Materials: Steel, Copper, Citrine
Dimensions: 18" in length, pendant 5" by 2 1/2"
This piece was named in honor of Keith Lo Bue, from whom I recently learned quite a bit about the properties of steel. This piece features a wire cage enclosing a rough piece of citrine, and was one of the first pendants I created after attending his class.
Photo credit: Juliette Morris Williams
Juliette Williams
Boulder Creek, CA. USA
Juliette’s studio and home is in Boulder Creek, California. She has been creating art since childhood, and studied in San Jose, California at the San Jose Museum of Art in the 1970s and 80s. She was a dancer for many years as well, and studied at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City.
In the 1990s, Juliette went to live in France, and worked for a short time with a lithographer on his family compound (where she also learned to make goat cheese!).
She has worked and studied in San Francisco (for a very short time at the San Francisco Art Institute), had her own music zine for three years with a dear friend (ViVid), and for 8 years headed a group, Circle of the Goddess.
In 2001, Juliette was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and currently works at her home and studio in Boulder Creek creating art.
Her most recent work is shown at Mountain Arts Gallery in Ben Lomond, California and on Etsy.com. She recently studied with Keith Lo Bue of Sydney, Australia, and is working on several new mixed media pieces as well as new jewelry for Winter 2012/2013.
Her pieces are also shown in collaboration with Doug Masury’s brilliant textiles, which were shown this year at Open Studios 2012 in Santa Cruz, California.
In essence, Juliette’s philosophy is that art IS life.
Main materials and processes: Fire painted copper, bronze, brass, silver and steel, found and recycled objects, and handmade polymer beads.
Memberships:
Member, Mountain Arts Center, Ben Lomond, CA
Member, Metal Arts Guild, San Francisco, CA
Member, First Friday Santa Cruz
Member, Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG)
These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.
Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.
As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.
In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.
Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.
The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.
