Jewelry That Grows On You. The Incredible Landscape Jewelry of Sarah Hood.

Artist and silversmith Sarah Hood combines miniature scale railroad materials like plastic trees, grasses, bushes and pebbles with sterling silver to culminate is one of a kind pieces that are nothing short of wearable art.



Her expert metal work and unique whimsical style is why several of the pieces from her Landscape Series reside in the Tacoma Art Museum's permanent collection.

Below are examples of one-of-a-kind sterling silver rings, necklaces and bracelets made with miniature plastic trees - some spray painted black-, tiny phony bushes, greenery and in some cases, gemstones. Beautiful detailing in the cast silver twigs and touches like bird toggles accentuate the craftsmanship in these unique pieces.

Many of the following fabulous pieces are available for purchase.





detail of above bracelet:



detail of above necklace:



detail of above necklace:




detail of above necklace:





Her 2001 Living Rings actually used live plants and succulents in tiny terracotta pots upon silver ring shanks:


She also crafts beautiful cherry wood bases to display her rings:



Silversmith and artist Sarah Hood at work:

Sarah's studio and furry friend:

all images ©Sarah Hood Jewelry

In the artist's own words:

"For years I’ve been working within the intersection of archetypal form and the natural world, creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces from organic materials. In Landscape, I’ve taken a break from the real natural materials--leaves, pods, seeds--which have compelled my work for many years to create miniature, artificial worlds within the context of jewelry. Working with model railroad landscape materials lets me create tiny snapshots of the natural world, scenes that can trick the eyes into believing they are seeing something much larger. In several pieces, this deceit is challenged by the combination of these small constructed natural forms with full scale, cast sterling branches, buds and leaves which, in material, are equally unreal and illusionary." -- Sarah Hood, Jewelry Artist

In addition to her inventive landscape jewelry/art, she creates what one might consider 'more wearable' pieces in gold, silver and enamel. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces are available in her etsy store.

Killer Cosmetics. Ted Noten Creates Feminine Firearms As Makeup Kits.

Amsterdam-based Atelier Ted Noten (known for his unique jewelry designs) has designed the white 'Dior 001' gun and the black 'Chanel 001' gun as part of a larger series entitled '7 necessities for a woman to feel like a woman through the eyes of a man.'

Branded as Dior 001 and Chanel 001, the white and black pistols pack a feminine punch as they double as make-up bags. The two 3D printed nylon guns are vehicles of finding a new language between the 3D printing technique and traditional goldsmithing.

The feminine firearms are retrofitted with hand-tooled 18-karat gold details and loaded with cosmetic ammo. There’s a lip gloss and wand in the muzzle, the loading chamber doubles as a pill compartment (complete with pills, including Viagra), 100 grams of certified silver bullion in the Dior gun clip, 50 grams of 24-karat gold in the Chanel, a toothpick and, in some models, a hairpin and a small vial of perfume. The guns also conceal a 4-gigabyte jump drive.

Dior 001










CHANEL 001:





“Seven Necessities” debuted at Amsterdam's Gallery Rob Koudijs and was exhibited at Art Basel by the Ornamentum Gallery of Hudson, N.Y.



If you purchase one of the make-up kits, Noten’s Atelier can customize it and arrange refills. The white Dior gun costs 8,000 euros, (about $11,500 USD) and The black Chanel gun costs over $17,000. That's a pretty penny for any pistol packing mamma.


ATELIER TED NOTEN
Kanaalstraat 149a 1054
XD Amsterdam, NL +31(0)206895517

Yep, These Are Paintings. Trees On A Line by Trey Friedman.

Trey Friedman's most recent series of paintings, Trees On A Line, was inspired by a particular tree lined road in rural Connecticut which he isolated to 170 trees he routinely returned to render and observe.

Aerial photo of the trees:


The straight half mile stretch of farmland consisted mostly of of Sugar Maple trees, which the property owner estimates average an age of 150 years with some as old as 250 years.

Numbered photos of the trees:


Beginning in 2004, he began to paint the trees in oil, one by one. Inspired by William Beckman and Chuck Close, he co-opted dead-center compositions and in his words " exchanged the egocentrism of human self-portraiture for the ego centrism of arboreal portraiture."



From life, drawings, oil sketches and photos, Trey transferred an initial drawing, using a grid as a guide, laying in paint square by square with a tiny brush on smooth primed canvas or cradled woodboard panels.

Grid Sketches:

and next to the final art (shown larger later in the post):


Charcoal Drawings and studies:


Averaging 24 x 32 inches, the paintings are rendered in a photographically realist manner. After three months of drying, Trey applied one to five layers of color glazes (with two weeks time between each glaze) to get the light and texture just right.

It's hard to believe the following are paintings and not photographs:













Trey Friedman is represented by Gallery Henoch.