Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Legacy: Jewelry Techniques of West Africa

I don't pre-order books...usually because I don't like waiting for them and I don't like giving my money to someone well in advance of getting my book.  I guess I'm an instant gratification kind of girl :)  And I specifically don't pre-order books or videos from artists directly. Sorry...I know this seems like a huge slap in the face to my own group of people.  I've seen a few go well beyond their estimated date of publication....and some never get published.  I've never quite figured out the ethics on that one.  If you take money from someone but don't deliver the product...does that count as theft or fraud...or both??

But I digress.....I heard about this book called Legacy: Jewelry Techniques of West Africa by Matthieu Cheminee



Well...this was a no brainer.  First this is something I can't wait to get my hands on...I mean seriously...I'm drooling. Second it is from Brynmorgan Press...Tim McCreight's publishing house...he always delivers a quality product.  I love Tim.  He is one of the nicest and most generous teachers I've ever had.

Watch the video about the book.  It's amazing.  How many of you file your metalwork on the side of your foot?  After watching this video....I'm ashamed at all the tools I have.  I would love to take a trip through Africa meeting up with the locals artists like this.


 

Can't wait for the book!!!

Monday, April 21, 2014

The Task of Art...

Quote from Jorge Luis Borges, a writer from Argentina....

"The task of art is to transform what is continuously happening to us, to transform all these things into symbols, into music, into something which can last in man’s memory. That is our duty. If we don’t fulfill it, we feel unhappy. A writer or any artist has the sometimes joyful duty to transform all that into symbols. These symbols could be colors, forms or sounds. For a poet, the symbols are sounds and also words, fables, stories, poetry. The work of a poet never ends. It has nothing to do with working hours. Your are continuously receiving things from the external world. These must be transformed, and eventually will be transformed. This revelation can appear anytime. A poet never rests. He’s always working, even when he dreams. Besides, the life of a writer, is a lonely one. You think you are alone, and as the years go by, if the stars are on your side, you may discover that you are at the center of a vast circle of invisible friends whom you will never get to know but who love you. And that is an immense reward."