Because of personal matters my August post(s) are delayed. Mostly, there hasn’t been much new in my creative process. I’ve had to take some personal time to get my work/home/art lives sorted out but once I get everything a bit more settled I’ll be good to go with more creative and interesting pieces of jewelry.

For August I have been showing at City Art gallery (as I normally do) but this month I’m in a case as well as on the wall. My wall pieces are a part of the theme show “San Francisco”. They are a rainbow chainmaille bracelet/earrings set and a nice beaded set. I’m pretty happy with the pieces just as I’m thrilled to be in a case this month. I’m in a case with fellow jewelry artist Beth Wellington. She and I do very complementary pieces but very individual work as well. I truly enjoy working with Beth-she’s fun and always has interesting insights about more than just the jewelry work we both do.

In other news, I started working with a monthly event called the League. This is a monthly party/salon/cabaret at Mission Control. I work as the PR goddess and I’m enjoying it a lot more than most of my recent gigs. The people are pretty awesome and the people make all the difference in the world. For August I’m also going to be a part of the salon: the ABC’s of Accessories-tips and tricks to interesting and unique accessories. I’m going as a chainmaille jewelry artist (and PR goddess). This is something I can get into without thinking too much–I just have to figure out where to start…

posted by kate_moore
Tags: chainmaille, fellow artists, geek chic, inner musings, Mission Control
Filed under: Blog

I know it is still July but I’ve got a show in August that I’m prepping for that I felt the need to write about. So, upcoming show–this is the City Art Gallery August theme show–the theme: San Francisco. This is an annual August show for City Art and I was in it last year…and loved it. I love the SF show for a couple of reasons, first and foremost it means colored chainmaille is perfectly acceptable. Last year I did a black and orange choker/earring chainmaille set and a Victorian’esque beaded set. For everyone unfamiliar with San Francisco sports–Orange and Black are the SF Giants colors.

This year, I’m going seriously technicolor. I made a rainbow chainmaille bracelet and earring ‘set’ for SF Pride in June that I’m putting into the show. I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing with the beaded set but it will be pretty and totally within the SF theme. One big thing about the theme shows at City Art: so long as a piece REMOTELY fits the theme it’s in.

Another big thing about San Francisco in August. At the end of the month, virtually everyone leaves for Burning Man. I am not going this year but I am ok with this. I’m looking forward to experiencing a lull in the city.

posted by kate_moore
Filed under: Blog

I have been an artist for several years. Every show, every month, every year, I feel I have to re-establish myself and reassert myself as an artist. I truly feel the need to do this when I have gone through difficult times in my personal life.

I have been through some very difficult things in my personal life that have in effect messed with my professional life because I can not compartmentalize as well as others. However, through all the difficulties I have been able to yet again re-establish myself as a jewelry artist. So, once again I have to remind myself what it takes to make a piece of statement jewelry-a part of what it takes is the attitude of the person wearing the jewelry. When you’ve got a piece of jewelry that is a statement or conversation piece that tends to be the focal piece of the outfit. The clothing may be interesting but neutral but the focal piece is what gathers the attention of anyone the person is around.

As a chainmaille artist- I tend to wear my art. Mostly chainmaille earrings and sometimes a bracelet are in my regular attire. Jeans and t-shirt are also a part of my normal attire–this means my chaimmaille is my focus and it is intentional. There have been others who wear my chainmaille with simple but formal attire.

These photos are the work of a friend, Michael Shannon, who is a far better photographer than I am. His work can be found on Facebook HERE.

posted by kate_moore
Filed under: Blog

I have neglected not only this blog, but my purpose of this blog for several months–my purpose was originally to showcase my process of my work and to showcase my development as an artist in San Francisco. I haven’t spent as much time developing my jewelry lately as I’d like. I’ve been spending more time developing a professional persona–and doing marketing work for myself, The Trickster Art Salon, and other artists.

However through all of this, I’ve continued to move forward with my chainmaille–mostly with colored maille. In a light and slightly girly kind of way.

Above are a sampling of my latest pieces–most are micro-maille and may have been featured before. Some of these pieces are experiments in one form or another while others are influenced by the City that I live in.

posted by kate_moore
Tags: chainmaille, keys, San Francisco, swarovski crystal
Filed under: Blog

Something I feel I need to write at length about: my more or less recent encounter with artistic chaos. Yep, chaos, artistic chaos at that. Why would I have artistic chaos… Part of that answer is really simple–I bring it upon myself. The rest, not as simple. I do social marketing and networking for the Trickster Art Salon. This is an artist community start-up which has many bits, bobs, pieces, cogs, and in general lots of ‘spinning plates’. I’m one of the crew that keeps the plates spinning… This can be chaotic from time to time-especially right before an event in a new location with unknown artists and performers. Always fun times and certainly never a dull moment.

On top of the Trickster Art Salon, I have my own art work. My jewelry. Which I’ll admit has taken a back seat to things like Trickster, mostly because I am just not focused on my art and more so on networking and getting Trickster more widely known.

Now, when I’m actually showing my jewelry (at City Art or somewhere else), working on Trickster, and keeping up with other social marketing gigs that pay well enough…this get a bit chaotic very quickly. On top of that, I have my own life (which is fairly non existent at the moment), friends, family, and acquaintances that all want a bit of my time for one reason or another. Sometimes I have over scheduled myself and feel as though I’m burning the candle from both ends. Other times I’m just trying to catch up on taking care of myself (usually in the form of sleeping in, long hot shower, lounging for a minute, maybe getting some wine at the end of a day, etc.). And I’ll be honest, if I’m not out working or needing to be social for whatever reason, I tend to be a cave dweller workaholic whose social life has something to do with work most of the time. I’m either ON or I’m OFF, there really is no middle ground for me.

All of this together is my artistic chaos. I don’t know what I’d do with out it and I’m working to make it work for me rather than me for it.

posted by kate_moore
Tags: Behind the Scenes, galleries, inner musings, San Francisco, Tricksters, upcoming shows
Filed under: Blog

When your work comes so naturally, doesn’t feel forced, it feels so good. The last few days have been spent doing the bidding of my muse (see previous posts about my internal monologue on my muse). This also means that time gets away from you. Sadly, this means nothing when it comes to my writing. My jewelry has seemed to been taken to another level. I’m doing a lot more with swarovski crystal, lots of purple… go figure.

I’ve been talking with some of my friends and fellow artists and most of them are in the same boat as I am–when inspiration strikes, you listen and just let it happen, do what your inspiration is telling you, etc. But when you’re in a lull, don’t force the creative process, otherwise the finished product doesn’t look quite right, doesn’t *feel* quite right, and typically is less appealing to the masses. This is what happens with me- I’m not happy with the pieces that I know were ‘forced’ just for the sake of having pieces in my inventory. I don’t like doing this with my art.

posted by kate_moore
Filed under: Blog

Summer in San Francisco is not what the rest of the world would consider to be summer. Summer is foggy, not all that warm, and all around kinda dreary. So, the June theme show at City Art is Lurid. As in ghostly, (foggy), ghastly, low red to yellow color through shadow or smoke, etc.

How this translates to me as a jewelry artist…I’m not really sure quite yet. I think I’m going to go with the shadows/light/smokey colors angle and see what happens.

I’m thinking of using this piece as one of my chainmaille pieces for the show. As always I go with one chainmaille set (earrings and necklace) and one beaded set (necklace and earrings). I’m not entirely sure how things are going to go with the beaded pieces.

posted by kate_moore
Tags: CityArt, shadowbox art, show prep
Filed under: Blog

Once I land in a city, I tend to soak up whatever kind of history that the city has to offer. San Francisco has history around every corner. Every neighborhood has it’s own history. Pre-earthquake and post-earthquake are terms thrown around to mark the 1906 earthquake that leveled the city. Specific neighborhoods are ethnic neighborhoods–japan town, china town, north beach (little Italy), etc. The icons of San Francisco are very well known. One of these SF icons is the Golden Gate Bridge…which is bright orange.  In May 1937, a bright orange bridge was opened. This bridge connects the City of San Francisco to Marin county to the north. This is the main route to wine country and the northern coast of California (US 101 and CA 1).

Fellow artist Stephen Wagner (who has been featured in this blog before) was a chosen artist to capture some of the beauty and majesty of the Golden Gate bridge as only a San Francisco artist can. At the new GGB visitor center, his work is being featured and being sold.

posted by kate_moore
Tags: featured artists, fellow artists, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Filed under: Blog

Spiritjoy  (spir’ it joi) n., 1. what animates joy, elation and satisfaction
2. uplifting sense of jubilance, polish, shimmer, and twinkle
3. empowerment behind Kaya Sattva’s Jewelry confections, Est. 2006

… and that is how she describes her own work.

Kaya’s got a great sense of clean lines and natural elegance with using stones like natural/rough Herkamer diamonds. Her simplicity in her work makes the beauty of the pieces stand out that much more. As an artist Kaya is fun to talk with about her natural elements of her pieces because she knows what she’s talking about.

And if you want to see more of Kaya’s work, please visit her sites HERE and HERE.

posted by kate_moore
Tags: CityArt, featured artists, fellow artists, metals, nature, San Francisco
Filed under: Blog

The art world in San Francisco is an interesting one. In my year and some change in San Francisco has cultivated some very interesting connections. 6 degrees of separation get cut to 1 or 2 very quickly. In my experience with Trickster, the degrees of separation are equally only 1 or 2 degrees of separation between artists, venues, galleries, etc. Occasionally, there’s immediate overlap where there is an artist I work with at more than one venue/gallery/etc. One of my favorite overlaps is a photographer, Julia O Test.

Julia is the Trickster photographer and fairly recently joined the City Art community showing her work. Like many of the artists in San Francisco, Julia didn’t go searching for her art–her art found her. What I mean by this is, photography started as a hobby that she started to take more seriously and eventually treat as an art.

As a part of the Trickster Art Salon, Julia (aka, Rusky) captures the chaos with camera in a unique style playing with light, movement, and whimsy.

In her own words: I’ve photographed a wide array of people, events, and styles, though some underlying themes weave through my digital artwork – darkness, surrealism, sexuality, macabre, and striking intimacy.

To find out more about Julia or to contact her directly please visit her website… HERE!

posted by kate_moore
Tags: CityArt, featured artists, fellow artists, San Francisco, show prep, Tricksters
Filed under: Blog