Bead Fest 2015

Bead Fest is quickly approaching, and I'm so excited to be part of it this year. This will be my first time teaching Bead Fest, and I'm really excited to meet all the other teachers. I look forward to being part of this community of like minded folks.

I am teaching many different classes: Plexiglas, resin, metalsmithing and more.

Learn how to make these cool resin and silver hoops!

 

Or these silver and bead stacking rings.

In addition to a wide variety of different classes, taught by lots of very talented jewelers, Bead Fest also has tons of venders selling tools, supplies and finished pieces.  I am slightly concerned about the amount of shopping I am bound to do, for Bead Fest Philadelphia is the biggest bead show on the East Coast. I'm doomed...

There are 3 dates for Bead Fest, and 2 locations. Here's the skinny on each:

Bead Fest Santa: Fe March 19-22 

http://www.beadfest.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=103005&tabid=230894&

Bead Fest Spring: Oaks, Pennsylvania  April 9-12

http://www.beadfest.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=105619&tabid=234426&

Bead Fest Philadelphia: Oaks, Pennsylvania August19-23

http://www.beadfest.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=106987&tabid=238474

Come check it out, learn new techniques, meet cool people, and get your shopping on...
xo


 

I Heart Hello Kitty!

Last week I went to Los Angeles for a very important exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum. "HELLO! Exploring the Supercute World of HELLO KITTY" was all I had hoped it would be. It was Hello Kitty heaven...

Kitty White, also know as Hello Kitty just turned 40 this year. This exhibition celebrated her life, her empire, her cuteness. I learned a lot of very relevant info about Kitty that I am ashamed to have not already known. The biggest wow, is that Kitty is not...a cat...

It is not actually clear what Kitty is, but no, she is not a feline. Other pertinent info: she has a boyfriend named Dear Daniel. They look so much alike, but instead of a red bow, he has spiky hair.

Hello Kitty is all about the goodies, and there was tons of cool Kitty stuff from the early days, now considered vintage, to current Kitty gear.

Part of the exhibition also included current artist re-interpreting HK, and incorporating her into their artwork. There were many famous and amazing artist included and I am quite jealous of them all, for this would be a dream exhibition to be a part of.

 

If you are in the LA area, the exhibit runs until April 26th. Here's the link for more info: http://www.janm.org/

I can't believe Hello Kitty is 40, she doesn't look a minute over 29. I suspect we will grow old together, and I hope I age as gracefully as her...

xo

Pink Friday

A day of no shopping, only making...

XO

I Heart Jewelry Artist Magazine!

I have to admit, there is kinda nothing as great as fetching the evening mail to find an awesome magazine with one of my articles in it. This issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist is another great one. There are lots of very informative articles and tutorials, including my article on incorporating wood into your jewelry making practice.
Here's a peek:

And, the coolest thing about writing for Jewelry Artist, is that there is always a section called Their Turn, which shows a piece from each of the contributing writers.

To learn about how to incorporate wood into your jewelry, check out the zine!
And, stay tuned here, for I will do a quick synopsis of the processes I used for the pieces in the article.

Sadly, there was also an over due car registration bill in the mail today, and my warm fuzzy feeling has been slightly diluted by a pissed off feeling...but alas, that's a rant for another time...

xo

Do what you love!

Do what you love, this is my new motto. I guess more specifically, make what you love. Not that I don't do and make what I love, but I think I have been trying to create work that other people will love. From this point forward, I am creating work that I love, that may not have the wide commercial appeal a girl needs to make a living. Screw it, I am making what I want...

This recent trend started with my Doodlery line, which are wild and weird and wonderful, not unlike myself...

The current piece I am working on is from what is turning out to be another body of work, using my beloved laser cut Plexiglas organic rings.
I could pretty much play with these rings all day...

I have lots of ideas based on these rings and I pretty much want to keep cutting more of every color. Here is the current piece I am working on. Very much a work in progress:

After walking Bonnie and Bailey, we will all head down to the studio where they will curl up under my workbench and we all will be doing what we love...
xo

Bead Fest Santa Fe, Here I Come!

I am super excited to be teaching next year at Bead Fest! Bead Fest is a huge jewelry conference that happens 3 times a year, in various cities across the country. The Santa Fe workshop I will be offering is in acrylic ring stacks. Here's a pic:

I love acrylic so much, I can't wait to share my knowledge with other like minded folks.

If you are in Santa Fe in March, or have always wanted to visit, come to Bead Fest. Here is a link for all the cool workshops offered.

https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=103005&tabid=227630

And, in Santa Fe, I for one plan on buying way too many silver and turquoise cuff bracelets....

My New Favorite Artist: Mark Lovejoy

In the past few months I have become a bit of a Pinterest fiend. I can spend all day looking at art and jewelry and Danish interiors that I wish were mine. Recently, while looking at an abstract art board, I found this amazing trippy, colorful marbleized painting. After hearting it, I noticed the description below said it was a photograph. I gasped! What in the world...?

This is the work of Mark Lovejoy. Yes, his last name is Lovejoy and I am totally jealous of such a cool name. Mark is a photographer and commercial printer. He has been creating images for years, from landscapes, to having published photography books on gardens. His printing career and his photography passion merged in 2012 when he began shooting the inks he was mixing for his press.

These abstractions are reminiscent of topographies, and also reference landscapes.

To me they are pure beautiful abstraction. Abstraction that combines the qualities of randomness as well as control. The fact that they are photos of ink, prior to becoming an identifiable images, adds more layers to them conceptually, but I will leave Plato to explain that. In the meantime, I will just oooh and ahhh...

You can see more of Mark's amazing photos here:

http://marklovejoydotcom.tumblr.com/

He also has beautiful silk scarves printed with his images in his Etsy store:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Loveyourscarf

Pinterest, is kinda like pasteries. They just call me to come to them, to consume. And I, am a girl, who could use a bit more self control...

Happy Pinning!

Thank you Pattern People!

I am so happy to announce that some of my patterns have been included in a new cool ebook called Pattern Mix. It's a fantastic collection of patterns and surface designs from designers all over the world. 

I have three pieces included in the book...

I am doing a give away for a copy of the book (the file really) on my FB page,  so like my post to put your name in the hat. https://www.facebook.com/laurelnathanson

Check out Pattern People, they are a fantastic resource for patterns and the surface design industry. They have lots of other cool books to.

http://www.patternpeople.com/

xo

Blog Hop Part 2

The International Creative Blog Hop continues, with me handing the torch to two amazingly creative, talented, beautiful women: photographer, Dianne Jones and jeweler,Victoria Skirpa.

I have know both these ladies for a while now, and have always admired their work. Their careers in their fields have been long and varied, and they have both created unique niches for themselves. 

Dianne has done everything from shooting live rock shows (including my beloved Elliott Smith) to capturing the process of babies being born! Learn about her path and creative process at:

http://diannejonesphotos.tumblr.com

Victoria is a jeweler and metalsmith, and makes fantastic sculptural objects as well as gorgeous fancy jewelry. In addition to her own jewelry line called VRS, she also has a cool sustainable jewelry company called Sulusso, where she designs custom wedding rings for her clients. Learn more about Victoria and Sulusso here:

http://sulusso.wordpress.com/

Dianne and Victoria have just published their blog hop post, so go check them out. In fact, writing about them has inspired me to start a series called "My Amazingly Talented Friends". Thanks girls, I am going to get right on it...

xo

Get On Board the International Creative Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the International Creative Blog Hop everybody! I have been invited to participate in this hop by my friend Yasmin Sabur, who is an incredible textile artist. Thanks so much Yasmin!

We have all been asked to answer 4 questions regarding our creative process. So here goes...

1) What am I working on?

Lots of fun projects! If you have been following my blog you know that I do a lot of different projects, from art to jewelry to design and crafty projects. Currently I am working on a line of jewelry called Doodlery. 

Jewelry that starts with a doodle...

I am also working on an article for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine. So stay tuned for details on that.

And, I am always adding to, and sprucing up my new Etsy shop.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Hmmmm, that's a kinda tough question. I hope that my work differs because of the way I use far out material combinations, colors, and designs, but do so in a very refined and technically proficient way. Does that make sense? The juxtaposition of wildness and refinement.

3.) Why do I do what I do?

Honestly, I have no choice. It might sound cliche, but being creative is my life, my blood, my breath, my everything...(sappy, I know!)

 4.) How does my writing/working process work?

It really depends on what I am working on. At this point I am pretty much making something everyday, or if I am traveling I draw in my sketchbook. For the most part, I tend to work on multiple pieces at once. For the Doodlery pieces I am working in batches of 5. In the beginning of a new piece/project, I get  really excited about it, to the point where it's actually stressful because I just can't wait to see how they will turn out, but I know how many steps there are between the beginning and the completed piece. I work hard, focused and fast, for roughly 85% of the piece, then I chill out, and the momentum tapers off. The last 15% can be less exciting, the steps towards the end are less creative and fun, they are more technical, less free. 

A blast from the past.  I thought this piece would get the better of me. I got 90% done, then became frozen with fear of ruining it all. It was majorly stressful.

 I would say that this description about my process could be applied to most of what I am doing, be it writing, or designing, or making. Once I am nearing completion, there is usually another project on my mind, that really wants to get out of my mind, making it harder to focus on the piece at hand. 

I think and write a lot about being pulled in many directions, but I would definitely rather have too many ideas than not enough, so I am grateful for this...

And, I am grateful to Yasmin for including me in this hop.  Check out her awesome clothes and textiles at:

https://www.facebook.com/yasminsaburart

http://yasmintoo.blogspot.com/

http://printallover.me/collections/all/yasmin-sabur 

Next week I pass the blog hop torch along to 2 other amazing artists. On Wednesday I will announce who they will be, so stay tuned...

xo