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.
- Ron Starr Torah Breast Plate 19″ x 8″ x 1/2″
- Angela Venier sterlingsilver, pink coral carved, cast
- Cecilia Tao To Fly – Brooch 5″ x 1 1/2″
- Bill Hall Tall Tea- teapot 10″ x 8″ x 4″
- Dina Weavers Seaweed Necklace 17″
- Carol Lavrich Chain Necklace and Domed Pendant 27″ chain; 2 1/10″ diameter pendant
- onnie Badowski, Rattlesnake Toy 13” x 1” x 1”
- Pamela L. Browning Rising Sun – Pendant 3″ x 1 1/2″
- Jacalyn Watson Thomas Collar 16 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ x 30″
- Shelley Walck SeeShell Hors d’oeuvre Set 4 1/2″ x 3/4″
- Estelle Renee Vernon Brooch #3 Grasses with Diagonal / Japanese Textile Series 3″ x 7/8″ x 3/8″
- Cindy Brandt Dichro Window Necklace 8″ x 6″ x 1/4″
- Johnnie Gins Red Frog Pin/Pendant 2 1/2″ x 3 3/4″
- Nick Grant Barnes Bowls, Owzat I & II 3” x 4” x 4” each
- Dorothea M.Stover Jazz II – Pendant 2″ x 1 1/4″ x 1/2″
- Phoebe Mix Standing Spoon 7″ x 2″ x 1″
- Beth Carey Secret Shield Pin 3 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ x 3/8″
- Marie SusinnoPentagon Cut Away I – Brooch 3 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ x 1/4″
- Pamela Hackim Sanctuary I – nest with eggs 5″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″
- on SuddendorfSpinning Top Moonstone Ring 6 5/8 ring size
- Virginia Kliever Gentle Hands I – Pendant on chain 1 1/2″ x 1 1/16″ x 1/3″
- Nancy Kahn De Mulder Mix it Up – Detachable Rearrangeable Lavalier/Pendant drop 6 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 1/4″
- Eric Margry Bulge – Necklace 7″ x 9″ x 1″
- Nan Harmon Priscilla – Mask 13″ x 8 3/4″ x 1 1/2″
- Katja Toporski Earrings 1″ x 1″ x 1/4″
- Roy Ysla Brooch III 2 1/2″ x 1″ x 1/8″
- Ximena Briceno Fall Poppy – Lapel Pin on Box A 6″ x 2 3/4″ x 1/4″
- Patricia M. Perito Gift from the Sea – Table Sculpture 3 3/4″ x 5″ x 4 1/4″
- Gretchen Raber “Morphosis Landscape Grid” – Brooch 4″ x 4 1/2″ x 3/4
- Adrian Luxmoore Teapot 7″ x 4″ x 7 1/2″
- Cynthia Corio-Poli Enameled Ring with Circles ring size 5 ½
- Kathleen Baker Necklace 3/4” x 1 3/8” x 1/8″
- Barbro Eriksdotter Gendell Golden Points View #1 Pendant with Chain 3″ x 2″ x 1/2
- Tina Chisena Mirror of Life 4 3/4″ x 2 1/8″ x 2″
- Joann SordelliniPatterns of Places – Necklace 2 3/8″ x 1 3/8″ x 1/4
- Evelyn Purvis No Sugar, No Calories, No Fat – Table piece1 1/2″ x 7″
- Pamela Hill-Byrne Bracelet 7 1/2″ x 1 1/2″
- Pamela Hackim Sanctuary I – nest with eggs 5″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″
- Ralph Scorza Artifact 2098 – Pendant 3″ x 1″ x 1″
- Dana Bussell Untitled Pin 2 1/4″ x 1″ x 1/2″
- Jan Maddox Open Grid Brooch 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1/4″
- Kim Jones Brooch 2″ x 2″ x 1/8″
- James Cohen Harlequin Shot Glasses – set of three 2″ x 1 1/2″
- Diana Dardis Gold Flow Bracelet 8″ x 3/4″ x 3/16″
- Cindy Calahan Lobster Pearl 2″ x 2″ x 1/2″
- Mary Ellen Trozzo Aquamarine Ring 1.08″ x .84″
- Velvette DeLaney GWA Brooch 1″ x 2″ x 3/8″
- Jan Mandel Brooch/Pendant 4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1 1/4″
- Abby Schindler Goldblatt Red Wall – wall sculpture 8″ x 7″ x 5″
- Alicia Roman, Coif the King – Necklace 4″ x 1 1/4″ x 3/16
- Wesley Glebe 4 rings 23mm x 3mm
- Maria Carvalho Imitating Nature – Pendant & Neck Ring 9″ x 5 3/16″
- Yvonne Arritt Bronze Vase 8 1/2” x 3” x 3”
- ZsuZsi Wolf Bracelet 8″ x 13 mm x 11 mm
- Cynthia Brown-Milans Princess – Ring size: 6 1/2″
- Susan Sanders Brooch 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
- Penelope C. Barringer Untitled #1 – Brooch 3 1/4” x 2 1/4” x 1/2”
- Carol Oshinsky Urban Renewal I Brooch 1 1/2″ x 1 13/16″ x 3/16″
- Lois Schwartz Ivy Vine Necklace 19″ x 1 1/2″ x 1/4
- Carrie Singer Visions of Marienna – Necklace 9″ x 6″ x 1/4
- Nella Fischer Shell, box 2 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ x 2″
- Monica Tinker Full Circle – Pendant/Brooch 5 1/2″ x 2″ x 1/4″
- Mimi Harris Bug Spoons – set of 8 6 3/8″ x 1 1/4″ x 18g
- Naomi Heller Interrupted 1″ x 3 1/2″
- Winifred Anthony Painted Pear – Locket/Pendant 2 ½” x 1 5/8” x ¼”
- Christina Gebhard My 1st Noise Maker-Baby Rattle 2 1/4″ x 2 1/8″ x 1″
- Jeanette Landenwitch Mini Flower Vase with Base 3 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 2 1/2″
- Susan M. Garten Here Be Dragons Bowls I & II 4 1/2″ x 7″ x 6 1/2″
- Judy Sugar Twigs – Brooch 1 1/4″ x 6″ x 1/2″
- Ursula McKinney Trumpet Flower – Necklace 1″ x 1/2″ x 1/8″; necklace 26 inches
- Dawn Benedetto Wide Cuff 2″ x 2 5/8″ x 1″
- Janet Long Bracelet 2 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ x 1″
- Anne Paynter-Hill Moon Glow Necklace 1 7/8″ x 1 7/8″ x 3/8″
- Louise Rothenberg Business Card Holder 1 3/4″ x 4″
- Lisa VershbowNovy Arbat #12 – Sculpture with Brooch 16 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1/2″
- Christina Solak Flower Ring 5/8″ x 7/16″ x 7/8″