More well designed items from Tiffany & Co. All are very different from what I have seen so far. Only weird thing is about Tiffany & Co is that for being such a high end, well known company you would think they would have more one of a kind items, but a lot of the jewelery is mass produced and is too perfect. It lacks the human touch.

Here is a Tiffany and CO broach that i find to be amazing. They all this collection "statement jewelery" and its so overly embellished and highly detailed. The fish form attracted me to it but the mix of materials and the use of bright colors is very attractive.

Here is a few images of my final work for this semester! Im very proud of how everything turned out and im glad to be done with all those long hours put into them. It really is great to be able to bask in the glory of this work.

I just want to say it again but im soooooo proud of how the show went on Sunday! Everyone did such nice work and the displays were great considering what we had to work with! This show makes me so happy to be part of a team like this! As for Wednesday...hopefully the snow isnt too bad and alot of people are able to visit our displays! Good luck!

SOFA in Chicago...I was not all that impressed with the work displayed. It seemed like there was too much focus on glass which in my opinion didn't seem too progressive in that field and maybe a bit out dated. Although it was a fun day and it was great to designate one day to not being in the studio, I felt like it was a waste of time and money. The one positive was that it was great to see what other people were interested in and what they were working on. I'm glad I went but I think I might wait a few years to return....sorry for the bummer report!

The Hagia Sophia is a well designed building that I have been taking inspiration from for a while. Many of the same details in the mosaics and many of the same shaped lines are reflected in my own work. I am drawn to the curving voluptuous line qualities that are suggestive of the human woman's form. I find these types of lines to be seductive and alluring. The portions are also well balanced.

So one of the things that always inspired me by its design has now just crossed the line. DUBS. They are generally so cool and a symbol of status but while I was visiting their website I discovered a weird form of rims. They can be customized with the consumers personal images they choose. I think this is a great idea in the fact that this is a true way of customizing your ride which is the main point of custom rims in the first place but they also define the consumer and their likes. I think this is slightly tacky but funny at the same time. The second image I really liked was the Blaque Diamond Spyder wheels. These actually have a nice form and design and if I had the money I wouldn't mind having them myself. They come in multiple colors and are beautifully defined with the black rims with a colored accent.

One of my all time favorite artists is Bob Ross. I know this sounds like a huge stretch going from a sculptural 3D background to being inspired by a 2D method painter. I am obsessed with him because of how he works and becuase it is so easy to learn his method for painting. Painting is one of those skills I really struggle with so I find his TV show so important. After all I do believe as an artist it is important to be versed in all forms of art because they all draw together to reflect in you work, your technique, craft and end products. He shows painting in a step by step process which breaks down how the finished painting was created. I think this process also is reflected in metals in which the process is sometimes more important then the end project.

One of the artists that I really admire is Dale Chihuly but it is his chandelier sculptures that interest me the most. Again the chandelier form is appealing to me but even more the medium of blown glass as well. I enjoyed enameling last semester and lamp working over winterm and I would like to incorporate glass into my work more. These images caught my attention because of how they fit into the garden environment that they are placed into. I like the mix between organic plant life with such a free form yet rigid medium of glass in which they seem to mimic each other in form. They make a visible connection. I also admire how these chandeliers are constructed using multiple piece of individually hand blown glass then fit together with the use of a metal framed structure underneath.

This is a chandelier that inspired me because i generally would not think that glass could be structurally sound enough to be supported in the air. The lines are clean but include a large amount of lined detail. I like the three color options but the red stands out to me because it is visible of its construction and reveals that the medium is glass. It is the form of the chandelier that is so attractive to me because of the smooth curves and the extension of arms that seem to grasp the viewer. This glass chandelier also comes in white as well.

Jacob & Co. AKA: Jacob the jewelery created this engagement ring. This work inspires me in many ways that reflect my goal in school but also my personality. First of all, I love bling and ice. This rock is huge and beautiful and catches my eye because of the setting that has details on all four prongs. The most important feature of this ring is the extremely detailed sides of the ring. It is almost symbolic of "tying the knot" because of how the line interacts with itself in a knot like fashion. This is important conceptually for someone who is planning on getting married and for the institution of marriage and all the comes with.

Torn apart...

Kim Cridler

I was completely inspired by last Wednesday and the time we got to spend with Kim Cridler both in the studio but also during her lecture. One of the main reasons she inspires me is because she is so down to earth, funny and of course greatly talented. She kept making comments like "I'm not good with math" or "I suck at this." She was comfortable in her own skin enough to admit she wasn't great at every thing and that she has had her fair share of struggles to get where shes at. Many people and teachers that I have encountered lately have been suggesting that the art seen sucks and that being an artist you wont make it. She inspired me when she said she worked at Starbucks and did her art work on the side. I thought that was great. The other part was how good she was at teaching this new technique to our class. I had a blast! Her work is interesting to me because of the form she uses is generally thought to hold things and how she constructs them, they are no longer functional objects. Her concept is strong and shows though in her work that the history of the object is very important along with the decoration that goes with it. I enjoyed her works that used the soldering of steel wire the most because of the class. I plan on following her work.

I had a great talk with Frankie about a few things one being the Bespoke object and how the history of the object may play a more important role than what I had first thought. Later that night I was discussing this conversation with my parents and then the weirdest thing happened and I am not sure how it did but the perfect object appeared on the kitchen table. It was almost like the object came to me for a reason and was begging to be re-used since my dad who is my objects first owner has discarded it as useless now since he no longer uses it for work. I have a personal connection with this object because when I was young I would go with my dad on service calls and I would see my dad carrying it around. This object was near and dear to my dad and lately my dad and I have been disagreeing on many things just because we are so much alike. So I want to make a connection with my dad though the idea of "one mans junk is another mans treasure" and to use the history in a new way by refurbishing this object. I have a very Strong sentimental attachment to this object so this will force me to take my time and to take a great deal of care in how I treat this object.

Jackson Pollock is one of the artists I take inspiration from. I enjoy his out look on how art should be created with little thought but more emotions and feelings. It was important for him to work on the flattest surface possible so instead of working on a traditional stretch canvas he worked on the floor and instead of a primed canvas he used un-primed so that the paint could soak in deeper and become even flatter. The reason he inspires me is because I find myself being too organized and too structured. I like the unplanned, unstructured work that doesn't represent any one thing but instead conveys a emotion. Even though he was a painter I still think there are things I can take away and use in my metals projects as inspiration.

A few things from life that inspire me include chandeliers, diamonds, anything shinny like silver or gold, fishing, hunting, snowboarding, dogs specifically wiemeraners, fast cars like my VW, flowers specifically orchids, patterns in fabrics, cheese, horses, nature trails, textures in materials, jewelry, family and my friends just to name a few. I am sure I will be adding more to this list.

Hey its me: Kendra

Hey, my name is Kendra, I am a fifth year senior and I am a BFA major with a focus on metals and ceramics. I am also an art history minor. I want to be a bench jeweler after I graduate in Spring 2010. My goals this semester are to learn new fabrication methods building on my current knowledge base. I also want to become better at soldering pieces with minimal clean-up. I look forward to Frankie's class.