ACC Baltimore

For years, I've aspired to attend the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, where 800 booths showcase the best of the best of American handmade: jewelry, wearables, ceramics, baskets, wood, stone and metal. Finally, I turned around four days after my return from Philadelphia and made my way back east to meet up with friends and peruse the show for a few days. 

Cindy Silas, Lora Hart, Donna Penoyer, and Vickie Hallmark

Not only was it exhilarating to catch up with good friends, but the inspiration from the incredible work displayed at the show was just what I needed. I have characterized the experience as "living in my Pinterest boards," because I saw so many actual pieces that I have pinned to my inspiration boards. My head has been totally awhirl after my return from these two weeks of input, but I've tried to distill down some of my most favorite.

Carolyn Morris Bach

Carolyn Morris Bach is one of my all time favorite jewelry makers. I love the combination of whimsy and finesse in her work. Her booth display is about as close to a gallery presentation as possible: white hard walls and white shadowboxes with white silk linings hung on the walls. Clean and spare, with the focus entirely on the spotlit jewelry. It was a treat to see the hand-carved details of these tiny stone foxes and birds.

Linda Kindler Priest

Linda Kindler Priest was a treasure to speak with in person. I've long admired her amazing gold reliefs matched with stunning stones. I learned that she does her own lapidary work so that she can perfectly suit the stone to the metal work. I admitted that I have even more respect for her work after my own foray into chasing and repousse. If I need to follow that lead further, Linda also teaches. I think I just pinned these bird earrings the week before I saw them in person.

Brandon Holschuh

I loved chatting with Brandon Holschuh about his incredible jewelry, the integral displays that he constructs for every piece, his new book coming out soon, and his classes.

Susan Chin

Susan Chin's gorgeous ebony and bone jewelry was one of my favorites. These very earrings, or a pair quite similar were front and center in her glass case.

Wendy McAllister

Wendy McAllister had a stunning display as well, again with each piece wall mounted with lots of space to show it off at its best. This enameled brooch, or one very similar, caught my eye from across the aisle.

Beth Novak

Beth Novak had a collection of her enameled jewelry on display. It's exciting to see all the details and linkages in her intricate work.

I could go on and on this way, but then I'd be doing nothing with all that inspiration that I've gained. Someday I'd like to exhibit at this show amongst these incredible artists.

More Artists from ACJS

Yesterday, I detailed my three favorite artists from the Atlanta Contemporary Artist Show, but there were several other artists whose work made an impression upon me. So today, my next three favorites.

Tai and Tiara Kim

Tai and Tiara Kim had a gorgeous booth with red hard walls in the background that made it really pop into my attention from across the room. Their gorgeous organic jewelry featuring a dusting of gold over black oxidized sterling was elegantly displayed with lots of room around each piece. They also had single pieces mounted in frame-like displays on those red walls. Just beautiful...every single little detail.

Barbara Minor and Chris Hentz

Barbara Minor and Chris Hentz

Barbara Minor and Chris Hentz were there with their full booth display, showing the gorgeous enamels that we've all see in publications. It was so fun to see the sunflower earrings and brooch above together, because the images fool the eye into thinking they are similar in scale, but of course they are not. The brooch is large, probably 4 to 5 inches tall. Just as remarkable in person as expected.

Tom Herman

Tom Herman, of Seven Fingers Jewelers, had a deluxe display for his formidable gold and stone jewelry. One of the things I really love about his brooches is how he inverts the roles of stone and metal. A large stone provides the body of the brooch, and then delicate gold accents it with botanical form.

I'm still trying to understand this show in terms of its very limited size and attendance. I assume that the organizers are trying to jumpstart another big show, one dedicated to jewelry, but I can't help but wonder how this plays out in the growing years. This is the sixth year, so it will be interesting to watch to see if the show gains momentum in the future.

Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show

The first weekend in November usually finds me in Chicago exploring the high end galleries who gather to present their artists in SOFA, the Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art  expo. I've gone for several years now, meeting distant friends who share my love of art. This year, I would have been solo, so I decided to take the opportunity to visit a much smaller show that meets during the same time frame, the Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show.

Featuring twenty-eight invited jewelry artists, the show occupies two awkward rooms at a small conference center in NW Atlanta. Several of the artists are local and bring their full booths to set up, while other artists come by plane and bring only work to display in the basic low glass cabinets the show must provide.  In all cases, jewelry was the focus.

Carolyn Morris Bach

Perhaps my favorite jewelry artist, Carolyn Morris Bach, offered her incredible talismanic jewelry on plain white paper in two bare cases. A very minimalist display actually seemed to accent the work nicely. Seeing the collection laid out with groupings of earrings, brooch/pendants, boxes and brushes was just gorgeous. The pair of earrings with black birds that I coveted on the first visit were missing when I returned, perhaps as well for my pocketbook. I wish I had dared to ask to take a photo of her display, as there was something very artistic about the arrangement in places.

Sydney Lynch

Another of my favorites, Sydney Lynch, brought a streamlined booth evidently designed for travel to display her refined wares. I waffled over cluster necklaces and earrings that I've admired online. It was so wonderful to have the work at waist level right out in the open to be touched, rather than hidden away behind low glass. Since the clusters are very mobile, getting to pick a necklace up and examine each component individually is very rewarding.

Patricia Tschetter

My third top choice of artists from this selection is Patricia Tschetter, whose delicate granulation work particularly impresses me now that I've tried this for myself. We chatted about granulation, about Ronda Coryell's amazing teaching talents, and about the miracles of Argentium sterling silver. Although I resisted these diamond and gold granulated daisy earrings that called my name, I did feel I'd made an artist friend.

Back home after the getaway weekend, I'm analyzing what draws me to the work of certain artists. One thing that all three of these artists have in common is stones. Both Sydney and Carolyn work with exquisite large stones, while Patricia uses small diamonds. Gold also figures noticeably in their work, although combined with oxidized silver. I've been recently purchasing more stones to incorporate into my own work, and I've added tiny touches of gold, but I'm going to explore more seriously both of these directions.