End Of The Week, polymer clay, copper, wood

Primarily a metalsmith, Reaves also works with a variety of media including polymer clay. His life long love of science fiction and toys clearly influence his work.

Obsolete, polymer clay, 17″ tall

Adam, polymer clay, 18.5″ tall

Expendable Youth
copper, brass, silver, acrylic, polymer clay, plastic, steel, 19″ tall

Exit, polymer clay, copper, wood

Bellicose, copper, brass, bronze, wood, 7.5″ tall

“I use robots to create a narrative, representing people in society performing tasks or caught in situations with serious connotations. My goal is for people to look past the facade into the mirror and establish an understanding with the figure and its plight.

Sculptures are presented with recognizable items such as school chairs to allow the viewer to make connections to real world experience. The pieces are approachable, derived from simple design and geometric parts.”

Hornet Ring, copper, brass

Check out this ring – it consists of 75 parts that he connected using silver solder – the helicopter blade spins.  He calls it a “finger riding automation.”

Kevin Reaves website

Cable Hung Disk

McKinney creates the work in two studios – the artist starts in her ceramics studio and builds the forms, then moves to her blacksmithing studio to forge the metal components and back again to the ceramics studio when it is time to glaze.  The materials belong together in these sculptures – they serve each other well.  A true partnership.

Small Habitats

Small but critical elements distinguish the habitats – doors and windows are almost a suggestion – leaving the viewer to wonder and possibly move closer to peer inside. Ladders lead us into some of the sculptures – perhaps bridging the gap between known and unknown territory?

Tall Ladder Small Disk With Bird

Double Arch Doorway

Detail

I often contemplate the definition of home. What is home? Where is home? Is it an internal state or a physical space? McKinney’s work offers a gentle resting place for my eyes as I ponder these questions.

Virginia McKinney’s website

Window Bar Bracelets and Rings, steel, sterling silver

Window Bar Earrings

Window Bar Earrings in progress

“I draw upon patterns from window bars and wall tiles, made for the purpose of securing houses and businesses in a city where robbery is epidemic. It intrigues me that such beautiful and intricate work is dedicated to such an ugly purpose with potentially violent implications.” Caitie Sellers

Transistor Brooch

Sellers say of the place she fell in love with: “I am interested in highlighting the overlooked beauty of urban Guatemala. All the gritty, rusted, and stubborn signs of humanity that get overlooked by the tourist and taken for granted by the resident are my curiosities. I find this city beautiful for its inhabitants and the way they shape my memory. Each piece in this series memorializes a place, a person, or a feeling that I still carry with me years later.”

Window Bar Wall Panels

Window Bar Wall Panels, detail

Doña Mileda’s Flowers, earrings with stand, sterling silver, steel
6.5”x6”x2.5”

Doña Mileda’s Flowers, detail

Across the Street, brooch and stand, sterling silver, steel

I also enjoy the way she incorporates removable jewelry into her wire wall sculptures. To really get a sense of the depth in the wall sculptures take a look at all of Sellers’ videos here.

Detail of Backstreets, wall sculpture with removable brooch
steel, sterling silver
8” x 10” x 5”

Work in progress

“The jewelry I make uses Spanish colonial patterns in miniature form. These pieces are delicate, but the sheer number of connections and mass of pattern makes them sturdy both physically and visually. I think of my jewelry in this line as protection of the delicate systems of our psyches, as their large-scale counterparts are physical protection from the threats of a dangerous street.”

Caitie Sellers’ website

You can purchase some of her one-of-a-kind pieces through Society For Contemporary Craft

Last Chance!

Registration for this class ends today.  The virtual classroom and support forum are now setup and they look great! It’s going to be a full class and there are only a few seats left – if you have been thinking about registering now is the time to do it – I don’t know when I will offer the class again (though you can always purchase the {DIY} Self-Study version of the class).

Brainstorm Brooch

Brainstorm Brooch on stand

The two friends, who first worked together in advertising, have been making and teaching mixed media, found-object jewelry for more than 25 years.

Ambiguity, mixed media brooch #1741
2 1/2″ x 3″ x 1″

Dress Rehearsal

As I was scrolling through their website I was struck by how timeless every single piece is – so many of them date back to the 80′s and 90′s and yet are perfectly and completely relevant and beautiful today. 

Romance, mixed media brooch #1742
3 1/ 2″ x 4 3/ 8″ x 1 3/ 4”

Each piece offers a feast for the eyes and you feel like you might just be able to pull a Mary Poppins and jump into the complex little worlds. What story do you want your work to tell in 2012?

Kranitzky and Overstreet’s Gallery of Mixed Media Brooches

Look – they have a Facebook page

Create And Maintain Your Artist Website

{Sale Ends At Midnight 12/31/11}

Get instant access to the {DIY} version of my popular online class at a discounted price through Saturday 12/31/11 (price goes up January 1st).

Are you an artist? Do you need a new website? Need to update an existing web presence? Learn how to create a website that properly showcases your art without spending thousands of dollars on webdesign.

Sample pages from the 80-page course guide: {DIY} Sample Pages

Read more about it and watch the video that takes you inside the {DIY} classroom here.

If you need more guidance than the {DIY} version you’re in luck – there is still time to sign up for the next Artist Online Seminar program, which begins January 9, 2012.

DeeLyn, an American now living in the UK, creates geometric jewelry with recycled guitar strings and sterling silver. She even teamed up with NYC charity The Voice Project, to create jewelry with strings donated by well-known musicians. Proceeds from those sales will benefit families of abducted child soldiers in Uganda. . .something to think about in this season of giving.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday – see you next week!

DeeLyn’s website