High Country Light
I have just paid fourteen dollars for a watermelon, and am trying to spin the expense as a personal victory. It's not going well, but I do feel that I have made a strong statement about the value I put on watermelon.
There is no doubt it is an extraordinary sum to charge for a seedless, organic melon (can something be organic if it is genetically altered?) However it is far from the only extraordinary thing about this town. There is a poster I have just seen walking around the square in Jackson Hole, WY that punctuates the essence of the area. It is titled "Teton Light" and really gets to the heart of the matter. The light here is very special indeed. It is nearly impossible not to notice the very distinctive shades of purple that creep into the shade of the evening hours as far different from the light yellows of the morning light on the mountains. I have always been very sensitive to the tenor of light in the places I travel to and how the subtlety can greatly effect ones perception of the place.
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.
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
Change One Thing
I have a great attraction to seeing things I am familiar with out of their usual environs, simply because I barely recognize them. The other night after quite a few champagnes, I must admit, I was introduced to a young woman to whom I politely greeted and introduced myself. The problem was that I am currently making her engagement ring, we have had three meetings and most importantly I really admire her work as an art curator and am an overall fan of hers. One would think that I would have instantly recognized her, think again. The problem was that the other night we were in a honky tonk in uptown NOLA and our meetings have taken place in New York and Jackson Hole under more formal auspices. Obviously she has not changed that much recently, however she seemed like a completely different person, by changing venue.
Magnolias on 5th
I have had the very good fortune to see the magnolias blooming for an extended period of time this year. They arrived earliest in New Orleans and I have seemed to catch them on great days in Charleston and now in New York. It's supposed to be 90 degrees today in NYC. Usually, I find it very difficult to paint my renderings in Manhattan, however the exception is this early springtime. There is so much anticipation of the growth to come and the city looks so clean. The palate that I am gravitating towards is the ivory whites that set off colored gemstones so well. The opaque honesty of mammoth ivory reminds me of the creamy petals of the magnolia tree outside The Frick Collection. That is a tree for the ages. The opaque also justaposes so well with the transparence of faceted stones. Today will ceartainly produce a rendering of a clients aquamarine in a ring setting with mammoth ivory, and perhaps some deep blue sapphire. Better get it done before French Quarter Festival.
Colors Change
It is so important for me to travel. As the light changes, so do the ideas and palates in my mind. The weekend was spent being deeply shallow: by the beach in palm beach. However I feel blue, that beautiful aquamarine blue, is becoming a more important part of what I want to use in the coming months. In the book Swanns Way, Proust talks about the arrival of different fruits through spring and summer and how anticipated the blossoms and bounty was. Today, we are not really aware in many cases when cherries arrive, because we have them shipped in all year. This weekend has been anticipated because I have not really seen the bright clean blues of spring till now, it has been a wait. The weekend will be my first trip to Charleston in some time. I do hope to be fortunate enough to see the soft light I remember, it always makes me think of moonstone.