essential and alive for today’s audience.

Part of the artistry of the jewelry designer has to do with the control over color. Picking colors
is about making strategic choices. And picking Bead Colors is about understanding how the bead asserts its needs for color.The jewelry designer must be strategic in the placement of color within the piece. The designer achieves balance and harmony, partly through the placement of colors. The designer determines how colors are distributed within the piece, and what movement and rhythm and effect result. And the designer determines what proportions of each color are used,
where in the piece, and how. One set of color-theories, widely used in our Etruscan Collar, employed to make these kinds of choices have to do with Simultaneity Effects. Colors in the presence of other colors get perceived differently, depending on the color combination.

What You Will Learn:
– Creating a design-plan for a layered bead woven necklace collar
– Strategically selecting a color palette, especially in reference to “simultaneity effects”
– Implementing the Ndebele Stitch using a 4mm cube and two 2mm beads to create two strips which will later overlap
– Reinforcing the Ndebele strips
– Attaching and assembling two layers of Ndebele Stitched strips using a hybrid brick stitch/ndebele stitch technique
– Weaving in a decorative chain element along the inner boundaries of the piece, using a bookbinding stitch
– Attaching a choker clasp assembly
– Some ideas about what it means to “contemporize” a traditional piece
of jewelry

Prerequisites:
– Orientation To Beads & Jewelry Findings
– Introductory Knowledge of Ndebele stitch
– An intermediate level knowledge of and experience with bead weaving

Kit Contents:
– Step by Step instructions with text, diagrams and images
– 4mm Miyuki glass cube beads, 11/0 seed beads or 11/0 delicas or 1.8mm cubes
– Swarovski crystal Series 5000 round beads, 2mm
– gold plated cable chain
– gold plated adjustable hook/eye choker clasp
– FireLine cable thread, size D
– 4ea of size #10 and size #12 beading needles
– bees wax
– Plastic case with tight lid for carrying these supplies

 

THE PALETTES:

LOOK N’SEE: http://www.warrenfeldjewelry.com/ecollar.htm

 1. Spectrum Gold

2. Brilliant Gold

3. Teal Terra/Antique Rose

4. Antique Amethyst/Sage Green


5. Antique Rose/Terra Cotta


ABOUT WARREN FELD

warrenfeldjewelry.com

The Design Perspective is the driving force that defines Warren Feld as a jewelry artist. Whether creating jewelry, teaching students theory and application, or helping jewelry and beading artists
establish themselves in business – the focus always comes back to how best to make functional, materials and aesthetic choices and tradeoffs.

Warren’s jewelry designs are characterized by multi-method approaches, intricate plays of color, contemporary adaptations of traditional pieces, and experimentation. He is adept at bead weaving, bead stringing, wire working and silver smithing. He works to bring senses of movement, dimension and sensuality to his pieces. Pieces must be both beautiful and wearable, concurrently meeting
the needs of wearer, viewer and designer alike.

In 2000, Warren founded The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts, an educational program in Nashville, TN. In 2008, “Canyon Sunrise” necklace was selected as Finalist, 4th Place, SWAROVSKI’s Be Naturally Inspired Contest. “Little Tapestries/Ghindia” — was juried into SHOWCASE 500 BEADED
JEWELRY, Lark Publications, 2012. He is writing a jewelry design series entitled “How To Bead A Rogue Elephant.” Owner, Be Dazzled Beads, and Land of Odds (www.landofodds.com). Director, Jewelry Design Camp. Warren’s pieces are available for purchase at The Open Window Gallery, or online at www.warrenfeldjewelry.com.

Administers three international contests: The Ugly Necklace, All Dolled Up-Beaded
Art Dolls, and Illustrative Beader-Beaded Tapestries.

He is working to bring the CBJA curriculum online as LearnToBead.net.

Be Dazzled Beads is located in the Berry Hill section of Nashville, Tennessee. It is 3 miles south
of downtown, off of I-65.

Lunch Options:

The workshop will take a break for lunch. Within easy walking distance are these lunch places:

Applebees
The Yellow Porch
Sam & Zoes
Baja Burrito
Subway
Kebab Gyro Shop
Pizza Hut
Wendy’s
Calypso Cafe
Pfunky Griddle
Firehouse Subs
Logans Steak House
Monell’s
Jersey Mikes
Cheeseburger Charlies
Einstein Bagel
Panda Express
Panera’s Bread Company

Lodging:
If you are coming from out of town, the closest motels are
La Quinta Inn (Sidco Drive near Harding Place and I-65)
Red Roof Inn (Sidco Drive near Hading Place and I-65)

There are additional motels 1 exit further south on I-65 on Old Hickory Blvd in Brentwood.

JEWELRY
DESIGN CAMP 

October 2013

Session
I: Contemporizing Traditional Etruscan Jewelry

Sun,
10/6/13 thru Sat, 10/12/13

Session
II: Fringe, Edge, Strap, Bail, Surface Embellishment in Jewelry — Art
or Not?

Sun,
10/13/13 thru Sat, 10/19/13

 Immerse
yourself into a week-long study of jewelry design theories, and their
applications and manipulations with various materials, techniques and
strategies.
CENTER
FOR BEADWORK & JEWELRY ARTS
WARREN
FELD JEWELRY
BE
DAZZLED BEADS

 

Posted in beadwork, jewelry design | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Posted by learntobead on August 9, 2012

PRESS RELEASE: 8/9/12

CALL FOR ENTRIES:
ALL DOLLED UP: BEADED ART DOLL COMPETITION
Sponsors: Land of Odds, Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts, Be Dazzled Beads
Deadline: 8/31/13
Contact:
Warren Feld
warren@landofodds.com
615-292-0610

ALL DOLLED UP:
Beaded Art Doll Competition
This Year’s Theme:  Transformations

Call for Entries.

Land of Odds (http://www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup.htm) announces its fifth 2013 All Dolled Up: Beaded Art Doll Competition.   Entries accepted between September 1, 2012 and August 31st, 2013.

Create a Beaded Art Doll by manipulating beads and forms into an imaginative tactile and visual 3-dimensional representation of this year’s theme:   TRANSFORMATIONS.

And then write a Short Story (between 1000-2000 words) about your Beaded Art Doll, what it represents, and how it was created, starting with the sentence:

“As she turns towards me, her hands no longer seem familiar;
her face, once recognizable, now unexpected;
her aura, a palette of changed colors,
I want to share, but can’t all at once.
She is transforming, before my eyes, as if I wished it to happen,
for whatever reason — fun, mundane or sinister — I’m not sure.
But as she moves and evolves, a special insight occurs to me,
so I name her… “

 

The 2013 ALL DOLLED UP:  BEADED ART DOLL COMPETITION is offering a first prize of a $1000.00 shopping spree on the Land of Odds web-site (http://www.landofodds.com), and a Runner-Up prize of a $400.00 shopping spree on the web-site.

Entries will be judged by a panel from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts.

A Beaded Art Doll is a physical representation in three dimensions, using human figural and expressive characteristics, through the creative use and manipulation of beads.    Beaded Art Dolls submitted as entries for this competition should be immediately recognizable as a “Doll” as defined above.

That said, Beaded Art Dolls submitted as entries for this competition may be realistic, surrealistic, whimsical or imaginary.    They may be humanistic, animalistic, caricatures, cartoons, impressions or abstractions.   The doll may take many forms, including a figure, purse, box, vessel, puppet, marionette, or pop-up figure.

Beaded Art Dolls should be between 8” and 36” in size.   They must be at least 80% composed of beads.

The doll’s internal form and structure may result from many techniques, materials and strategies.   The bead stitches themselves might be used to create the skeletal structure.   Various forms of cloth dolls might be stitched or embellished with beads.   The underlying structure might be made of polymer clay, wood, ceramic, porcelain, Styrofoam, wire, corn husk, basket weaving, yarns, cardboard, paper, cotton, or some combination of materials.   It might be a found form or object.

The Artist is given wide leeway in techniques for how the doll is to be beaded, and may use one particular technique or several.   Techniques, for example, may include bead weaving stitches, bead embellishment, bead appliqué, bead knitting, bead crochet, bead embroidery, lampworking.  These should NOT include the application of rhinestones, sequins, nailheads or studs.   The beads may be of any size, shape, color and material.

The Artist may include a doll stand or display support with the Art Doll, though this is not a requirement.   This stand or support may be an off-the-shelf piece, or created from scratch by the Artist.   It may be a base, a created setting, a decorative box, or frame.  The stand or display support need not be beaded.

The Artist may interpret and apply the theme “Transformations” any way she or he chooses.    The Beaded Art Doll might be thought of as a plaything; or a visual representation of a person, feeling, spirit or thing; or a tool for teaching; or a method for stimulating emotional development or healing.    As an object of art, the goal of the Doll should be to make a statement, evoking an emotional, cultural or social response, either by the Artist her/himself or by others.    The Doll must be an original work, and may be the work of one Artist or a Collaboration.

ALL DOLLED UP:  BEADED ART DOLL COMPETITION is more than a beauty pageant.   It is a design competition.  The Competition will take into account the Artist’s intentions and how well these are incorporated into the design.

Enter to Win!

 

 

Land of Odds, home of the annual ALL DOLLED UP:  BEADED ART DOLL COMPETITION.  Visit www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup.htm to review the Official Rules.   Land of Odds provides doll, bead and jewelry making artists with virtually all their beads, supplies, books and jewelry findings needs, with over 30,000 products.  Retail/Discounts/Wholesale.

 

Posted in beadwork, Contests | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Posted by learntobead on July 3, 2012

PRESS RELEASE:  7/3/12
Winner and Runner-Up Announced
2012 The Ugly Necklace Contest!
– A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist

 

 

And the Winner is…..

 

 

Land of Odds, Be Dazzled Beads, The Open Window Gallery, and The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts are proud to announce the Winner and Runner-Up in this year’s The Ugly Necklace Contest, 2012!

 

The Winner of The Ugly Necklace Contest – the Jewelry Designer who demonstrated exceptional jewelry design skills by creating The Ugliest Necklace in the America and the rest of the World in the year 2012, and the winner of a $992.93 shopping spree on the Land of Odds web-site  (www.landofodds.com) is :

 

Joan Veres
Norwood, NY
“From My Garden Of The Sea Rim”

 

The Runner-Up in The Ugly Necklace Contest — the Jewelry Designer who also displayed obvious design talents by creating the 2nd Ugliest Necklace in America and the rest of the World in the year 2012, and the winner of a $399.07 shopping spree on the Land of Odds web-site  is:

 

Pamela Orians
Zanesville, OH
“From My Garden Of Fun”
 

 

 

 

 

It’s not easy doing Ugly!

 

So our hats are off, and we offer loud applause to Joan Veres and Pamela Orians.   These beadwork and jewelry artists have demonstrated their commendable design skills. They have been judged, from among 17 entrants from across America, Dubai, Great Britain, and South Korea, by a distinguished panel of four judges from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, and voted on by visitors to the Land of Odds web-site.

 

It’s difficult to design an ugly piece of jewelry because your mind and your eye won’t let you go there.    As research into color and design has shown, your eye compensates for imbalances in color or design component relationships – it tries to correct and harmonize them.   You are pre-wired to subconsciously avoid anything that is disorienting, disturbing or distracting.   

 

To view additional images of the necklaces submitted by the winner, runner up and the other semi-finalists of The Ugly Necklace Contest, please visit us here on-line.

 

And if you are in the Nashville area, please stop by Be Dazzled Beads, where the 8 selected Ugly Necklaces are on display through September 15th.

 

Posted in Contests, jewelry design | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

LARK PUBLICATIONS: Call For Entries

Posted by learntobead on June 10, 2012

LARK PUBLICATIONS
CALL FOR ENTRIES
8/1/2012 deadline
I received the following email from Ray Hemachandra of Lark Publications. They are
requesting submissions to possible be included ina book to be published called Showcase
500 Necklaces. -- Warren
"I'm pleased to announce a two-month call for entries for a new 500 Series gallery book of handmade contemporary jewelry from Lark Books: Showcase 500 Necklaces. The opportunity closes on August 1, 2012. That is a short window of time, so I ask you please to share the call for entries promptly with your entire jewelry-making community, including peers, associations, schools, students, and all online forums as well as social media like Twitter and Facebook, and to respond to it yourself in a timely way. As always, we hope to receive a wide array of entries from around the world. I'm also pleased to report Lark has converted to using an online entry system; entries are now online only, through a portal provided by Juried Art Services. Here is the link for the informational prospectus and to enter: http://bit.ly/NmsmQm


You'll find all the information you need at that link, so please follow the instructions carefully, but here are some key points: We'll accept jewelry in all materials with all techniques and design styles, including both wearable and conceptual but biasing toward the wearable, simply because most readers prefer seeing wearable jewelry in these books. Jurying will favor more recent work, and so we ask you to submit very recent or current work from no earlier than 2010. The submission limit is two pieces (one photo of each, with an option of one or two alternate or detail photos per piece). 'Necklaces' can include neckpieces, chokers, torques, collars, operas, ropes, chains, bibs, etc. There is no charge for entry for this book; Lark is covering the Juried Art Services cost. We strongly prefer work that has not been previously published in book form. The JAS form will walk you through the process, but a few notes: 1. No need to complete the Artist Statement section. 2. Please read and follow Lark's Digital Image Submission Guidelines. 3. We encourage early entries, especially to avoid having any last-minute difficulties with the new entry process: Complete the process ahead of the deadline so you're assured of having time to resolve any technical issues you might encounter. For questions about registering with Juried Art Services or uploading your material to the site, contact support@jurying.net. For other questions about the book, please direct them to Hannah Doyle at hannah@larkbooks.com. And please be sure to join Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LarkJewelryBeading for updates and future calls for entries. We invite you to copy the web ad for the book at http://www.larkcrafts.com/submit/calls-for-submissions/ for your own website or blog, or to share it on your Facebook page, linking either to that link or to the JAS page at http://bit.ly/NmsmQm, whichever you prefer. We are very excited about this book, the third jewelry book since the 500 series evolved into 'Showcase 500'. Showcase 500 Rings (http://amzn.to/yEERZm ) just published in May, and Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry (http://amzn.to/z6tZH2) will publish in August. We know Showcase 500 Necklaces will be a book devoted to work of creative excellence and innovation, and we invite and welcome your contribution to the book. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Ray Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/LarkJewelryBeading Follow us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/larkjewelry Ray Hemachandra Team Lead and Business Manager Lark Jewelry & Beading 67 Broadway Asheville, North Carolina 28801 (828) 253-0467 ext. 762 ray@larkbooks.com
http://www.larkcrafts.com/jewelry-beading"

Posted in bead weaving, beads, beadwork, jewelry design, jewelry making | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Posted by learntobead on May 30, 2012

PRESS RELEASE –5/31/12
TOPIC:

OnLine Voting Begins!
9th International 2012 The Ugly Necklace Contest
– A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist

Eight Jewelry Artists from around the world have been selected as Semi-Finalists of The 9th International 2012 The Ugly Necklace Contest – A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist, by a panel of four judges from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts and Land of Odds.

Vote Online for your favorites, and help determine who will win the Grand Prize – a $992.93 shopping spree on the Land of Odds web-site (http://www.landofodds.com). Runner Up Prize: $399.07 shopping spree. Voting Ends June 30th, 2012

More details and images on-line at:
http://www.landofodds.com/store/ugly9contest.htm

 

Our 2012 Semi-Finalists Announced:

Nivya Raju, Dubai, United Arab Emerates


Juli Brown, Wells, Minnesota
 

Joan Veres, Norwood, New York
 

 


Corrine Zephier, Kyle, South Dakota

Lynn Margaret Davy, Dorset, United Kingdom
 

 

 

 


Pamela Orians, Zanesville, Ohio
 

 

 


Quisha Saunders, Atlanta, Georgia

 


Brenda Donaldson, Mesa, Arizona

 

 

Synopsis:
It’s not easy to do Ugly!

So the many jewelry designers from across America and around the Globe who entered our 9th International 2012 The Ugly Necklace Contest — A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist , found this contest especially challenging. After all, your brain is pre-wired to avoid and reject things which are ugly. Think of snakes and spiders. And even if you start your necklace with a bunch of ugly pieces, once you organize them into a circle, the very nature of an ordered round form makes it difficult to achieve Ugly. Yes, “Ugly” is easier said than done.
Who will win? We need the public’s help to influence our panel of judges.

Our respected judges evaluated these creatively-designed pieces in terms of hideousness, use of materials and clasp, the number of jewelry design principles violated, and the designer’s artistic control. Extra points were awarded for artists’ use of smaller beads, because it’s much more difficult to do Ugly with these.

Now it’s time for America and the World to help finalize the decision about which of these 8 semi-finalists’ Ugly Necklaces to vote for. The winner will truly be an exceptional jewelry designer. The losers….well….this isn’t a contest where you really can “lose”.

Come see these and the other semi-finalists’ pieces at www.landofodds.com, and vote your choice for the Ugliest Necklace, 2012.

And if you are in the Nashville, Tennessee area, please stop by The Open Windows Gallery (fine art jewelry) at Be Dazzled Beads, where the 8 semi-finalists’ Ugly Necklaces are on display through September 15, 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
LAND OF ODDS
Attention: Warren Feld
www.landofodds.com
718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN 37204
Phone: 615-292-0610; Fax: 615-460-7001
Email: warren@landofodds.com

ABOUT UGLY NECKLACES

The UGLY NECKLACE CONTEST (www.landofodds.com/store/uglynecklace.htm) is a jewelry design competition with a twist. The contest presents a challenge not often tackled — at least intentionally. The contest draws the jewelry designer into an alternative universe where beautiful artists create ugly necklaces. It’s not easy to do.

“Ugly” is more involved than simple surface treatment. It is not just laying out a bunch of ugly parts into a circle. It turns out that “Ugly” is something more than that. “Ugly” is the result of the interplay among Designer, Wearer, and Viewer. “Ugly” is very much a result of how a necklace is designed and constructed. “Ugly” is something the viewer actively tries to avoid and move away from. “Ugly” has deep-rooted psychological, cognitive, perceptual, sociological and anthropological functions and purposes.

As research into color and design has shown, your eye and brain compensate for imbalances in color or in the positioning of pieces and objects – they try to correct and harmonize them. They try to neutralize anything out of place or not quite right. You are pre-wired to subconsciously avoid anything that is disorienting, disturbing or distracting. Your mind and eye won’t let you go here. This is considered part of the fear response, where your brain actively attempts to avoid things like snakes and spiders…. and ugly necklaces.

This means that jewelry designers, if they are to create beautiful, wearable art, have to be more deeply involved with their pieces beyond “surface”. Or their pieces will be less successful, thus less beautiful, thus more disturbing or distracting or disorienting, thus more Ugly.  Luckily, for the jewelry designer, we are pre-wired to avoid these negative things. This makes it easier to end up with pieces that look good. Beauty, in some sense, then, is very intuitive. On the other hand, it makes it more difficult to end up with pieces that look bad. You see, Ugly goes against our nature. It’s hard to do.

The Ugly Necklace Contest is one of the many programs at The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, that encourage beadwork and jewelry makers to test their design skills, have fun, and learn some fundamentals about jewelry design in the process.
To add your name to our email list associated with The Ugly Necklace Contest,
send an email to: oddsian@landofodds.com
and Write “Ugly Necklace Email List” in the subject line.
Sponsors:
Land of Odds www.landofodds.com,
Phone: 615-292-0610; Email :warren@landofodds.com
Land of Odds provides bead and jewelry making artists with virtually all their beads, supplies, books and jewelry findings needs, with over 35,000 products. Retail/Discounts/Wholesale.

Be Dazzled Beads www.bedazzledbeads.com
Nashville’s premier bead store.

Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts www.landofodds.com/beadschool/
Educating beaders and jewelry makers in the Design Perspective.

Other Programs at Land of Odds:
ALL DOLLED UP: Beaded Art Doll Competition
www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup.htm

JEWELRY DESIGN CAMP
www.warrenfeldjewelry.com/jewelrydesigncamp/

Learn To Bead Blog
Start your education with our ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
http://blog.landofodds.com

Posted in beadwork, Contests, jewelry design, jewelry making | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Piece accepted for inclusion 500 BEADED JEWELRY book

Posted by learntobead on February 8, 2012

Just found out that one of my pieces — Little Tapestries/Ghindia — was juried into the book SHOWCASE 500 BEADED JEWELRY, Lark Publications. The book comes out August 2012, but is already listed on Amazon.com at http://amzn.to/z6tZH2 .

From Amazon.com:

This book gathers photographs of 500 of the most breathtaking beaded jewelry designs created in recent years. The techniques the beaders employ are as varied as the aesthetic sensibilities they bring to their gorgeous creations and include beadweaving in every stitch imaginable, embroidery, quilling, loom weaving, and kumihimo braiding, as well as basic stringing, simple wirework, and fine metalwork. Sometimes, a bead maker’s focal piece simply is set in a straightforward, unpretentious, and beautiful design.

 

Virtually all of the world’s most famous beaders who make jewelry have pieces included — including Carol Wilcox Wells, Diane Fitzgerald, Marcia DeCoster, Jamie Cloud Eakin, Huib Petersen, Paulette Baron, Sabine Lippert, Sherry Serafini, Margie Deeb, Maggie Meister, Melanie Potter, Ann Tevepaugh Mitchell, Laura McCabe, Suzanne Golden, Jean Campbell, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Eva Dobos, and many more — but we also present work from many artists who have never been published before. All together, this extensive, international, and fabulous survey of 500 pieces includes work from nearly 300 artists from 30 countries and reveals the striking vision and ambition of today’s beading community.

Posted in beads, beadwork, jewelry design | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »