Parts of Art

     Alexander Calder was one of the most prolific artists from the 1940’s through the  mid 70’s. He is most known for his sculptures and hanging mobiles, but he also  made over 1,800 pieces of jewelry.      There are many similarities between Calder’s jewelry pieces and his art. He used basic, inexpensive materials, had a fascination with negative space, and used silver wire. Through his jewelry, which adorned the likes of Anjelica Huston, Peggy Guggenheim, and Georgia O’Keeffe, Calder gained a whole new luxury audience in the fashion world.           Calder first made jewelry at age 8. He made necklaces for his sister’s dolls, using beads and bits of copper electrical wire. The influence from his sculpture on his jewelry is evident. Both display an unmistakable sense of balance and energy. Calder’s craftsmanship is always visible. He never used solder in his jewelry pieces and instead linked them – just as he did with his sculptures – with rings and coils of wire, bent m

      As you probably have gathered, I am a lover of all things garden. Not only do I love to plant living things in the soil and watch them grow, but I love to then photograph, paint, draw and otherwise make art from my garden. My series “Of the Woods” is all about the exuberant plant life in which I am surrounded. It’s actually not only exuberant in the woods, but in the pastures, the yard, and the gardens.  So this life is literally overflowing on my canvases.       This week I planted an herb garden in what was formerly an overgrown and neglected planter that came with the place. I made these sweet little wooden markers with a Sharpie and some cast-offs from the wood pile, so as not to forget what’s what. I accidentally made an extra one for thyme, so for a minute  had extra thyme on my hands!                                     What good is an herb garden, you ask?  Let me put it this way: Already I don’t know what I did without it.  An herb garden is beautif