Today in the neighborhood

Some suburban sentinels.

Today at the bench (part two)

Making some earrings to match the Sand and Sea Neckpiece.
All this new work will soon be winging its way to Pieces of Eight...

Today at the bench (part one)

Some green and a little bit of blue...

Today...

Was a beautiful orange and blue day.
Out walking and back in the studio too.

At the Art Gallery of South Australia

Last year Lauren Simeoni and I showed our exhibition unnatural, Naturally at the Jamfactory in Adelaide, you can read all about it and see images of the works, the installation and workshops we held here. We were so proud of the exhibition and it was fabulous to be showing in Lauren's hometown. The cherry on top came with the acquisition of two of our pieces by The Art Gallery of South Australia for the Rhiannon Vernon-Roberts Collection of contemporary Australian jewellery. The collection is currently on show in its entirety to mark its 20th year. Lauren and I are in some extremely esteemed company and it is a real honour to be there!

This is my piece in the collection:

Melinda Young, Spiker Neckpiece, 2011

From the Art Gallery of South Australia website:

The Gallery’s collection of contemporary Australian jewellery is being exhibited in its glorious entirety, for the very first time.

The Rhianon Vernon-Roberts Memorial Collection, established in late 1991, consists of more than one hundred items of jewellery by fifty-five innovative contemporary jewellers, making it one of the most important collections of its type in Australia. The collection promotes one-off, experimental studio jewellery developed for exhibition. From precious materials to found forms, the jewellery in the exhibition highlights the capacity of artists to push material and conceptual boundaries.
The Rhianon Vernon-Roberts Memorial Collection was established and is actively supported by Dr. Jane and Prof. Barrie Vernon-Roberts AO in memory of their daughter and talented jeweller, Rhianon (1964–1990).

If you are in Adelaide before 19 September 2012, go and have a look...

Green thoughts on a blue sky day

Orange. Everywhere!



sand and sea

I have been enjoyed a bit of sand and sea recently, despite the alarming absence of anything one could really call 'summer' in these parts. A few months ago we went on a family holiday to Vanuatu - it was heaven. I took thousands of photographs and spent many, many happy hours beachcombing with the young Studio Assistant, who happily seems to be inheriting my fascination for the shoreline and its contents...

 

 Slowly, slowly there comes,

 the inevitable trickle of influence

 into my work...

These are new works in progress for Pieces of Eight in Melbourne.



Audio Design Museum

So I am about 18 months behind in posting about this, but hey! Better late than never....
I was interviewed as part of the Audio Design Museum in 2010 - an Object initiative curated by Vivianne Stapmanns and Kate Rhodes it is a series of audio walking tours that takes you into the studios, inspirations and lives of a diverse range of makers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Well worth dowloading and having a listen - whether you plan to walk the streets or not! Click here for the introductory page to the Sydney tour. I am interviewed in the Surry Hills/Darlinghurst bit along with the fabulous folks at metalab. (That is a familiar looking studio on the home page below!)

Tittifers

Having a small person in my life has changed lots of things. I have mentioned a few changes to the sources of inspiration. Here is another. My favourite thing about children's television. The Tittifers from In the Night Garden, just them, not the entire show, I just love the few seconds per episode that they appear...

This was the best picture I could find on the interwebs - the colours are much, much more vivid... and they are just so beautifully weird : )


I have just made a few new neckpieces in what I have been referring to as 'Tittifer Pink'...


UPDATE!!!


After posting this I arrived home to find a parcel from my dear friend and unnatural jewelling co-conspirator Lauren Simeoni. In it was a bunch of fabulous fake frou-frou in Tittifer Pink! An exact match to the pieces I have been making. Oh, happy serendipity. Below is an excitedly taken mobile phone picture of a neckpiece and blooms. 

And a more formal studio shot of one of the completed neckpieces...

Melinda Young, Pink Smile Neckpiece, 2012, Vintage Plastic Buckle, Stone, Coral, Jade, Freshwater Pearls, Glass, Plastic, Glitter Ball, Sequins, 925 Silver

Childhood influences...

The young studio assistant and I have just returned from a delightful holiday at Mum's house. While we were there,  I finally got around to doing something I have been meaning to do for years: documenting some of her amazing collection of fabric collages and tapestries, touchstones of my childhood - all made by my Mum and Grandma. I am truly fortunate to have grown up around the influence of such talented and creative women.

   

Shell Collection

The young studio assistant and I had a lovely time sorting through a shell collection this week...

The urchin was a favourite. He enjoyed wearing it as a ring and looking through it.

Earlier in the day we explored the finer points of the architecture (and demolition) of the sandcastle.



Shadowlands preview...

I am busy working on a new production range called Shadowlands, predominantly using oxidised sterling silver. It has developed from my recent exhibition work made for unnatural Tendencies and Life in your hands : art from solastalgia.

Here is a sneak preview:

Autumn in the neighbourhood

So pretty...

Art for Humanity - Painters and Jewellers for Australian Red Cross

Art for Humanity - Painters and Jewellers for Australian Red Cross is a fundraising exhibition being held in support of Australian Red Cross. It will take place at Depot Gallery II from 29 May - 9 June 2012. The opening is on Thursday 31 May, 6-8 pm and you can read a bit more about the exhibition here. It is being organised by two remarkable women from my partner's family, Irene Thom and Sally Thompson who are longstanding and committed Australian Red Cross Volunteers.

There are some fabulous artists who have donated work for the exhibition including the painters Neil Evans, David Fairbairn, Christopher Hodges, Euan Macleod, Angus Nivison, Jan Weir, Phil Aston Williams, Salwa Woodroffe, Mary Punchi Clement, Janie Ward and Noῃgirrya and jewellers Helena Bogucki, Zoe Brand, Danielle Butters, Melanie Ihnen, Bridget Kennedy, Saori Kita, Jessica McMullen, Mel Miller, Emma Wood and Shu-Lin Wu.

Here are the pieces I have made for the exhibition:

Burst Neckpiece, Acrylic, Coral, Glass, Plastic, Wood, Silk Thread

Flow Neckpiece, Handspun Sewing Thread, Coral