Who knew, yet another Cape
Town-based artist making waves – or rather filling spaces which others wouldn’t
even consider spaces to be filled in – like vintage tennis- and badminton
rackets. Of course I couldn’t help but
be stunned by the impressionistic embroidery done by Danielle Clough. There is a vibrant and quirky air about the
way she uses the thickly textured and colourful yarn to stitch up these amazing
embroidered works of art. Personally,
I’m especially fond of the flower embroidered rackets, which just happen to be
so in tune with the current upcycled vintage trend.
Obviously
Stanley Hagler is a name quite familiar to those who avidly collect costume
jewelry created especially by golden era designers. Dubbed as “the Picasso of jewelry”, by many devotees
it doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to comprehend why. His lavish pieces were intricately wired by
hand, using the finest materials and components, with no stone or crystal
glued, but always rather prong-set. This
complex attention to detail contributed a strong multi-dimensional style to his
sumptuous pieces, which eventually afforded to him an eminent- and notorious line
of clients. After his death in 1996, the
company continued to produce jewelry under Stanley Hagler N.Y.C.Hhh
It was basically a decade ago that I stumbled upon
New York based designer, Justin Giunta’s, line of jewelry under the guise of
Subversive Jewelry. Unorthodox yet
authentic his designs were made up most notably of repurposed antique finds
with mixed metals and chains. This new
trend accoladed him being announced the CFDA winner in 2009, but apparently
making jewelry aint his only forte – he is also a gifted painter, fashion-,
interior- and industrial designer. Wait
a minute – go back – a jewelry designer who also paints? Hmm, who knew? Definitely a fellow artist whose work I’m
keeping a keen eye on…
I find it quite rare to come across an artist who inspires me
on both the sculptural as well as two-dimensional level. Liz Miller is such a rare artist whose mixed
media installations and drawings would inspire jewelry designers and abstract
artists alike. Her unique skill lies in
her ability to draw inspiration from (for example Baroque and Gothic) patterns,
then through the use of felt, foam and whatever tangible means alter and compose
them alongside simplified shapes to form almost out-of-this-world hybrid-like
environments. The relation between good
and evil also seems to be conveyed throughout her dramatic works, revealing the constant state of flux in perception.
