emiko-o reware

My show has been getting lots of attention on the web, I can barely keep up with the thank you emails. It is truly awesome. My favorite post so far has been from an Italian journalist, Anna Battista and her blog: Irenebrination: Notes on Art, Fashion, and Style. See her Oct 23rd entry:

The strangely (and fashionably) therapeutic power of Lego

She covers both my ready-to-wear line and the exhibition pieces. She writes, “Oye’s best pieces though are the ones she has done for different exhibitions and events.”

The day after that, LEGO blogger, Michael Huffman posted my show on his BrickBuildr blog; which is great since I don’t usually hear from fellow LEGO lovers.

Yesterday, the show was posted on Object Fetish, an online jewelry gallery run by Whitney Couch.

Lots of fun, seeing the work get posted. Check out more images on my flickr set, as well as images of people wearing my work on the SF Museum of Craft + Design’s flickr set. Here is a sneak peak at some of my fav photos from the interactive, digital part of my show…

People definitely discovered the Effects in Photobooth. Would be awesome to print all of these and plaster a wall with them….. stay tuned for more people images…

Last Thursday, Oct 16 was the artist reception for my show, My First Royal Jewels Jewellery Collection, at the SF Museum of Craft+Design. Finally, the day had arrived after an intensive, adrenalin-pumped month of prepping, making, photographing, and installing. Wow! I still can’t get over seeing my name all huge in vinyl wall lettering. My first solo show, and boy does it look sharp! It’s so exciting that it has a nice long run through Jan 4, 2009.

Here I am finally taking a moment to catch my breath and take it all in. Salut! Photos taken by the ever-gracious Matt Cantu, who made the digital interactive component of the show possible.

I really dig this angle, where you can see all four pieces, including Maharajah’s 6th necklace (in the mirror).

I feel that people really responded to seeing the process of each piece, through the drawings and historical photo reference. Above is The Duchess 2, based on a Cartier necklace and Harry Winston pendant. Below is The Duchess, based on a Cartier bib necklace.

Luckily, no one tripped over or got tangled in the brass ball chain that secures the necklaces to a fixed surface. It actually adds a bit of jewelry-esqueness which I like.

Turnout was super, considering it was an invitation-only event. Best part for me is observing people interact with my work, especially when they have that AHA realization that: A. They are allowed to try on the work,  B. It’s LEGO, and C. They can take a photo of themselves in that proud moment, wearing the work. And hopefully by the end of next week, these self-portraits will be viewable via the museum’s Flickr account. Stay tuned for more info on that front.

We’re planning on having a docent tour/walkthrough/2nd opening, very casual, sometime in November (tentative date: Nov 9, Sunday). The Critique Collective’s Jewelry_cycle show (see Julian at work!) will also have a walkthrough/tour at that time as well.

In case you’re near Union Sq and want to check out the shows at the museum:
SF Museum of Craft+Design
550 Sutter St @ Powell    SF CA 94102
Open Tues-Sun: Tues-Sat 10-5, Thur 10-7, Sun 12-5

Besides these Treasury postings, Etsy is great for connecting me with fine fellow artists and as of late, Gallery Up in Rock Hill, SC! They contacted me a little bit ago and now emiko-o LEGO jewelry has some South Eastern rep! And better yet, the owner, Tamara LaValla, graduated from Syracuse U’s VPA the same year as me; small small world. Gallery Up just celebrated its one-year anniversary, and for once it’s great to have a gallery owner who is also an artist and understands our point of view, our struggle. Tamara also runs a design business with her husband called, LaValla Maddox Art + Design. So if you ever find yourself near Rock Hill, please stop in and support these guys!!!

Here are some of my pieces posted on Gallery Up’s online store:

Over the weekend two of my LEGO bracelets–Fruitstripe limited edition and kermit slim–were featured in a LEGO Treasury on etsy. Check it out before it expires at 12:48pm today!

Just a few weeks ago I shipped out a couple of boxes of new lego merch to 2 quite reputable East Coast art jewelry galleries: Sienna Gallery in Lenox, MA, and Shaw Jewelry in Northeast Harbor, ME.

Sienna Gallery has always been a favorite in my mind, for the innovative mix of top notch and cutting edge jewelry artists. Definitely honored to be included among these folks. Check out the online store–here’s a sneak peek at one of my pages:

I’ve just emerged from a month of non-stop, workin round the clock, studio madness–with a brand spankin’ new Summer LEGO Jewelry collection. All the new stuff is online on my flickr page for now, until my mastermind webmaster can catch up to my rapid-fire pace of creating! Below are some of my favorite bracelets: MONDRIAN Limited Edition (for the artist in all of us), 87 STRIPE PLUS 1×4 (ode to Jr. High), and FRUITSTRIPE Limited Edition (yes, inspired by the awful tasting gum).