Playing catch-up

So, I've taken yet another hiatus from blogging. And now I have TONS to catch up on!! I've done some traveling this summer.... I spent ten days driving around Ireland taking almost 1000 photos! (no exaggeration) I've also been in a few shows since the last post. Most noteworthy, the Steampunk Bizarre at ArtSpace Hartford last month. Here are a few photos of the work I did for that. A little bit of a departure from what I've done previously, all sculptural jewelry pieces...semi-wearable. They're sterling silver for the most part, going back to my college days of silversmithing. I think teaching jewelry and metalsmithing the past five years is starting to influence my work too! I can't seem to escape the influence of what I do at school. First the glass, now jewelry..... maybe soapstone carving will be next......Not likely though.
Getting back to the jewelry......There are found watch parts and brass filigrees included in the necklace but other than that, each piece is handmade from sterling silver wire and sheet metal. The fork and spoon rings are obviously made from a silver spoon and fork set and they have cast pieces incorporated in my attempt to balance the mechanical and the organic. What looks like water or glass in the photos is a polyester resin and these also have found watch parts. Since I've never made a belt buckle before, I said, why not try it for the steampunk show! So, here are my first two belt buckles! I'm very proud that I was able to make a functional belt buckle. It was touch and go for a while, I've found they're not as forgiving as a ring or a necklace. The one with the three glass viles is the "Alchemists Belt Buckle." Each vile is filled with resin and a collection of pieces that can be swapped out for the alchemist to have on hand whatever he/she may need for a particular situation. The belt buckle with the hoses is called the "Chemists Secret Weapon" and the sprayer in the center would be activated by the person wearing the buckle to mix the two "chemicals" to disable an unsuspecting attacker! (Can you tell I dorked out a little with the Steampunk aspect of these?) Being belt buckles I decided on nickel silver instead of sterling. There are brass and copper pieces on the Chemists buckle and both incorporate resin, glass viles and found watch parts. These are just a few of the pieces I did for the show, I added a few detail shots into the slide show at the bottom of the blog. If you want to see more of my work, or more of any of the other work in the show, check out the online gallery for the Steampunk Bizarre 2010. There's some great work by a few of the artists whose work I admire and whose blogs I follow....and you should too.
I'm also working on setting up an etsy account to sell some of the stuff I've made, so look for more about that and check back soon for some photos from my travels. It's taken me a while to whittle them down to a few favorites but I'm getting closer!

Addams Family Gathering Opens

So the opening of the Addams Family Gathering was this past weekend. This is a group shot of all of the artists showing work. We had a really great turn out and there was a story in the Middletown Press about the show. My installation ended up coming together well. I included a detail shot because it's difficult to see the detail in the full shot. The resin, though it was the bane of my existence for a while, really added to the piece so I'm glad I stuck with it. I did end up finishing a few new pendants before the opening so if you check out the exhibit, don't forget about the display case in the back. It's up through Saturday October 24th and gallery hours are 11-3 on the weekends only. There's a lot of amazing work, this is a really strong show and there's a little something for everyone, from fine art painting and sculpture to functional guitars, illustrations and comic books. Stop by and check it out. I've pasted part of the article from the Middletown Press below but you can check out the rest of the article and the photos that went with it (I believe) on their website.
A continuous reel of old Addams Family television clips projected on a large screen played in the window of the MAC 650 Gallery welcoming guests to the opening night of “The Addams Family Gathering” Friday night.
Guests and featured artists, many dressed in funeral attire, admired an eclectic assortment of work based on one of television’s beloved families inside the gallery.
(Joeseph) Dinunzio and (Joseph) Galluccio sought out members of the local art community to contribute to the show. According to Dinunzio, they were looking for artists whose art had “darkness,” or artists who “could bring something to the genre.” Because of the specific theme of the show, they did not expect artists to already have art in their collections that would fit the show’s theme, so artists asked to show work in the exhibit created new art.
“The Addams Family Gathering” features the work of Dinunzio, Shannon M. Gagne, Galluccio, Joey Marsocci, Jason May, John McCormack, Katie Osowiecki, Shelley Osowiecki and Carrie Swider. The MAC 650 Gallery is located at 650 Main St. in Middletown. Go to the Mac 650 blog for more info.

Addams Family Gathering Preview

Here's a little sneak peak of the piece I've been working on for the Addams Family Gathering show opening Oct. 2nd at the Mac 650 Gallery in Middletown. As you can see, my work table is kind of a mess but the new studio is working fabulously. This is another mixed media piece. It will end up being an installation of Morticia's Garden. It's still in pieces but it's coming along nicely. Come check out the opening, it should be a blast. Nine artists are showing, including myself and our styles are very different so it should be an eclectic show even though everything will be tied into the Addams Family in some way. This is a Joe Dinunzio & Joe Gallucio production so as always there will be fun stuff happening along with the free food and wine. Here is the flyer for the opening. Joey Marsocci designed the poster and will have a few pieces in the show also. If you can't make it, the show is up for the month of October and gallery hours are on the weekends. Also, check back here for photos of my finished piece and some of the other work in the exhibit.