11th Biennial Juried Member ExhibitionHeld at Items shown included jewelry, sculpture and holloware and ceremonial and ritual objects. Gold and silver predominated in the materials used, other materials included gemstones, enamel and found objects. 6 exhibitors were awarded Juror’s special recognition (images above from left) Nick Grant Banes, Tina Chisena, Susan M. Garten, Wesley Glebe, Eric Margry and Evelyn Purvis |
JURORS STATEMENT
Thomas Gentille
Bringing forth a piece of jewelry from any material can be extremely difficult and extraordinarily rewarding. In this we are all fortunate, for success or failure is accomplished through our own talents and efforts.
Do not envy anyone asked to judge an exhibition. It can be amazingly complex and exhausting. Being absolutely honest and fighting one’s personal prejudices (both good and bad) when looking at hundreds of works is tiring. It is also hard on the feet, the back, and the eyes. However, as in the Washington Guild of Goldsmiths’ exhibition, when the quality and enthusiasm of the work runs high, a kind of joy overtakes the judge. This joy soars when working with a fine fellow judge, and especially when aided by a superb, hardworking, and gracious staff.
By the time we announced the prizes, I was on cloud nine. It is most pleasant to float on that cloud above the earth for a while. Perhaps you might envy the judge after all, or better yet, take pride in that you enabled someone to soar.
Chris Darway
Metal working and its traditions go back in time almost six thousand years. Simply gaining an ( awareness of all known techniques would be a daunting task, let alone learning them. It would be a life’s work just to master one or two techniques of jewelry-making, not to mention the techniques of sculpture, hollowware, and blacksmithing.
There are numerous ways that people acquire the skills of metalsmithing. Some people come to metals as a hobby or a part-time endeavor and polish their skills through workshops, videos or books. It doesn’t matter where or how we learn. The goal is the same. We strive to develop our skills to a level where a design in our minds eye can become an object that can be held in the hands.
My designer-craftsman training was comprised of a foundation program at a traditional art college, followed by classes in design, sculpture, drawing, and metals. The term ‘designer-craftsman was coined during the sixties to describe who we are and what we do. When I look at others’ work, I do so as a designer, a craftsman, and as a teacher.
There are several different goals to achieve, as a juror, when critiquing someone’s work For me, critiquing is teaching by advice -offering options and suggestions. The two main areas to critique are design, which can be subjective, and technique, which is not. To jury is to judge a work. The work must be judged on its own merit and must be compared to all work that has come before it. Remember our tradition.
As a juror, I look for work that will raise my eyebrow for its technical merit or put a smile on my face with a clever solution to a design problem.
The Washington Guild of Goldsmiths gave me the chance to raise my eyebrow and smile a number of times. As a designer-craftsman and a teacher, I encourage people to come to the craft with the sole intention of pleasing themselves with their work first, and worrying about others’ opinions later.
- Angela Venier sterlingsilver, pink coral carved, cast
- Eric Margry Bulge – Necklace 7″ x 9″ x 1″
- Maria Carvalho Imitating Nature – Pendant & Neck Ring 9″ x 5 3/16″
- Ralph Scorza Artifact 2098 – Pendant 3″ x 1″ x 1″
- Janet Long Bracelet 2 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ x 1″
- Velvette DeLaney GWA Brooch 1″ x 2″ x 3/8″
- Nancy Kahn De Mulder Mix it Up – Detachable Rearrangeable Lavalier/Pendant drop 6 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 1/4″
- Yvonne Arritt Bronze Vase 8 1/2” x 3” x 3”
- Pamela Hackim Sanctuary I – nest with eggs 5″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″
- Marie SusinnoPentagon Cut Away I – Brooch 3 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ x 1/4″
- Patricia M. Perito Gift from the Sea – Table Sculpture 3 3/4″ x 5″ x 4 1/4″
- Dina Weavers Seaweed Necklace 17″
- Barbro Eriksdotter Gendell Golden Points View #1 Pendant with Chain 3″ x 2″ x 1/2
- Mimi Harris Bug Spoons – set of 8 6 3/8″ x 1 1/4″ x 18g
- Susan Sanders Brooch 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
- Jan Mandel Brooch/Pendant 4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1 1/4″
- Joann SordelliniPatterns of Places – Necklace 2 3/8″ x 1 3/8″ x 1/4
- Carol Lavrich Chain Necklace and Domed Pendant 27″ chain; 2 1/10″ diameter pendant
- Cecilia Tao To Fly – Brooch 5″ x 1 1/2″
- Nella Fischer Shell, box 2 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ x 2″
- Estelle Renee Vernon Brooch #3 Grasses with Diagonal / Japanese Textile Series 3″ x 7/8″ x 3/8″
- Pamela Hill-Byrne Bracelet 7 1/2″ x 1 1/2″
- Johnnie Gins Red Frog Pin/Pendant 2 1/2″ x 3 3/4″
- Lois Schwartz Ivy Vine Necklace 19″ x 1 1/2″ x 1/4
- Cindy Brandt Dichro Window Necklace 8″ x 6″ x 1/4″
- Nan Harmon Priscilla – Mask 13″ x 8 3/4″ x 1 1/2″
- Tina Chisena Mirror of Life 4 3/4″ x 2 1/8″ x 2″
- on SuddendorfSpinning Top Moonstone Ring 6 5/8 ring size
- Gretchen Raber “Morphosis Landscape Grid” – Brooch 4″ x 4 1/2″ x 3/4
- Dawn Benedetto Wide Cuff 2″ x 2 5/8″ x 1″
- Carrie Singer Visions of Marienna – Necklace 9″ x 6″ x 1/4
- Judy Sugar Twigs – Brooch 1 1/4″ x 6″ x 1/2″
- Virginia Kliever Gentle Hands I – Pendant on chain 1 1/2″ x 1 1/16″ x 1/3″
- Pamela L. Browning Rising Sun – Pendant 3″ x 1 1/2″
- Ximena Briceno Fall Poppy – Lapel Pin on Box A 6″ x 2 3/4″ x 1/4″
- Roy Ysla Brooch III 2 1/2″ x 1″ x 1/8″
- Anne Paynter-Hill Moon Glow Necklace 1 7/8″ x 1 7/8″ x 3/8″
- Monica Tinker Full Circle – Pendant/Brooch 5 1/2″ x 2″ x 1/4″
- James Cohen Harlequin Shot Glasses – set of three 2″ x 1 1/2″
- Ursula McKinney Trumpet Flower – Necklace 1″ x 1/2″ x 1/8″; necklace 26 inches
- Nick Grant Barnes Bowls, Owzat I & II 3” x 4” x 4” each
- Cynthia Brown-Milans Princess – Ring size: 6 1/2″
- Abby Schindler Goldblatt Red Wall – wall sculpture 8″ x 7″ x 5″
- Jacalyn Watson Thomas Collar 16 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ x 30″
- Pamela Hackim Sanctuary I – nest with eggs 5″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″
- Beth Carey Secret Shield Pin 3 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ x 3/8″
- Dana Bussell Untitled Pin 2 1/4″ x 1″ x 1/2″
- Christina Solak Flower Ring 5/8″ x 7/16″ x 7/8″
- Wesley Glebe 4 rings 23mm x 3mm
- Susan M. Garten Here Be Dragons Bowls I & II 4 1/2″ x 7″ x 6 1/2″
- Cindy Calahan Lobster Pearl 2″ x 2″ x 1/2″
- Kathleen Baker Necklace 3/4” x 1 3/8” x 1/8″
- Naomi Heller Interrupted 1″ x 3 1/2″
- Diana Dardis Gold Flow Bracelet 8″ x 3/4″ x 3/16″
- Dorothea M.Stover Jazz II – Pendant 2″ x 1 1/4″ x 1/2″
- ZsuZsi Wolf Bracelet 8″ x 13 mm x 11 mm
- Winifred Anthony Painted Pear – Locket/Pendant 2 ½” x 1 5/8” x ¼”
- Kim Jones Brooch 2″ x 2″ x 1/8″
- Louise Rothenberg Business Card Holder 1 3/4″ x 4″
- Adrian Luxmoore Teapot 7″ x 4″ x 7 1/2″
- Penelope C. Barringer Untitled #1 – Brooch 3 1/4” x 2 1/4” x 1/2”
- Christina Gebhard My 1st Noise Maker-Baby Rattle 2 1/4″ x 2 1/8″ x 1″
- Bill Hall Tall Tea- teapot 10″ x 8″ x 4″
- Ron Starr Torah Breast Plate 19″ x 8″ x 1/2″
- Carol Oshinsky Urban Renewal I Brooch 1 1/2″ x 1 13/16″ x 3/16″
- Cynthia Corio-Poli Enameled Ring with Circles ring size 5 ½
- Lisa VershbowNovy Arbat #12 – Sculpture with Brooch 16 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1/2″
- Jeanette Landenwitch Mini Flower Vase with Base 3 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 2 1/2″
- Jan Maddox Open Grid Brooch 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1/4″
- Katja Toporski Earrings 1″ x 1″ x 1/4″
- Phoebe Mix Standing Spoon 7″ x 2″ x 1″
- Evelyn Purvis No Sugar, No Calories, No Fat – Table piece1 1/2″ x 7″
- Mary Ellen Trozzo Aquamarine Ring 1.08″ x .84″
- Shelley Walck SeeShell Hors d’oeuvre Set 4 1/2″ x 3/4″
- Alicia Roman, Coif the King – Necklace 4″ x 1 1/4″ x 3/16
- onnie Badowski, Rattlesnake Toy 13” x 1” x 1”