VELVET DA VINCI
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Karen McCreary
ARTIST'S STATEMENTI am inspired by the world around me and driven by the impulse to observe, explore, and describe.My jewelry combines plastics, metals, and color. I am drawn to these materials by their unique characteristics, which enable me to create objects with transparency, depth, and movement of light and color through the surfaces. My pieces are primarily acrylic which is hand carved and fabricated. The carved areas are internally lit or layered with a colored lacquer, giving a feeling of mystery to the light reflected throughout the forms. I then create metal elements to complement and complete the pieces. In my work I explore light, mood, and illusion while combining contemporary and traditional materials and techniques. Jewelry is an art form loaded with meanings. It is an investment, a token of love, a symbol of power or wealth. Like electronic devices that enhance the senses and capabilities, jewelry is an instrument, that while wearing it can make you feel more beautiful, powerful, and desirable, than without it. These associations fascinate me and attract me to creating jewelry as a means of personal expression. VELVET DA VINCI SHOWS100 Brooches -- Brooches by U.S. and international artists based on the book, 500 Brooches 200 RINGS -- Rings from 200 International Artists ANTI-WAR MEDALS -- Artists Respond to the War Anti-War Medals: -- Artists Respond to the War 2003-2007 The Pendant Show -- Celebrating 500 Pendants and Lockets by Lark Books The Plastic Show -- Celebrating 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs by Lark Books EDUCATIONCalifornia State University, Long Beach, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1977 SELECTED EXHIBITIONSThe Subtle Set, Facere Gallery, Seattle WA, 2011 Reunion, Utopia, Long Beach, CA, 2011 Juju Magic, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2010 Unwearable, Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, CA, 2010 Celebrating 70, 70 Years By 70 Artists. Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2010 The Plastic Show, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA, 2010 Herinner-ring / Remember-ring, Galerie Cebra, Dusseldorf, Germany; The National Crafts Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, 2009 The Pendant Show, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA, 2008 Herinner-ring / Remember-ring, Galerie Beeld & Aambeeld, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2008 Heart of the Matter, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2007 The Earring Show, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA, 2007 250 Earrings, Facere Gallery, Seattle WA, 2007 First Tuesday, Portfolio, Long Beach CA, 2007 Uncommon Metal, Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, CA, 2006 The Necklace Show, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA, 2006 200 Rings, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2006 100 Brooches, Pacini Lubel Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2006 Color, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ, 2006 Multiple Palettes/ Varied Visions: 30 Jewelers Explore Color, White Lotus Gallery, Eugene, OR, 2005 100 Brooches, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA; East Carolina University School of Art and Design, Greenville, NC; Bellagio Gallery, Ashville, NC, 2005 Anti-War Medals, Hipotesi Gallery, Barcelona, Spain; The Barents Spectacle, Kirkenes, Norway, 2005 Verbeelding van Verlangen, Galerie Beeld & Aambeeld, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2004 200 Rings, Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, CA, 2004; Obsidian Gallery, Tucson, AZ; Gallery M, Cleveland, OH; Shaw Gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME, 2005 Touch: Jewelry Annual #23, Freehand, Los Angeles, CA, 2004 Heaven and Earth: A Dialogue, Objects of Desire Gallery, Louisville, KY, 2004 Charmed Lives, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2003 Anti-War Metals, Velvet da Vinci Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2003 Material Explorations: Wearable Objects of Non-Traditional Materials, Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute Gallery, Utica, NY, 2002 Southern California Studio Jewelry, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA, 2002 Ornaments Now, Netherlands Textile Museum, Tilburg, The Netherlands, 2002 Zierat: International Contemporary Jewelry Invitational, Hand Workshop Art Center, Richmond, VA, Kestner Museum, Hannover, Germany, Galerie Cebra, Dusseldorf, Germany, and Galerie Beeld & Aambeeld, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2001 Well Armed, Objects of Desire Gallery, Louisville, KY, 2001 Zierat: International Contemporary Jewelry Invitational, Southwest School of Art & Craft, San Antonio, TX 20th Annual Jewelry Show, Freehand, Los Angeles, CA, 2000 California Contemporary Craft, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA, 1999 Illumination," Craft & Folk Art Museum, San Francisco CA, 1999 Organic Matters, Sculpture to Wear, Santa Monica, CA, 1999 Colour: A Vivid Expression, Sculpture to Wear, Santa Monica, CA, 1999 Toys and Gadgets, Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA, 1998 Full Spectrum - color/jewelry, OXOXO Gallery, Baltimore, MD, 1998 The Shoe Show, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA, 1997 From Beyond..., A. R. K. Gallery, Long Beach, CA, 1997 Metals, Etc., Lubbock Fine Arts Center, Lubbock, TX, 1997 Small Wonders II, Brand Gallery, Santa Ana, CA, 1996 3 Generations: Jewelry Invitational, Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA, 1996 The May Show, Freehand Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1996 Small Wonders, Brand Gallery, Santa Ana, CA, 1995 Wearable Expressions: The Personal Art, Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, CA, 1995 Art By Design, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA, 1995 Metals - Form in Chaos, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery, Highland Heights, KY, 1995 Crafts National 28, Zollar Gallery, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1994 Beyond the Great Threshold, Galleria San Fedele, Milan, IT/Castello San Giorgio, Orzinnovi, IT, 1994 Brooch: The Subject, Tempe Arts Center, Tempe, AZ, 1994 The Fine Art of American Craft, Fine Arts Building, Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, CA, 1993 Drawings, Touching the Core, Momentum Gallery, Spokane, WA, 1993 Crafts National 27, Zollar Gallery, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1993 Exploration of Ideas, Patricia Correia Gallery, Venice, CA, 1992 From Straw to Gold, Fisher Gallery, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT, 1992 L'art dans la mode, Wignall Museum/Gallery, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 1991 Exhibit A, Vague Absurdity Gallery, Long Beach, CA, 1990 Luminaries, FHP Hippodrome Gallery, Long Beach, CA, 1989 Neon and Electric Sculptures, Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA, 1989 SNAG '88, Joan Michelin Gallery, New York, NY, 1988 Focus: Long Beach, System M, Long Beach, CA, 1988 Avant Garde Jewelry USA, The Joan Michlin Gallery, New York, NY, 1988 Karen McCreary-Sculpture, Mendenhall Gallery, Whittier College, Whittier,CA, 1988 Schmuck in Bewegung - Bewegung in Schmuck, Deutsches Goldschmidthaus Hanau, Hanau, Germany Devious Devices,Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA, 1987 The Artist/Collector: Works by Southern California Artists, Metro Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1987 New Jewelry: Forms and Functions, El Camino College Art Gallery, Torrance, CA, 1986 #5 Annual Juried Show, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 1985 Whimsy, Elaine Potter Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 1984 Installation Sculpture, Mount St. Mary's College Fine Arts Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1984 California Jewelry, '84, California Crafts Museum, San Francisco, CA, 1984 Blendo, Wild Blue Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1984 The May Show, Free Hand Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1984 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEFounder/Owner, TDM Studio, designer jewelry, 1983 to present Free-lance jewelry designer and manufacturer, 1979-1983 Jewelry designer, Deary Ears, Inc., 1977-1979 Jewelry technician, Abart Jewelry Manufacturing Co., 1973-1975 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS21th Century Jewelry, Matrhe Le Van, Lark Books, 2011 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2009 The Art of Jewelry: Plastic and Resin, Debra Adelson, Lark Books, 2008 500 Pendants and Lockets, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2008 500 Earrings, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2007 500 Necklaces, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2006 Pat Worrell, "Karen McCreary, Galaxy of Light," Ornament, Vol. 29 No. 3, 2006 500 Bracelets, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2005 Suzanne Wade, American Jewelry Manufacturer, Design Alternatives, June 2005, 500 Brooches, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2005 1000 Rings, Marthe Le Van, Lark Books, 2004 Patrick Kapty, "Karen McCreary: Space, Light, Reflection" Modern Silver Magazine Online, Vol 3 Issue 3, Oct-Nov 2002 1996 Exhibition in Print, Metalsmith, Vol. 16 No. 4, 1996 1995 Metal Arts Source Book, CD-ROM, Bob Mitchell, Bob Mitchell Productions, 1995 L'art dans la mode, Wignal Museum/Gallery, Rancho Cucamonga, 1991 Shirle Gottlieb, "Creative Spirits Haunt the Neighborhood," Press Telegram, part D, page 1, Friday, April 26, 1985 Suzanne Muchnic, "Gorilla Family Puts Its Heavy Tread on Exhibit at Barnsdall Art Gallery," The Los Angeles Times, part V, page 1, Monday, December 26, 1983 Silvia S. J. Kennedy, "Electronic Jewelry," Ornament, Vol. 7 No. 1, 1983 Betty Ann Brown, "Dirverse Concerns," Artweek, Vol. 14 No. 15, April 16, 1983 Southern California Women's Caucus for Art Third Juried Exhibition, Southern California Women's Caucus for Art, 1983 Jeff Kelley, "California Crafts XIII: Sensuous Materials," Artweek, Vol. 14 No. 15, April 16, 1983 California Crafts XIII, Creative Crafts League of Sacramento, 1983 Electronic Jewelry, California State University, San Bernardino, 1983 Robert K. Liu, "The Western Edge: Designer and Production Crafts," Ornament, Vol. 6 No.1, 1982 Metalsmith 1981, Society of North American Goldsmiths, 1981 Hallie Katz, "The Western Edge," Metalsmith, Vol. 1 No. 2, Winter 1981 The Western Edge: Designer and Production Crafts, Southern California Designer-Craftsmen, 1980 Top |
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