Wearable Art and Fine Crafts

Delightful artist-created porcelain “Penguin with Attitude” art jewelry pin from the collection of Cynthia Chuang and her husband Erh-Ping Tsai. Their work in porcelain and metals is distinctive in its sculptural form and color. All pins are fairly lightweight, accented in 22k gold, with wire accents and supports to make the pieces stable and very decorative!

Artist’s Statement
Cynthia Chuang and Erh-Ping Tsai were both born and raised in small towns of southern Taiwan, Cynthia Chuang and Erh-Ping Tsai met as classmates at the National Taiwan Academy of Arts. After graduating, they married and moved to America for more complex studies in art. They received graduate degrees in sculpture at the Parsons School of Design, and then entered the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. Their passion for the magnificent beauty of the natural world inspired them both to model all their artwork after earth’s creatures.

Chuang and Tsai have focused their work on color, collage and multimedia experimentation, utilizing porcelain, metals, semiprecious stones and many kinds of paints. They also used colored clay inlays, and under- and over-glazing in their porcelains. Much of the jewelry has been developed with three dimensional construction techniques.

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dupioni shantung silk jacket by Tim Harding

The artist/design team of Tim and Kathleen Harding are represented in several museums, including the Smithsonian Design Collection at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, as well as celebrity collections including those of Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Wynona Judd and the late Jim Henson. They are featured in the definitive book ART TO WEAR by Julie Schafler Dale.

Tim Harding employs a painterly technique developed by the Impressionists to create incredibly rich colorations, burnished metallic neutrals, iridescent jewel-tones, and deep saturated hues. Multi-layered, densely quilted and hand cut, Harding’s art to wear is carefully crafted using a yarn dyed and hand loomed dupioni shantung silk from India.

Handmade in America.

Shown at Gallery Five.

hand-painted ripple silk Parisian shirt by Sally Ryan

Gallery Five features Sally Ryan’s original textiles and innovative wearable art silk creations.

Sally Ryan’s wearable art embodies what many other textile artists aspire to: sophisticated, highly wearable designs; a resist-dyeing technique of her own invention; a fascinating combination of color and texture; and a natural instinct for what women of all ages want in art-to-wear.

Since she began working with fiber in 1978, Ryan has learned to perfect almost every aspect of painting on fabric, from batik in the early days to painterly applications of dye to fabrics. As her designs grew more sophisticated, so did Ryan’s surface treatment: “The thrill of discovery fuels my passion for working with color and fabric,” she says. Her passion for color inspired an award-winning line of silk wearables, renowned for their fluid shapes and fresh color combinations.

hand-painted pucker stripe silk top by Sally Ryan

Gallery Five

peridot, green pearls, vintage chartreuse Czech glass, pale green button pearl and matte gold 16" neckpiece by jewelry artist, Susan Green

Accent your wardrobe with the sparkling citrus shade of a peridot art jewelry.  The vivid green of peridot, with just a slight hint of gold, is the ideal gemstone color to go with that light summer wardrobe. No wonder since peridot is the gemstone of the summer month of August.

Interesting Facts about Peridot

Peridot jewelry can be traced right back to the Bible where it’s mentioned by its original name – Chrysolite – and was one of the stones worn by Aaron in his breastplate. Some Biblical references also mention it as Pitdah. Referred to as the Gem of the Sun by Egyptians who mined it by moonlight, Peridot jewelry enjoyed great popularity with King Solomon and Cleopatra (who named it “evening emerald”), as well as the ancient Incas and Aztecs adorned themselves with Peridot rings, Peridot men’s rings, Peridot earrings and Peridot pendants to reap the many physical, mystical and psychological benefits of this gemstone.

• “Healer’s Stone”
• Brings understanding of destiny and purpose
• Associated with the Heart Chakra
• Clears the path to the heart and heals damaged egos
• Fosters emotional balance and helps us heal from past emotional wounds
• Releases negative vibrations and promotes clarity and well being
• Adds intelligence to your romantic situations

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Kay Chapman is a fabric artist/clothing designer who shows her work in galleries and boutiques nationwide. She works primarily on natural fabrics: silk, linen, cotton and wool. And she works with bamboo fabrics as well. Pattern and color are applied to the fabric using direct dye techniques. Fabric is usually stretched over bars and painted with either fiber reactive or acid dyes using foam brushes. Dyes are then set by steaming. The fabric is then washed and rinsed and ready to be made into the garment. Kay creates styles which flatter a woman’s body and are easy to wear.

Kay Chapman is a favorite at Gallery Five.

New Mexico jewelry artist Nina Morrow creates the most fantastic pieces from driftwood and other materials found along the Rio Grande. Each of her beads is cut and formed by hand. She uses a wood burner and cuts into the surface of the beads giving them an almost tribal quality. On some of her work, she dyes the beds bright shades of green, red or orange.

These pieces are extremely lightweight – the look of large jewelry without the weight. Each design is a handcrafted original.

Visit Gallery Five for more art jewelry by Nina Morrow and other jewelry artists.

Children's Blocks by Penelope Weinstein

Artist’s Statement
Penelope Weinstein creates one-of-a-kind art to wear jewelry from found objects.  Each piece is entirely unique and incorporates a range of unusual materials, such as pencils, milk tokens, buttons, or bullet casings.

Penny’s unique art jewelry evolves from many years workng in various creative media including graphics, painting, collage, basketry and sculpture. Today her work focuses on the three-dimensionality of sculpture and jewelry. In creating this jewelry, she explores the interplay of antique and unusual objects with the textures of hand-knitted felted wool and other fibers.

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"Please Recycle" by Penelope Weinstein

The Bo’s Art Opera Collection. Bozenna and Lukasz Bogucki names each of their uniquely designed metal mesh evening bags after a famous opera.  The designer handbag “Tosca” (shown here) is stainless steel mesh with gator green and a cable handle, 10.5″ x 5.5″ x 3″.  Stunning detail.

bias lace, double ruffle, white trim jacket by JES Irie Wear at Gallery Five

At Gallery Five we are celebrating one-of-a-kind and limited edition art to wear and fine crafts handmade in the USA.   Today we are featuring a “white” jacket by Joyce Stewart of JES Irie Wear.

Artist’s Statement
As an artist and designer of wearables, I consider my work as sculpting fabric to flatter the body. I design and create my own patterns. Clothing should flatter the body, so my focus is on originality of design and fit. Different textures are mixed to create wonderful collages in some pieces, while other pieces of my work are stately and classic. The manipulation of machine tension is also used to change the appearance of the fibers. In the past, my work included painting on silk, but I’ve since become allergic to the pigments and had to forgo that element in my work.

I went to the school “MoM” for design and construction of clothing. I am doing what I truly enjoy — creating clothing that makes women feel good about themselves. Custom cutting is a large part of my creations.

Deck yourself out with a Carmen Miranda

crochet beaded necklace with colorful beads and vermeil clasp by Rickie Leiter

Artist Statement: Childhood experiences started me on a path of looking at nature with appreciation and awe. Collecting stones and shells from trips around the world always kept those pleasant memories alive in a special way. As each token became a necklace, I learned new ways to create art jewelry and thus a new path in my life’s journey began… and I am still “stepping out of the box.”

Each piece of jewelry I create is unique and distinctive — the design begins to reveal itself as I start to work with its elements. Beads of all kinds plus other materials one might not consider using for jewelry are part of my artist’s palette.