stephanie simek wearables: let’s chat!

i almost thought these delicate jewelry pieces by stephanie simek were trompe l’oeil when i first saw them. i mean, is that really an eggshell? lined with 23k gold foil? really? and there’s no way someone could possibly piece single eyelashes together so precisely, right? and what about that delicate, glowing sea cookie that looks as if it were found and plucked right from the ocean floor and pinned on a blouse? viewing these surreal pieces truly suspends my disbelief. my mind hurtles toward fantastic places and into stephanie’s world, filled with deft skill, technique and élan. could she be a refined, modern-day willy wonka? let’s have a chat and find out more!

q: where do you live, and where do you create your art?
a: i live in portland, oregon in a former hare krishna temple that my partner adam keller and i turned into an art and music space. we host events about once or twice a week. my favorite part of the room is the stage area that has a beautiful scalloped cutout and peaks at the top. it is painted gold, which was like that when we moved in. actually every room in the house is painted a different, bright color. i work on my own projects in the main room when it isn’t being used for shows.

q: what is your background? did you study art formally?
a: i studied at mason gross school of the arts at rutgers university in new jersey. i got my bfa in visual arts with a concentration in photography.

q: on your website i see you have projects in several other disciplines. did you start out making jewelry? is it your favorite way to express yourself creatively?
a: the jewelry line is actually pretty new. i started it about a year ago and am really enjoying exploring the possibilities. but i am just as excited about some of the other things i am currently working on. right now i’m also working on some videos and sound pieces.

q: what compelled you to use these extremely delicate, organic materials in your collection?
a: i think it makes the person wearing it more aware, to the extent where hopefully they feel like they are the guardian of something precious.

q: what has been your biggest challenge in designing jewelry? and how about your biggest reward in being a gallery owner?
a: i like to use materials that aren’t customarily worn on the body, so it’s often a challenge figuring out how to get them to be accommodating. i have to find ways to prevent problems like breakage and decay while still visually maintaining the delicate nature of the object.

as far as owning a gallery, i think experiencing and exposing other people to all kinds of work is the most rewarding aspect of running a place like ours. also, it’s very gratifying to be able to give artists a place to share what they’ve created with other people.

q: what’s the best piece of advice you have ever received regarding your work?
a: keep at it!

q: what is your inspiration to create these pieces?
a: recently it’s been my dreams and the feelings i’m left with when i wake up.

q: can we go anywhere to see your work in person?
a: currently, i don’t have any work on exhibit, but you can purchase my complete wearable collection through my website, and select pieces around the world at the following shops: in chicago at habit, at catbird in brooklyn and pixie market in new york, in sydney at incu, at umi and co. in london, in san francisco at offbeat on haight and at the square room and foxmaid in seattle.

see more at stephanie’s website, and if you are local be sure to stop by rererato to see the latest and greatest art in all media.

thank you stephanie!

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jennifer maestre sculpture

(ed. note: welcome first-time readers! if you enjoy this article about jennifer, please click on the other categories to the left to enjoy even more posts about other talented artists and designers. better yet, feel free to be impulsive and click on subscribe to the right, and i will bring the good stuff to you instead! thank you for visiting!)

look closely at the fantastic sea creatures created by south african born, massachusetts based sculptor jennifer maestre and you will see that they’re made of pencils. that’s right, you heard me. jen’s current work is skillfully crafted from hundreds and hundreds of colored pencils. they’re cut into one inch pieces, sharpened and then drilled through to become beads, and then sewn together using a peyote stitch. in each of these incredible works you can feel the approach-avoid paradox from her medium - a clear and surprising achievement (and one of her goals). you can also see the genesis and extension of a simply fascinating idea.

all that contrasty tension in the spikey points and smooth, undulating surfaces serve as reminders of all that is dangerously attractive in nature. the textures, at first glance, give way to a certain complex reveal that comes from deep inside a person who is not only a visionary, but also a truly enlightened master of color.

i love to see the progression and throughlines of artist’s work, and jen’s website is a fabulous example of this. knowing that she started out with the idea using nails when she was a student (see the first 3 photos above), and then having it evolve organically into pencils and then being nimble enough with the concept to extend this thought into something wearable and accessible to people who aren’t hardcore collectors is truly extraordinary and seems so purposeful, and successful to me.

and i want to touch everything, even though they’re sharp, and stick my head inside that tall guy with the gaping hole at the top, to see all the spikes in there. to stare. and think and evolve like the piece itself must have done.

see more magnificence on jennifer’s website.

bonus: check out her beautiful pendants, pins and small sculpture in her etsy shop!

via designboom

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bulletproof rose brooch

if james bond and wonder woman had a baby, i think it would be canadian conceptual artist tobias wong. here is his kevlar brooch, sweetly styled as a petaled flower, in slightly intimidating black:

this beats a water-squirting one anyday.

i love how he’s manipulated the tough, seemingly stiff material into a pin someone would wear on their winter coat. it’s a profoundly impressive achievement for someone who says he doesn’t necessarily want to make art or design. he’s also a tad skittish about “preciousness” and “uniqueness,” which is why he favors the idea of design more than art.

non-updated website with other fascinating items from tobi right here.

the pin is available at the cooper-hewitt shop.

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