Field Trip: LA

The centerpiece of “Queen Califia’s Magical Circle” by artist Niki de Saint Phalle - Queen Califia herself atop her griffin.

This October I had the opportunity to spend some time in Los Angeles - a town that was at one time my home, many moons ago. The trip was equal parts vacation, inspiration, and work. Joined by a couple of my besties who live in the area, I made the most of my 9 days there with a busy schedule of art, beach, nature hikes, architecture, music and more.

Among many things, I had the chance to view the opening of my friend Tomashi Jackson’s art show “Minute by Minute” at Night Gallery, which incorporated hand-embroidered and tatted textiles made by my own grandmother, Carrie Barcus, which I had gifted to the artist. Truly a special moment to see these complex, multi-layered (quite literally and figuratively), collaged works in person - they are POWERFUL! I could feel my grandmother’s utter awe and delight raining down on that gallery as well. You can read more about Tomashi’s show in this wonderful LA Times interview.

A piece from Tomashi Jackson’s “Minute by Minute,” which incorporated hand embroidery by my grandmother as the foundation for her canvas

Detail of hand tatting done by my grandmother Carrie Barcus, used in Tomashi Jackson’s piece

Another work by Tomashi Jackson in “Minute by Minute” at Night Gallery. This incorporates Carrie’s embroidery, as well as Tomashi’s mother’s photography, and the shapes of redlined districts in LA.

Embroidery detail by my grandmother

Tomashi Jackson’s piece, incorporating photography from her mother, and my grandmother’s embroidery at the bottom edge.

There is a wildly coincidental story from the day when I gifted Tomashi this textile… as we were chatting about my goldsmithing work and Tomashi’s collection of gold chains, we noticed that the edge of this pillowcase read “Cloth of Gold.” Funny how life works! I love that Tomashi then incorporated gold paint into the piece, as well as another piece that utilized Grandma Carrie’s handiwork.

Tomashi in the midst of performance art at Night Gallery

I also made a pilgrimage with my dear friend Tamara, to see my hero Niki de Saint Phalle’s installation “Queen Califia’s Magical Circle” in Escondido - one of the few existing sites of her art in the US. Magical indeed! I cannot even fathom the amount of time it took to cover this entire area in mosaics - much of which was made from semiprecious gemstones! The docent at the site told us that Niki and her team went to the Tucson gem show to buy the stones. I imagine they must have cleared out a lot of dealers’ bins to make this work!

A view of Queen Califia’s Magical Circle

Fragmented selfie at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle

Detail from Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, with mosaic malachite and what looks to be chrysoprase

There were so many details to discover around every turn at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle. Each one tells a story.

Back in LA proper, I had the chance to visit the Neutra VDL House in Silverlake with my friend Symantha. This onetime home and studio of architect Richard Neutra is a place I’ve long wanted to see in person, as a huge fan of mid-century modernism and Neutra in particular. Neutra shares a particular history with my mother’s lineage, who were Austrian Jews. While it may not seem so unusual today, the fact that the original structure for this building was made in 1932 is pretty mind-blowing.

Living room at the Neutra VDL House in Silverlake

Exterior of the Neutra VDL House

Another interior angle at Neutra VDL

Details at the Neutra VDL House - this color palette echoes my recent FW23 lookbook

Last but not least, the trip was capped off by a trunk show at the beautiful Kinship Station boutique in Topanga. I loved hanging with the shop staff, and getting to know their customers more. They’ve got such a gorgeous curation of decor, clothing and jewelry - definitely worth a visit.

Talisman jewels at Kinship Station in Topanga

Symantha and her mug at Kinship Station - a beautifully curated boutique of decor, clothing, jewelry and more

Shopgirl Nadia dons the Ra Signet at the Kinship Station trunk show

That’s a wrap! Until next time LA <3

Field Trip: Orisons

Marguerite Humeau’s wind flute, a part of the larger Orisons earthwork installation, with the Sangre de Cristo mountains and the Great Sand Dunes as a backdrop.

If you’ve ever spent time in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, then you know what I speak of when I say there is magic there. I’m not alone in believing it’s some kind of an energetic portal. As the largest alpine valley in the world, it’s also an incredible destination for natural beauty, and bountiful hot springs to soak your weary soul in too. So perhaps it’s no coincidence that artists over the decades have descended upon this valley, as a place to create and to find inspiration from the land. French sculptor Marguerite Humeau is one such artist, who, with the help of Black Cube Nomadic Museum and land offered from Jones Farms Organics, recently installed the largest earth-based work ever created by a female artist. Covering 160 acres of unproductive farmland, Orisons is comprised of 84 kinetic and interactive sculptures that pay homage to a land that is rapidly undergoing desertification - a bellwether of sorts for the rest of our climate change-plagued world. “Orisons means prayer,” states Humeau, but “it also sounds like ‘oree’ in French, which means ‘the cusp, the edge, the periphery.’ Orisons is about resilience, transience, life and death. Life as a gust of wind, the fragility of our existences.”

The repurposed theater marquee in Saguache, Colorado

I had the privilege of joining some friends for the opening of Orisons, and immediately felt the gravity of what her work was speaking to, as someone who also owns a generations-old farming business that’s been impacted by climate change (yep, that’s my other hustle folks). Along the way we also managed to dip in at our favorite of the valley’s hot springs, Valley View, made new friends in the town of Saguache, and connected with some other resident artists in the town of Center. All in all a pretty special trip, hence the need to document it for you here.

The VIEW from Valley View hot springs at sunset.

Taking in Humeau’s work is definitely something that will require another trip back in order to process everything; there is a complex framework of interrelated mythologies, ecologies, and imaginings at play here. Take, for instance, the highly-intentional siting of the sculptures, which pay tribute to different humans and animals who lived and died there - an attempt, the artist says, “to reconnect every form of life that has lived on it, is living on it, or will live on it in the future” (as divinated by the clairvoyant geomancers that Humeau brought on for the project, no less). Or there are the wind flutes that play the notes of the sandhill cranes who migrate to the valley each year - birds whose migratory patterns have been changing as of late. Heart-like shapes are also a recurring theme in the works, but don’t mistake those for the generic valentine variety - they’re actually a nod to the shape of a local medicinal plant seed, as well as an abstracted take on a sandhill crane’s face. There’s a lot there, but at the same time a palpable sense of peace on the land too. Humeau describes her work, in part, as an “attempt to perform acupuncture at the scale of the 160 acres of fallow circle.” In this sense, she considers the land itself as an artwork, and herself as a humble host whose role “was maybe to simply give it credit for who it is as an entity, celebrate it, elevate it, and care for it.” Humble, yet inspiring, to say the least.

Adam next to one of 84 sculptures by Marguerite Humeau. This one she described as wearing “earrings.”

Special thanks goes to Adam Gildar for playing tour guide (and for being an early catalyst of the whole project), to Max Gibson for hosting us, to Jones Farms Organics for allowing us on their land, and to the Frontier Drive Inn for the lovely opening reception. I will be back.

Field Trip: Cote d'Azur

A sculpture by Germaine Richier is surrounded by sailboats outside of the Picasso Museum in Antibes, France.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of traveling to one of the most enchanting places I’ve seen on Earth (truly). It was a long-awaited trip, having been postponed several times during the pandemic. So when my mother and I finally set foot upon the stunning Cote d’Azur of France, to say that I was thrilled is an understatement. And y’all, it truly lived up to the hype. Every day I was blown away by the beauty in all directions, both in the natural landscape, as well as the architecture, art, and culture that surrounded me. I was hoping for a trip to really inspire and reset me, and I most certainly got just that.

The stunning medieval village of Eze, which sits upon a mountaintop between Nice and Monaco along the Mediterranean. The village is now home to many artists who sell their wares to tourists.

‘Has this turned into some kind of travel blog?’ you may ask? I’ll spare you the full details of my mother-daughter vacay, but I thought you, dear reader, might enjoy seeing a handful of the things that inspired me creatively on this sojourn. Because lo and behold, you may just see some of these influences come through as I begin working on new pieces for Fall/Winter 2023-2024…

A fisherman in the port of Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small village adjacent to Nice, who mends his net in the early morning sun before heading out to work. The bust at right is of surrealist artist Jean Cocteau, who was a onetime resident of the village.

Chapelle Saint-Pierre, a 13th century church in Villefranche-sur-Mer, re-imagined by Jean Cocteau in the 1950s.

A quick scan of Villefranche-sur-Mer, a 13th century (though settled since prehistoric times) village and fishing port adjacent to Nice. Also onetime home to Jean Cocteau and the Rolling Stones (Villa Nellcote, where Exile on Main Street was recorded, is located here, for those in the know)

The jewels taking a dip in Nice. Pictured here are the Shapeshifter Ring and the Rollo Band.

Late work by Pablo Picasso, at the Picasso Museum in Antibes. Picasso lived here briefly towards the latter part of his life, making works in a studio at a medieval castle that later became the Picasso Museum.

Sculpture work by Picasso. I found myself very drawn to his simplistic representation of faces.

Trekked to the infamous Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes for a super-schmancy lunch. You don’t show up to this celeb-favorite spot without dressing the part (literally, they won’t let you in)… So we donned our finest summer attire and threw on some Talisman of course ;) I’m wearing the Alex Amulet Necklace and Linear Studs. Mom wears the Michael Amulet Necklace and Infinite Hoops.

Le Club 55 in Saint-Tropez… onetime play place of Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Located on what was by far the best beach of the whole trip… those stunning turquoise waters refreshed my soul.

Fresh squeezed juices at Le Club 55 in Saint-Tropez, and the Wave Theory Ring.

Onwards to Nice, where I got to see works by one of my all-time favorite artists, Niki de Saint Phalle, at the MAMEC (Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain). This is an early example of one of her “Nanas,” which later became much more stylized with smooth, rounded bodies. Niki’s early feminism and depiction of women, particularly in such a patriarchal area of the world, is something I greatly admire.

Another work by Niki de Saint Phalle. This shirt belonged to a former lover. Wouldn’t want to be that guy ;)

Works by Yves Klein in my favorite blue at the MAMEC in Nice.

All smiles on this trip. I’m wearing the Held Necklace and the Flow Chain, along with the Aphrodite Hugs and the Linear Studs.

The gorgeous medieval village of Saint Paul de Vence. Yet another place where artists thrive to this day.

A contemporary sculpture of cast bronze and natural elements, found at a gallery in Saint Paul de Vence. Artist unknown but I certainly jived with it.

Small swath of the immense gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The Villa was built by Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild when, at age 40, she found herself divorced and longing for a dreamy place to call home. I can relate.

More gardens, this time of the “exotic” variety atop the medieval Eze village. I truly can’t get this enchanting place out of my head.

Spirals abounded on this trip… seen here in some ironwork on a doorway in ancient Eze.

Sailboats in the port of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Nautical themes were all around in these sleepy fishing towns, and I most certainly soaked it up (pun intended ha). Though I didn’t get a picture, I found myself very attracted to the anchor chain I saw connected to boats in the dock… More to come there.

Janet stands for a photo as we head back to our AirBnB in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

I’m one lucky chica to have been able to visit such an incredible place. If one word could encapsulate this trip, it would have to be “stunning.” Need I say more?

Talisman World Tour 2022 Recap

Parque Mexico in La Condesa, CDMX

It’s Wednesday, January 11th, and I am sitting in my studio on this snowy day in Colorado, still thanking my lucky stars for what a beautiful year 2022 ended up being. In particular, getting to tour around to showcase my wares in some amazing destinations, along with good friends and plenty of good food, was a real treat. Thought you all might enjoy a little photo recap of said travels - specifically to Mexico City, and then rounding out the year in Austin. Enjoy!

The Carla Fernandez flagship store in Colonia Juarez, CDMX

Our first stop on Talisman Fine Jewelry’s World Tour 2022 was Mexico City, where we were joined by a group of friends (shout out to Bianca, Anthony and Bonnie!), as well as designers/artists Salihah Moore, Animal Handmade, Young in the Mountains, and Mario Zoots for a special pop-up shop at the flagship store of noteworthy Mexican designer Carla Fernandez. There’s no way I could possibly recap here all of the amazing food, art, architecture and cultural experiences we had while on this journey, but below are some highlights…

Checking out Mercado de Artesanias La Ciudadela with (from left) Bianca Parra, Anthony Duran and Bonnie Gregory.

A vendor with an authentic indigenous Tigre mask from the Guerrero region of Mexico

An artisan at work on gilded wooden crafts at La Ciudadela

Anthony and Bianca at Tacos Orinoco… we pretty much bee-lined there from the flight. IYKYK!

Cannot rave enough about the mish-mash of art deco, modernist, and colonial architecture that is Mexico City. This image was taken in La Condesa.

Bonnie peeping the Talisman Fine Jewelry setup at the Carla Fernandez pop-up event

The pop-up crew, including (from left): Salihah Moore, host Carla Fernandez, myself, Bianca Parra, Anthony Duran, Bonnie Gregory, and Hana from Young in the Mountains.

One of my favorite aspects of CDMX architecture was the creative use of formed concrete blocks, and their many textures.

A quick popover to Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo was definitely worth the journey

Diego Rivera’s personal collection of traditional Mexican cartonerias - including Judas, alebrijes, and other papier-mache figures.

Our group enjoyed many incredible meals… among them: this lunch at neighboring Masala y Maiz.

Even the public library in CDMX was awe-inspiring

The art deco influences abound

A street vendor of delicious tlacoyos, just up the street from Carla’s shop… thanks to Ben from Hoja in Denver for the recco :)

Next (final) stop last year was Austin, Texas, for a trunk show with Talisman stockist Good Company. Can I just say, I love these ladies so much?! We had a great time hanging, and I even managed to sneak in some more wonderful meals, a concert, and some explorations along S. Congress Ave.

All ways welcome in Austin! Gotta love the vibe at the Austin Motel, just down the road from Good Company’s S. Congress location.

Stockist Good Company’s South Congress Avenue location

Some of the Talisman wares at Good Company

Good Company’s oh-so-adorable Meredith Marker wearing the Plane Earrings and Mirror Eye Chain

Boss-lady Chandler Hedequist’s Talisman neck stack, including the Skinny Flow Chain, Linked Chain, and the Linear Y Necklace <3

Xmas in Austin

That’s all folks! Cheers to the new year… let’s see where 2023 brings me…

Field Trip: Carla Fernandez at the Denver Art Museum

The opening looks from the Denver Art Museum’s Carla Fernandez Casa de Moda exhibition. Each piece is OOAK, incorporating traditional artisan techniques specific to various indigenous Mexican groups around the country. Carla’s husband, sculptor Pedro Reyes, designed the mannequins and their sculptural headwear for the show.

It’s pretty safe to say that in the world of fashion, a designer referencing each and every person by name who stitched their garments is pretty unheard of. But not in Carla Fernandez’s world. Carla is a Mexico City-based fashion designer on a mission, who uses her collection to lift up indigenous Mexican artisans, while also calling into question fast fashion practices, apparel industry waste, and violations of human rights all the while. I’ve been a huge fan of Carla ever since I learned about her line many years ago. So you can imagine my utter excitement when my friend Jane Burke, Curatorial Fellow of Textile Art and Fashion at the Denver Art Museum, told me that she’d be co-curating an exhibition featuring Carla’s work, along with Florence Muller! What a dream! And, doubly exciting, Jane invited me to help out at an ancillary pop-up event for the brand. A chance to meet Carla IRL? Count me in.

A quick photo op with Jane Burke, collector Tanya Melendez (Senior Curator of Education at FIT), Carla, and myself

Not only was the exhibition of Carla’s work utterly stunning and inspiring, but I was so happy to find how kind and down-to-earth Carla herself was upon meeting her. Truly a gem of a human. And her work… oh. my. God. her work! The attention to detail, the fabrications, the colors, the dance performances in lieu of fashion shows… there’s so much there. Personally, I love Carla’s aesthetic, which I would describe as both modernist and yet also evoking the style of Mexican indigenous garments… Ancient modern, if you will. Peep little snippets from the DAM exhibition below, and also be sure to read Carla’s “Manifesto of Fashion as Resistance” in its entirety here. It’s worth a scroll through if you’re into fashion, or yunno, if you wear clothing in general (cough cough). And, if you find yourself in the Denver area, get yourself to this show at the Denver Art Museum stat. Thank you Carla, you are a true inspiration.

A group of Carla’s garments from the exhibition that really evoke traditional indigenous Mexican craft work

Obsessed with the fuzzy (alpaca?) fabrication on this piece.

Carla created a protest collection specifically for the Women’s March in 2016. Truly powerful work from a powerful woman.

Behind the Scenes of the Spring/Summer 2022 Lookbook Shoot

Handmade driftwood mobile by my late Great Aunt Susan <3 - something we were able to incorporate as a prop during our Talisman photoshoot

Journey with us to Phoenix, Arizona, where photographer Andrew Vanasse and myself ventured for a sun-soaked photoshoot of the latest Spring 2022 collection arrivals. While lookbook shoots may seem simple enough, many customers don’t realize just how many hours of concepting, planning and effort go into them (and after the fact as well). This one even involved a cross-country jaunt to the Sonoran desert, but hey, it was February and we weren’t complaining. With major, statement-making new pieces like the Mary Pendant and Metanoia Chain in the mix, we wanted a major shoot to showcase them in. Plus, where else were we going to photograph the new Phoenix Amulet Necklace than in Phoenix itself, right?

Andrew Vanasse uses a square-patterned wooden wall, some old boxes we found, and my family’s ceramic vase as a backdrop for the Plane Earrings and Phoenix Amulet Necklace (coming soon)

The earthy, bohemian vibe of an adobe house in Paradise Valley, on the outskirts of east Phoenix, provided just the right backdrop for the highly sculptural new wares. The scene we laid out had a look akin to an artist’s messy desert studio, and thus we mixed in an assortment of fruits and other (very) random foods for our still life shots - as if our artist had just plucked them off the table for a snack between working on her latest pieces. Fun side note here: I was also able to incorporate some of my family’s heirlooms into the pics too - including some handmade ceramic vessels and a driftwood mobile made by my late Great Aunt Susan. How special is that? Given the handmade nature of my jewelry - the Metanoia Chain alone took nearly 100 hours to make! - it all made sense together.

Snack, anyone? A cool mid-century stucco wall at sunset played backdrop to the Portal Bracelet, Mary Pendant (coming soon), and Demeter Cigar Band

Another fun fact: I oftentimes find during photoshoots that, even with the concept nailed down before hand, themes present themselves on the fly. When that happens it’s best to go with it. That’s definitely what occurred here… Rather unintentionally, fish kept making their way into the photos. Don’t ask me why, but when selecting food for the shoot at the local grocery store, the fishmonger called to me, and once we arrived at the location, we stumbled upon some decorative terra cotta fish that just sort of fit the bill. So we went with it. Fish, after all, are said to symbolize rebirth, the higher self, prosperity, abundance and good luck, among other things. I took it as a good omen. And thus, I present to you: the making of “Pisces’ Studio,” a lookbook shot by Andrew Vanasse in creative collaboration with myself, with hand modeling by (my dear cousin) Alianna Martinez. Stay tuned for the final result, coming to the web soon!

Did we make our hand model Alianna touch the fish? You’ll just have to check back in to find out ;) Pictured here are the Aphrodite Hugs, Plane Earrings, and the new Metanoia Chain (coming soon). Alianna wears the Rollo Band.

XX,

Vanessa