Global Jewels

Online platform for the communication and the development of the international and emerging art jewellery and jewellery design.

Klimt 02 is a great site to visit regularly to check out what the rest of the art jewellery world is up to.

MoB Workspace- Centre of the known universe

For the past week we have been in the middle of the Brisbane Festival with Gorbachev (he has his own website!) speaking in City Hall, Shakespearean scholars underfoot and the Spiegeltent parked out the front in King George Square between all the construction work. It is not unusual for Spiegeltents to be crammed into crowded European cities wherever they might fit - last year I saw one on a traffic island at the Brighton Festival- tres glam-r-us - BrisVegas has arrived. You can check out the Spiegeltent program here . My mum went last week and she said the earth moved for her during a performance of trombone players. I think she meant that she felt the vibrations coming from the busway tunnel being dug out underground, but you can never tell...

So far we have been way to busy to participate in any of the cultural activities, struggling with our new badgemaker, but we are planning a wednesday night at the free performance of Women in Docs .

To Make Jewellery or To Blog........

Tonight I sat down and thought I should get on and participate in the extended MoB Workspace - the Blog. Thought I'd start out simple and create a profile. A picture would be nice too. Nothing too tricky. Ha! That's what I thought!! But using my whily problem solving skills (honed at the jewellery bench, of course!) I perservered and here you go - a blog presence created!!!

Badge Making Is Easy - Right?

You would think three jewellers (and general crafty, capable folk) who create jewellery from Bombay Sapphire bottles, Tupperware and threads, and who have mastered the art of the rivet would have no trouble operating our brand spanking new badge making machine. Well you would think wouldn't you? There were step-by-step instructions with pictures.

Anyone who happened to be looking through our MoB Workspace window yesterday morning unfortunately got a glimpse at three jewellers who didn't have a clue. It eventually got sorted out and I predict a great badge making future for all involved.

Top of the Class!

Here are Jesika Hanford's beautiful pearls from the pearl knotting class last week. She has combined them with handmade st silver beads and a black lipped mother of pearl shell carved clasp to make this stunning necklace which is going to be a gift for a very lucky friend.

Anna Varendorff - TYING US UP IN KNOTS

Anna Varendorff (Friend of MoB) is a young Brisbane jewellery with a very big future (mark my words!) and she very kindly offered to teach a group of us pearl knotting.
Last Thursday we took her up on the offer. Friend of MoB June Cullen who invests a significant amount of her hard earned cash on contemporary jewellery joined us for the class. She buys it, she wears it, she talks about it and now she has started making it. Good for you June, we would like to support you also.
Image above is of work from Anna Varendorff's Flight series - Sterling Silver Leaf Motif with Smokey Quartz Beads.

Peir Shen Lai - Friend Of MoB (1)

We are very lucky at MoB to be so centrally located as this means we get lots of visitors. As our visitors are so dear to us we thought it might be nice to let you know who they. So an occasional series will start today in which we will let you know a little more about them. It may be good for them and it will definitely be good for us because as they say, you are only as good as the company you keep.

Peir is a regular visitor. As a maker of jewellery himself he often likes to pop in and see what we are up to, get some advice, show us what he is up to and for general discussions about issues that affect us all.

I met Peir through QCA . We both took a casting class with Liz Shaw and Matt Dwyer . All of us MoB members know Peir (and are very pleased that we do) as a member of JMGQ.

For more images of Peir's jewellery and a (very sexy!) photo, check out his website.

Lion on Smoko

Even though the great Aussie smoko is under threat from the new laws, this City Hall lion is basking in the sun after a busy morning pawing concrete.

Geek Week At MoB

Today marks the start of Geek Week. So over the next seven days Rebecca Ward and Liana Kabel, along with Friend of MoB and contemporary jewellery supporter, Florence Forrest will be revealing our inner Geekdom to the world. This is in celebration and support of Rebecca's upcoming Junk - IT exhibition at Reverse Garbage.

We Heart Ceramics

We love it when people drop in in to visit us at MoB Workspace. Here is the lovely porcelain artist Shannon Garson, one of our A-list visitors down from Maleny. She is busy preparing for the VERGE Ceramics and Glass conference in Brisbane starting next week where she is presenting and exhibiting.
Speaking of which, we haven't seen Miss Liana around much lately. Word is she has been firing up her kiln at home (kilns are not allowed in Mob Workspace, we've got enough hot air!) to make some delicious ceramic jewels for the Craft QLD Verge CLAY exhibition opening Tuesday 11 July 6-8pm until the 22 July. Shannon wil also have some work in this show. Sneak peek of Liana's ceramics jewels (warning: they may contain plastic!)

Missing Miss Marisa

Sometimes it is difficult being a jeweller and not getting enough exercise. It is not the most energetic of activities and expecially in the middle of winter you can really start to stack it on!! Which is why we love to live vicariously through our away member Marisa Molin's vigourous outdoor tramping activities. Here she is scaling Ben Lomond, Tasmania in freezing conditions where she is also doing her Masters of Vis Arts. Her wilderness walks are the inspiration for much of her beautiful new work which we cannot wait to see when she returns at the end of the year.

Congratulations: Judith Brough

We have a winner in the MoB Workspace Somewhere Over the Rainbow Competition: Judith Brough was one of the 4 entrants who got the questions correct and was randomly drawn from the hat by our neutral helper, Miss Tina! she wins a lovely pair of Liana Kabel hair clips.
The correct answers were:
1. Name the 2 Brisbane icons that these rainbows above are on. The long lived Jo Jos restaurant and Stefan's Sky Needle/Stefan's HQ
2. Where are they (suburb is fine)? Queen st Mall Brisbane City and South Brisbane (NOT West End you silly duffers!)
3. What is the connection between them? Stefan Akerie hair dressing mogul/restauranter owns them both.
Honourable mentions to Anna Meredith, Michelle Walker and Vanessa Galloway whose highly researched answer betrays a librarian background. The rest of you- what were you THINKING!? Mind you, a special mention to the wicked Deb Mansfield for her hilarious but potentially defamatory answers that had us falling off our chairs with laughter.

Home Studio

Being a part of a collaborative jewellery studio is a fine thing. It is a very fine thing indeed.

Those of us who have a home studio should also be thankful. Just think about the dress code - there is none! Gotta love that.

Making Connections - New Jewellery Links

At MoB Workspace we care about sharing ideas and making connections with other like minded-souls. So we were pleased to discover that two very interesting jewellery related blogs have linked to us, New Jewellery and Ma Roulotte.

It's safer now

After a number of reports of maulings, these noble beasts guarding MoB Workspace at Brisbane City Hall have been caged. Still, it makes it safer for the kiddies in the school holiday season. And if you are offended at the thought of caged wild cats, there is usually an animal liberation protest going on nearby.

In truth, the lions have really been caged for the construction work going on in the square to make a hole for the new bus tunnel. However, don't let the digging deter you. MoBWorkspace is still open as usual and you can still see some of the old favourites in King George Square, such as King George himself sporting the distinctive banana headgear typical of his era and an astonishing variety of youth subcultures decorating the water sense garden.

Miss Tracey

Tracey Milne has taken the year off MoB to continue her studies. She is now half way there to adding Art Teacher to her long list of achievements. Good for you Tracey we know how hard you are working.

Tracey is still a part of MoB. During these school holidays she will be in the studio creating some more of her fabulous jewellery.

Jesika's Travelling at the Speed of Light

Being a part of the MoB workspace is an amazing experience. Not only does it provide a place to make jewellery but you are surrounded by inspiring people while you do it - very good for production of beautiful things.

There is also a wonderful atmosphere of sharing information. Last week I didn't know how to blog and now look at me go............ Rebecca also gave me an introduction to photoshop - now that's a fun time-sucker!!!!

Liana's Secrets

Liana Kabel's gorgeous vintage plastic earrings have been used to advertise Brisbane Marketing's "Deck of Secrets" shopping cards in various print media around the state including the current issue of City News. They are promoting the wonderful Craft Queensland Gallery/Store in Fortitude Valley where they are conveniently available for sale.

Workspace Expedition

At MoB Workspace we are not ALWAYS slaves to the bench and we are not ENTIRELY jewellery oriented either. We do like the occasional non-jewellery exhibition which is why on Friday night we are planning an expedition to cross the Brisbane River to the southside for Mel Robson's show 'Memento' at The Jan Manton Gallery, 59 Melbourne Street South Brisbane (next block up from the QLD art gallery). We love Mel's gorgeous papery porcelain vessels, so fine that they are translucent. She also has a great appreciation of jewellery! Exhibition continues until 15 July.

Inspector Rex is Called in

Unfortunately MoB Workspace has had to call in Kommissar Rex to investigate the theft of a valuable object. Rex is of course off the air for the World Cup and on holdays in Brisbane - resort destination capital of Australia. The disappearance of a $1 op shop vintage Tupperware container bowl used for storing polishing media has left us scratching our heads in confusion. Who out of all of the MoB Workspace residents could possibly have any use for such a plastic container and is it in any danger? Only Rex can solve this mind bender. He has been offered as much ham roll action as he can handle.