Taming the Tangle

Chicago: One Day Only!

Join me and 35 other women artists for a one-day only pop-up shopping event on Chicago's North side. It will be a fun and lively event with so much beautiful art, all handmade by local women. This is my only Chicago show this year, so I hope to see you!

Saturday, May 12, 11am - 5pm
Chicago Art Girls Pop-Up Shop
http://www.chicagoartgirls.com

Preview more work on our Facebook page

and join the fun on our Twitter feed

I am in town until May 17 and still have several private appointments available if you are not able to make the event, I can come to you! Contact me directly at info [at!] kathyfrey [dot] com to arrange a time... I have several one of a kind pieces under $400... a great price point for a totally unique and wearable piece of art jewelry.

Hope to see you soon, and Happy Mother's Day!

Style: Fun dots for Fall from Boden

For fun style, Boden is one of my favorite catalogs. The designers have a penchant for mixing patterns and unexpected colors, and many of their pieces have ribbon trims and other lovely details.

When the current catalog showed up, I could've written about almost every piece offered. It's a good one! The photography is so charming, and little Q&As with the model accompanies each pic allowing us to see that models are people too.

Today I'm giving a thumbs up to the Cecily Dress because polka dots are fun but not always sophisticated, and I think this dress does it just right.

Cecily Dress $218, ©2011 Boden

This dress has a beautiful neckline which seems perfect for a necklace, yet with such a strong print I'd opt more for a bold earring/bracelet combo that doesn't compete. My suggestion would be some big silver earrings like my Scribble Loops which walk the same playfully sophisticated line as the dress.

Scribble Loop Earrings $118, photo by Audrey Keller, ©2011 Kathy Frey

To complete the look, stack up some Riverstone Bangles. To keep with the circular theme, they could be all irregular rounded shapes. All silver would look lovely or some oxidized mixed in works as well.

Riverstone Bangles $495 each, photo by Audrey Keller, ©2011 Kathy Frey

An outfit is not complete without great shoes... I love the ones suggested for this dress online. The eggplant/black combo is sumptuous for fall and winter.

Ribbon Trim Mary Janes $164, ©2011 Boden

I'll share more fun fall style when time allows... I'm just home from my last big road trip and have many things to write about, so stay tuned. One sneak peek: You may have noticed some new images above... I'm now working with Chicago photographer Audrey Keller in a first step towards a new online look and will be unveiling more new images in the coming weeks.

Monkey Love from Eva May

After traveling for a show over the weekend, I picked up my mail on Monday and was pleasantly surprised by packages and checks rather than the usual pile of bills and junk mail. One of the special treats was a birthday present from Chicago Art Girl, Swedish Diva, and Scrabble player extraordinaire Eva May. She is a multi-talented woman, and her professional pursuits center on fabric. She makes fabulous hats, t-shirts and bags in addition to non-wearable art pieces. Check out this awesome purse that is my very special birthday gift.

Grab and go purse, ©2011 Eva May

She sent it with a card that reminds us both of our first Burningman experience... I'm still hoping she will come again someday. This bag is perfect for a few essentials. Today I carried it to the pool because I could stash cash, phone, keys, ID, and sunblock in it without being burdened by a large handbag of stuff.

I don't want to ruin the surprise for Eva, but a Kathy Frey piece is in her future. I officially have 3 Eva pieces, so am feeling guilty that I have not shared the love. I feel like I need to make something special for her that captures her fun artsy style! Some color might be in order... which is perfect since I've been working on limited edition pieces from my gem stone collection. So that's a hint without giving anything away.

You can find Eva May's pieces at various art shows as well as on Etsy.

New for the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing gift shop selected some new designs to add to the collection of Kathy Frey sculptural wire jewelry that they carry. Next week you can look for these new pieces for spring.

In the last year I've been pushing myself to create more asymmetrical designs. This off-center pyramid necklace quickly became a best seller for its flattering drape and surprise hits of red.

Offset Pyramid Multichain Necklace with Coral, photo by Kathy Frey, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

This pendant is one of my favorites. The cubes are so tiny and cute. Each on their own is too quiet, yet stacked it makes a wonderful statement with all the simplicity of a pendant. I love how the triple strands of delicate ball chain mimic the repetition of the triple cubes, another detail that makes this design successful.

Triple Cube Stack Pendant, photo by Katie Lime, ©2011 Kathy Frey

 

Thoughts of spring inadvertently lead us to thoughts of summer with all of its lightweight flowing fashions. These versatile pendants, akin to frames, can be work year round yet their light weight makes them a perfect summertime accessory since you will barely know you are wearing one... perfect for those steamy days we know are ahead.

Large Twisted Pendants (circle, rectangle, and square), photo by Linda Savitz, ©2011 Kathy Frey

 

Don't live in Chicago? All of these pieces are also available in my etsy shop!

How photos change perspective

A photo of a piece of my jewelry can totally change the way I think about my work. It can reinvigorate me and get me excited about what I create all over again. In a week I have a photo shoot with a new photographer, always a fun but potentially stressful situation. Luckily photographer Linda Savitz and I have met a couple of times, and I really like her energy and enthusiasm. She even borrowed some of my jewelry for props for a profile shoot... here's an image that she sent to me. I'm so excited to see my bangles in a new way!

This image feels so powerful and seductive to me. I love it! As a comparison point, here are a few other images of my Riverstone Bangles taken over the years.

This image is by Larry Sanders, the photographer that I still use for my jury slides. He creates dynamic compositions on a beautiful gradient background every time.

This clean shot is by Grant Boyle, who took images for my wholesale catalog. We kept the background and the shots themselves clean and simple.

This is the first image that Thea Dickman (now Volk) took of a Riverstone Bangle -- we worked together to take photos of my jewelry on people to set a mood and give a sense of scale.

This is still one of my favorite images by Thea!

Photo updates

Have you ever done a photo shoot of yourself? I've done several over the years since as an artist I often need headshots, and I use several photos of myself on my website. Sometimes it seems weird to do that, yet I want people to know and trust that they are working directly with me and see who I am.

It had been a few years since my last photo shoot. Sometimes there's the desire to stick with the older images... fewer wrinkles, fewer pounds, etc. etc. But it was getting hard for me to ignore that I *really* don't look like my older images since my hair is almost a foot longer than it used to be.

On one of my last forays to Chicago, I met with Thea Dickman (now Thea Volk!) for our third artist image shoot together. We always do something different. I end up with a ton of different styles of shots to choose from, which allows me to keep book images, publicity pics, facebook, blog, and website all looking fresh and varied for at least a couple of years. I've selected 3 to use so far on my website and personal facebook page... quite a variety, no?

Introducing Bramble... with a new collection for spring

Who wouldn't want to bring the garden inside? That's the mission behind Bramble, a store in Oak Park, Illinois that has beautiful home goods inspired by nature. The owner, Danah, has been wearing my caged aquamarine pieces for years. Our paths crossed at the New York International Gift Fair where my botanically-inspired display caught her attention. She ordered a lovely collection of pieces from satellites, ladders, pearls, and a selection from my geometry collection... including this delicate triple cube pendant that I just love for its versatility (it really can dress up or down). They are in her store now, in perfect time for the start of spring.

When one door closes...

...usually another one opens. At least that's the hope I have for my many artist friends who are getting out of the biz due to the economy. We are all working so hard right now, and today was a tough day when one of my galleries handed back all their inventory because it will be closing its doors at the end of the month.

Until then, you can swing by Haus in Chicago's Andersonville and get some truly great deals on beautifully handmade art, store fixtures, and cool design items. This Friday, April 3, join Greg for the final Haus party from 7-10 pm. Throughout the month items will be marked 30-70% off. We are all sad to see such a wonderful store close, but the timing was such that as a lease expired and the economy is shaky... well, decisions had to be made. We are all supporting Greg and looking forward to his next adventure!

On newsstands now!

If you haven't yet picked up a copy of the February issue of Chicago Magazine that Michelle Obama graces the cover of, please do... and flip to page 30 for an article about local Chicago jewelers. My riverstone bangles are featured prominently... now is when I start hoping Michelle is actually reading this issue, too! -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

These pigeons have the right idea...

Chicago is colder & snowier than usual this December. How do we deal with it? Well, for one, all the El platforms are equipped with heat lamps... it's hotly contested real estate as you can see the pigeons have caught on. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®