emiko-o reware

Nothing better than making the front pages of your hometown’s major newspaper! It only took me 15 years, but here I am featured as the Style &  Taste  cover story for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 11, 2012! Wonderful article, “Silver, gold, Lego: Precious links to the past are jeweler’s gems“ by John Petkovic – we had a long phone interview back last fall and it was definitely worth the wait. HUGE, multiple images accompany the article (photographed by me, Aryn Shelander, and Christine Dhein).  A different angle with this article, focusing on my Parma roots and start as a young recycling artist. Plus a nice quote from local retailer who carries my work in downtown Cleveland, Anne Van Hauwaert Fashion Design. If you’re in the area, stop in her boutique at Little Italy’s schoolhouse at 2026 Murray Hill #106, Cleveland, OH 44106.

As I say from time to time, “Cleveland Rocks!” To read the online version, go to cleveland.com or click here to see a larger image.

(we interrupt the Top 5 Niche Marketing Tips for this special announcement)

This weekend is my biggest craft show of the year and my debut on the main floor of the American Craft Council Show at SF Fort Mason Festival Pavilion! Starting Friday, Aug 12 through Sunday, Aug 14, it’s THE CRAFT EVENT to see; this year it is only one pavilion and so the creme of the crop craftspeople have been juried in (I’m honored to be among them!). I’ve been busy making new work and setting up my magical lego “tea party” themed booth (special thanks to my professional artist friend, Aimee Golant for her expertise in booth setup).

It’s going to be AMAZING, plus there is a full line-up of artisan live demos all weekend, and a Hot Glass and Beer event on Friday. TODAY ONLY you can get 50% discount off the admission ticket (normally $12) by purchasing online through EventBrite using discount code: SF2011GUEST. Click HERE to get discount tickets.
Come by and say hi, get a home-baked treat and see what I’ve been up to these last few months at the bench! Note: parking is tricky up there at Fort Mason on the weekend, so consider public transit, carpooling, or parking in the outlying neighborhoods.

DETAILS:  American Craft Council Show
Where: Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion, SF
Booth: 630, East Wall, mid-back
When: Friday, Aug 12, 10am-8pm  ($5 happy hour discounted tix after 5pm!)
Saturday, Aug 13, 10am-6pm
Sunday, Aug 14, 10am-5pm
Admission: $12 regular (discounted tix online through Aug 11)
url: http://shows.craftcouncil.org/sf

new work by emiko-o. model photo by Aryn Shelander

It’s been awhile, but I’ve been invited back (2 buyers later…) to show at the SFMOMA MuseumStore Jewelry Trunk Show and Sale! In conjunction with their Annual Member Appreciation Day, museum members will receive 20% off of purchases at this show and the MuseumStore. Come see my latest creations, classic favorites, and the ever elusive but oh-so-popular Windows Earrings in all lengths, in Iced and Bronze styles.

iced Window earrings

Would love to see your smiling faces this Saturday, April 16, from 10am-3pm

SFMOMA – Schwab Room in the museum atrium
151 Third St (@ Mission)  San Francisco

Other artists showing:
From the Bay Area: Rebecca Overman, Tina Frey, Marna Clark, Philippa Roberts
Southern CA: I. Ronni Kappos, Barbara de Jounge
International: Diana Schimmel, Dos Riberas, Tamara Lisenberg, Doris Vinas
Also: Tia Kramerr, Jenny Christiansen, Octavia Bloom, Victoria Bekerman

You won’t want to miss my last holiday event of the year, happening today, Dec 3, from 4-7pm at Interstice Gallery in the Mission! If you haven’t been by the space yet for one of Shana’s previous events, make sure to come out this weekend and get in the holiday spirit with us. Today I’ll have TONS of LEGO jewelry for everyone on your gift list: NEW kids pendants and bracelets; long, swingy pendants on sterling chains; cufflinks, plus sophisticated new color combinations like Aura, Aegean, and Cashmere. I’ll have my full catalog handy to take Pre-Orders with FREE SHIPPING for items I don’t have on hand. My event is featured this week in THE LATEST AND GREATEST on BoldItalic.com.

Also, NEW LEGO Greeting Cards! So much fun to style and photograph, this is definitely going to be an annual, recurring product. Inspired by our Accessorize with Toys workshops and all those board game boards, I’ve made Upcycled Ornaments and Table Tops Trees, all which will be at the gallery this weekend. Not to mention the Hugging Dinosaurs ornament series (hard to resist the Golden Dinos, or anything spray painted gold, for that matter). If you’re on facebook, you can see the event posted there and also on Shana’s blog.

Speaking of ornaments, come by the gallery on Sat, Dec 4, from 1-4pm for our Ornament Making Party. Make your own ornaments from recycled game/toy parts and I’ll spray paint it gold to give it extra pizzazz. $20 gets you all the ornaments you can glue gun together, plus treats and mulled wine. It’s addictive, and you’re guaranteed to go home with successful projects, perhaps even gifts.  The SF Chronicle listed our Ornament Making Party as one of the Eight Great DIY Holiday Gift Workshops!

Interstice Gallery
3443 26th St, between Mission and Valencia, SF

emiko interviewed for SF Chronicle

It’s been a busy press month for me thanks to the fine PR efforts in conjunction with the Palo Alto Art Center’s STYLE 2010 upcoming trunk show, this coming Saturday, April 24! In this Sunday’s SF Chronicle’s Style section, I was interviewed by the lovely Jeanne Cooper about my emiko-o reware jewelry from LEGO (see the pink outlined section in the article above). My Pink Martini bracelet looks fabulous in print, and even better online in the SFgate.com article, where my Mondrian bracelet is also featured (see image below). Check out the online article and photos.

Mondrian bracelet by emiko-o

Also, for all my facebook Fans and friends, you already know about the use of my large LEGO necklaces in the current issues of both Gentry Magazine and Scene Magazine (San Jose Mercury News Spring edition). It’s non-stop but it’s the only way I operate I suppose…

Gentry Magazine April 2010

San Jose Mercury News SCENE magazine Spring 2010

And even Metro Silicon Valley newspaper interviewed me and hit the stands this past Thursday, April 15, which I sadly missed getting being up here in SF (drudging through taxes and the dreaded check writing). Hopefully I’ll get my hands on a copy and can share with you all soon!

Come say hi to me this Saturday from 10am-5pm at STYLE 2010 at the Palo Alto Art Center:
1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto 94303
The trunk show is an annual fundraiser for the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. Buy for a great cause, take note from my dear  friend Liz Brown, seen here wearing my silver hubs trio necklace on her way to Chicago!

Liz in my silver hubs trio necklace

Some rapid-fire catching up to do, and can’t believe I haven’t posted this awesome article from California Home + Design magazine Nov/Dec 2009 issue. Writer Mikhail Romain picked my to feature in his Building Blocks article. Much thanks to Raymond McKenzie, buyer at the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design and my roomie Christine Dhein for getting my image to the magazine while I was in Europe!

Just got my work back from the Minimal Bling exhibition that was at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston last month. I was extremely pleased that they used my Maharajah’s 6th LEGO necklace in the promotional materials, including the gorgeous postcard. While I was at SNAG Philly last May I had the pleasure of reconnecting with the Director, Beth Ann Gerstein, and Exhibitions Director, Fabio Fernandez. SAC had first shown my work way back in 2003 when I was doing the Truth tiara series.

For Minimal Bling I made 2 new mid-range pieces to accompany this neckpiece and the Duchess neckpiece (these latter 2 are now at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft‘s Transmutations show).

Pas de trois is a necklace that riffs off my recent Cygne Noir reinterpretation of Lalique’s Women with Black Swans enamel necklace. The pendant has 3 components, the bottom 2 of which are interchangeable.

Twilight is my latest Limited Edition bracelet, which I was compelled to make way before I got sucked into the black hole obsession of a series that obliterated my month of January (hence the lack of posts since early december; I’m 10 pages away from finishing the last book, thank god!). I must say it does justice to books; what would Stephenie Meyer say?

Most of the non-CA shows that my work is in I don’t get the chance to see, but my pal Shana swung by and shot these pics of the gallery entrance, where lo and behold, my Luke and Darth Vader earrings are HUGE on the banner! No wonder those earrings sold!

Well, well, I’ve been a bit slow on the uptake for jumping into the new year; all that sleep during Christmas and New Years is quite addictive and hard to give up so quickly. How did a month go by already (answer: many rainy nights cozy in bed ravishing the Twilight series….)?! Time to get back on the art train before laziness slips in. So many shows this past fall/winter, I’ve missed a few in these posts; catch-up time.

So, one of the most recent exhibitions happening now is Transmutations: Material Reborn at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (image above is from HCCC website). Curated by Susan Sloan, the artists were selected from the book she juried, 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs which was published this past fall by Lark Books. Lovely book and I only wish I could see the show in Houston. Luckily many other metalsmiths will get the chance to see it during the SNAG “going to Extremes” conference in March.

UPDATE:  the Houston Press posted this on Feb 5, 2010

eventful houston Transmutations

In the meantime, I’m enjoying seeing my LEGO necklaces images used as PR for the show. Too bad the red and white Cartier Blanc is not in the show after all (it sold during Sienna Gallery’s show So Fake They’ll Think It’s Real).

HCCC website

Here is the blurb about the show from HCCC’s site:
“Curated by celebrated jeweler, Susan Sloan, TRANSMUTATIONS:  Material Reborn showcases 28 international jewelry artists who transform materials, such as resin, latex, rubber, vinyl, and thermoplastics, into outrageous jewelry and wearable art.  The exhibition includes pieces meant for everyday adornment as well as those that make a larger-than-life statement—some of which are created in combination with more conventional materials, such as gold, silver, pearls, and gemstones.  Stop by the Artist Hall at HCCC to see this stunning array of wearables made from plastic Lego toy parts, precious materials, and found objects!”

Modern Luxury Houston

violette femme pendant and earrings

I’ve been cranking jewelery at the bench this last month to get ready for the holiday season, in particular for the SFMOMA Holidaze Craft Fairs that I’ll be selling at these next 2 Saturdays before Christmas, Dec 12 & 19, from 11:30-5:30. All proceeds go directly to the artists which is fantastic, but means that I can only accept cash or checks, not credit cards, boo hoo. ANYWAY, I’m excited to show my new KIDS line of bracelets ($15-$35) and new Pendants (shown in the photos here, $45-$55)  that have a more feminine flair with a tiny silver chain and just a hint of lego and bling. Come on out to Fort Mason Building A, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, would love to see you!

tire pendant & Mod earrings

My new year started off just right with an order from the Smithsonian Museum stores! A great chance to knock out some new designs for spring (and reshoot some old favs). A lot of it is up on my etsy store, as well as in my New Lego Jewelry flickr set.

Here is my latest color scheme in cafe au day 1×4 bracelet, inspired by an elaborate paper cutout installation by Adriane Colburn, which I saw recently at the Museum of Craft & Folk Art in SF.

My earlier Limited Edition styles, Mondrian and sporty stripe were restyled into more affordable, smaller bracelets.

And, in channeling the warm breeze of spring, which seems to fall upon us in the Bay Area every 3 weeks or so, between our random cold weeks of winter, are ducky 1×4 and baby’s breath basic bracelets.

I’ll keep you posted on when the jewelry is available at the Smithsonian.