May 2010
Bring It
I am not out of bed yet, but seeing very clearly. Why does it seem that dreams are forgotten unless we remember them and talk about them immediately after we wake up? Capture them fresh or never. My father has always said that he got many of his best ideas when he was sleeping, and I believe him. There is fantasy and beauty in ones' dreams. I dream in color and I think its easy to tell others who do as well. The extra step is to have the confidence to execute the ideas during waking hours, to believe in what your mind gives you when you are not trying. Somehow using the ideas I get while sleeping seems the most natural, and usually winds up producing great pieces of jewelry. Passion is born during the days and nurtured at night.
Hot Sauce
At the suggestion of friends I visited Avery Island this past weekend. It's where Tabasco is made. It also happens to be home to a famous white egret nursery. I can honesty say that I spent no time at all thinking about jewelry, zero. The weekend was the closest I will get to A Light in August for quite some time. The Bayou is very hard to leave. It is inspiring to me as an artist. The most wonderful thunder storm rolled in during the day, perfect time to watch the Preakness. It's easy to see the brilliance and heart in animals as they race down the track. Several years ago a horse named Tabasco Cat won the race. I really don't know what that has to do with anything, but I plan to spend far more time in the Bayou when I return. As well as dream about the live oaks when I paint my renderings.
Posted by varney on 05/17/2010 in |
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The Arc
Animals have been a major theme for me this past week. Ever since the bobcat ran across the tracks in front of me I feel like I have been staring into the eyes of creatures at every turn. The zoo started the week with a bang; shortly followed by a trip to Angola prison for chit chat with the incarcerated, and the purchase of a percheron hunter (thats a horse). I had moments on horseback, a small skirmish with fleas on my dog, the release of two rabbits to Jimmy Club's pastoral lawns, several hours with the egrets in Audubon Park and the purchase of a chicken. Each of these experiences have something to do with jewelry and the challenges inherent with using animals as a theme in pieces of jewelry. My personal belief is that the most important individual pieces of jewelry ever created are animal themed. Take the Cartier panthere, or the David Webb frog cuff bracelets, Slumberger's jellyfish brooch, or Verdura's South Sea pearl elephant pins as the very tip of the iceberg.
Balancing Nature
I have always felt traveling has made me a better person, or at least more interesting. There is no question that seeing new things obligates me to create. I think on some level an artist is constantly trying to find a vehicle to translate their intentions, whether it be message or aesthetic in the most distilled manner. I want my clients to see what I've seen, to understand how important those experiences were to me. It's a losing battle. The 100-mile bicycle ride I took to Natchez was something I will never forget. I feel like I understand the south in a completely new way. The jewelry that will be created with the tenor of the trip in mind will be strong, yet different from what I may have imagined beforehand. I will readily admit that the success of the collection to me will not come from anything I build in metal or translate as a form. The success will be due to the color of the gemstones. If they echo the light I experienced during the day, I will feel very good about the projects. There is simply no way I can tell the story of the quiet loneliness of the morning passing harrowed fields covered with mist, or the fractured sun breaking through the ombreyed road at noon. I can't tell anyone how I felt looking at the expanse of the Mississippi stretched across the embankment of Nachez, it was so beautiful it hurt, and still does. What I can do is find the gemstone that can. Light and color that is ephemeral in everyday life is permanent in a gemstone. If you look at the right one the right way, and you set it properly, that moving day in Nachez is forever in your jewelry box. You can go back to the green.
Posted by varney on 05/09/2010 in |
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Spanish Moss
There is something melancholy about the end of Jazz Fest for me. For New Orleanians, it is like springs version of Labor Day. All the joy and excitement of festival season is over and it is time to buckle-down. Some how it all feels of the end of summer, however; summer is just beginning. I feel like there is a level of weight that has imposed itself on my surroundings, I saw that weight in the trees in Audubon Park this morning. The air has started to simmer, and the Spanish moss looks like it is stretching to touch the greened grass. The only thing I can equate it to is the roiled air one sees in the Cyprus trees in Tuscany at the peak of summer . I have been waiting for the heat to come and the finger prints it leaves on the greenery. The leaves look richer, deeper and profound. I am constantly reminded of what a Yankee I am, however I feel most comfortable here. I would readily admit that my remembrances of reading A Light in August came back very strongly as I shared the park with the birds.
Posted by varney on 05/04/2010 in |
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Circle of Life
Hot out of the studio!
Three unique antlers wrap around beautful, carved mammoth ivory bangles, 12mm; two antlers in 18K yellow gold, the third set with fields of colorless diamonds in pave to approximately 0.85 carats.
18K Gold and Diamonds, one for $12,600.00 or purchase a trio, {additional bangles all 18K yellow gold} for $26,900.00
Contact Nicholas Varney Jewels at 212.223.1043 or info@nicholasvarneyjewels.com