So, I started a workshop on enamelling this week, and I have to say, I am loving it! Enamel is basically glass, so it’s a really excellent technique/process for me! I love the range of colours that are on offer, and the way the glass melts with the torch. It’s awesome. I have only finished one piece so far, but I’m looking forward to making many more pieces! I can’t wait to see where this goes!
It was lovely to be able to visit Naomi’s gallery on the weekend. For SALA this year, Naomi has curated a beautiful collection of specially made rings for “The Ring Show”. The work is spectacular and very special indeed.
Along with the special SALA exhibition, there is also a fantastic range of jewellery made by South Australian artists. Naomi has a range of my work in there too, and it’s kind of breath-taking to see my work alongside some of my favourite contemporary jewellery artists.
I have some new earrings to share with you. I really enjoy making these flat disk beads, and I’m loving the possibilities when it comes to earrings. The more I make, the more I start to think…what if I did it this way? What if I tried it that way? Little tweaks here and there.
I have had a few requests lately for flower earrings, in different colours. So, I got to work and made a bunch of different colours, and have added these options to the Etsy listing. There are many, many colours that I can do, so if I still don’t have the colour you are after, just let me know!
On the weekend I got to visit a few SALA exhibitions in Adelaide. It’s hard to visit every SALA exhibition, so I tend to pick exhibitions where there is jewellery, sculpture or friends!
My friend, Susan Napoli, a textile artist who is represented at T’Arts was the first exhibition that I visited. Held in the North Lodge of the Botanic Gardens, the walk to the exhibition alone was amazing! Susan’s work is beautiful, and I’m lucky to have one of her pieces in my studio. She makes textile art pieces of flowers and fruit and birds! Truly stunning work, it’s definitely worth a visit.
Also in the Botanic Gardens is the work of Michelle Kelly. In the Museum of Economic Botany, she has arranged some absolutely stunning collections of fungi! Michelle has been fascinated with mushrooms for many years, and I love seeing her work whenever it is exhibited. I felt doubly lucky on Sunday when I walked into the Museum. Oh my gosh, what an incredible place, filled with collections of all sorts of plants and seeds. I will be returning to this one with my children very soon!
I loved visiting the exhibitions at the Botanic Gardens, not just because they were lovely exhibitions to visit, but also because the gardens are stunning at this time of the year! It was time to wander around to the National Wine Centre where I saw the Kangaroo Island artist exhibition. Always a top-notch exhibition, it’s lovely to see the work of these artists on the mainland!
I ended my exhibition tour at the Jam Factory, where it was a real pleasure to see Catherine Truman’s work in person. Such thoughtful work, it was awesome to see the worlds of art and science combining to create the pieces. Loved it, and well worth visiting.
What exhibitions have you been to??
These earrings have been super popular in galleries and at the markets. I have finally found some time to list them in my Etsy shop! Click this link to purchase.
This is the last collection of jewellery to show you from the Bethany Winery exhibition. I have loved using the Bethany wine bottles, and this range is dedicated to the beautiful colours in the bottles. I love the shape of these beads, they are so different and really interesting to work with, they have pushed my work in new directions for sure!
I finally got a chance to plan some SALA exhibition visits! I can’t wait to visit some of the exhibitions that are in the guide. I tend to visit most of the jewellery exhibitions! And some of the mixed-media and sculpture exhibitions. And then I’ll see what time I have left over to visit other exhibitions. I know there is a way to search for the exhibitions on the SALA website, and I think they even have an app, but there is something about looking at all of the exhibitions in the guide that I really like.
Are you planning to visit any SALA exhibitions this year?
This range of jewellery was created with Bethany Wine bottles, and is inspired by the growth of the vines. I have loved watching the grapevines change from bare sticks, to fully formed with leaves and grapes.
I have used a selection of wine bottles from the winery. I love the lighter green in this range! So pretty. The earrings below are a new shape, and I am really loving how they look.
One of the things I wanted to do in this exhibition was to represent some of the beautiful colours of the Barossa. The grape vines change throughout the year, leaves change colour, grapes grow, it’s really quite a spectacular place. At the moment the vines are all barren, and they are starting to grow again, ready for the next harvest.
These pieces are all on display at Bethany Wines, they are just out of Tanunda (which is a great town to visit too)!
