The jewelry of Philippa Roberts is featured at Smith Galleries

Philippa Roberts

The jewelry of Philippa Roberts is a mainstay at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island. The gallery is featuring a special exhibit of her jewelry as part of their 26th anniversary.

Philippa was born in South Africa to a jewelry making family, she was naturally drawn to working with metals and stones. She graduated from Miami University (in Ohio) with a BFA in Metal Design and Photography. With California calling, she moved to San Francisco in 1994 to begin her career in jewelry design. Philippa started out working for different designers to develop and hone her jewelry and business skills. In 1996 Philippa established her first studio in the basement of her San Francisco apartment building. What started as a small, hopeful business has developed into a large design studio and retail store. She now works from a studio attached to her shop in Oakland.

Philippa’s signature look is simple, organic shapes combined with beautifully cut gemstones. Her love of the ocean plays a large role in the selection of clean, blue and green stones in many of her pieces. Philippa’s creativity stems from the nature around her, yet she also incorporates a feeling of the urban, with lines and patterns that imitate architecture and design seen around the city. Philippa creates all the original pieces by carving in wax or fabricating in metal. Her selection of new stones for each season defines how her collections will come to life. “I love going to the gem shows and being inspired by all the stones I see. To put the colors together and develop a collection is one of my favorite parts of the job.” Once the pieces are ready for production, her team of skilled crafts people make each piece by hand in her Oakland studio.

Using silver as her main medium, Philippa creates necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that can be worn formally or informally, with an appeal to all ages. “I love to hear from customers that mine is their favorite everyday jewelry, or that they have been wearing one of my pieces for the past ten years. It is my goal to make jewelry that is beautiful, simple, wearable, and most importantly, timeless.”

Philippa Roberts jewelry is carried in specialty shops around the world. It has been a dream come

Necklace and Earrings by Philippa Roberts

true for her to be featured in such esteemed art museums as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the DeYoung Museum, and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. Philippa lives in Oakland with her husband, Brian and their daughter Charlotte.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Philippa Roberts Jewelry Exhibition at Smith Galleries

     Smith Galleries is presenting a one person exhibiton of jewelry by Philippa Roberts.
     Using silver as her main medium, Philippa creates necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that can be worn formally or informally, with an appeal to all ages. “I love to hear from customers that mine is their favorite everyday jewelry, or that they have been wearing one of my pieces for the past ten years. It is my goal to make jewelry that is beautiful, simple, wearable, and most importantly, timeless.”
     Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280

Bree Richey Jewelry Featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is featuring a jewelry exhibition by Bree Richey titled "Sunlight and Shadow." The exhibition opens on May 1, 2012 and continues through the end of May.

Bree Richey’s jewelry collection pulls directly from her love for Art Deco and modern architectural design. She often finds inspiration for her work in the clean lines of modern furniture, the fluid pattern of fabric, and the vibrant color of fine gems and pearls. All of these elements are apparent in her work, where metal forms and an array of colored gems are brought together seamlessly to create elegant and highly wearable jewelry.

Ms. Richey was recently named the winner of the inaugural Future of Design contest, a business incubator competition for jewelry designers created by Cindy Edelstein of the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau and Andrea Hill of StrategyWerx.

Richey comes from a family of jewelry designers but found her own passion for the craft when she attended the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. Continuing her education at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco, Richey went on to apprentice with jewelers and focused on creating pieces that were affordable to the average jewelry consumer.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Mary + Lou Ann featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is known for fine handcrafted jewelry and Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsend are unique examples of the Jewelry featured in the gallery. The gallery is featuring a special show of their work during the month of October.

Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsendare both trained silversmiths who met while they were students at the University of New Mexico. Their work is truly collaborative and they share equally in all aspects of design and production.

They design and produce jewelry in sterling silver, inlaid with polymers. They fabricate the metal framework of each piece in sterling or use a mixture of cast and fabricated sterling components. All cast components are created from masters that they have fabricated themselves in silver and copper or carved from wax. The color process is a mixture of both liquid and clay polymers. They create colors primarily through oil pigments and integrate both synthetic and organic materials, such as sugar or sand, to create texture. Take a peek.

Smith Galleries is located on beautiful Hilton Head Island. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 - 6. 843.842.2280 smithgalleries@hotmail.com

Judith Neugebauer show opens at Smith Galleries

Judith Neugebauer's jewelry is a favorite at Smith Galleries. We are pleased to present this special exhibition of her jewelry during May and June.

Judith writes..."A previous career in classical ballet and theater instilled within me a deep awareness and appreciation for movement, line and balance. These are the classical qualities I have always tried to incorporate into my jewelry designs...and in my life."

My work is individually fabricated using sterling silver with an overlay of 23K gold leaf. Many pieces also incorporate freshwater pearls and Australian boulder opals set in 22kt gold. Die-formed hollow elements create visual depth, yet the overall concern with lightness and movement remain central to my approach. A recent development has been the use of oxidized, sandblasted sterling silver with 23kt gold leaf to create an even more dramatic surface."

Drop by Smith Galleries to see the exhibition. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. Or see the exhibition online.

Marco Polo Glass Jewelry featured at Smith Galleries

We love color at Smith Galleries! In jewelry, one way to get fabulous color is with glass. No one does color in contemporary glass jewelry better than Jane Barthelemy, founder and designer of Marco Polo Design. She creates each design, meticulously blending sumptuous hues and forms together, using a wide variety of materials and techniques. She studies fashion color forecasts each season, careful sculpting the color statement for each collection to integrate changing fashions and color preferences. Jane says: "I love the process of making a completely new color statement each season. I usually introduce one dominant new color, and look for unusual ways to combine two or more colors to create a fresh vibration."

Smith Galleries is now featuring a collection of some of Jane's newest and best design. Click to see a slide show or individual pictures of the exhibition.

Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday.

Elizabeth Garvin Jewelry Exhibition at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is featuring a special exhibition of jewelry by Elizabeth Garvin through the month of November.

Click here to see still pictures of the entire exhibition or here to see a slide show.

Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. Be sure to drop by the gallery or see the show online. 800.272.3870

Natalya Romanovsky Art Featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is featuring the art of Natalya Romanovsky as part of a special exhibition at the gallery. See slide show of entire exhibition.

Pictured at left is Fish, an original oil on paper measuring 15" x 15".

As an artist Romanovsky places a lot of emphasis on design. She sees beauty in the world and sets out to capture it through paintings that stress harmony between color and form.

"I want to transform the beauty around me into shapes. I try to think of my work as a process of simplifying something huge into a manageable pattern."

Through her art she attempts to create these patterns being careful not to tame the wilder energies of life. Art should always have a little mystery in it. In her paintings a mysterious and intriguing ambiance exists, reminiscent of something surrealistic leaving the viewer to find a simple meaning of life in each work.

Smith Galleries is open from 10-6 Monday through Saturday. Join our E-Club, you'll be glad you did! And be sure to ask about our new Rewards Program the next time you are in the gallery. 800.272.3870

Virginia Wood's Art is Featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is featuring the art of Virginia Wood as part of a special exhibition at the gallery. See slide show of entire exhibition.

Pictured is a original oil & pastel painting measuring 16" x 18".

Virginia Wood loves the lyrical nature of her work.

"Music is very important to me and it influences the way I create. My art is visual music and I build the pieces stroke by stroke the way a song is built note by note. Whether I'm working alone or in a busy studio I simply get into a composition and then flow with it."

Wood is also fascinated by the subtle shifts in form within a kaleidoscope and often imitates the effect with her pastels and monoprints.

Smith Galleries is open from 10-6 Monday through Saturday. Join our E-Club, you'll be glad you did! And be sure to ask about our new Rewards Program the next time you are in the gallery. 800.272.3870

John & Elli Milan's Art is on Exhibit at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries is featuring the art of John and Elli Milan as part of a special exhibition at the gallery. See slide show of entire exhibition.

Pictured at left is a mixed media painting on heavy black archival paper. The image is 12" x 24" and paper is 22" x 30". See larger view.

The Milan's credit their success as artists to their, "love of Life and Faith in God." Through their paintings the artists invite people to look deeper and smile as they enjoy what art brings to their life. John says, "My faith in God is my strength. He's inspired and directed me in my work since childhood." Elli says, "sharing the creative process allows us to grow together in our relationship and our faith." Woven into the fabric of their abstract compositions are hints of narrative, mysterious little stories with whimsical imagery that reflect their positive outlook on life.

The Milans create their paintings together. Through years of studying and creating art they have developed many innovative techniques, the most significant of which is the ability to work together in a creative spirit. Although John and Elli are both accomplished artists in their own right their collaboration brings out a side of their work that nether could reach on their own.

Smith Galleries is open from 10-6 Monday through Saturday. Join our E-Club, you'll be glad you did! And be sure to ask about our new Rewards Program the next time you are in the gallery. 800.272.3870

Joan Z Horn Summer Exhibition at Smith Galleries

We have just received a special summer collection of jewelry from our favorite jeweler...Joan Z Horn. Following are a few words written by Joan about her life and work.

"In my studio I fabricate each piece of jewelry. I create individual elements from Sterling Silver and 14Kt. Gold, using traditional and innovative hand tools. My bench contains tubing jigs that are like old friends. My metal starts out as flat sheet, round, square and flat wire, and tubing. I solder individual elements together using an acetylene/oxygen torch. I enhance pieces with freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones, making color combinations with Garnet, Blue Topaz, Citrine, Peridot, Iolite and Amethyst. My jewelry pieces are studies in line, color and movement.

I love working in my studio, and my hands feel most at home when they have a pair of pliers in them. Tools that were never intended for jewelry lead me into whole new directions. I question my auto mechanic about devices he uses. When the plumber comes for household repairs I inspect his tubing cutters and torch tip. A tube wringer from a dental supply catalog inspires new lines of jewelry. I visualize everything in the world as if it were a piece of jewelry. Musical notes from the sheet music in choir become a brooch pattern. Gates in Barcelona become a pendant. Other loves include riding my bike, baking bread, choir and traveling.

I was born and raised in New York. I graduated with a BFA in Metalsmithing from Tyler School of Art, Temple University.

See still pictures of the entire show or a slide show.

The show runs through August. Smith Galleries is open from 10-6 Monday through Saturday.

Join our E-Club, you'll be glad you did! And be sure to ask about our new Rewards Program the next time you are in the gallery.

Victoria Varga Jewelry Exhibition at Smith Galleries

Jewelry by Victoria Varga has been a mainstay at Smith Galleries for many years. The gallery is now featuring a special exhibition of her work. See slide show or still pictures.

Victoria received her BS in fine arts from Skidmore College in 1984. After completing her graduate studies in metals at Syracuse University she moved to New York City with her husband, Daniel Brouder, where the couple co-founded the studio that bears her name. After fourteen years in Manhattan Daniel and Victoria relocated their studio to the coast of Maine where they continue to hand fabricate jewelry of Victoria’s design. From her early years in New York Victoria has crafted jewelry that combines precious metals with a variety of materials that are often discounted as
ordinary.

Victoria has perfected a process of combing sterling silver, 23 karat gold leaf, resin, crushed stone and common artist pigments to create her signature line of jewelry. Instantly recognized for its timeless good looks, Varga jewelry delights both men and woman with its innovative combination of unexpected materials and whimsical design.

Smith Galleries is open from 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. Call 800.272.3870 for additional information.

Philippa Roberts Jewelry Exhibit at Smith Galleries

Philippa Roberts jewelry is a mainstay at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island. The gallery is featuring a special exhibition of her jewelry now. You can see a slide show of the exhibition here.

Simply beautiful and classically romantic, Philippa Roberts jewelry makes a woman feel purely feminine.

Her daily walks along the coast of the pacific ocean with her husband, Brian, their dog, Maggie, and their daughter Charlotte inspire much of her creativity. From the clean, blue stones in many of her pieces to the simple replication of a dragonfly on a necklace, her work stems from the nature around her. Yet she also incorporates a feeling of the urban, with lines and patterns that imitate architecture and design seen around the city.

Having started with a basic sterling silver and pearl design, she has expanded her line by integrating silver and gold with different colored stones, adding texture, shape and hue to many of her designs. Philippa creates all the original pieces by carving in wax or fabricating in metal.
using silver as her main medium, Philippa creates necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings that can be worn formally or informally, with an appeal to all ages.

Drop by Smith Galleries in the Village at Wexford between the hours of 10 & 6 Monday through Saturday.

Join our E-Club.

Smith Galleries Celebrates 21st Anniversary

Smith Galleries is celebrating its 21st anniversary with three major exhibitions of jewelry. The three artists are Ed Levin, Philippa Roberts and Judith Neugebauer. The necklace and earrings shown are by Judith Neugebauer.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford on beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday.

Join our E-Club...you'll be glad you did!

Phillipa Roberts Jewelry at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries will be hosting an exhibition of jewelry by Phillipa Roberts beginning May 10. Phillipa is a long time favorite at Smith Galleries. Her jewelry is simply beautiful and classically romantic, Philippa Roberts jewelry makes a woman feel purely feminine.

Phillipa uses silver as her main medium, creating necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings that can be worn formally or informally.

You may view a slide show or still pictures of a few of her pieces.

Join our E-Club and select Phillipa Roberts jewelry on the sign up form to receive a special invitation to the upcoming exhibition.

Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday.

Smith Galleries honored with January Cover of Carolina Arts Magazine

Smith Galleries is highly honored to be featured on the January cover of Carolina Arts magazine. Tom and Linda Starland have produced Carolina Arts for many years and they provide the only source that gives comprehensive coverage and exposure to the arts for both North and South Carolina. Take a look at Carolina Arts and drop Tom and Linda a note to thank them for the fine job they do.

Besides the cover of the January issue, you will want to see our ad on page three of Carolina Arts.

Join our E-Club and check out our web site.

December 16 is Men's Night at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries has so many fine handmade objects for men...all American made too! Pictured at left is a beautiful man's valet by Davin & Kessler. It is made from cherry and cocobolo. What a great way to get him organized!

Men love wood...why is that?

Click here to see a slide show of several handmade gifts we have for men.

Present this blog entry at Smith Galleries on Tuesday evening, December 16, 2008 between 5 & 8 PM and receive a 20% savings on any one item.

Be sure to join our E-Club! You will be glad you did.

Smith Galleries 21st Open House

Jean and Wally invite you to join them at Smith Galleries to celebrate the traditional beginning of the holiday season with their 21st annual open house on Friday and Saturday, November 28 & 29. The gallery will be open 10 - 6 both days. Jean has been busy baking hundreds and hundreds of her famous cookies.

Email (no subject or message necessary) us if you would like a free "e-copy" of last years cookie recipes.

So, drop by the gallery to get your holiday shopping done and remember the importance to this year buy American made products from your local independant merchants.



Present this blog entry during the Open House to receive a free American Style magazine or a free pair of candles.



Join our E-Club and receive an instant reward.

Looking for a few good cookies.

October means planning for the Thanksgiving weekend open house at Smith Galleries and the 1000+ cookies I'll make for it. I've already begun scouring the newsstands for the holiday baking issues in search of the perfect cookie! But my favorites are usually recipes I get from friends. That's where you come in.

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe you'd like to share? Wally has created a form (click here) for you to fill out with your favorite. If I make your recipe for the open house, you'll receive a gift from Smith Galleries.

The rules are pretty simple--when you submit your recipe you are giving permission for me to share it with others (I'm thinking about compiling a "colossal cookie collection" of the submitted recipes). Only recipes I don't already have will be considered for prizes although they will all be included in the collection. Decision of the judge (me) is final. Ha!

Click here to submit your recipe.