I’m pleased to finally be able to offer recycled glass cufflinks for those people who have asked me to make them! I know they’ll make a really special gift for anyone who wears cufflinks.
I have made the cufflinks from:
You can choose from either an acid-etched/matt finish, or leave them shiny like the bottles.
You can find them for sale in my Etsy shop.
Today’s job = turning all of these recycled glass beads into jewellery! Thanks to all the shops/galleries that support my work, I couldn’t do this without you! And thanks to all the lovely, lovely customers who buy my work, you rock!
I have been making all sorts of new earrings this year, and I have loved most of the earrings that I have made. Yeah, you know, not all of them are for me. But I have to say that this latest pair of earrings is definitely one of my favourites. They are long, comfortable, light, and I am even sleeping in them with no problems. Oh, and I am still wearing scarves with them too!
I made the glass beads from a Bethany wine bottle, and I really love this colour. I would call this a fairly neutral green, as it seems to work with so many colours.
On the weekend I got to visit a few SALA exhibitions in Adelaide. It’s hard to visit every SALA exhibition, so I tend to pick exhibitions where there is jewellery, sculpture or friends!
My friend, Susan Napoli, a textile artist who is represented at T’Arts was the first exhibition that I visited. Held in the North Lodge of the Botanic Gardens, the walk to the exhibition alone was amazing! Susan’s work is beautiful, and I’m lucky to have one of her pieces in my studio. She makes textile art pieces of flowers and fruit and birds! Truly stunning work, it’s definitely worth a visit.
Also in the Botanic Gardens is the work of Michelle Kelly. In the Museum of Economic Botany, she has arranged some absolutely stunning collections of fungi! Michelle has been fascinated with mushrooms for many years, and I love seeing her work whenever it is exhibited. I felt doubly lucky on Sunday when I walked into the Museum. Oh my gosh, what an incredible place, filled with collections of all sorts of plants and seeds. I will be returning to this one with my children very soon!
I loved visiting the exhibitions at the Botanic Gardens, not just because they were lovely exhibitions to visit, but also because the gardens are stunning at this time of the year! It was time to wander around to the National Wine Centre where I saw the Kangaroo Island artist exhibition. Always a top-notch exhibition, it’s lovely to see the work of these artists on the mainland!
I ended my exhibition tour at the Jam Factory, where it was a real pleasure to see Catherine Truman’s work in person. Such thoughtful work, it was awesome to see the worlds of art and science combining to create the pieces. Loved it, and well worth visiting.
What exhibitions have you been to??
One of the things I wanted to do in this exhibition was to represent some of the beautiful colours of the Barossa. The grape vines change throughout the year, leaves change colour, grapes grow, it’s really quite a spectacular place. At the moment the vines are all barren, and they are starting to grow again, ready for the next harvest.
These pieces are all on display at Bethany Wines, they are just out of Tanunda (which is a great town to visit too)!
I am still working on the jewellery for Flame On. I am liking this design, and hoping it will all work out beautifully by the time I am finished!
I have a range of Moet Champagne bottle jewellery available on my website and in my Etsy store now. This glass is such a lovely olive colour, and beautiful to work with. And, it has a really great story! An item destined for the bin, recycled into beautiful jewellery. What’s not to love?
I have several photographs of the work that I have at Red Poles. I couldn’t make it to the opening of the exhibition, so I am looking forward to heading to McLaren Vale at some stage to see all of the work on display. This exhibition is on until July 31.
Artist Statement
I was born and lived on the Yorke Peninsula for all of my childhood. My adult years have been spent in a variety of locations, and I find myself calling Murray Bridge home now. As I was driving back to the Yorke Peninsula earlier this year I noticed how similar the colours of the landscape were. Same blue skies. Same green trees. And the brown of the river matched the brown earth of the paddocks that had been harvested. I have tried to capture those colours in my work for this exhibition, using all sorts of recycled glass to make the glass beads. My dad collected the pale blue wine bottle that I used for some of these beads. My husband drank the beer that made the brown beads. My mum and I enjoyed a glass of sparkly that I used for some of the green beads. My children didn’t even know they were contributing when I let them have some juice! My home is my family and they are all part of this work.
In my studio today I am working hard to meet an exhibition deadline. Beads are made, and this photograph is of the blue beads that will be making their way into some necklaces and earrings.
The exhibition will be held at Red Poles, and opens on June 3. The theme is “Rolling plains and jewel seas” and I can’t wait to see what everyone has put together for this group exhibition.
This year I am exhibiting in my 10th solo SALA exhibition! I look forward to getting new work ready for August every year, it’s such a great opportunity to try new things.
This year I am teaming up with Bethany Wines in the Barossa, and recycling their beautiful wine bottles to create new beads and jewellery. Trying new things….sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t….but I really like this new necklace. I love the colours, and the sparkle.
Thank you Bethany Wines for hosting me this year.
