Mallory Weston

COUNTERWEIGHT

2012-03-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

NECKLACE
COPPER, SPRAY-PAINT, COTTON, THREAD
MARCH 2012

TWO PENDANTS

2012-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

2 NEW VERY HEAVY COPPER PENDANTS.

NEGATIVE SPACE

2012-02-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

SITE SPECIFIC PAINT STUDIES, 2011.

LAS CRUXES

2012-02-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

IF YOU'RE IN AUSTIN CHECK OUT MY JEWELRY AT LAS CRUXES, AN AWESOME SHOP SPECIALIZING IN HANDMADE, VINTAGE, AND ONE OF A KIND ITEMS INCLUDING CLOTHING, ART, MUSIC, FILM, BOOKS, AND ZINES.

2908½ FRUTH STREET
AUSTIN TEXAS 78705

CONCRETE STUDS

2012-01-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

UNTITLED
CONCRETE, MACHINE SCREWS, WASHERS, SPRAY-PAINT, CANVAS
DECEMBER 2011

LETTERPRESS

2012-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

PRINTS PRODUCED IN MY LETTERPRESS CLASS. FALL 2011.
MADE ON A VANDERCOOK PROOFING PRESS.

FINALS

2011-12-11T11:58:00.001-08:00

I'M JUST AS CONFUSED AS YOU ARE.

RISD J+M OPEN STUDIO FALL 2011

2011-11-27T15:00:00.001-08:00

MY BENCH DISPLAY FROM THE FALL 2011 RISD GRADUATE OPEN STUDIO NIGHT.

CONCRETE

2011-11-15T18:08:00.001-08:00

CONCRETE CASTING
OBJECTS #1-4
NOVEMBER 2011

VENN DIAGRAM

2011-11-14T12:52:00.001-08:00

COPPER, SPRAY PAINT, THREAD
NOVEMBER 2011

BLACK HOLES.

2011-11-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

COPPER, THREAD, SPRAY PAINT
OCTOBER 2011

AMERIKANTS

2011-10-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

My friends Harry & Brittni just created this site to showcase the work of artists who are involved in the punk/hardcore/metal scenes around the world. They're just getting started but their site already has a fantastic collection of artists, including Chris Berntsen, a talented photographer and good friend.

Discover, dissect, and diverge.

THE TEAPOT REDEFINED 2011

2011-10-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

@MOBILIA GALLERY
358 HURON AVENUE
CAMBRIDGE MASS

OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 15

OPENING RECEPTION NOVEMBER 3 FROM 6-8

MORE INFO

10 OBJECTS

2011-09-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

SELECTIONS FROM THE 10 OBJECTS I MADE THIS WEEK

RAD SCHOOL

2011-09-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

FOR PROGRESS SHOTS AD NASEUM OF ALL MY GRADUATE SCHOOL WORK, FOLLOW THIS TUMBLR!

OBJECTS OF POWER, STATUS AND ADORNMENT

2011-09-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

THE STUDIO JEWELRY MOVEMENT 1950-2011
SEPTEMBER 13TH- NOVEMBER 12, 2011

MOBILIA GALLERY
358 HURON AVENUE
CAMBRIDGE MA 02138

MORE INFO

HAPPENING NOW!

FROM ONE EMPTY SPACE TO ANOTHER.

2011-09-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

MY BENCH SPACE AT RISD.

STAR POLYGONS & KALEIDOSCOPES

2011-09-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

NEW NECKLACES!

PATTON PROJECT

2011-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

SHOTS FROM THE COLLABORATIVE COMMISSION I WORKED ON WITH EMI SAVACOOL, KAITLIN KERR, AND MARICHA GENOVESE.

PEEP THE FULL STORY BY THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.

HECK YES CRAFT

2011-08-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN CRAFT BLOG FEATURE.

GO LOOK!

PICS FROM MY STERLING HILL MINE FIELD TRIP.

FLUORESCENT MINERAL SPECIMENS.

SOCIETY'S TEASE

2011-08-01T14:10:00.001-07:00

NEW DRESS

STRANGE FEELINGS

2011-07-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'M NOT SURE I'M FEELING THIS.

GONNA START FRESH WITH A STRICT BLACK & WHITE PALETTE.

PROGRESS!

2011-07-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

CLOISONS BENT FOR 2 OUT OF 3 PENDANTS.

TIME TO SINK THESE SHIPS!

BLACK AND BLUE

2011-07-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

SUMMER STYLES!

2 NEW DRESSES.

GO LOOK. GO LOOK.

FLYERS & ADS

2011-05-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

2 FLYERS FOR THE MERCHANDISE SHOWS IN JUNE

PEN/PRISMACOLOR

ZINE AD FOR MY PAL ADAM OF KATORGA WORKS & I COULD DIE TOMORROW.

UNIFORM

2011-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

4 DRESSES

GET THEM HERE

BLACK METAL & CITRINE

2011-04-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

FACETED BUD VASE #1 AND #2

OXIDIZED COPPER, THREAD, PYREX

APRIL 2010

MONUMENT #1

OXIDIZED COPPER, THREAD

MARCH 2011

MONOLITH #1

OXIDIZED SILVER, RUTILATED CITRINE

MARCH 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN YANOVIAK.

ART UNLEASHED 2011

2011-03-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

APRIL 13-16

DORRANCE HAMILTON HALL

320 SOUTH BROAD STREET

PHILADELPHIA

500 SILVER JEWELRY DESIGNS

2011-03-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

SPY MY PIECE IN THIS NEW BOOK.

BY MARTHA LE VAN AND TALYA BAHARAL

GET IT HERE.

HARSH PSYCHEDELIC ADORNMENT

2011-02-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

BLACK MEDALS

& BLACK KALEIDOSCOPES

TELEIN

2011-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

"TO INITIATE INTO THE MYSTERIES"

PROGRESSION

2011-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

TRUNCATED CUBOCTAHEDRON

RHOMBICUBOCTAHEDRON

ICOSIDODECAHEDRON

2011-01-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

ICOSIDODECAHEDRON

COPPER, ENAMEL, COTTON

JANUARY 2011

PENTAGONS

2010-12-17T12:11:00.001-08:00

PROGRESS

PYRAMIDS

2010-12-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

MORE TO COME.

GET IT HERE.

STUDS

2010-12-02T16:57:00.001-08:00

VEST SHOOT ON THE ROOF

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM AU

GO TO HIS BLOG SALVAGE FASHION

FANCY HOARD

2010-11-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

I NEED A PLAN FOR ALL THESE LOVELY LADIES...

CONVEX QUADRILATERAL COMBINATIONS

2010-11-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

CONVEX

TANGENTIAL

TRAPEZIUM

CYCLIC

QUADRILATERAL

PARALLELOGRAM

BICENTRIC

MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE PAID ATTENTION IN MATH CLASS?

CLASSY CASE

2010-11-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

HERE'S A QUICK CASE I MADE LAST WEEK. JUST A FUN & SIMPLE PROJECT.

GET IT HERE.

NEW MACHINERY

2010-11-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

CHECK OUT MY KILN.

DARK GEMS

2010-10-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

THE DARK GEMS OF FRIDAY.

OXIDIZED COPPER/COTTON.

WITH THE TONGUE, BRASS CASH, AND SOME TRICKS

GONNA BE SOME NECKLACES SOON.

Stripes/Solids

2010-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

I started a second Etsy page which is essentially the exact opposite of the type of thing you'll find on my other shop. On The Single File you'll find my wild and crazy jewelry that borders on the verge of giving you a headache. On Stripes/Solids you'll find rich earth tones, raw metals, and more fiber based projects like bags, vests, etc. I've got big plans in the works for this, so check back soon!

Etsy
StripesSolids

Headaches

2010-10-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

Decided to spray-paint a bunch of diamond stencils on the wall above my soldering area this afternoon. The pictures are pretty crappy, but overall I think it looks pretty nice.

Crazy spray-paint fingers.

So many ridiculously awesome things are happening right now. I'm headed to Philadelphia on Sunday to meet up with Emi, Kaitlin, and Maricha to discuss a few really really amazing commissions that we are going to collaborate on. But more about that in a few weeks!

Too Hot to Make Stuff

2010-09-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

The air-conditioner is broken and it's about a million degrees in here. This afternoon I'm gonna try and buck up and sweat buckets as I cut some metal.

I've been really busy recently, in addition to my usual schedule of running around and having fun I also got a job (gasp!). It's alright though, I'm working as a visual merchandiser which is basically just a fancy way of saying I play dress up with mannequins and arrange things in color order all day long. Plus there are other perks of the job (see photo below).

Can you believe they were gonna throw these away!? Needless to say I snatched them, spray-painted them, and hung them above my workbench. I'm sure they'll appear in future jewelry photographs.

Polyhedron maquette for ANOTHER teapot (still need to add on the spout and handle). The Teapot Redefined 2010 is fast approaching, so I need to get in the spirit and bang this guy out.

This is upside-down, but it a bristol maquette for a vessel I have planned. I might pierce the plates, but I could take it to another level and chase them, enamel them, and then stitch them together. That would be insane.

Other things on my plate:

-Going to California for a week to hang out and visit graduate schools (applications are due this winter, holy cow!) More specifically the MFA programs at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and San Diego State University. So excited.

-Planning a collaboration with Tamara for Co:Operation Tableware. Tamara is seriously one of the most talented and productive artists I've ever met, so I am very excited to make something awesome with her!

Finishing Touches

2010-08-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

I added some accents to my stencil test spray with white acrylic. I think it looks a lot more realistic, don't you?

Diamonds & Studs

2010-08-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

7-layer Rendered Diamond Stencil.

Pavé Set that rock into my workbench for a test spray.

2 Denim vests that I studded up.

One has copper rhombuses the other has oxidized copper triangles.

Endless Summer

2010-07-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Busted van, down and out in Chicago.

New Brunswick, Brooklyn, New Haven, Jamestown, Providence, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Portsmouth, Portland, New Hampshire, Vermont, Montreal, Toronto, Mount Pleasant, Chicago, Toledo, Columbus, Pittsburgh, New Brunswick, Brooklyn.

I made a vest and embroidered some patches on the road. I'll get back to work on the real stuff in a sec, I don't think I'm done running around yet though...

Rose Cut, Tapered Baguette, Pear Cut

2010-06-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tapered Baguette #1

Copper, Enamel, Glass, Cotton, Silk

Pendant Dimensions L 4.5"x W 2.5"x H .5"

June 2010

Rose Cut #1

Copper, Pink Aventurine, Cotton, Silk

Pendant Dimensions L 3"x W 3"x H 1"

June 2010

Pear Cut #1

Copper, Enamel, Pearls, Cotton, Silk

Pendant Dimensions L 3.75"x W 2.5"x H .5"

June 2010

Cool Stuff I Forgot About

2010-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I was digging around in a box under my bed the other day and found these weird things I chased and enameled last year and then forgot about. But now that my studio's all set up I can finally make some settings for them and turn them into brooches. They're also a prelude to another fun vessel that I'm dreaming up right now, so I decided to post them as a sign of things to come.

Click on the picture, the detail's ridiculous! Enamel's the best!

Insane Acrylic!

2010-06-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

I finally turned my super fine laser cut designs into some fancy necklaces! Go check it out!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
TheSingleFile.etsy.com

If You Like It Than You Shoulda...

2010-06-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Stop by the Zuzu Studio Gallery in Collingswood this Saturday from 6-9 for the Opening of "Put A Ring On It" to see my pieces Anhydrite Crystal Ring and Quartz Crystal Ring, as well as a ton of other awesome bling!

"ZUZU pulls out all the stops to showcase over 100 eye-catching, handmade rings ranging from demure to outrageous. Channel your inner diva as you experience the most innovative and unexpected collection of one-of-a-kind hand candy seen this side of the Delaware."

Saturday June 12th from 6-9pm

@ Zuzu Studio Gallery

577 Haddon Avenue

Collingswood, NJ, 08108

My Etsy Shop! Restored to its Former Glory!

2010-06-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

So over the past few months I've been kind of lax in maintaining my Etsy page and let a lot of the listings expire. Today I updated my page and re-listed all of my crazy laser cut acrylic earrings.

Edit: This morning I added 3 really great enameled pendant necklaces and 3 super lovely enameled boxes. Go check it out! More necklaces to come in a few days.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
TheSingleFile.etsy.com

Pendants! Fresh out of the Oven!

2010-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Brand New! Cut and Drilled Thursday! Pierced Friday! Enameled Monday! Stitched Tuesday!

I'm still thinking about what to use for the necklace part, I've been leaning towards 10-12mm opaque round beads. I'm gonna browse my bead collection this week and see what I can put together.

Do I dare make this ridiculous Nickelodeon-esque necklace! Holy moly, I think I do!

Contain: Vessels and the Art of Containment

2010-05-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the postcard for the show "Contain: Vessels and the Art of Containment" at Luke and Eloy Gallery. Check it out!

So Much Color!

2010-05-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Mackenzie Mollo, a photography student at SVA and kick-ass vegan chef, agreed to take some pictures of my second teapot. Above are some of my favorite shots from the afternoon. She photographed the piece on a white background first, but I asked her to use a few colored backdrops because I really enjoy her vibrantly colored food photography.

I also spent the entire afternoon today enameling a bunch of copper plates for some new necklaces I have in the works. It was so much fun I think I'm going to pierce out a ton of shapes this week to enamel next Monday. In other news, I got an e-mail today saying my piece Faceted Bud Vase #1 was accepted to appear in the exhibition "Contain: Vessels and the Art of Containment" at the Luke & Eloy Gallery in Pittsburgh.

A Return to Jewelry

2010-05-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since graduation, and I realized the other day that I really haven't made any jewelry since then. Of course I've been busy, but mostly with teapots and vases and not brooches and necklaces.

Since I have a day or two to work on fun stuff before I have to go back to Jersey for my brother's graduation, I figured I would start 2 huge, ridiculous pendants. I also found the copper pieces for 4 smaller square cut pendants that I cut back in the fall, so I decided I'll finish those up as well and make some production necklaces with them.

I'm going to do some intricate piercing with the hexagon and 4-sided asymmetrical piece, then have a little enamel party at Extraordinary Beads, the bead shop where I used to work. I haven't enameled in months, so I'm pretty excited to devote a day or two to working with the kiln.

Faceted Bud Vase #2, as promised

2010-04-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Faceted Bud Vase #2

Oxidized Copper, Cotton, Pyrex Test Tubes

H 5"x L 2.5" x W 2.5"

April 2010

Here's the smaller counterpart to the Bud Vase that I posted a few days ago. This project has left me with a box of 47 extra pyrex test tubes that I have no use for, so maybe I'll make some more vases soon to utilize my surplus.

Art Unleashed in Philadelphia was a lot of fun and a huge success. I might journey back to Philly again this Friday to attend the opening for the 2010 Senior Crafts Exhibition (Up from April 30th- May 6th @ 320 South Broad Street).

Faceted Bud Vase #1

2010-04-18T09:52:00.001-07:00

Faceted Bud Vase #1

Oxidized Copper, Cotton, Pyrex Test Tubes

7"x3"x3"

April 2010

I've been working on this piece for the past two weeks for the exhibition and benefit Art Unleashed in Philadelphia. Go see it along with a bunch of other fantastic jewelry and craft work this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! Special thanks to April Field who graciously agreed to transport the piece to Philadelphia for me. I'll post more photographs of the smaller counterpart to this bud vase in a few days.

Art Unleashed

2010-04-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

If you're in Philadelphia next week April 22-24, be sure to stop by The University of the Arts to check out the exhibition and sale Art Unleashed. The show will feature work by students, alumni, and faculty. Half the proceeds from the sale of art work will go to help support student scholarships.

The Preview Party is April 22

The Public Sale will be on Friday April 23 and Saturday April 25

University of the Arts

Dorrance Hamilton Hall

320 South Broad Street

Philadelphia

For more information visit https://my.uarts.edu/artsale/.

(Also check out my Tessellation Brooches on the flyer above, top row second from the right, Cool!)

Bud Vase Designs

2010-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started the designs for two bud vases that are going to be in the exhibition ArtUnleashed at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They're going to be constructed using the same fabrication methods and imagery that I used on my previous teapots. I'm really excited that these pieces will actually be functional, I'm going to put a removable test tube in the top of each vase that you can fill with water for a flower.

I made three bristol board models, but I settled on the middle and right ones for my final design. Off to the left you can see my florid Victorian ornament copper plate designs that I'll glue onto the metal to guide my piercing. I need to go buy some more saw blades and copper tomorrow, but I'll keep myself busy tonight with the annoying task of drilling all of the perimeter holes.

Ford & Forlano Blog

2010-03-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've been doing fabrication work for the polymer clay artists Ford & Forlano over the past few months. I was reading their blog the other day and found they made a really nice post about me with one of the brooches I fabricated for them. Go check it out here!

Teapot Number 2

2010-02-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Celebratory Post Part Two

2010-02-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Teapot Number #2 is officially complete. I finished stitching that sucker up about an hour ago, and hopefully finishing this piece will be the start to a very productive weekend. I'll have better photos up in a few days or so, but until then here's a poor quality detail shot.

Celebratory Post

2010-02-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

This post serves no purpose other than saying "Holy Cow! I just finished all of the Piercing on my teapot!" There's not much work to do now, just some sanding, brass brushing, and stitching. That sucker will be all finished very soon, pictures to come. Here's an interior tease shot of the unfinished copper places fastened together with some masking tape. Stay tuned!

Piercing Progress, Pristine Tools, and a Dental Distraction

2010-02-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

I've come a long way on Teapot #2 since the last time I mentioned it in Mid-January. Nearly 144 broken saw blades line the bottom of my catch tray, but progress is definitely being made. If I'm really dedicated I might have it finished in another week and a half, we'll see. There are a few other necklace and brooch designs I've been working on in my sketchbook that involve stitching, piercing, and folding. I'll start working on them once the teapot is complete.

Here's a shot of the completed plates laid out on the crude workbench Jay and I built one weekend. I only have about 8 more to pierce out and then I can sand and brush them and get them ready to start stitching together.

Oh boy! Here's a few fine new tools I bought for myself over the past month. I got a beautiful new dapping set, as well as a bench vise, a brass mallet, and one of those fancy Fretz hammers for texturing.

I also finally finished this embroidery that has been sitting around on the hoop for nearly a year. I found this cool old sewing basket in one of the closets at my mom's house, but the fabric on the top was really ugly, so I made a dental X-ray drawing to attach to the top.

Here's a detail of the stitching. Radical!

Population Bottle-Necklace

2010-01-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

I shipped my piece Population Bottle-Necklace up to Massachusetts last week, and there's a good chance I won't be seeing it again. Since I kind of have a sentimental attachment to the piece (It was responsible for one of the most grueling marathon all-nighters I ever suffered through) I decided to take a few pictures of myself modeling the piece, before I packed it away in the shipping box. Here are a few of the good ones!

It took a while just to get this far.

2010-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some progress shots from the second teapot that I started I few weeks ago. Up until this point I have mostly been drawing, designing, and drilling. I'm glad that tomorrow I finally get to start piercing and seeing some actual progress. The design motif for this teapot is based off of Victorian Ironwork designs (after being inspired by the Ironwork collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London). The piercing for this teapot is a little bit more intricate than the last one, so we'll see how many saw blades I end up breaking in the end.

(Awkward self-photo with my copper plates, bench block, ball-peen, and steel shot. My bench is in my bedroom so it doubles as the place where I comb my hair in the morning.)

Drilled copper plates covered with paper templates, ready to start piercing.

Make Stuff and Stay Punk in 2010

2010-01-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

So it's 2010 and I think I'm on the right track. I'm really excited about the things that I'm doing and making, the place where I live, and the people I hang out with. I'm exactly where I want to be and that makes me feel nice, and I hope this next year is even better than the last.

I returned to New York after the holidays with my torch and soldering supplies and set up this lovely little soldering station in the studio outside my bedroom. I fired her up for the first time the other day and everything seems to be safe and in working order.

I think over the next few days I'm gonna build myself a little work table for the studio. I'm going to be purchasing some tools in the next few weeks (dapping set, drill press, pitch pot) and I could really use a sturdy work surface that I can bang up, aside from my bench. There's a bunch of tools and spare 2x4"s hanging around in my house and the plan looks pretty simple. So I'll give it a shot, DIY or die. Aside from metalsmithing stuff, I got a classy new sewing machine for Christmas and I'm resolved to make my own clothes from now on. Like I said, DIY or die.

I have a new job doing metal fabrication work for the polymer clay artists Ford & Forlano (see photo below). I'm pretty thrilled about this, not only is it a source of income, but I'll think I'll be able to learn a lot by working with established artists in the field. It will also be a good creative challenge interpreting their sketches and trying to hone my production skills.

Not only am I happy about my new soldering station, but check out the cool stuff I get to hang out with while I work! I share the space with my house-mate, Tamara Waite-Santibanez an awesome printmaker who is making these amazing biker monsters. It's nice to have some company while I'm working too, it was lonely having to adjust to not having everyone around in the school studio.

Here's the studio wall above her bench, it's a great place to work.

Here's another one of Tamara's monsters. Seriously, go to her blog and check out her work, it's excellent!

So like I said, I'm excited about the next year. I've been running around a lot lately and having a good time, but I'm gonna try to settle down (just a bit) and try to get a working routine going. It's going to be a challenge balancing my fabrication work with making my own stuff, but I think once I get into a nice groove it won't be a problem.

Make stuff and stay punk in 2010.

Second Batch

2009-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

So I finally finished the second round of color blindness brooches that I started working on in the spring but never got around to completing because of the senior show and whatnot. Here are some photos (It sucks not having Ken around to take stellar photos! But I think I did alright).

Heirlooms of the Future at Mobilia Gallery

2009-12-07T10:56:00.001-08:00

If you're in Boston between December 10th and January 23rd stop by Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge to check out my necklace "Not Pictured" in their show Heirlooms of the Future. More information is available at www.mobilia-gallery.com.

In other news, I'm in the process of finishing some additional color blindness brooches that I started in the spring but never got around to finishing. I'm also going to be starting two more teapots sometime in the near future. I'm also still just trying to get acquainted with my new city.

Always Moving, Always In Transit

2009-11-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of photographs from the incredibly crazy month I just had...

Show announcement for "The Teapot Redefined 2009" at Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Mass. I'll be going up to Boston on Tuesday just in time to see the exhibition before it gets taken down.

Arm Reliquary at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin.

Interesting and colorful medals displayed at the Frauenkirche in Berlin.

Architecture at the BMW Museum in Munich.

Beautifully ornate door lock at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Their collection of ironwork and locks/keys made me want to cry. That was until I entered the jewelry room, I literally died and went to heaven.

Pierced Silver plate from Iran 1600-1700 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. I could have spent days in that museum, it was ridiculous!

Masonry work at the Natural History Museum in London. The entire museum was decorated with elaborate stonework and paintings depicting plants and animals. It was awe-inspiring.

The hall that housed the Mineral Collection at the Natural History Museum in London. All the specimens are showcased in the original museum cabinets from 1881.

Cathedral of science.

Immediately after returning from Europe, I moved from New Brunswick to Brooklyn. Here is the sewing table in my new room.

Here is a crappy cellphone picture of my new room. There's a step down into my studio nook at the end of the room (that's why my bench looks so short). I am so excited to get settled in and start making stuff again. I am so pumped about Brooklyn and about living at Stolen Sleeves.

Here's a shot of the wall at the Hunterdon Art Museum. A few of my pieces are on display in the 2009 Member's Exhibition.

Boston Tea Party

2009-10-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

So the majority of this past week was spent finishing the copper plates for my teapot and then sewing them all together. I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out, so I carefully packed it up in a box and tomorrow it will be on an overnight flight to Cambridge Massachusetts to appear in the show "The Teapot Redefined 2009" at Mobilia Gallery.

Today was the opening of the 2009 Annual Member's exhibition at the Hunterdon Art Museum. Three of my pieces are appearing in the show, Infinite Perspectives Set, Colorblindness Brooches and Pouch, and Survival Bag. Survival Bag also won "Best in Show" so that was pretty awesome. The show will be up until January 25th 2010 and more information is available at http://www.hunterdonartmuseum.org/exhibits/.

In other news, I leave for London in two weeks, there's a good chance I'm moving to Brooklyn when I get back from Europe, and I decided that I'm going to apply to the Royal College of Art in January. I'm excited!

75%

2009-10-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

The teapot is approximately 75% complete. I decided to set-up a few of the plates with masking tape tonight, and I'm really pleased with the way things are coming along. I really have to husstle and get some work done though because the piece has to be in Boston by Friday or so. I think I can do it.

I also think it's appropriate that the only thing I drink while working on the teapot is cups of tea. There is perpetually a cup of tea sitting on the table besides my bench. I've also broken 120 saw blades so far (It's okay you can laugh).

Studio Status Report

2009-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Bristol Board mock-up for the copper plates of my teapot, each piece will be pierced and then stitched together. I'm debating whether or not I should enamel them, I think the copper is growing on me. I've also broken nearly 5 dozen saw blades so far, that's embarrassing.
Copper sheet rose-cut pendant, like the teapot, each piece is going to be drilled along the perimeter and stitched together.

But anyway, here's the rundown...

Soldering station: Check

Jeweler's Bench and hand tools: Check

Vibratory Tumbler: Check

Flex-Shaft: Check

Kiln and enamels: Check

Fully Operational! Yes!

I'm back in the saddle! I made a promise to myself to work at my bench at least 3 hours a day, and so far I've stuck to it. Great progress is being made on my teapot and I've got some great production pieces started. I've been continuing the process I started at the end of the school year where I take sheets of enameled copper with holes drilled around the perimeter and then stitch them together with embroidery floss (e.g. my pink slotted box). I've been looking a lot at complex geometric shapes with names I can't pronounce (Truncated Cuboctahedron, Pentagonalconsitetrahedron, Icosidodecahedron, etc.) as influences, as well as traditional cutting styles for diamonds and gemstones (rose cut, square cut, baguette, etc.) I'm also continuing my florid victorian ornament fixation and piercing those motifs onto the copper plates of my teapot. More updates to come...

State of the Art

2009-09-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, what a past few weeks it has been for me! Most notably, I relocated to New Brunswick, and I'm already plotting my escape. Don't get me wrong, the people I live with are great and it's cheap, but I can only take so many juicer frat bros who enjoy screaming about how drunk they are at 4 o'clock in the morning, before I snap and shoot up the place. I set up my cute little bench in our living room (see above) and I'm really looking forward to getting to work. It's strange though because the studio at school was a bunch of girls working and listening to Britney Spears and Hall & Oates and talking about girly stuff like power tools and hammers, and now when I work at home it's a bunch of guys sitting around playing Grand Theft Auto and talking about philosophy and World War 2. It's a strange transition.

In other news, a few other exciting developments. All three of the pieces I submitted to the Annual Members Exhibition at the Hunterdon Museum of Art were accepted, so I'm looking forward to attending the opening on October 18th. It's funny because I used to take ceramics classes at the Hunterdon Museum of Art when I was a kid, and now I get to show my work there! Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts invited me to participate in two exhibitions they're having in December and January, one is called "The Teapot Redefined" and the other is called "Heirlooms of the Future". It's a beautiful gallery and I'm really really excited at the prospect of showing my work there. I'm also presented with the task now of making a teapot, but I like having an assignment to think about, it's like I'm back in school again.

I also spent the majority of today setting up my new Etsy account. I have kind of been hesitant about selling my work on Etsy up until now, but I finally caved and set up an account. I think I'm going to focus a lot more energy on making production work these days, partly because I want to make some work that everyone is able to afford, and partly because it seems like a wise idea considering the state of the economy. I don't have much production work at the moment, but I photographed the laser cut earrings I made last fall and put them up on my site. My shop is called "The Single File" (haha) Go check it out!

She sure is a beauty, ain't she boys?

2009-08-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

I had a little while to spare at the shop before I headed down to the Heidi Lowe Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, and that was just enough time to assemble my new bench! It finally arrived on a big truck last week but I was preoccupied so I couldn't immediately assemble it. The bench won't be at the shop for long though, she's destined to come home with me, so I'll be able to do most work at home and solder and use heavy duty machinery at the shop. I'm sure my new little bench will be a valuable asset to my studio for years to come, and in the words of Emi "It's so cute, it's like Baby's First Jeweler's Bench!"

The opening was great as well. It was my first time visiting the Heidi Lowe Gallery, and the work proved to be fantastic and everything was setup beautifully. I even purchased an awesome piece by the Dutch artist Uli Rapp.

Hot off the Press

2009-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been changing my blog colors every week lately, but I can't seem to get a combination that I like. Perhaps this one will stick for a little while. Anyhow, be sure to pick up the latest copy of Metalsmith magazine. Some of my work was featured in the 2009 Exhibition in Print titled "Saturated: Color and Metal"

Weston and Weston

2009-08-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

My Soldering/Part-time work station at my dad's machine shop. Finally set up!

Soldering station ready for action!

The red phone is flashing, let me scoop that up. (Came with the bench, give me a ring)

My nook, notice the engine blocks that are stacked around my bench.

My bench's new neighbor.

It felt good to get back to work. But as I got started, I noticed that it was incredibly quiet and lonely, I'm going to miss the company of the gals. I'll bring my ipod player tomorrow and throw on some mixes, the music will liven the place up a bit.

In Flux...

2009-08-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Finally! Things are starting to get moving! I am looking forward to Thursday when I am finally going to be able to work again! My studio is slowly starting to take shape and it feels like it has taken me forever to get to this point. I've got the basics together, my hand tools, a torch, soldering supplies, enamels, and a vibratory tumbler. My bench is currently en route from California, and I'm waiting to sell my top-loading glass kiln, so I can buy a front-loading enameling kiln. Even the afterthoughts like pickle, copper tongs, a bench pin, and steel firing racks will be arriving within two days.

I'll be setting up most of my studio, including the soldering station, at my dad's machine shop. There I'll have access to a band-saw, a drill press, a TIG welder, a CNC, and countless other miscellaneous tools, so I'm pretty excited about that. As far a my living situation come September, plans have changed a bit. Instead of moving to Brooklyn as I was planning, I'll be taking up residence in the fine city of New Brunswick. While New Brunswick is a lot less stylish than Brooklyn, my rent will be a fraction of the cost, my dads shop is only 10 minutes away, and NYC is an easy commute if I were to get a job there.

My main goal for the next year is to travel as much as possible, make stuff, and stay punk. Having to pay $600-$700 a month to live in Brooklyn was looking like it would put a damper on most of my travel plans. I'm also ecstatic because I booked my flights two days ago to go to London, Munich, and Berlin with Jay for two weeks in November. That is really something to look forward to, it is going to be a great start to my year of traveling and adventures and it will give me a chance to look at my European prospects for graduate school.

The past two months have been kind of a bummer, but the future is definitely looking brighter. I'll post more updates once I finally get back in the studio!

Holy Smokes, Renderings!

2009-07-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

Today I scanned my renderings and put them up on my web-site, and created a more appealing blog scheme. I'm also eagerly awaiting the arrival of a torch set-up and a vibratory tumbler. Maybe New Jersey won't be so boring once I can start working on things again. I've got big plans for a lot of vintage plastic cameos that arrived in the mail today. I also think I might use my dads CNC to machine some components, it will be an adventure and I'll certainly post bench shots once I get started.

Busy Work

2009-06-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

So I'm still in the process of gathering studio equipment. I'm setting my sights on a fantastic bench (left) that will be a bit more portable and apartment friendly, as opposed to one of those gigantic solid hardwood benches that weigh about a million pounds. I know it will be an adjustment going from the huge bench I was used to at school to a bench that is a fraction of the size, but I'll just have to deal with it. I have a butcher block island that I got from Ikea, that I'll attach a vise to, it was pretty cheap so I won't mind if it gets beaten up. I also got a price quote for a pretty sick Lenox acetylene torch setup. I'm also going to invest in a vibratory tumbler from Otto Frei and an enameling kiln, and then I'll be well equipped to make almost whatever I want.

I've also been busying myself with the professional aspect of things, in the absence of having a studio. I designed a web-site, although it still has a few kinks to work out, apparently it is flakey on windows computers and will sometimes just forward straight to my blog. I also spent some time designing custom invoices, envelopes, and stickers. I set up a ledger for myself, exactly the way Rod showed us to in class, and I'm thinking about creating an Excel list of all the pieces I've made and information about them. I'm preparing my entry forms for "The Art of Fine Craft" at Wesleyan University, and I'm going to enter the "First Five" in late July.

But all in all, I'm eager to get going with things. Oh yeah! Go visit my web-site, www.malloryweston.com!

Official Web-site Up and Running!

2009-06-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I pulled it together and put a decent looking official web-site together! The address is www.malloryweston.com. Go visit!

DCCA Opening

2009-06-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph of our work at the DCCA in Wilmington. This is our first exhibition as professional artists! The opening was great and overall the display looked nice, I also think the light blue color of the walls went very nicely with the color scheme of my piece!

New Jersey = Purgatory

2009-05-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

The fact that I officially can't use the school studio anymore and that my lease is up relatively soon have led to me move back to New Jersey until I figure out my plans for Brooklyn (or wherever). I'm already trying to decide which new tools I should purchase for setting up a studio. My father owns a machine shop so I think I will utilize those tools to help me build a bench. I was also talking to my dad about using his die grinder to fashion myself some wooden forming blocks, but he had a better idea to use his CNC to machine out perfectly symmetrical bowls into a piece of butcher block.

Today I was bumming around on iweb trying to put together an official web-site for myself. I don't need anything too complicated, so it seems like the perfect program to put together a simple well-designed page. I'm just going to try to keep busy and keep making things, and I'll figure out where to go from there.

The photo above is a bench shot from my production work for the DCCA, the enameled pieces will be stitched together, much like the box in "The Amateur Geology Enthusiast." I just thought all the pieces looked interesting laid out on the bench. Speaking of the DCCA, my first opening as a professional artist is being held next Friday (June 5th) from 5 to 9. So the girls and I will be making the trip down to Wilmington to attend. More information is available here http://www.thedcca.org/museumshop.html .

The Amateur Geology Enthusiast

2009-05-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is a series of pieces that came about from studying a little field guide called "Rocks, Gems, and Minerals." I have been interested in geology for a little while now and I finally got around to making some work with it as the subject matter. I wanted to create a piece that had the same idea as a mineral cabinet that a geologist might have. The pink box has a slotted interior with 8 crystal form specimens that can be clipped and rearranged onto a necklace that fits into a slot in the middle of the box. I used fold forming to make several different crystals including Zircon, Calcite, Amazonite, Lead, Corundum, Halite, Mica, Copper, Silver, Arsenic and Quartz. There are also set of brooches to accompany the crystal set that are based off of illustrations of plate-tectonic movements. The brooches were made using the cloisonne' enamel technique and represent faults, metamorphic rocks, and convergence. I also based a series of production pieces for the Delaware Center of Contemporary Art off of this series.

Images from Top to Bottom:

The Amateur Geology Enthusiast

Sterling Silver, Copper, Enamel, Stainless Steel, Cotton Thread

2009

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

The Amateur Geology Enthusiast (Detail)

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Plate-tectonics Brooches

Sterling Silver, Copper, Enamel, Stainless Steel

2009

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

The Amateur Geology Enthusiast (Detail)

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Florid Victorian Ornament Fixation

2009-05-25T23:16:00.001-07:00

For this series of pieces I continued my study of moray eels and birds of pray and combined those ideas with my interest in Victorian mourning jewelry and florid motifs of the that time period. All of the pieces have chased copper frames that I sugar fired with steel gray enamel. For the two brooches I continued playing with marriage-of-metals, after I finished soldering and filing I etched the plates so that all of the copper, brass, and nickel are recessed.

Images from top to bottom:

Not Pictured

Copper, Sterling Silver, Enamel

2009

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Harris' Hawk and Hatchling

Sterling Silver, Copper, Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Stainless Steel

2009

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Memento Moray

Sterling Silver, 1oK White Gold, Nickel, Copper, Enamel, Stainless Steel

2009

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

The Party's Over.

2009-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ooof, it's certainly been a long month for me, thanks to my senior show, final critiques, graduation, and the SNAG conference. But all that stuff is behind me so there's nothing left to do now but pack up my bench, move out of my apartment, and move on to the next thing. I'm sure it's going to be challenging and I'm going to miss all my Philadelphia friends, but hopefully there are going to be some great adventures for me in the future.

Today was the first entire day I spent working at my bench since the night before my rendering critique a week and a half ago. It was easier getting back into my normal working mode than I thought it would be. I'm working on a few production pieces for the DCCA and I'm pretty excited about them. Perhaps I'll post a few bench shots tomorrow. I'm also eagerly awaiting the photographs that Ken took of my work last week.

I have spent the past four days running back and forth between the awards ceremony, the conference, my graduation, and all the fun side activities that went along with them. My first SNAG conference was enjoyable, although I wish I could have attended more of the events. I felt pretty nervous, especially around the artists whose work I have admired for the past few years, but I think I did a decent job introducing myself to people and carrying on interesting conversations. On the final night a few of the SNAG veterans got up on stage and told stories about their first few conferences and the memories they had and this one guy Brian (shit, I forget his last name!) got up and talked about how all we should consider this our family and talked about how he was terrified at his first conference as well. I guess that kind of put my mind at ease and Emi and I went over to introduce ourselves afterwards and to tell him how at home his speech made us feel. Overall, I'd say the whole thing was worthwhile and I'm hoping I'll be able to make down to Houston next year.

Artist Statement and Portrait

2009-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

2008-2009 Artist Statement

I make interactive objects that invite the viewer to examine, touch, wear, and play with the collection of parts that make up the whole. It is my goal that this interactivity will help encourage a dynamic and thought provoking personal attachment between the individual and the piece. My imagery focuses on the natural world and the physical and social sciences. My excitement to explore a variety of craft techniques combined with my intense curiosity about the world around me sparks a process of researching, drawing, designing, fabricating and generally becoming immersed in my subject. Making is my scientific method.

Work from Fall 2008

2009-05-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom:

Color Blindness Brooches and Pouch

Sterling Silver, Copper, Stainless Steel, Enamel, Cotton, Thread

2008

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Color Blindness Brooches and Pouch

Detail

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Chased Vessels (with carved eels)

Copper, Enamel

2008

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Eel Locket

Sterling Silver, Nickel, 10K White Gold, Steel, Magnet

2008

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Moray Eel Toy Set

African Blackwood, Indonesian Rosewood, Yellowheart, Maple, Cotton, Thread

2008

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Moray Eel Toy Set

Detail

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Infrastructure: Subdivision

Concrete, Electrical Wires

2008

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Work from Spring 2008

2009-05-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

From Top to Bottom:

Charm Bracelet

Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Onyx, Hematite

2008

Photo by Mallory Weston

Tongue Sweater Brooch

Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel, Pink Ivory, Pearls, Silk

2008

Photo by Mallory Weston

Conceptual Spoon

Pink Ivory, Sterling Silver

2008

Photo by Mallory Weston

Work from 2007

2009-05-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

From Top to Bottom:

Infinite Perspectives Set

Sterling Silver, Brass, Acrylic, Paper, Acetate, Cotton, Thread.

2007

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Population Bottle-Necklace

Sterling Silver

2007

Photo by Ken Yanoviak

Isis Isis 2121

Sterling Silver, Oxidized

2007

Photo by Mallory Weston

Introduction

2009-04-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Mallory Weston, I am a senior jewelry and metals major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia PA. In addition to making jewelry I also enjoy making small object and things like little sets and toy kits, etc. Interactivity is a large component of my work. I work with metal, but I also carve wood, and utilize fibers techniques like embroidery and weaving.

For my first post on this new blog of mine I decided to post a few of my bench shots that I've been compiling for the past few months. I think bench and "in progress" shots are interesting and I feel like they're a good window into the way I work and the type of work that I make.

The first two are the most recent, I made a whole mess of chased Victorian-style frames that I enameled. I'm going to prong-set them and make them into a necklace. The third and forth are shots of my color blindness brooches in various stages of completion. Ulysses, my carved eel is also hanging out in my favorite box. The bottom shot is of my cloisonne enameled pizza pie fibula, that I made as a funny exercise for our fibula project.