October gifts

October

The month when nature gifts us its colors

Fall colors in Vermont - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

when children start writing their letters to Santa
and we start looking for gifts for our loved ones.

Path in the woods behind our cabin - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

A symphony of colors - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky
Like? see my photography web site

This October I already received my gifts:

A beautiful vacation in Vermont,
the starting of a new volunteering project,
a fine art photography class,
fresh ideas for both jewelry and photography.




Now, it's my turn to give.
I want to give you 2 gifts..

For those of you with little time, I will start with the tangible one.

Delicate heart necklace with a heart cutout - "you are always in my heart"
The sterling silver version is my gift to you .See gold version here

For every purchase made in my ETSY store until the end of November -

I will send you a Sterling Silver heart pendant necklace - 'you are always in my heart'

Keep it or gift it.
It's all yours.
The picture on the right is the exact same necklace in solid 18k gold.



The second gift, is one I have received and now paying it forward.

On our last vacation day, we decided to explore the 'recreation path'. A pleasant walk starting behind the Stowe picturesque church and meandering through the park.

Just at its beginning, lining the path were signs with verses from a poem by Lizzy Fox.
I loved it so much, I wrote them all down,
and now I pass them on to you.

A morning walk in the woods - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

October
  by Lizzy Fox

I want
to take my time
in October
slow my steps
feel each crunch
and crack
of leaves
beneath my feet

Watch trees take form
stretching skeletal
towards snatches
of sun

Bathing half-naked
in wind
and rain
and sleet
that softly coat them  
from dappled skies;

Trees
who won't decide
a color
or pattern
to hold onto.

Who bear forth
in brittle
transparency.

       

Enjoy this month and its colors,
and get ready to welcome the colder days of November.

If you enjoyed the images and would like to see more - go to my photography web site.
There are more of them there in the impressionist, landscape and reflection sections.

Bye,
amy

Coming full cycle - from metal art to photography

It was a bit more than a year ago, when a Saturday walk on the beach inspired me to create the 'walk on the beach ring'.

Its colors inspired by the sea, its texture - by the sand. a bit of magic thrown in
with colored diamonds - the walk on the beach ring
https://www.etsy.com/listing/160748118/blue-topaz-silver-ring-with-fancy?ref=shop_home_active_5

At the time, the notion of a simple walk triggering a creative inspiration was new and surprising.
I was not used to translating experiences into inspiration.
Nothing in the 20+ years of hi-tech work prepared me for it.

Since then, a year passed, and I find myself a few days before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year thinking a bit about the last 12 month. And very very thankful for the path I walked.

The Tanzanite and diamond flower ring. It took me a year to figure out how to create the 'lace' like look on the petals
https://www.etsy.com/listing/199913116/18k-solid-gold-tanzanite-ring-handmade?ref=shop_home_active_2

The initial flower ring I made,
turned into a set of flower ring variations
a few of them bringing daily delight to the ladies wearing them.

With the lacy look and the random brown diamond thrown in accenting a brown Smokey Quartz
a slightly different variation of the flower ring
https://www.etsy.com/listing/200424251/delicate-silver-nature-ring-brown-smokey?ref=shop_home_active_9

In parallel to deepening my understanding of metal I started to .....paint with light.
Photographing.
Well, on second thought it may not be so surprising, after all I had to photograph the jewelry I make.
The surprising thing is the world I discovered when looking through the lens.
I always thought photography is documentary.
I found the creativity and the art.
The magic in painting with light.

So it seems only fitting, to close this year with another 'walk on the beach'.
This time expressed through the camera lens.
Join me on a walk on Santa Monica, California beach - and lets have a look at the setting sun from under its famous pier :)

Walking towards the pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

 A Seagull at sunset - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Feel the waves? - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Running into the waves - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Having fun on the beach - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

The pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Under the pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Looking at the sunset - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

I really wonder how will the post at the end of next year look ;)

For those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashana - have a wonderful year.
For those who don't - enjoy the coming autumn, and I will be wishing you a great 2015 in just a few months!

bye,
Amy

Einstein, dancing dogs and thoughts about memorable art

We all know "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Sometimes, the answer to a complex questions can present itself in simple and unexpected forms

Or, as a very wise man said...









From complex laws governing the behavior of our world

... to leadership wisdom from Alice in Wonderland:

...and what does this have to do with dancing dogs?
read on and find out :)

I have danced for years.

Swan lake - the Bolshoi ballet dancers

To be precise from the age of 4 when my parents enrolled me to a ballet class, hoping I would loose some of the baby fat ...( did not help much ...)

Since we lived in Romania, classic ballet was on the cards from the start.

Until the end of high school, I went to dance lessons, twice a week - mostly classic ballet, with some seasoning of modern dance and flamenco.


In university while majoring in software engineering, I continued to dance - Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha, Rock'n'Roll.......red dancing shoes, flowers in my hair..

Many years passed since.
Dance remained a passion, but a passive one.
I love watching great dance performances, there is nothing like a beautiful performance of the Bolshoi ..... right?

The Bolshoi stages new modern dance show

Nowadays, after 25 years in the software industry, I am spending most of my time experiencing the world of art and design.

Designing a .... bead :)

Whether studying great works of art, trying to master photography, creating new pieces of jewelry in my studio, I am surrounding myself with art.
Trying to find my own voice.

One of the questions that keep coming up, is how can a work of art go beyond being beautiful and be truly memorable.

I could probably write an essay with all things that came to my mind...
starting with the finest ingredients,
combine them in ways that make the whole more than their sum ....

but in this particular case, I got the clearest answer in form of
have you guessed yet?
...a dance show.
Specifically - 'Shadowlad' by Pilobolus.

Building on great dancers, very little costumes - a fluency of movement used to create naive pictures
for the 90 minutes of the show, the answer to my question was right there, in front of my eyes

I will always enjoy a good classical ballet performance, look for a good Flamenco show.
But its the Shadowland performance I would never forget.

After all these words, I think you deserve a taste of it, don't you think?
Click on the link ....and look for the dancing dog :)

Pilobolus Dance Theatre "Shadowland"

Until next post :)
Amy

When art talks - the language of texture

A Sterling Silver necklace by AKVjewelry 

A soft bathrobe, a rough stone, a vintage filigree brooch, a Van Gogh painting - 

what do they have in common?

Texture. 

It sets the mood, invokes memories and feelings - in a subtle, almost unconscious way.

Texture, as a language, a way of communicating – picked my interest when I started to experiment with molten metal and the wonderful texture it creates.

Since then, I started noticing the crucial role texture plays in communicating messages in the world of art.

Irises, by Van Gogh

Take for example my beloved Van Gogh.

A few weeks ago, at the Los Angeles Getty Center, I was able to stand as close as it gets without actually touching - to some of his wonderful paintings.

Look at texture of this painting and the energy it projects – it speaks volumes of the stormy feelings inside the painter.

It almost feels like Van Gogh was compelled to paint it - it was his way to manage internal storms.

Is it a wonder he painted so much - sometimes a painting a day?

Another corner of this wonderful painting. Just look at the earth.
It lives and breathes

Can you imagine how different his paintings would be in watercolors?

Keep the colors, even use the same brushstrokes – just take away the texture.

In Van Gogh's case, I think, texture acts in a similar way to body language. It reveals so much about his inner world.

The other time I was amazed by how expressive texture can be, was when I visited the Accademia museum in Florence Italy.

The corridor in the Accademia museum 

Tenths of people, standing in line to get into the museum and see one of the most famous sculptures in the world -  David by Michelangelo. 

David stands at the end of a small gallery – demanding your attention from the minute you walk in.

But despite its beauty, what caught my attention were 4 unfinished sculptures – the slaves.

'The awakening'

Commissioned by Pope Julius as part of a majestic tomb he was planning for himself - plans which ironically - were changed by his ...death.

'Atlas'

Michelangelo never finished the slave sculptures.

You can see the powerful body, the taught muscles, the huge calf or shoulder - but the body is trapped in the stone.

Rough, heavy, immovable stone. 

You can FEEL the slaves are trying to break away, but are imprisoned in stone, held by everlasting marble chains.

While I am sure these sculptures would have been magnificent if finished – I think the sense of being trapped into a situation you cannot escape from – could never be as powerfully conveyed as it is today by these unfinished masterpieces.

To me, the use of texture in art and jewelry making in particular - unveiled a new and fascinating language.

The first time I consciously used texture in my jewelry making, was in my branches collection, where I leveraged the reticulation technique to create abstract winter pictures of tree branches and snow.

A necklace from my 'Winter Branches' collection
https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/150817225/square-silver-pendant-necklace?ref=listing-shop-header-3

Lately, started to play with different ways of using texture as means to convey a natural, worn, stand the test of time kind of feeling.

Learning the alphabet of textures, and starting to spell my own words.

Form kept simple, colors provided by purple plant and rain.
Texture takes center stage

As always, glad to hear your comments and thoughts –

.....wishing you a great end to 2013, and a wonderful 2014 :)

Amy

Florence inspirations - Painting with (semiprecious) stones

We all know what painting is, and many of us own jewelry pieces with semiprecious stones.
But have you ever heard of paintings created with semiprecious stones?

A few years ago, I took a few painting lessons.
Mainly learning to use charcoal and watercolors.
When you start drawing a picture, you select the subject, take a piece of charcoal and...start to draw.
Obvious, right?

Take a look at this picture.

Girlandaio, who was Michelangelo teacher, coined the term 'painting with stone'.
Actually, it is painting with semiprecious stones.

Imagine you are the artist. Probably live in Florence - as this is the center of this craft.

In order to create this picture - you first need to select the stones.
Selecting the right pieces of stone, is of uttermost importance. It can take months to find the right colors and shades.

Some of the stones would be from Italy - Onyx, Calcedony, Verde Arno. Others would be imported from faraway lands: Blue Lapis lazuli, green Malachite, Jade.

Then you would draw the picture full scale, divide it into sections. Each section with need to be cut out from a slice of stone, exactly in the right shape. Just look at the flower petals in this picture - doesn't look easy - does it?

Work in process in the workshop of Renzo Scarpelli.
The plan is ready, the stone selected, now it is time to cut the stone.

   
The paper template is glued onto the slices of stone - and now the sawing starts.
As sometimes there are thousands of pieces required to make a single picture or tabletop - it can take month and even years to complete sawing all pieces.

Master Scarpelli at work, using the traditional bow and iron wire for cutting the stone.

Take a look at the stone selection in the drawers behind the bench!

Notice the grey paste behind the stone that is being cut?
It contains an abrasive powder that enables to cut through the stone.

How do you cut the pieces exactly in the needed shape to fit the picture perfectly?

The only answer I got was "maybe it is the 52 years of experience ...".

Pieces of stone all cut?

Now glue them together with beeswax and resin, placed on slate backing, polished and ...voila!

An art piece I now proudly own - The cat looking at the moon, by R. Scarpelli.

Florence was for centuries famous for the art of 'painting with stones'.

The institute of 'Pietre Dure', created by the Medici as a workshop - turned into a gem of a museum today, well worth a visit in order to see the wonderful art pieces and learn a bit about the process.

Here is a sneak preview:

Tabletop with parrot, flowers and military trophies - photographed by us at the museum

Just look at the incredible details, the parrot in the center

The parrot

...and one of the vases

Some of the old work benches are displayed on the first floor of the museum as well:

Yep, this is me looking at the beautiful wooden benches.
Notice the stone collection on the wall?

If you happen to be in Florence, and want to experience the art of painting with stones - here are a few places for you to visit:

Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Via degli Alfani, 78, Florence, Italy

The Medici Capella in Basilica de San Lorenzo - a marvel of Pietra Dure art.

Truly unbelievable.

If you want to see one of the very few artists in action in his workshop in Florence - 

stop by Scarpelli workshop and galleria at 

Via Ricasoli 59/r - 50122 Firenze  

Looking at this beautiful and demanding work, I realize how much I came to appreciate craftsmanship.
After all, art is something very subjective, and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder - but it is impossible not to appreciate the type of craftsmanship, honed by decades of experience that creates these unique one of a kind art pieces.

A very interesting counterpoint to our ready made / replicated / immediate results oriented world.

What do you think?

Bursting full of experiences from my 2 week stay in Florence, probably some of them will end up in the next posts.

Bye until then,
Amy