Archive for May, 2010
In honor of Father’s Day, come browse the virtual drawers at Gallery Five for unique gifts.
History of Father’s Day
Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a “father’s day.” She thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.
Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
A bill was introduced in 1913. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father’s Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but the Congress resisted, fearing that it would be commercialized. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.
As we know, Father’s Day is a day honoring and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 52 of the world’s countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother’s Day, the celebration honoring mothers.
Sarah Cavender Artist Profile
Sarah designs and produces several new seasonal collections each year. She specializes in metal mesh jewelry, belts and handbags. Each piece is handmade to order by local artisans under Sarah’s supervision in Oxford, Alabama, using materials primarily made in the USA with stones imported from Europe. The pieces are created from brass screening by folding and bending the material. It is then plated or oxidized and finished by hand painting with bronze powders mixed in a lacquer base. Sarah discovered the beauty and versatility of bronze screening and other wire materials while studying sculpture at the Philadelphia College of Art. After graduating in 1994, she stayed in Philadelphia and applied her skills and understanding of metal to develop a process of forming these materials into wonderful floral, leaf and insect representations, as well as abstract forms. She looks to her extensive world travel experiences for inspiration. Her knowledge of art history and design influence her varied design approach. Although constantly searching for uncommon and unique materials, she makes sure each piece contains an element of woven wire. Over the years her work has been featured several times in trade publications and top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, In-Style, Glamour and McCalls.
Gallery Five art jewelry collection. New Sarah Cavender jewelry coming in next week.
Wise Owl pin by Chickenscratch
Lisa and Scott Cylinder began collaborating in 1988 shortly after graduating from prominent University Jewelry Programs. They have created limited production studio multiples under the auspices of Chickenscratch for the past 21 years.
The ideas for their jewelry are derived from numerous sources: nature, modern art, folklore and pop culture, to name a few. They blend these influences into clever narratives and play-on-words. Conceptually, their work may best be described as a hybrid of Picasso mixed with a Hanna-Barbera cartoon! Art jewelry.
The careful choices made in finishing each piece also includes the selection of the findings. The pin back is of their own design, made of stainless steel, and is hand-sharpened and sprung. This is a far superior mechanism than most. It is quite strong and should not come open without assistance. Their ear posts are surgical steel and ear wires are either sterling silver or gold-filled.
They have developed a unique patination process that enables them to achieve their rich colors. These are the finishes they use on the majority of the work. They also incorporate a beautiful verdigris (green) patina that has a classical appeal. The jewelry that is not finished in a patina color is often silver or 24K gold plated. They use silver and gold leaf to accent and detail many of our pieces, as well as colored silver leafs and luminous mica powders. They also use bright, semi-transparent enamel paints over metal elements. The paint adds bold accents of color to the more earthy tones of the patinas and metallics.
The most important aspect of our jewelry is the imagery. It has narrative themes based upon fables, play on words and our observations. Within most of these tales are movable elements; Free swinging legs, tongues and tails… It is this kinetic facet that gives our jewelry its charm and character. We believe our work is very accesible due to this humorous, narrative nature and the viewers need to interact with the piece for “The Story” to be told.
The shapes of Lisa Ceccorulli’s art jewelry take the forms of stepping stones used to make walkways through ancient Japanese gardens. The stones (as well as some of the plants) were arranged in groups of threes, fives, and sevens. Today, Buddhist temples still have gardens based on the 3-5-7 design.
oxidized sterling silver and 22k gold
To imitate the texture of those stones, Ceccorulli hammers the metal against a rock and then sandblasts sandblasts it. The fused appliqués of 22k gold reflect her interpretation of the elements in a landscape. Through this collection, she tries to express the feeling of contentment and completeness that a Japanese garden can provide.
Lisa looks at three, five, and seven as symbols of the steps to contentment.
Contemporary handcrafted jewelry incorporating new vintage and reclaimed components by Teresa Goodall. Great prices at Gallery Five.
Enjoy timeless jewelry for years to come. Using color combinations found in nature, Teresa creates accessories that work with the casual soft dressing of today.