I am at home catching up from all that happened at Indulge, the awesome art jewelry show at the Bellevue Arts Museum last weekend. There were 2 award winners at the show, and I'm going to feature both of them on my blog.
The first one is Tia Kramer, a fellow wire jewelry artist. We met a couple of years ago through a trunk show at the Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing, where we each show our jewelry collections. I've loved her work since the first time I saw it -- she artfully combines wire structures with handmade paper, which allows her pieces to be sculptural, contemporary, and colorful all at once.
Her work has more than blossomed in the last year -- it has exploded! Here is how her booth looked at Indulge:
Tia Kramer's 5x10 booth, photo by Kathy Frey, © 2011 Tia Kramer
This display is like a gallery. Tia used to be an installation designer, so she brought those skills to her vision, which she could easily make a reality since this show is a home-town show for her (i.e., she could rent a Uhaul rather than trying to design around the size constraints of a car).
Tia also pushed herself to create work that would even surpirse herself. This is a glimpse of one of the large pieces she mounted on the wall:
Palpitation Series, photo by Kathy Frey, © 2011 Tia Kramer
The large necklace in the center is more than just a necklace... Tia created a series of pieces that interconnect and can be a necklace, bracelet, and brooch or one grand statement neckpiece. What a stunning designer she is! And all of her pieces can be custom designed in a specific color palette.
Tia and I met for dinner one night to catch up and exchange business ideas and encouragement. She gave me insight into how she reinvented herself, something I'm so interested in. I have piles of breakout sketches... but how to make a push to create a large collection of new work that really makes an impact? I don't want to sound ungrateful in the least for being busy with orders and reorders of my existing designs, yet there is a part of me that wants to push and blossom even more. To feel that excitement within myself and to see it in the faces of friends and clients who have followed me for years is just the motivation I need!
Tia set aside more than a month to really push herself to create new work. Interestingly enough, her studio is not her favorite place for this. Her studio mindset is too based around business pressures... orders to fill, paperwork to be done, production to complete. So to open up her mind to new ideas, she started creating at home and during traveling roadtrips (this is when a driver really comes in handy!). She simply removed herself from her work environment to a place where she felt creative and uninhibited.
During the weeks she set aside, new work was the priority. She couldn't waiver from this, so this meant she needed the full support from her partner Tim as well as the understanding from friends and family. It's kind of like an extended vacation where you might be out of touch for weeks at a time. Now that's a girl who knows how to set boundaries! And all of those people came to the show to see the fruits of her labor... from afar it looked like a wonderful support network.
Part of Tia's motivation was knowing there were awards at the show. She didn't know she would win, but she pushed herself to put her best work forward. I'm so glad it paid off for her! She had sales during the show as well, although we all know that sometimes artistic drive and vision trump even the idea of sales. Showcasing her newest work was the creative drive behind her display... she let the work tell her what it needed to get the attention it deserved.
I was so inspired... I hope you are, too. The only time I did something like this was for a fashion show in Chicago where I was the sole accessory designer... it was a great break-out moment for me, and eventually most of the pieces found homes. More importantly, though, it helped me to create pieces so that people could see my artistic creativity and passion, which compelled them to purchase a piece that worked with their own style yet reminded them of something outrageous that they saw in the show.
Wire Boa, photo by Thea Volk, © 2011 Kathy Frey
Tia and I discussed many other topics, which I will cover in coming posts. Be sure to visit her website... Tia has one of the best "origination stories" ever.