December 2021
Vera Allison
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
A founding member of the Metal Arts Guild, is best known as a painter and modernist jewelry designer.
Born in San Francisco, CA on December 5, 1902. After earning a B.A. degree at UC Berkeley, Allison worked in commercial art for Foster & Kleiser (billboards). Following her marriage to artist George Gaethke in 1929, she lived in Berkeley. Working in gouache, she painted scenes of the area around her home and designed jewelry. In 1967 she moved across the Golden Gate to Mill Valley where she remained until 1986. Vera was a member of SFAA; SF Women Artists; Marin Society of Artists as well. [Source #1]
Photos:
- Modernist pin / brooch. sterling silver, pearl. Provenance: The Paul & Terry Somerson Collection of 20th and 21st Century Metalwork and Jewelry [Source: #2]
- Pearl pin [Source 3]
- VINTAGE MODERNIST STERLING SILVER POLISHED ROCKS SCREWBACK EARRINGS [ Source ]
- Sterling Silver Earrings (resembling Fish) [Source 5]
Sources:
- https://www.askart.com/auction_records/Vera_Allison/10000807/Vera_Allison.aspx
- https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/71013113_vera-allison-modernist-pin-brooch-with-pearl
- https://www.metalartsguildsf.org/history/
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/130846593576
- https://www.icollector.com/Vera-Allison-Earrings_i7292861
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November 2021
Bob Winston
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
“You can’t imagine anything, build up anything, design anything unless you’ve read it or experienced it in your life.” Bob Winston, quoted in The Times (San Francisco), December 6, 1997 [3]
Bob Winston (1915-2003) was an influential San Francisco Bay Area jeweler and sculptor, credited with reviving the process of lost wax, centrifugal casting in the context of mid-century American jewelry design. Born in Long Beach, California, he taught countless artists in his workshops and for 17 years at the California College of Arts and Crafts. His techniques and organic forms helped shape the look of wearable art and sculpture during the 1950s and 1960s.[2] In 1942, Bob Winston taught jewelry at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now known as the California College of Arts). Among his students were future MAG members Florence Resnikoff, Irena Brynner, and Robert Dhaemers — all of whom went on to teach jewelry themselves.[6]
Winston’s intricate carvings as the one of Silver Bracelet with Nest and Tree Brass Eggs was achieved using the lost-wax casting technique. Bob Winston first sculpted wax forms inspired by nature to make molds. He then poured molten metal into the mold and allowed it to cool, creating a metal form. The realistic eggs, gnarled tree limbs, and crude turquoise in this piece show Winston’s interest in depicting nature Bracelet is currently in Smithsonian American Art Museum.[3]
Winston was challenged to think “outside the box” on how he would create the free-form shapes he achieved through the lost-wax method used for his metal jewelry to create a modern play structure that would give children the same joy found in the free-flowing shapes within nature. Winston donated all his time and design work, over 125 hours’ worth, to create this modern structure and coined it with name “monster” given its size and scale. It was the combination of metal mesh over a metal-bar skeleton that allowed the sculpture to maintain its curves once concrete was sprayed on. Built for a mere $3,000 at Macri Iron Works in West Oakland, the sculpture was completed in 1952. Prize money won at the show offset much of the cost incurred to create it. The sculpture maintained its status as an urban play structure for decades. It even hosted Sly & The Family Stone for the cover photo of their iconic 1968 album [7]
Photos:
- A Bob Winston ring in the modernist style from Marty’s personal collection. Solid sterling silver set with semiprecious stones [Source: https://blog.martymagic.com/2014/12/ring-in-the-new-year/]
- Silver Bracelet with Nest and Three Brass Eggs and Large Turquoise Stone
- Gold Casted pendant
- Bob Winston presents at the Jewelry Panel at the Fourth National Conference of the American Craftsmen Council [4]
- Coral and 18k Yellow Gold Ring [5]
- Building a “monster sculpture” [7]
- Children Playing at the “monster “ sculpture [7]
- Cast Silver Sculpture [8]
Sources:
- Oral history interview with Bob Winston, 2002 July 31-October 10, by Suzanne Baizerman for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-bob-winston-12194
- https://www.objectsusa.com/?jw_portfolio=bob-winston-silver-sculpture
- https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/silver-bracelet-nest-and-three-brass-eggs-and-large-turquoise-stone-71677
- American Craft Council https://digital.craftcouncil.org/digital/collection/p15785coll6/id/4084/
- https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/58276657_bob-winston-mid-century-coral-and-18k-yellow-gold-ring
- Metal Arts Guild https://www.metalartsguildsf.org/history/
- http://www.oaklandmomma.com/2016/11/18/plea-resurrect-mid-century-monster/
- https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/decorative-objects/sculptures/abstract-sculptures/cast-silver-sculpture-bob-winston/id-f_3144122/
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October 2021
Byron Wilson
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
“Byron Wilson was born in 1918, Alameda, California. Self-taught, he quickly developed his own unique style of art, while improving his techniques and advancing designs in mid-century modern jewelry. Wilson also experimented in the mediums of etching, painting and sculpture.
In 1956, the California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC) – California College of the Arts, asked him to teach in their metal arts department, where he perfected casting techniques and created their first metal foundry. While teaching part-time at CCAC, Wilson also worked as a claims inspector for Southern Pacific Railroad for 47 years. He would find time to create his artwork in the off-hours between his two jobs. He eventually retired after 26 years of teaching at the CCAC.
Wilson was a founding member of the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco alongside other jewelry artists such as Bob Winston, Florence Resnikoff, Margaret de Patta, and Irena Brynner. He was an important figure in the California studio jewelry movement in the mid-twentieth century, and he incorporated the prevailing modernist philosophy into his designs. Margaret de Patta, was also a founding member of MAG and a friend. She was a great influence in his work.
Byron Wilson’s art often incorporated organic shapes and color contrasts formed through the utilization of natural materials like ebony wood and walrus ivory. The use of strong geometric elements, made from precious metal, helped to frame non-reflective components. He also made use of innovative casting methods to create forms in silver that were difficult to achieve through hand fabrication.
In 1981, Byron Wilson received a patent for an improved type of flap sander (pat. no. 4,365,448). The tool consisted of a slotted cylinder and cover plate which held replaceable strips of sandpaper.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has an extensive collection of Byron Wilson’s pieces.The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA) has one example of Wilson’s work in their collection.
Byron Wilson died in 1992.” [Source: https://byron-wilson.com/]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art for permission to use photos.
- the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for permission to use photos.
- Society of North American Goldsmiths, for permission to use their article “The Gadget Man,” as source.
- Oakland Museum to help with research on exhibitions.
- de Young Museum for assisting with research.
Photos:
Pendant Necklace Silver Ebony Walrus Ivory
Pendant Necklace front back ebony walrus ivory silver
Ring white gold star garnet
Necklace brass ebony silver cord
Bracelet cuff silver appliqued shapes
Necklace 1956 Silver ebony ivory
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September 2021
Irena Brynner
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
Irena Brynner, played significant role in American Jewelry Design and saw jewelry as an opportunity to make ‘wearable sculpture’. “Frequently, her work features unique or surprising combinations of mineral specimens, specially cut or polished semi-precious stones, and found objects, such as tree bark or fragments of ethnographic artefact. Her works are also highlighted by unusual treatments of clasps and closures, and she developed her own unique type of earrings with sinuous shapes that caress and embrace the shape of the ear itself”. [Source: Cooper Hewitt]
“Irene was raised on a Russian naval base in Manchuria with her cousin, the actor Yul Brynner. After studying art in Switzerland she returned to Asia, where she learned from Chinese painters. She moved to the United States in 1946, and continued her sculpture studies in San Francisco. She has lived and worked in New York since 1957.In 1946 she and her mother left China after her father was accused of being a spy. She made jewelry to earn a living, but new friendships with West Coast studio jewelers Merry Renk and Margaret De Patta encouraged her to think of jewelry as an art form. A trip to New York introduced her to art nouveau architecture, which greatly inspired her work. Brynner was also an accomplished mezzo-soprano and spent the later part of her career in New York City”. [Source: Smithsonian Institution]
Following are excerpts from two interviews taped in 1982, as published by Metalsmith Magazine.
“In San Francisco, there was an open-air art show every year, subsidized by the city. It was open to all craftsmen. Through this show, I started to have contacts with different jewelers. I met Merry Renk and Margaret DePatta, who was a leading force in the metal community. There was also Byron Wilson and an Italian jeweler, Peter Maccarini. We became concerned about the quality of work at those open-air art shows and started thinking about forming an organization to promote professional standards and metalsmithing education. In this way the Metal Arts Guild was founded with a small group of about eight to 10 people. By 1951 we had started to hold serious meetings and make up by-laws. This group was marvelous because of the guidance of Margaret DePatta. Her husband, Eugene Bielawski, was also a metalsmith, and they both were trained in Bauhaus methods at Moholy-Nagy’s School of Design in Chicago. It was they who guided us in all our efforts. However, our discussions were lively, as we did not always agree on the purpose of jewelrymaking [Source: Ganoksin]
Photos:
- Profile photo: Courtesy Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Irena Brynner, Brooch, 1969, 18k gold and Egyptian faience, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1999.52
- Earrings, gold with pearls, 1957, ; Ganoksin
- Choker Chain, 1964, cast gold ; Ganoksin
- Ring, 14k Gold, baroque cultured pearl, 1950; Rago
- Broooch Gold & Pearl Bird, Rago
- Necklace, Gold, Niobium 1991; Cooper Hewitt
- Necklace, Gold, Stone, Diamonds; Cooper Hewitt
Source:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/brooch-38450
Ganoksin: Master Metalsmith, Irena Brynner https://www.ganoksin.com/article/master-metalsmith-irena-brynner/
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6868373_1072-irena-brynner-modernist-gold-and-pearl-bird-brooch
Cooper Hewitt
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18636009/
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18636007/
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August 2021
Peter Macchiarini
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
Emma Macchiarini on Peter Macchiarini….
July 2021
I have never known bench jewelry without the presence of Peter Macchiarini. Even now, far removed from my family shop in North Beach, I sense his presence at times. In Asheville North Carolina, at my own bench, as I create my own story, I know that his story is embedded in mine, and in many ways inextricable. As I start my shop in a new place, I imagine him in the early nineteen forties, a young man, beginning his jewelry practice with few tools and little money. He inspires me, and he talks to me, he goads me, and he encourages me. We are still working together, even after his passing.
Beyond the anecdotal memories, the thing that continues to inform my bench practice was his incredible sense of composition. During the 20 or so years that our time on earth overlapped, my grandfather doted upon me in the usual ways of a grandfather, procuring ice cream against parents wishes, etc, but also in very specific ways relating to art and creativity. He began tutoring me as soon as possible, and even in one conspiratorial moment confided that I was in fact his “Most important protege’”. True or not, I remember that absolute feeling of specialness that can only be experienced between a normally grumpy old artist and a perspicacious little girl who wants to be an artist when she grows up.
“Fill the whole page!” He would command, coming upon me drawing a tiny figure lost in the abyss of white paper.
“What?” I said. I was only 5 years old and beginning to learn to hold a crayon correctly. He grabbed the crayon out of my hand, and drew directly over mine, creating a figure that was similar to the one I was making, except much bigger and more authoritative. It dominated the page. The strength of his mark on the page, and the way he was able to create without hesitation was impressive. I looked at my drawing and burst into tears.
Every drawing I have made since then has been informed by this interaction. And every lesson he ever delivered about art was like this. He tended to take things I was working on out of my hand. He would place my piece at his bench pin and file away at it with his signature strength, even at 90 years old. “Like this” he would say. “Listen to the sound of the file”. Scrape, scrape, scrape.
Something not everybody knows about Peter Macchiarini’s work, is that he made mistakes. His mistakes were more obvious the older he got. One could see areas where he had missed. The thing was that, because his sense of composition was so fine, that even those moments of inaccuracy, or where he lost the details, or left file marks would eventually become part of the charm of an object of great beauty. For my practice this has been vital. I make mistakes as I work, and sometimes they are fatal to the piece (such as a cracked stone while setting). But sometimes these mistakes lead me down a new path, or create interest in something that would have otherwise been a bit boring. I have found that jewelry is best when in contains the element of surprise.
He credited his ability to carve to the time spent in Italy before the second world war. There he found work carving the headstones of the dead of world war one. His carvings were some of his best work. Sometimes I still pick up rings that he carved and wonder at how he created a whole world on such a tiny ring. He was always carving something, be it wood, or wax, or plaster. His larger statues were often whittled in wood, then he would create the plaster cast around the wood, and then pour wax back into the plaster to create a wax model. These larger pieces he would have cast off site at a foundry.
Smaller pieces, he would cast himself, in an ancient tub with a rickety swing arm. He was never a tool hound, and he preferred to work with his hands, a knife and file. He was always griping if we had to order anything besides casting grain from a jewelry supplier.
Peter was a creature of habit, and he drew joy from his daily ritual. He ate breakfast, left for work on the N Judah, worked at his bench between 9:30 and noon, took a walk down to Washington Square park every day, ate a banana on a bench facing the sun, and spoke Italian to the other old men on that bench. At 1 he would return to his bench, where he would work, dream, doze, and scribble furious little drawings in a notebook which he kept in the breast pocket of a very fine suit coat that he wore daily, and which was stained, and speckled with bread crumbs, red wine, plaster dust, and metal filings. He often had a nice hunk of cheese in the same coat hidden in that pocket, which he would produce proudly for me, and cut generously with a filthy pocket knife that he also used for wood carving, and cleaning casting flasks.
He listened to music while working, although how much of it he heard, one never knew. His absolute favorite was the Opera that NPR broadcast each Saturday. I would find him sometimes at his bench with the Opera up to the highest volume possible (he grew deafer as the years went on) conducting an imaginary orchestra at his bench, eyes closed, his right hand moving to the music. The files of his bench strewn across dirty rags, and carving implements, and half finished brooches. There were lost diamonds in that bench, dancing to opera in the dust.
Sometimes when I look at his work, it reflects the same order and chaos that I experienced in his presence. His whole being struck an amazing balance between haphazardness and ritual, between process and engineering, between beauty and surprise. His best work captured the sense of order he had glimpsed in his experience of a world filled with destruction, death, and change.
A look into the depth of an ebony sky, dotted with tiny stars of ivory, and rimmed with shining silver
Note: It’s worth the read to look at Stackpole’s critique of my grandfather’s work written in the early eighties. He mentions Peter’s dissection, and revelation of the egg, or as my grandfather called it, the Pod. He also mentions various biographical elements that I have left out of this piece of writing, and may fill in some information about specific works.
1. Peter Macchiarini- Masks
“Noseless”, “Bowman” and “Forkman” masks. The last 3 masks made by Peter Macchiarini.
[Source: Macchiarini Creative Design]
2. Dot Earrings
[Source: Harriete Estel Berman “Ask Harriete”, Lineage, Provenance, Maker Marks, & Macchiarini ]
3. Dot Ring
Sterling, onyx, recycled ivory and brass dot ring, ca. 1960 by Peter Macchiarini; created in the 1990s in collaboration with Daniel Macchiarini; top is approximately 7/8″ x 5″; ring is about size 10-1/2; marked: “MACC;” fine condition.
[Source artnet Dot Ring ]
4. Bracelet
Sterling silver, copper, brass, and stone, Stamped “Macc” , 3″ x 1″
[Source http://markmcdonald.biz/brace7.html]
5. Studio Constructivist Brooch
1960,studio brooch of sterling silver, brass, ebony and bone inlay. Brooch is quite large and measures 3″ by 4″.
6. American Modernist Brooch, 1960
Sterling Silver Brass Wood
[Source 1st Dibs]
7. Purple Heart Wood Modernist Brooch
Sterling Bronze Moonstone 1980-1989
[Source 1st Dibs ]
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July 2021
Tex Gieling
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
Imogene Tex Gieling Founder Imogene “Tex” Gieling was a pioneer in the metal arts in the Bay area-an artist, educator, visionary, and philanthropist. During her career, which spanned decades, she influenced a generation of teachers in the field while continuing her own work in metals. Dedicated to the metals field in the Bay Area, she was a founder of MAG, and of the metals departments at the University of California Berkeley and San Francisco State University. To the Oakland Museum of California she endowed the Imogene Gieling Curator of Crafts and Decorative Arts position (held by Julie Muniz). Her jewelry has been widely exhibited in the United States and abroad, and she has completed numerous public and private commissions including one for the San Francisco Arts Commission. In 2003 she received the Honorary Member Award from the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) in recognition of a lifetime of achievements in the metal arts field.
“I really have tried to assess what it is that I love so about trying to make jewelry. First of all, it’s being able to handle all this incredibly beautiful material… What you do in the material should be something that is equal; the idea should be equal to the material itself. Your position as a jeweler is to enhance the material.” –Imogene (Tex) Gieling ***
More about Tex Gieling:
Transcript of interview with the Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art
2004 SNAG Lifetime Achievement Award
*** [1] Jo Lauria, “Interview of Imogene Gieling”, November 21, 2008, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution taken from https://sfmcd.org/tex-gieling-sixty-years/
Photo 1: Brooch; 1990s. Sterling silver, 18k gold, druzy quartz, amethyst, diamonds. Photography by Claire Konig. Courtesy of Tex Gieling.
Photo 2: Museum of Craft and Design exhibit in 2019
Photo 3 & 4: Necklaces, Mutual Art
Other Sources:
https://sfmcd.org/tex-gieling-sixty-years/
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June 2021
Florence Resnikoff
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
Florence Resnikoff (1920-2013)
Founder, President Jeweler, sculptor, and teacher. Florence Resnikoff combined complex electrical-based processes with ancient techniques to create vibrantly colored jewelry and metalwork. Resnikoff began exploring jewelry and enameling through adult education courses while working as a registered medical technician in Chicago. In the early 1950s, she relocated to Palo Alto, and had her first one person show at the Art Gallery at Stanford University in 1956. Her interactions with the Metal Arts Guild helped her build her repertoire of techniques and materials in which she accented her gold and silver jewelry with colorful jewels and enamels. She served as Head of the Metal Arts Program at the California College of Arts and Crafts until her retirement as Professor Emerita in 1989. Named a California Living Treasure in 1985, collections include: The Oakland Art Museum, the San Francisco Art Commission, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Smithsonian Museum of American Arts and the Museum of Arts and Design (under consideration).
Read about Awarded Article from Florence Resnikoff:
This article was awarded a prize and a lifetime honorary membership in The Society Of Jewelry Historians, USA. Fall, 1993.
- Palladium, a Platinum-Group Metal for Jewelry http://www.florenceresnikoffdesigns.com/pall.html
- http://www.florenceresnikoffdesigns.com/precious.html
The first 3 photos of her work are the following:
Ripple Pendant
Florence Resnikoff, Ripple Pendant, 1984, 14k gold, titanium, niobium, and moonstone, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carl Resnikoff, 2009.18.3A-B, © 1984, Florence Resnikoff
Credit Line : Smithsonian American Art Museum
https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/ripple-pendant-77542
California Home Pendant
Double examples of colloidal diffusion, 24kt gold, to pure palladium and pure palladium foil bonded to pure silver, oxidized. boulder opal, leather cord. 11″ x 6″ , Florence Resnikoff , http://www.florenceresnikoffdesigns.com/pall.html
Geometric Pin
Florence Resnikoff, Geometric Pin, 1989, 24k and 14k gold, pure silver, sterling silver, citrine quartz, and Siberian jade, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carl Resnikoff, 2009.18.2, © 1989, Florence Resnikoff https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/geometric-pin-77541
More of Florence’s work at:
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/florence-resnikoff-7251
http://www.florenceresnikoffdesigns.com
Published Work
1959 (5th Ed) JEWELRY MAKING, Murray Bovin. Self published. New York.
1961 THE DESIGN & CREATION OF JEWELRY, Robert von Neumann. The Chilton Bood Co, Pennsylvania
1962 HAND WROUGHT JEWELRY, Lois E. Franke. Mc Knight & McKnight, Illinois
1970 CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY, Philip Morton. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York
1976 METAL JEWELRY TECHNIQUES, Marcia Chamberlain. Watson Guptil, New York
1979 ELECTROPLATING & ELECTROFORMING for ARTISTS, Lee & Jay Newman. Crown Pubs
1983 JEWELRY.CONTEMPORARY DESIGN & TECHNIQUE, Chuck Evans. Davis Pubs, Massachusetts
1994 ONE OF A KIND, AMERICAN ART JEWELRY TODAY, Susan Lewin. H. Abrams. New York
2004 MODERNIST JEWELRY, Marbeth Schon. Schiffer Pub. PA
2005 CALIFORNIA DESIGNS, Jo Lauria & Suzanne Baizerman. Chronicle Books, San Francisco
For more about Florence Resnikoff, see our history page.
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May 2021
merry renk
Metal Arts Guild Founding Member
Photo: merry renk, Tex Gieling, Florence Resnikoff
(2011, MAG 60th anniversary symposium)
merry renk (1921-2012)
Founder, President while a student at the Institute of Design in Chicago, Illinois, merry opened a gallery, with two other students, called 750 Studio, exhibiting crafts, painting, sculpture, and photography. They experimented with metals, built their kiln and began to make jewelry. Merry realized that making jewelry was her passion and quit school to teach herself the art of the Goldsmith. She moved to San Francisco, CA, spent a year in Paris, painting, then returned to San Francisco to become a full time professional goldsmith. A founding member of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild, Merry is an honorary fellow on the American Craft Council. Collections include OMCA, Oakland, CA; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; MAD, New York, NY; mofaBoston, MA, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
merry renk, Vessels https://www.craftinamerica.org/object/merry-renk-vessel-1960s
merry renk, Brooch https://www.craftinamerica.org/object/marry-renk-brooch-1981
For more visit this site for an extensive oral history interview conducted by jeweler Arline Fisch for the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Museum.
More photos of merry’s work at https://americanart.si.edu/artist/merry-renk-6290
Photo: Bangles (4th photo)
- merry renk, Bangles, ca. 1967, sawn, fused, and soldered 14k gold with biwa pearls, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joan Watkins, 1993.78.5
- Credit Line: Smithsonian American Art Museum
For more about merry renk, see our history page.
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April 2021
Sudha Irwin
Websites: sudhairwin.com
Instagram: sudhairwin
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in India and came to the US almost fifty years ago. After college in India, I joined a four-year art program but dropped out after the first introductory year to pursue a graduate degree in English Literature. The art school was considered a vocational school, my sister and I were the only female students. Our father persuaded us to go back to academics, as he didn’t think a vocation in arts was appropriate for women in our family.
Almost twenty-seven years later, here in California, I had the opportunity to enroll in metal arts classes. This opportunity came in a chance encounter with a local librarian whose metal brooch I admired and inquired how I could learn to make such things. She sent me a catalog of classes at the Richmond Art Center. I have been learning ever since.
A couple of years after I started classes at the College of Marin (while continuing classes with Hugh Power at the RAC), our jewelry teacher selected a few students to form a small partnership of jewelers to rent a space at ArtWorks Downtown in San Rafael. We called our group the Marin Jewelers Guild. I have been part of the Guild since its inception in 2000.
What is your favorite tool and why?
It is hard to name a favorite tool. I love my hammers and anvil for forging, folding metal, texturing, shaping, riveting. Rolling mill and flex shaft are other tools I use for just about every project. And my vise and my new Paragon kiln.
Which materials do you create with most and what is your attraction to using them?
Most of my work is done in Sterling and Argentium silver, often with accents of gold. I combine these with gems or enamels. Recently, I have created some pieces in gold but with the price of gold so high, I have used it sparingly. Copper is another metal I use mostly as a base for enamels and for some experimental fold forming.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I am endlessly fascinated by the shapes, forms, textures, color and symmetry in Nature. My walks in the woods or on the beach, be it the texture of a tree bark or a piece of seaweed, always inspire me to come home and create. Besides fabricating forms found in Nature, I also like to cast textures and shapes from plant materials.
How long have you been working in metals and what brought you into this field?
I started out making beaded jewelry but soon realized, I wanted to create my own metal components. My first jewelry class was at the Richmond Art Center in the fall of 1998. That led to a passion of making things in metal. Classes at College of Marin, workshops at CCA, Mendocino Art Center and from various other teachers have helped me to acquire skills. After a few years working with metals, I found myself wanting to explore creating small vessels. However, two freak accidents in which I injured my right hand, forced me to concentrate on smaller pieces. Hence my focus on creating jewelry using multiple techniques.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in metals?
Persevere and follow your dreams. It takes a lot of patience to acquire good skills, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and to start over. Learn from Different teachers. Experienced metal smiths develop many bench tricks that prove immensely helpful in the studio. Learn and practice safe studio procedures.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a metal artist and have you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?
Marketing, social media. I am not good at it and don’t enjoy spending much time on the computer. I understand that learning some more computer skills will help. Maybe this year…
Favorite resource/vendor or website
Otto Frei for tools.
Rio Grande for sheet metal, wires.
Hoover and Strong for gold alloys.
Ganoksin
Gem shows
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March 2021
Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick
Websites: jennparnelldesigns.com
Instagram: jennparnelldesigns
Tell us a little about yourself.
I moved to the Bay Area in August 2019, leaving the East Coast where I had spent my life and career to that point. I teach at Silvera Jewelry School (physically in Berkeley, but I’ve been teaching from my home studio for almost a year at this point- since early April 2020!), and it’s been quite an adventure being in CA so far! Joe and Anat and teaching have helped anchor me during the pandemic. Developing and getting to expand our teaching offerings has been a real bright spot, I love learning and am constantly wanting to explore new things, and this has been a perfect opportunity for that!
Having the pandemic take hold just as I was just starting to get my feet under me out here has been challenging for sure. I’m still meeting fellow local artists and finding galleries, and want to continue that as well as showing my work at shows when doing things with people becomes more commonplace again! I had just finished unpacking and putting together my studio the day our first shelter-in-place orders came down.
I taught at the Corcoran College of Art in DC, Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, and then the Baltimore Jewelry Center, beginning teaching in 2004. I began my jewelry business in 2000, did craft shows regularly (even with teaching) up until 2008. I went back to get my MFA at that point, as I realized I loved teaching, and I also needed a creative recharge.
There are very few aspects of making and the history of jewelry that I’m not into, and I’m always looking to try something new, explore a new technique, and continue making art. I love doing commission work as making someone’s vision come to reality, and seeing the happiness and meaning that something you made brings to their life is one of the best feelings.
I’m very much looking forward to being more involved in the jewelry community and exploring the Bay Area (and California) as we come out of the pandemic.
What is your favorite tool and why?
My favorite tool is my Frederich Dick safe edge barrette needle file. It cuts like a dream and it’s so thin, it gets into almost anywhere.
Which materials do you create with most and what is your attraction to using them?
In sheet and wire, I work a lot in silver, I adore green gold and wish I could use more of it. I also work a lot in copper between enameling and electroforming. I really like alloying my own metals and then using them, allowing me to play around with color in the material itself.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
While a lot of my work has an organic overtone, most of my inspiration comes from my teaching. Every time I teach a topic, I’m reminded of how much fun something is, and my mind starts going off in all the directions I want to explore how to push that material or skill.
How long have you been working in metals and what brought you into this field?
I’ve been making jewelry since 1996, I got both my BFA and MFA in Jewelry and Metals. I have been teaching jewelry since 2004. I initially entered Jewelry as a major in college instead of illustration (the original plan) because I didn’t want someone telling me what to paint and draw for the next 3 years, and metal seemed really fun.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in metals?
Don’t be afraid of messing up. Don’t be afraid of melting things. We learn so much by exploring the materials, how far you can stretch, heat, hammer, push it, that playing it safe means you don’t really wind up understanding how ductile metal can be. Try melting copper on purpose and see how long it takes to really get it to melt! You’ll be a lot less afraid of melting things while soldering after that.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a metal artist and have you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?
Timely question! The biggest challenge I have found is having time to make my own work when I have the bandwidth to do so. Many times when I’m feeling creative and excited, I’m doing a million things and sitting down for even a day in my studio to work on my work can be hard to find. I keep trying to do that. The times when I have more free time, I tend to be tougher emotionally (hello, global pandemic!) and creativity is hard to come by. It’s harder on those days to see what things can be rather than staring at half done pieces and feeling overwhelmed. I try to have an ongoing list of tasks that take various levels of brain power so that I can get *something* done every day. Even if it’s replenishing my jump rings, that’s doing something that I need to, and I can do that somewhat mindlessly.
Favorite resource/vendor or website
Oh, tough. I was gleeful to be living so close to Otto Frei and I got to go there before they stopped having browsing hours. I’ve been ordering from them since the mid-nineties back when they were Frei and Borel! I also love Rio and Contenti for tools. McMaster Carr, Reactive Metals, enameling.com…. there’s so many!
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February 2021
Trevi Alohilani Pendro
Websites: trevitrove.com
Instagram: trevitrove
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a non-binary mixed-race femme, California grown in Los Angeles and the SF Bay Area. When I was a child, I wanted to grow up to be Frank Lloyd Wright. I was obsessed with the idea of not just designing a home, but everything in it. Making it all. Since receiving my Jewelry/Metal Arts BFA with a Writing & Literature minor from California College of the Arts (and Crafts), I have continued to learn as much as possible. These adventures have included: the craft school experience, an artist residency, being a bench jeweler, group shows, teaching youth and adults, craft fairs, and working in higher education as an Academic Advisor at my alma mater. All this to say, I am passionate about trying new things, navigating life as an artist + metalsmith. Most recently I have been focused on my production jewelry and one-of-a-kind work, letting myself experiment in the studio again, and freelance copywriting.
I currently live where the ocean meets the redwoods as an Artist in Residence at the Mendocino Art Center, and feel so lucky to be here. Still rooted in the Bay Area, I am the Social Media & Marketing Director for Shibumi Gallery in Berkeley, CA.
What is your favorite tool and why?
This may be a basic one, but my absolute favorite tool is my solder pick with an oversized wooden handle. I almost never use tweezers these days. Playing with fire is one of the allures of working with metal, and the solder pick is what allows me to put my hand into the flame. It’s magic! The handle on my pick is comically large, but perhaps more ergonomic and comfortable with my tendency to “death grip” tools when I’m concentrating.
Which materials do you create with most and what is your attraction to using them?
Almost all of my pieces are made with sterling silver. I am attracted to the color of course, but also its versatility. Compared to other metals, I think its properties are a very pleasant middle ground. Silver is never too hard or too soft to accomplish something with, takes a good amount of heat, etc. While it has fluctuated a lot over the years, the price is a significant factor too because I want my work to be accessible.
I’ve recently been branching out a bit into gold and platinum… and wow are they too much fun!
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I am not inspired solely by the world around me, but rather my full experience of it. The pieces I design are an amalgamation of what I observe and how it makes me feel. While I am often looking to nature and my immediate environment; I also find inspiration in my complex heritage, the materials I am working with, and exploring new techniques.
How long have you been working in metals and what brought you into this field?
I took my first jewelry fabrication class at The Crucible in West Oakland when I was twelve years old. After taking a handful of classes there, I was encouraged to apply to their youth internship program, which was just beginning at the time. I ended up interning for two years in a row, and had begun thinking about my options for college. I decided I was only going to apply to schools with jewelry programs, and that was that.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in metals?
Working with metal is hard and involves a lot of problem solving! There is always more to know and you will see folks that are more skilled than you (yes, especially your teacher who has been doing it for twice as long or longer!). It is all time and practice. Also don’t forget why we do it, no matter how difficult it can be… because it’s FUN and we love it!
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a metal artist and have you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?
The biggest challenge I experience as a metal artist is making it financially sustainable. It is an expensive trade to be in, from materials to tools, which I wish was addressed and discussed more. I think this puts a lot of pressure on making work to sell as opposed to making just to make. As someone who is fairly new to investing so much time in my practice, I am still figuring out the balance. Creating a schedule for myself and sticking to it as far as designated studio time, freelance work, other small business responsibilities etc. has been helpful!
Favorite resource/vendor or website
Metalsmith Society (@metalsmithsociety) on Instagram has been a fun way to feel connected to the jewelry community through the pandemic. Their tips & tricks posts are wonderful and I want everything in their Society Shop!
Girl Gang Craft (@girlgangcraft) was my favorite craft market to do when in-person events still existed. They are now my go-to for info on running a small business – online workshops, a blog of free resources and interviews with other entrepreneurs, a podcast, and more. So
Lastly – All the amazing jewelers, artists, makers, craftspeople that I connect with and learn from. Thank you for your advice, expertise, and support.
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Bob and Mary Zimmerman
Websites: strandsofhistory.com
Instagram: strandsofhistory
Tell us a little about yourself.
We’re both native Californians and sailors, which may help explain our strong connection with the Golden Gate Bridge. Mary has lived here her whole life, while Bob’s family moved to Ohio when he was five years old, where he grew up always knowing he’d live in California again. He’s lived here now over 35 years, 28 years around the Bay Area and seven in Tahoe City. We’ve always been attracted by creativity, problem-solving and science, whether its coaxing 1930s suspender ropes to take on new roles, or working in biopharma drug development, which we both did for almost three decades around the Bay Area prior to taking over Strands of History a little over three years ago.
What is your favorite tool and why?
Bob’s favorite tool is the three-phase, 10 hp Kalamazoo Industries 14” chop saw we use to cut the suspender ropes. We tried several other more “modern” technologies to cut the ropes, like laser or water, but those techniques didn’t work. As one of these groups told us, imagine holding a handful of toothpicks and trying to cut it – the vibrations from each of the 229 individual wires in the ropes as they get cut just doesn’t allow for a clean cut. We talked to a metal artist friend, who asked us if we had ever seen that big chop saw run. When we said no, he just smiled and said, “Well, sh*t flies everywhere.” And he was right. We benefited from an excellent discussion with the Kalamazoo tech line who got us dialed in with the correct blades and provided us with several valuable insights. Now, I can make a cut through a rope and a stainless steel band in about 40 – 50 seconds. And it does put on an incredible show with every cut.
Mary’s favorite tool is the custom-built hydraulic crimper that puts the stainless steel bands on the ropes with 7000 pounds of pressure. No matter what the project is, it always starts with the banding to maintain the lay of the wire, which is the unique fingerprint-like organization of the 229 wires of 10 different sizes that identifies these ropes as the original 1930’s suspender ropes from the Golden Gate Bridge. No other suspension bridge in the world uses the same lay of the wire in their suspender ropes, including the replacement ropes on the Golden Gate. It’s a big machine that immediately catches your eye when you enter the shop. Everyone always asks, “What’s that big thing”? So one day Mary painted its name on it: “The Big Thing.” It’s been a workhorse from the day it was built and is the essential foundation to all we do.
Which materials do you create with most and what is your attraction to using them?
All of our custom furniture, art and mementos incorporate the original 1930s vertical suspender ropes from the Golden Gate Bridge. They were replaced in the mid-1970s when problems were found with their connections to the bridge roadway during a routine inspection. Unfortunately, it was impossible to repair that connection; the best solution was to replace the ropes and engineer new roadway connections. A portion of the ropes were saved by the Bridge District in the event of emergency, most were scrapped, while the remainder were set aside for activities like what we do. Strands of History holds all of the remaining stock of these original suspender ropes.
Who can’t remember the first time they saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time? People come from all over the world to see San Francisco and walk the bridge. Many people have a special link to the Golden Gate, including ourselves. We sailed in the Bay for years and admired it from the water. It was our adventure highway to explore the coast north of San Francisco, either for a vacation or a day trip. And that rainbow tunnel into Marin!
We feel we are custodians of these historical ropes for all of the Bay Area, locals and visitors alike. Our goals are to get these ropes incorporated into public spaces, restaurants, bars, hotel and business lobbies for everyone to appreciate. To provide people with the opportunity to pause in their day and reflect for a moment about that magnificent bridge, and what it took to build it; no computer modeling, no precedence to go by, just insights, imagination, slides rules and pencils.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
We strive to capture the beauty and power of the ropes in each piece. They weigh one pound per inch, have a breaking strength of over 600,000 pounds, yet they are simply a collection of small wires, organized in a precise way to manage the strong winds in the Golden Gate, the fluctuations in daily temperatures the make the roadway rise or fall multiple feet per day, not to mention the load of the traffic on it.
How long have you been working in metals and what brought you into this field?
Strands of History is our first experience working with metal. We’ve built a barn, sheds, lived on a ranch with fences, water tanks, pumps, solar hot water and electricity, but never worked a lot in metal prior to the past few years.
A lifelong friend of Bob’s owned Strands of History for about a dozen years. Initially we got involved to help expand the business into public spaces and public artwork. Unfortunately, Bob’s friend passed unexpectedly about nine months into working together. We were inspired by our mutual vision for the ropes and love for the Bridge, so we elected to take over the business and learn metalworking.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in metals?
Wear appropriate protective equipment, have a lot of patience, ask questions of more knowledgeable people, be precise. Metal is not like wood, you can’t force something to fit with metal, it either fits or it doesn’t. A 32nd of an inch actually matters in metal work. Sometimes, at least with the ropes, they just seem to have a personality of their own and decide not to follow the rules on some days. All of our collaborators have noticed the same thing. No one can explain it, so we go with it, sometimes modifying a plan or a working strategy.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a metal artist and have you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?
Aside from learning the technical and mechanical aspects of working with the ropes, our biggest challenge has been establishing ourselves as relatively new artists in the custom furniture and art field. We collaborate with the highly respected wood craftsmen at Roundwood Furniture, and our blacksmith collaborators, Bushey Ironworks, are highly recognized metal artists. Nonetheless, building that aspect of the business has been a challenge, even though we work with those established and award-winning groups, as probably many artists have experienced.
Favorite resource/vendor or website
We have learned the most about design and metal-working from speaking with our colleagues and collaborators. There is a lot of knowledge available from experienced people who are willing to share. For example, we spend a lot of time grinding and polishing to get the final finish on many of our works. A simple tip about a product and technique from the Bushey’s has saved us hours and hours of time over the years. The other way worked, it just wasn’t as efficient. We’ve found that other metal artists are our best resources.
