collaborating

This comment from Diane got me to thinking that I could add a bit more background on my recent collaboration adventure, "Gilder's paste, who knew? looks great! How did you like the collaboration? Did you find yourself making pieces you might not have conjured without prompting as you melded your style with their requests, and did it blow open some creative doors that might take you down new roads?"

I'd been seeing gilders paste around ... it's amazing on potter's clay - check out Grey Bird Studio on Etsy - and I had seen that it could be used on metal clay on the Cool Tools and Rio Grande sites.  So it was definitely on my radar.  It turned out to be just the ticket for my faux silver jewels.  Like I was saying, there's definitely a learning curve, but I did buy a few different colors from this Etsy seller and I'm hoping I'll have a chance to play with it some more. 

The Cool Tools video how-to suggested using blue under silver for a patinated look, so that's where I started.  Unfortunately, it was not the look I was hoping for.  So I took a closer look at my own pieces, hoping to see the layers of color more clearly. What I ended up using was plain old black under the silver and I'm happy with the look.  If I do this again, I want to try more layering of color, maybe with the Damson and the Iris Blue under the Silver.  BTW, I used Vintaj Glaze to seal the finished pieces. 

As for the actual collaboration ... it was about as perfect as I could hope for.  To start with Fabio and Rebecca are incredibly nice and very accessible.  Next, I love their aesthetic and day to day out of the box thinking.  Seems to me if you're going to collaborate with another artist, the process should uplift everyone involved and the finished work should be greater than the sum of the collaborators ... does that make sense?  The finished work should meld everyone's aesthetic to create something new and unique. 

Working with them challenged me both technically and creatively.  I rarely make work that is referential, not that I haven't, but I just don't go there very often.  So looking for a way to reference a specific object from a particular period and have it still look like my work took some time.  I've gotta say, I do love how the keys turned out!  They are very definitely KVK pieces, but the silhouette is still very Gothic. 

This one's my fave ...

But looking back, I think the biggest challenge was taking the two elements and combining them in a way that immediately said, "lock & key," but looked a bit more interesting then just a plain old lock and key.  There's a ton of steampunk jewelry out there using keys and keyholes, mostly in classic Victorian silhouettes.  The final configurations came to me the morning before one of our Skype calls and I'm still quite pleased with the finished look ... especially that they hang kind of wonky and are far from perfect.

I've no idea if we'll work together again and I'm not sure if or how this experience will affect my own future work or if anything else will come of the pieces that were created.  Will I be compelled to make more keys ... maybe.  Will I refer to ages past for future inspiration ... pretty much a given.  Will I be open to future collaborations ... absolutely.

Whatever follows, all I know is this particular project was near perfect and will be hard to top.

onward .........

l i g a   - kvk

p.s. close-ups

Got to thinking it would be nice to show off close-ups of the finished pieces ...

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing my journey and for the generous support of my work!
with deep gratitude and heartfelt blessings ...
l i g a - kvk

catching up

Hard to believe it's been almost a month.  Actually, my Portland trip seems like such a long time ago ... almost a dream.  The whole adventure was a beautiful lesson and an ongoing reminder about trusting and being my authentic self.

So here's the story ...
I got an FB message from Fabio mid-August.  He and his design partner, Rebecca Diele, wanted to see if I'd be interested in collaborating with them on jewelry and accessories for their Spring/Summer 2014 collection.  After doing a great big happy dance around my studio, I wrote back with a hearty affirmative. 

The collection would be inspired by an avant garde interpretation of Alice in Wonderland with a nod to Gothic/Victorian ornament - that's where I came in.  They wanted my take on locks and keys ... shapes and profiles that referenced the period, but with a KVK spin.  We had several Skype calls, which at first seemed surreal, but were always productive and remarkably easy.  Let's just say that Skype-ing with someone I got to know first on TV is a very strange thing.  I'm really glad Rebecca was there ... I think I would have been much more nervous if it had been just me and Fabio.

They wanted stand-alone pieces but also elements that could be sewn onto the garments.  We started off thinking of using silver, but soon realized the high cost didn't make sense, especially since the price of their garments are a long way from high-end and the budget of their fledgling brand was pretty tight.  They wanted the look of silver, so I decided on using bronze with a faux finish of gilders paste.

Here's the un-gilded bronze pieces ...

 

There was a bit of a learning curve with everything I was doing.  I'd never worked with such large bronze pieces and my initial prototypes didn't fully sinter.  I ended up firing everything twice at higher temps and for twice as long as normal.  Then there was the challenge of learning how to use the gilders paste and then throw in long distance communications and a fast approaching deadline. 

So I had all the components ... now how would I fashion them into jewelry?  They wanted things to connect with long draping chains, which could be crazy expensive.  I found a nice silver plated rolo chain that had a good visual weight and was reasonably priced. 

Here's the direction we decided on ... 

Then it was just a matter of finalizing how we would use the components ... we had five keys and eight locks.  They decided on two necklaces with the lock/key combinations, one with just a key.  One key would be on a 60" length of chain to drape and wrap around a shoulder, one would be on a shorter double chain that would drape from the waist to a pocket, like a watch chain.  The remaining six locks would be stitched as accents onto the garments.  I'd also made a bunch of rectangular rings that would be used as buckles. 

Somewhere in the final call or two, Fabio asked if I was coming to the show ... Huh?  Well, I hadn't really thought about it ... I mean, really.  Portland ... for the weekend ... really?  That's where many of you come in ... THANK YOU for participating in my sale and making this trip possible. 

Hanging out backstage before our runway was a blast.  I sat on the floor sewing on snaps, repairing seams that split after a model tried to squeeze into a dress, stitching up blind hems, wiring a key to the back of one of the men's pieces, eating gorp while chatting with another PR alum, Giordana, watching Seth Aaron put finishing touches on his editorial collection, meeting Season 11 winner Michelle Lezniak, watching other Project Runway designers Michael Costello and Joshua Christensen getting ready to show collections and Becky Ross and Gretchen Jones cruising around and just being part of the chaos and magic that happens backstage before a fashion runway show.   

So here are the finished pieces on the runway of FASHIONxt in Portland, OR.  Images are by Hal Harrison of Rose City Photography and Sara Thompson.  You can see the full collection in Fabio's S/S 2014 FB album here or on this FASHIONxt Galleries page.

 

After the runway, there was a "meet & greet" market hour.  Here I'm helping Rebecca close up this crazy invisible zipper.

 

 

Fabio was grabbing all the necklaces off the models and putting them on.  Add that to the sterling versions I made as gifts for him and Rebecca and you've got some serious layering of KVK jewels ...

 

 

And finally, the best team of collaborators a designer could ever hope for ... Fabio Costa and Rebecca Diele of NotEqual (apologies for crazy lighting and blurry image)

 

 

I am one lucky girl ... blessed beyond measure. 

 

l i g a - kvk

further along

The last batch of bronze has been fired.  We had an intense skype call this afternoon - everyone a bit cross-eyed - nailing down details, configurations, lengths, "when are you getting there?", "how long are you staying?", "will be great that you can help out backstage" ... Hay Sus ... still feels utterly surreal.

Now I've got to solder on various elements and then work on the faux finishing ... it's all got to be in
Brooklyn a week from today ... oh my!

My unprecedented Etsy sale continues.  Closing in on having the plane ticket covered ... now there's the hotel and food and all those little travel details.  There's a lot of seriously yummy pieces waiting for their new home, so head on over to my Etsy shop and plug in the coupon code "PORTLAND" to snag yourself a 50% discount on your purchase!

with deep gratitude and light filled blessings ......
l i g a - kvk

sale extended ...

... for at least a couple of weeks. What the heck, I mean really ... how often does an opportunity like this come along.  So I've updated the coupon code to "PORTLAND" to get 50% off anything in my Etsy shop.

The work is coming along ... the first batch of components are in the kiln and it will take several firings to get them all done - probably at least 4 or 5 firings.  We've decided on bronze and I'm going to use gilders paste to create a faux silver finish.  I thought about using Accent Silver, but just didn't want to deal with so many firings. I've just started experimenting with this crazy gilders paste stuff and there's a bit of a learning curve ... so I'd love it if anyone's got any pointers they'd like to share.  I like the look of it so far and just ordered a few more colors to use under the silver to give it more depth.

I'll keep everyone posted as the process continues.  Of course, no big reveal until after the runway show on October 12th!

Thanks to everyone who's already made a purchase ... I am deeply deeply grateful ... as is my c/cd balance!

love and light filled blessings ...
l i g a - kvk

HUGE News !!!!!

So I've been dying to share this ... wanted to make sure it was a definite thing before I did.  I just booked my ticket to the Pacific NW.  I'm flying into Seattle and hooking up with my BFF Teresa (former owner of Artisans On Taylor in PT).  Then we're heading down to Portland where I'll be joining Fabio Costa and his design partner Rebecca Diele for the premier of their Spring/Summer 2014 collection at FashioNXT ... you see we're collaborating! 

I'm designing and making some very special jewelry for their new collection and Fabio's invited me to join them backstage for the show!  You might remember that I've been a huge Fabio fan since he was the runner up on Season 10 of Project Runway (this time last year).  We got to be FB friends and had a couple of nice email exchanges about mutual admiration of each others' work.  Then I made a couple of rings for him back in January which you can see in this sweet little Lord & Taylor video.

So, if you feel any inclination towards buying some of my work over on Etsy, now's the time to do it and don't forget to use the coupon code at checkout, "COMMUNITYDEAL" ...  got to pay for my travel expenses to my first ever runway show.  I'll be hanging with PR designers and lord knows who else.

 ... also need to remember to breathe!

with so much gratitude ...

l i g a - kvk

p.s.  thank you so much to everyone who's already made a purchase ... I am deeply grateful.

 

horn tooting

Okay, so I'm going to cave and do some horn tooting ... just 'cause it's so bloody cool!

A while back I got to be FB friends with Project Runway Season 10 designer and runner up, Fabio Costa.  We had a bit of an online chat, admiring each others work, liking each others 'pages' (mine and Fabio's) and talking about processes and materials.  And that was it ... after all, he's a busy young man.  Then in January, he emailed me and asked if I made my cube beads ring size.  Well, I hadn't, but for him I certainly could and would. Figuring size was the funny part ... me, "what size ring do you wear?"  Fabio, "don't know, but a regular key ring fits just right."  So I set out looking around the house for a "regular" key ring.  This is where my intuition kicked in.  I found one that felt like the right size and went with that.

Then I started to cost it out and got to thinking.  Here's a guy that made it all the way through Project Runway and came in second (he really should have won!) with such a gentle nature and beautiful spirit, never smarmy or mean, always holding to his alternative aesthetic ... a real inspiration.  I decided the ring would be a gift and my way of thanking him for the inspiration.

So I had sterling metal clay on hand and I still have the old ceramic ring sizers from original PMC days.  I figured the key ring for a size 12, made up the ring and then fired it ... only thing, carbon got between the ring and the sizer and the ring didn't shrink enough ... phooey.  So I made another one.  This time I made a little stainless steel mesh cage for the ring ... success!

Since I had both rings, I figured, what the heck, I'll send them both.  I strung the bigger one onto some linen cord with a couple of pebbles, figuring he could give it away or wear it or something.  Turns out, he's wearing them together and they look amazing.  I know this by watching this cool little film from Lord & Taylor.  Check it out ...

Pretty exciting for this little peep.  Of course, I'm thinking I need to make more!  I'm just so excited, I'm all tingly and about to bust.  Now it's time to take deep breaths and channel this great energy into my work.

And, on a related note, it would be lovely if you would consider backing Fabio's Kickstarter campaign.  He and his partner are doing some really interesting work and it's such a good feeling to support creative and truly innovative designers.

So that's it for horn tooting right now.

BTW - thanks for the lovely welcome back comments!  Feelin' the love and flyin' high!

l i g a - kvk

p.s.  love my horoscope for today ... how perfect is this?

"Your career is about to take a turn for the better, Sagittarius. New professional possibilities may come your way today. Be receptive to any invitations or offers. Your advancement may not come in the most traditional way, so you need to pay close attention. Don't overlook something that seems beyond your capabilities. Your reach should always exceed your grasp. Stretch!"