KATHERINE RUDOLPH JEWELRY
Katherine Rudolph
[2009, Jewelry & Metalsmithing]
Based in Nashua, NH
Katherine Rudolph’s RISD Craft Gallery
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
My design process often begins with paper models which I find translate well into thin gauge sheet metal. The sheet metal, like the paper can be scored and fold into crisp forms. This is a favorite technique, as it allows for voluminous yet deceivingly lightweight forms. I work primarily in sterling silver and 18k gold, adding pops of color through the use of stones, as well as contrast and depth with oxidation. Choosing to work with stock materials such as sheet, tubing and wire allows for a degree of precision as well as interchangeability of “building components” which lend itself to the explorations of repetition and pattern. To achieve my personal vision, I try to listen to the materials to understand their properties so that I may work in symphony with rather than against these qualities, giving the final design the air of simple elegance. My jewelry ranges from easy to wear everyday adornment to sculptural art objects worn as conversation pieces.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
The time I spent at RISD undoubtedly left a lasting mark on my creative practice. Like my workspace in the Metcalf building, my bench is still piled with paper models and the studio walls are covered in architectural clippings from magazines and photos taken while traveling. Since graduating, I have often returned to my sketch books from college as well as material studies and a box of models created for assignments during my time at RISD. They have been invaluable as jumping off points for new work.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My work is highly inspired by architectural forms. Photos taken while traveling often serve as the origins of a design. When looking to the skyline, I enjoy isolating specific buildings and deconstructing them with an interest in understanding their logic and order. The smallest architectural details don’t go overlooked. I am continuously adding to my digital image collection and clipping file from various publications which are referenced as sources of inspiration. One of my primary challenges is the reinterpretation of these architectural references in the scale of jewelry and the body. Specific architectural references that have inspired my jewelry include: The Ca’ d’Oro -Venice, Italy. Richard Meier’s Jubilee Church -Rome. Neuschwanstein Castle-Germany. The Air Force Academy Chapel- Colorado and the aesthetic of Santiago Calatrava.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My current body of work further explores the possibilities of scoring and folding 26 and 24 gauge silver and gold sheet, to create voluminous yet deceivingly light weight forms. I am focusing on scoring curved lines, which when folded create a unique combination of convex and concave surfaces. The “Scored Leaf Necklace” which I designed at RISD and which won first place in the International Precious Metals Institute design competition in 2009, was the catalyst for my continued interest in this particular fabrication technique. Through exploration of line and form, the scoring and folding technique has led to my current body of work, which includes the Scallop series.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
In February 2017 I was juried into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and will be participating in The Shop At The Fair during the annual Craftsmen’s Fair in August 4-12.
In 2014 I joined the committee of the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium and have actively been participating in fundraising and the coordination of our annual symposium. 2018 marked our 11th anniversary.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Additional pieces can be found at etsy.com/shop/katherinerudolph
To see more of Katherine’s work, visit katherinerudolph.com
JB FIREWORKS
Jenine Bressner
[2001, Glass]
Based in Providence, RI
JB Fireworks’ RISD Craft Gallery
The quickest way to try to communicate with other people is by adorning ourselves with cultural signifiers. I know that my jewelry has been and continues to act as an impetus for communication between strangers. Ignitions are sparked when we take risks like wearing something unusual or talking with people unfamiliar to us. I want to see things I’ve never seen before, and I strive to make work that satisfies this wish.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Experimenting, playing, and trying to do something in a way I haven’t before enable me to maintain plasticity in my brain.
Sometimes that means actually getting lost and traveling on paths I don’t know in my own town, or combining seemingly disparate materials.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
At RISD, I realized that we could do things we previously thought were impossible. The amount of effort, challenge, failure, growth, and learning we squeezed into a few days made the outside world seem very coddled, in comparison.
I learned to look more closely at what already exists to try to improve upon it, how to better budget my time, and I learned that everything is possible.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Since I gave birth, my time is much more limited. Having tighter parameters around when I can work reminds me of Foundation assignments at RISD. The time I have in studio is spent making glass and textile components, and I assemble those into larger wearable pieces at home while my kid is asleep.
Color and light excite me and inform my work more than anything else right now.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I expect to have some glass chains (which match everything by default) and I’m especially having fun playing with color and texture in my flameworked glass and merino wool earrings!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I just got back from teaching Glass Flameworking at Snow Farm in Western Massachusetts, and my work will be featured in Facèré Gallery’s “Signs of Life” book and exhibition in Seattle this fall.
Anything else you’d like to share?
RISD CRAFT has the most stylish children and dogs of any craft sale I’ve ever seen! Thanks for being such a beautiful community.
To see more of Jenine’s work, visit instagram.com/jbfireworks
KENDALL REISS
Kendall Reiss
[2011, MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Bristol, RI
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
In my work I combine natural and found materials with precious metal to produce jewels that are one-of-a-kind. Above all, simplicity, wearability and femininity are the primary considerations in my process of design and hand fabrication. My background in geology and my fascination with the natural world factor heavily in material choices, design combinations, and construction of the final object. Each piece is fabricated entirely by hand in my studio in Bristol, RI. The resulting work is clean and sophisticated; a synthesis of minimal forms, hard and soft elements, and texturally sumptuous materials combined to produce contemporary wearable art.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current creative practice spans several different areas of inquiry. While at RISD, I learned to integrate my background in science into my artistic practice at the jewelers bench. Research – be it material or theoretical is an enormous part of the work I make. Time spent at the Nature Lab, the RISD Museum, and the Fleet Library, Special Collections, and Picture Collection helped to fuel and expand the definition of what research meant for my work. I still visit these places as an alum, and I bring by RISD CE students to these places for inspiring their projects and helping them to discover their interests as artists.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
In my work, I focus on two separate yet parallel modes of inquiry: the design and fabrication of contemporary jewelry alongside material experiments, which result in sculptural objects and time-based installations. A native of Bristol, Rhode Island, I grew up exploring the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. I attended Dickinson College where I received a BS in Geology, which provides the visual training and hands-on approach I now use to conduct and record my studio-based investigations.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I am joining the full time faculty at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston this fall as a Professor of the Practice and co-director of the Senior Thesis Program. The position officially began in September!
Recent interview with Josh Fenton for GoLocalLive: http://www.golocalprov.com/live/Artist-Kendall-Reiss-Is-Helping-to-Drive-the-Rhode-Island-Economy
Recent interview with Boston Voyager: http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-kendall-reiss-kendall-reiss-gallery-studio-gallery-located-bristol-rhode-island-however-teach-full-time-boston-school-museum-fine-arts-tufts-universi/
Nominated for the 2017 U.S. Small Business Administration, Rhode Island Woman Small Business Owner of the Year Award.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I operate an art venue in the East Bay called Kendall Reiss Gallery & Studio. The gallery is located at 469 Wood Street, Bristol, RI 02809. I opened the gallery officially on July 21, 2017 after purchasing the property in January of 2017 and undergoing six months of renovations at 469 Wood Street. I partnered with South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corporation, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and Bank 5 to secure funding for the project.
The summer exhibition at the gallery featured work by Alyn Carlson, Tanya Crane, and fellow RISD alum, Arpie Gennetian. Surface to Substrate explores the concept of landscape through the lens of three contemporary artists. Works in the exhibition employ a wide variety of media including Carlson’s paintings and drawings inspired by the stark Icelandic landscape, delicate mixed media collages by Gennetian, in combination with Crane’s intricate sgraffito enamel jewelry. [On View: July 2 – August 31, 2018]
To see more of Kendall’s work, visit kendallreiss.com
RA HA JEWELRY
Julia Sullivan
[2010, Printmaking]
Based in Providence, RI
“RA HA” can be translated as “Sun Flesh.” The precious metals and stones it is made from become a part of the body and elevate the wearer. RA HA Jewelry is designed and created in Providence, RI and worn around the world.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
These earrings are made by hand, either carved from wax or essentially “drawn” with wire. I use needle nose round and flat pliers to shape each piece by hand from wire. This allows me to create curves and angles that are unique in jewelry.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I view my earrings as wire drawings and wearable fine art sculptures. At RISD majoring in Printmaking combined my interests in drawing, metal working and photography. Jewelry is a different way of combining these interests. My background in drawing and this process driven technique gives my jewelry a unique style that incorporates linear mark-making and two dimensional imagery.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Inspiration for RA HA Jewelry is drawn from natural forms, botanical, animal or human. Many are inspired by leaves and plant parts and some by the celebration and power of the female form among other things.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
This year I will be sharing a new line of jewelry inspired by botanical elements incorporating precious metals as well as powder coating techniques.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
This year RA HA Jewelry was a recipient of the 2018 Providence Design Catalyst Grant from DesignxRI. I have been featured in press including Vogue España and Providence Business News among others. Additionally RA HA Jewelry has expanded sales across the country and the world.
To see more of Julia’s work, visit rahajewelry.com