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Artist Statement:
It was several years after I started making jewelry
professionally, in the early 1970's, when I first
experienced a true revelation of the creative
mystery. That moment of illumination which every
artist deserves to have at least once in their
creative lives, but if you're very lucky, you get to
experience on many occasions. That moment which
delivers the clear but numbing realization of the
numerous, interconnected machinations between the
hand that moves and the mind that moves it, and the
knowledge of the role you play in the manifestation
of objects of meaning and importance for you and,
more importantly for others.
In my case, the realization was that my love of
making jewelry was not just about making jewelry but
about making "objects". That designing and making
jewelry could actually mean more than producing
objects of adornment. That it could be a means of
personal expression which might affect people in a
much more serious and purposeful way. That it might
provide an opportunity for the real communication of
ideas and, most importantly, that it could provide
the stimulating and inspiring raw material for the
imagination. In short, I no longer saw jewelry as
jewelry but as a medium of artistic expression akin
to that of painting or sculpture.
From the mid to late 70's I experimented
continuously with the application of the ideas and
techniques of collage and assemblage to jewelry
making. I'd been heavily influenced during my
college theatre days by the work of Joseph Cornell,
Max Ernst, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp and especially
Picasso and George Braque. Collage and Assemblage
techniques, invented by the cubists and developed by
the Surrealists, DaDaists, the Italian Futurists and
the Russian Constructivists represented art thinking
and making totally peculiar to the Twentieth
century.
I assumed the personal challenge of finding my own
way to apply these influences and techniques to the
making of jewelry objects that could have a wide
public audience. Potent examples from the field of
contemporary metals, which confirmed me in this
direction, were offered in the work of metal artists
and teachers such as Robert Ebendorf and Fred Woell
in America, and Anton Cepka, Claus Bury and Herman
Junger in Europe. All of whom were influenced by
these same 20th century art movements. The
"Techno-Romantic¨ style that I developed from this
investigation has become the guiding vocabulary for
a significant portion of my work as an artist and it
continues to be a powerful resource.
I adopted the techniques of collage and assemblage
and applied them to making of jewelry objects with
the intention of making them available to as wide an
audience as possible. In a conscientious decision
made in the late 70's I eschewed the use of precious
metals or gemstones and concentrated solely of found
and alternative materials. I was determined to have
the work for of the imagery and meaning encompassed
in it rather than the perceived intrinsic value of
the materials employed in it's making. It is my hope
that my work will challenge the viewer and the
wearer to derive a common denominator of personal
meaning and value from the assemblage of components
presented.
I also assumed the personal mission to bring this
amalgam of materials, techniques and influences, in
the form of wearable jewelry objects to the general
public, exclusive of the museum and gallery system.
In the early years of my carrier the primary means
of reaching the public was through the craft fair
system. At that time, (early to mid 70's) the
contemporary craft gallery system was still
developing, so there was not much choice for the
artist except to exhibit via the art fair, and later
the craft fair systems.
In an ongoing effort to define this work with words
other than those employed by the art establishment I
came up with a succession of terms that evolved over
time into Techno.Romantic®. First in the series in
the late 70's was Heartwear (post hippie mysticism),
then in the early eighties I switched to Future
Primitive (the discovery of primitive multicultural
design roots). Having gotten a cease and desist
letter from the owners of the copyright to that name
I switched once again to the eclectic handle of
Para-Normal Jewelry Objects (new wave
technofreneticism).
Techno-Romantic® encompasses each of these phases.
It is home base. It was always there waiting to be
recognized. I had been a Techno-Romantic all along.
It just took the time and life experience to find
out. I invented this phrase in 1984 and immediately
trademarked it. It is the guiding vocabulary for
most the my work as an artist and continues to be a
powerful resource.
Now, at the end of the century that provided me with
the impetus and opportunity to become an artist and
to thrive one, I also have the internet available a
fluid and meaningful way to bring my work to the
public as well. The Internet is definitely a
Techno-Romantic@ event. |
