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Conceived as part of my thesis during my final year as a BFA Metalsmithing candidate at Brooklyn’s own Pratt Institute. My work that year (and to this day) centered around the Earth and its patterns, processes, decay, creation and all of the transformations that occur around us. To this day most of my collections can still be directly connected to work that was completed during that thesis period. So much so that my notebooks are filled with so many unused designs that only now am I really scratching the surface in actually creating, editing and transforming those pieces into reality.

In a Eureka moment just before Christmas 2006 (during one of the biggest snow storms we had had since Winters in the late 90s, I decided to pour molten wax right into the snow,) while trying to find a new process that I could control to an extent, but at its core let the materials and processes speak for themselves. What at first seemed a fairly straightforward technique became a lot more technical as time went on. I was never happy with my first results and had to tweak everything from types of waxes, to temperature ranges, and even the movements in my wrist and how they affect the pour.

In the past 4 years that I have been exploring this new creative pathway I have learned the intricacies and subtleties I can achieve from the snow. I have learned the different types of snow, icy versus wet and fluffy, which gives me different textures and pieces to work with. I never thought I would say this but snow has become one of the most important mediums in my work.

In the past year the Snow has been undergoing more evolution than ever before. I traditionally just let the cast Snow speak for itself but I have been more inspired than ever before by pairing the specimens of  snow with natural crystals, stones, and amber. When choosing, I make sure that whatever is being chosen amplifies that almost uncultivated feel that the Snow begs for.

I am constantly busy working on new lines and pieces and wanted to share my new favorite. When I need an escape from jewelry making, I often find myself going back to my favorite medium, water color. I fell in love with them in high school, during Major Art, one of the biggest inspirations in my life.

My favorite subject to paint was clear glasses filled with colored liquid because of their abstract quality. These days I tend to create the abstracts more in my own head and recently discovered using drips of color and my own breath to manipulate them across the canvas.

Sawing is a jewelry process that you either love or hate. It is time consuming, and you can often find yourself frustrated with the amount of saw blades that you break. I find it to be very zen, a repetitive process that I can zone into and lose myself.

Once the piece is cut, I spend some time refining the shape with files, a rubber wheel and finally sand paper to give it a smooth finish.

There are many possibilities with this design as each one created is unique, and slightly different. This is a constant theme in my work, one that keeps me from having these cast or laser cut. The journey, the individuality and the personal experience each one shares with me, I hope to transfer in some way to the wearer or observer.

I’ve also been working on a bit of my basically non-existant men’s selection for father’s day. In progress check out these cuff links for the Dad (or soon to be Dad in my husband’s case!) in your life. I wanted to just give a sneak peak of these new pieces, from the Topography line, Puddle line and a new Splatter line that has yet to reach the table.

In other news, the heatwave is not good for a pregnant jeweler, but that’s ok, things are exciting enough with all that is going on with the store, the line, and future developements with Bullfrog EATS to distract me enough.

Until the next time,

-Becca

We’re really excited about our new intern! Sibyl Weis is a high school senior who has studied jewelry at the 92nd street Y and is off to study at Earlham College after the summer. Originally wanting to be a ceramicist, Sibyl found her medium in jewelry about 4 years ago, and calls it not only challenging and rewarding but also exhausting. We are so excited to have her as part of the Bullfrog family.

This week I took an inspiring trip to the MoMA where we saw the Abromavich exhibit, but the real hidden treasure was the tiny tiny tiny Lee Bontecou show. A lot of the work in the Bullfrog collections has been influenced by her. On Cameron’s and my honeymoon we saw this canvas in the Palais du Tokyo, and when we took a turn at the modern there it was hanging on the wall. It’s such an inspirational work for me that I wanted to share it with everyone.

After having been a standard in our line for about 2 years now, one of our customer favorites, the humble squiggle ring is getting an overhaul. Right now, the revision is just being prototyped. But it will be for sale sometime in the week after memorial day.

And lastly, this week I helped with a carrot emergency over at Bullfrog EATS and I worked my marzipan sculpting magic. On this non-jewelry note have a happy and safe memorial day and we’ll see you back at markets and the shop after the holiday!

-Becca

Come on down to 153 Front Street (Google map link) unit F2 and see the new permanent home of Bullfrog Creatives. Located in the brand new Green Space Retail Galleria, our new retail space and satellite studio is the perfect way to experience all of the new changes and additions here at Bullfrog Creatives.