Wearable Art and Fine Crafts

Discover how to reinvent your basic wardrobe using it as a canvas for wearable art. Creatively dress with one-of-a-kind and limited edition clothes, all handcrafted by American artists.

Great style doesn’t just strut down a runway … The way to find your style is to develop a look of your own. Accessories — like this Peggy Russell silk scarf — and attitude  are the key.

Select items that are unique and timeless!

Freshwater pearls necklace and earrings by Barbara Silverstein

1. Luster and Nacre Thickness:  This is the most important characteristic both for value appraisal and for visual appeal. The longer a pearl is allowed to grow, the thicker the coating of nacre around its center. It is this lustrous layering of crystals which traps and holds light thus giving the fine pearls their glow.  The higher the luster, the sharper the reflection and refraction of light.

Pearls and agate necklace by Julie Shaw

2. Color:  There are more variations in natural pearl color. Pink, white, cream, light green, light gray and golden are the most common categories of color. Color is a matter of personal choice – find the color that looks best with your skin tone. White and pink are the most costly colors.

3. Shape:  Pearls are found in many shapes: round, semi-round, baroque and drop. Perfectly round pearls are the most rare and most preferred.

4. Size:  The  size of pearl is measured by it’s diameter in millimeters. Generally, the value of pearls increase ias size increases.  Large pearls are more scarce than small ones.

5. Matching:  No two pearls are ever exactly alike. Most pearl earrings and necklaces are the result of a careful blending of pearls that appear to look alike in respect to color, luster, shape, cleanliness and measurement. Matching pearls is a fine art, and is evident in beautiful pearl jewelry.

Read about types of pearls and how to care for your pearls in future blogs.

The spot a dot! Pure color. Pure bliss felt!

mixed media handmade doll
fabric, stoneware, clay
16 x 14 x 3

“I use the humble materials of life: earth clay, fabric, found objects, natural elements. Made using the handwork techniques usually done by women: sewing, stuffing, stitching; the images carry a deep familiarity. I want my figures to be a part of our collective lives. My hope is that they touch others like they have touched my life in the process of making them.”

Brenna Busse, Doll Artist

Colored Porcelain

Susy Siegele and Mike Haley have been working together since 1975, making distinctive colored porcelain pieces. Their technique involves layering different colors of porcelain together into loaves, which when sliced like bread, reveal the carefully constructed patterns in the clay. Each of the slices from a loaf is shaped into a piece of pottery such as a teapot or a bowl. “Clay is very healing to work with,” says Siegele.

Delicate layers of color, revealing images form nature, dancing figures or simple shapes are some of the purely distinctive elements of Siegele and Haley’s contemporary handcrafted pottery.

The colors they use come from naturally occurring oxides, but depend on their firing technique for its richness. The gas-and-wood-burning kiln they fire in takes about 24 hours to reach 2380 degrees F., the temperature at which porcelain becomes mature. The kiln is then allowed to cool for two days before being opened.

In addition to being featured in various craft exhibitions across the country, Susy and Mike made a piece for President and Mrs. Clinton before they moved to Pennsylvania Avenue. And when Jerry Carr, the former captain of Apollo 12, needed gifts for all of the Russian cosmonauts who have orbited the Earth, he went directly to Siegele and Haley.

Ruby Dee (with Alicia Keyes) in an episode of Iconoclasts, wearing a farleyfarley linen Downtown Shirt in "meadow" batik.

“It’s always fun to find our own work in films or tv or print,” says Patricia Farley, a favorite wearable art artisan at Gallery Five. And we agree, it’s exciting to see the actress Ruby Dee in an episode of Iconoclasts wearing a farleyfarley hand-dyed linen shirt. Awesome.

Then, in the first 20 minutes of the film of Mamma Mia, the character Rosie wears a farleyfarley shibori shirt and later wears it wrapped around her waist. “It took me awhile to confirm that it was one of my shopping shirts, the unique longer front,” says Farley.  So now we can say, as featured in…..

Julie Walters (with Meryl Streep & Christine Baranski) in Mamma Mia wearing a farleyfarley linen-silk Shopping Shirt in "sunshine" shibori.

If you were born in the month of October, you’re probably aware that your birthstone is the opal. This is a dramatic and stunning mineraloid. Opals, after all, contain that distinctive luminous quality with various fissures of iridescent color. Opals can be found in everything from limonite and sandstone to rhyolite and basalt. Although opals do have an internal structure, their water content varies from three to twenty percent. Depending on where in the world you look and the type of source rocks that you use, opals can appear in many different colors.

Whether it’s the dramatic blue or the more rare black option, these stones are extremely common to use in various pieces of jewelry. By virtue of their beauty, they are a favorite among jewelers for placing in earrings, bracelets, or necklaces. It is also extremely common to see opal rings in galleries or boutiques. Especially in times where money is scarce and people are looking to save, an opal ring is quickly becoming a favorite alternative to the more expensive diamond engagement ring.

small piece 10" wall tile

About 20 years ago, Suzanne Donazetti began working with metal. Her artistic journey has taken her through painting, fiber, quilting, basketry and jewelry. Suzanne never considered herself a weaver, but one day was compelled to weave silver and that’s when the adventure began. She first colored the silver or copper with chemical patinas and then experimented with different materials until she mastered the process of painting on copper. As far as we know, she is the only artist who uses this technique. The journey has taken her full circle, back to painting. Visit Gallery Five’s exquisite one-of-a-kind wall art by Donazetti.

NEW WORK: "Before the Storm" 16"x 20"

ARTIST’S TECHNIQUE

I began weaving and painting on metal. After learning to use chemical patinas, I experimented with different materials until I mastered the process of painting on copper. I gild and paint two layers, the warp and the weft, so that the design will remain through the weaving. I use 36 gauge sheet copper as the canvas and metallic leaf, transparent inks, acrylics and powdered pigments for the paints because of the unique qualities each material brings to the others. To make the colors richer, I first gild the metal with copper leaf, or composition silver and gold leaf. After sanding, I spray the paints and inks on the warps and wefts. After the paints dry, I wax the copper to prevent oxidation and facilitate weaving. I then cut and weave the pieces in gentle curves. I am drawn to the play of light across the landscape … to create pieces which will bring a sense of healing and meditation to the viewer.
Suzanne Donazetti, Freefall Designs

Hobbies are a fantastic way to unwind after a long day at work or taking care of the house. After all, finding something that you enjoy is crucial, because it will allow you to dedicate part of your day to yourself. Many people forget to take this “me time,” or they feel it’s somehow selfish, but it’s an important part of staying grounded and happy. With that in mind, many people feel they don’t get to be creative in their jobs. As such, they look to hobbies in the creative field.

One of the most common options is creating handcrafted jewelry. And if you are going to undertake this pastime, make sure that you have all the tools before you get started. Dedicate a room or space in your house to this jewelry making endeavor. Make sure the area is well lit or that you have a proper jewelry lamp, which will replicate natural light and give you a better idea of how beads will appear outside. Also make sure you’re stocked with various kinds of pliers. These are some of the most important tools in jewelry making, and it’s important to have chain nose pliers, bent chain nose pliers, crimping pliers, and round nose pliers.

The point of fashion is that you can help yourself stand out in a positive way. It’s a means by which to express your personal sense of style, thus solidifying and expressing yourself to the world. Many people consider “cookie cutter” clothing and accessories to be counterproductive to the very idea of fashion. If you consider fashion a means by which to stand out, then always look for one of a kind jewelry. It will ensure you never have to walk into a party and see yourself wearing the same thing as anyone else.

This kind of jewelry is most often found in art galleries, as they are handcrafted by the artisan and, therefore, rarely sold in bulk. It might mean that you have to pay a little more upfront, but it also ensures that you’re receiving not only a quality product, but a unique product as well. This kind of jewelry also makes a fantastic gift because you’ll be giving both the jewelry item and the unique story that went into creating the piece of art.