Eileen Sutton Jewelry at Smith Galleries

Eileen Sutton in her studio.

Smith Galleries features the jewelry of Eileen Sutton.

Eileen tells us her story..."I was born and raised in New York, on Long Island. When I pierced my first piece of copper plate at age 17, I was instantly hooked. I was somewhat of a metal purist until my last semester at Tyler School of Art. It was then that I began working with cast resin. Incorporating other elements is sporadic, whereas the constant interest of resin remains. When I finished school, I stayed in Philadelphia because there was a great community of artists and craftspeople.

My first studio was in the space of the late Olaf Skoogfors, a pioneer in the field of art jewelry. It was a shared space with some graduated students from Tyler School of Art. This workspace was more than just memorable, it was an experience that paved the way for where I would go with my work. There is also a strong bicycling community in and around Philadelphia, which became almost equally important to me. Some of my earliest pieces were from lines I saw painted on the road while cycling. It was a thoughtful place to live. I realized then, I didn’t have to go back to N.Y.C. to get inspired.

My forms are definitely influenced by the color and materials I use, along with what I see in the world around me. Now that I have a family, I don’t travel as far to see the world, but presently going to an arboretum or working in the garden is enough to spur some vision."

Necklace and Earrings by Eileen Sutton

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

Smith Galleries Celebrates 25 Years of Jewelry by Joan Z. Horn

We received a call recently from Joan Horn. She is a fabulous jeweler whom we admire greatly. She said, "Do you know that you purchased my jewelry at the very first show for the trade I ever did twenty five years ago?"

Since that time, there has not been a day when her jewelry was not well represented at Smith Galleries. In addition, we have become good friends with Joan and her husband Burt who is a fabulous high school science teacher.

She went on to say that she had a great selection of pieces on hand that she would like to offer to our customers at special pricing to show her gratitude for their support over these many years. You can see this special selection here.The collection is being offered on a first come, first serve basis. There are only single pieces of each piece and when it is gone, there will be no more at these special prices.

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

Victoria Varga Jewelry featured at Smith Galleries

Victoria Varga

Smith Galleries features the jewelry of American artist Victoria Varga.

Victoria Varga 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.

Victoria Varga handcrafts jewelry that reflects in its clean design and bold graphics, the very best tenants of fine art while redefining the modern spirit.

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

Mystic Woodworks featured at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Chip and Dip by Mystic Woodworks

Smith Galleries features the functional wooden ware of Mystic Woodworks.

Ray and Jamie Doubleday (owners of Mystic Woodworks) make high quality wooden ware in mid coast Maine. They find their inspiration in where they live and the medium they have chosen.

Ray and Jamie write..."In everything we do we feel that it is nature, not we who is the artist. Many of our designs are a direct reflection of nature, such as our fish board and our many leaf shapes. Other designs are a celebration of the wood itself. We see the layout process (where we assemble strips of differing woods) as a way to highlight the beauty of the wood. The shite of maple is striking in itself but when it is placed next to a piece of black walnut, the combination becomes synergistic. Add the bright red of padauk, the golden tones of ash and oak with the earth tone of cherry and we have an explosion of beauty."

Ray writes..."As an engineer, I am constantly looking for ways to improve our manufacturing processes. Although wood is a renewable resource, we take our stewardship role seriously and try to maximize the use of the wood we buy minimizing the scrap. This is why you see some very thin strips of wood in our breadboards. The finishing of our boards is done with food save oils and a touch of bees' wax."

Jamie writes..."Living in coastal Maine we are surrounded by spectacular natural beauty. Everyday

Cracker Tray with Cheese Dome by Mystic Woodworks

the changing palettes of the mighty Atlantic Ocean and the subtle textures of the mysterious Maine woods provide inspiration and encouragement. We try to capture the changing beauty of these natural resources through our design and use of various woods

All of our products are functional, we find it a constant and rewarding challenge to design new objects. We take pride in the quality of our work. There is a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction in speaking with customers who tell us they have had one of our cutting boards for many years and it still looks great."

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of The Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com

Danica Design Candles are Featured at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Smith Galleries features the beautiful hand made candles of Americans Cindy and Erik Laustsen,

Cindy and Erik write..."We began dipping candles in 1980, after apprenticing with an uncle at his candle factory, in the lovely village of Karlebo Denmark. After returning to upstate New York we began making candles in a friends barn and circa 1810 schoolhouse. In 1982 Danica Design moved to the coast of Maine. We then occupied three floors of a Victorian carriage barn and expanded our line of hand-dipped tapers. In 1991, we designed a building with candle making, retailing and architecture in mind, and moved to West Rockport.

We added scented jar candles, votives, scented and unscented pillar candles, and tea lights to our line. In 1992, we were given the Commercial Building Award from the Camden Rockport Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce, and in 1995 the Retailer of the Year Award from the Maine Merchants Association. We use a blend of beeswax and other premium waxes in our tapers. No lead wick or animal by products are used. All of our candles are solid color and long burning. Our scented products have fragrances throughout."

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The gallery is open from 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday year round. 800.272.3870 info@smithgalleries.com

Don Drumm featured at Smith Galleries

The metal sculpture of Don Drumm is a continuous feature at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Don Drumm was born in Warren, Ohio in 1935. After studying medicine for two years at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, he decided to pursue a career in art. He transferred to Kent State University where he received a B.F.A. and an M.A. He subsequently worked as a designer for the Industrial Design firm “Smith, Scherr and McDermott” for two years.

In 1960 Drumm opened his own studio, as a full time practicing Sculptor and designer/craftsman near the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. In 1971, together with his wife, Lisa Drumm, he expanded the studio to incorporate a one-room gallery. Since then the enterprise has grown extensively and now embraces eight buildings, providing gallery facilities for over 500 artists and studio space for three resident artists.

In the late 1950s Drumm pioneered the use of cast aluminum (aluminum) as an artistic medium. In addition he has been a pioneer in the use of contemporary building materials, and techniques for the creation of Arts and crafts. The 1960s brought about many teaching opportunities for Don as he was artist-in-residence at Bowling Green State University and taught at Penland School of Crafts.

He continues experimenting and constantly creating to this day. Drumm has won numerous awards along the way, including: Ohio Designer Crafts' “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Outstanding Contributors of the Century”, to the Akron community by the Beacon Journal Publishing Company, first recipient of the Outstanding Visual Artist Award from the Akron Area Arts Alliance in 2000, and the first recipient of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) “Artist and Craftsman Excellence” award.

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

Art Glass by Ed Branson Featured at Smith Galleries

Ed Branson at work

The art glass of master glass blower Ed Branson has been featured at Smith Galleries for many years. Jean and Wally Smith selected Ed's work for the gallery because of the beauty and excellent craftsmanship.

Tropical Wave Bowl

Ed writes..."Since 1982 glass has had a constant presence in my life.  Our relationship has been enhanced and explored with some of the world’s glass masters, but predominantly my knowledge of this magic material is built on day-to-day experience and practice in my studio.  This path has led me to a fairly simple artistic approach; trust the glass, have fun, accept mistakes, study nature and search for beautiful forms and colors inherent in glass’ personality."

See Ed make  a "Tropical Wave" bowl.

See other pieces of Ed Branson's glass at Smith Galleries.

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

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

Glass Eye Studio featured at Smith Galleries

Paperweight by Glass Eye

    Smith Galleries is known as the premier source for art glass on Hilton Head Island. The ornaments and paperweights of Glass Eye Studio have been a continuous focus of the gallery for many years.    
    Glass Eye Studio has designed and created exquisite handmade glass for more than 30 years. Through vibrant paperweights, innovative ornaments, functional bowls and vases, our family of glass artisans strives to pass to our customers the same marvel and appreciation that we have for blown glass.
    The process, from start to finish, creates the true beauty and mystery of glass. Applying immense heat to a mixture of mostly sand, glass evolves. Each individual piece begins by gathering a precise amount of glass on the end of a blowpipe or rod. To reach the desired look, the blowing team uses a wide array of color and materials. Many of Glass Eye Studio's designs require days of preparation before a single piece is even made. Manipulating the look of the glass, the blower shapes the molten mass with light but precise touches of manual tools. After a quick fire-polish, the product is slowly brought to room temperature over a period of days. Finally. and annealed solid piece is finished using diamond wheel grinders and polishing stones. The artisans at Glass Eye studios create each blown glass vase by hand. Use with your favorite flowers or display as art in your home. Each piece, all handmade, receive individual attention as it is carefully crafted into it's final form. The process itself is almost as amazing as the final product. Because each piece is handmade the color or size may vary and bubbles may appear in the glass. This is not a flaw but your assurance that each piece is handmade.

Glass Eye Studio in operation

    Glass Eye Studio pieces are hand made by skilled artisans at the Seattle studio. Glass colors are from Germany, New Zealand and some from China. The colors are manipulated in the Seattle studio to produce cane, murrini and stringers. These cane and murrini pieces are used to create wonderful and beautiful handmade glass paperweights, votive lights and ornaments.Glass Eye Studio creates some of America's finest art glass,including ash from Mount St. Helens in some of their pieces.
    Smith Galleries maintains a large selection of glass ornaments and paperweights from Glass Eye. The gallery is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

The candles of Rick Faulkner are featured at Smith Galleries

  

Rick Faulkner in his studio.

Smith Galleries has featured the candles of Rick Faulkner (Barrick Design) for many years. We are honoring Rick today with this post by thanking him for his passion for creating truly exceptional candles.
   
Rick creates unique artisan candles to add a modern, contemporary touch to any room. He prides himself in creating exquisite candles with a stylish yet functional design orientation. The candles are unscented which makes them ideal for celebrations, holidays, and everyday use.
   
Handcrafted in his Lancaster, Pennsylvania studio, his candles add a touch of elegance to any room. Barrick Design Candles are as aesthetically pleasing as they are functional, which makes them ideal gifts for a myriad of occasions. They are wonderful as decorative accents in any interior whether contemporary or more traditional.
   
Rick makes candles in over 30 color groups with several shades of most colors so that people can find a color that enhances their space. Moreover, his candles have a distinct crackle pattern, ensuring that they look phenomenal in various room styles.

Barrick candles with holders by Girardini Design

   
For more than 30 years, Barrick Design Candles has been proudly crafting simplistic and elegant candles.
   
Smith Galleries is located at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280

Thomas Davin and Mary Kesler are featured at Smith Galleries during the "26 Days in May" celebration.

Thomas and Mary with Tilly at their pond.

Smith Galleries continues the "26 Days in May" celebration of their 26th anniversary with a focus on the fine woodworking of Davin and Kessler. Their work has been a feature in the gallery for many years. The gallery features their bookmarks, business card holders, letter openers, valets, pill boxes, and cufflinks.

Thomas Davin and Mary Kesler have been woodworking together since 1979. Their professional training began during their college years in California where Tom studied cabinetmaking and design at C.S.U. Northridge. Mary began woodworking to help pay expenses toward her Bachelor of Science degree at U.C. Davis. After college, they began a business and life partnership. They now reside with their three children, two boys, Morgan and Roland, and a girl, Joanna in the countryside of Rhode Island.

Working out of a nineteenth century mill overlooking Dorset Mill Pond, Mary and Tom utilize the

Man's valet - cocobolo & cherry

beauty of their surroundings to create objects that are simple yet elegant in design. Their woodcrafts are both serviceable and handsome. With minimal care, they can be appreciated for years to come. The hallmark of their work is its combination of artistic expression and utilitarian design.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280

Joyce Fritz Polymer Pins Featured at Smith Galleries

Sea Turtle Pin by Joyce Fritz

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, SC, features the polymer jewelry of Joyce Fritz.
Color and patterns are key to Joyce's process. She uses the technique of  millefiori, an Italian word meaning "one thousand flowers".  This ancient method originally used in glass designs has been adapted by Joyce to create the intricacy and delicacy of a dragonfly's wings.

The clay is prepared and conditioned, using a food processor to mix colors, then kneading every batch by hand. Sheets of clay are rolled out, using a pasta machine to achieve varying thicknesses. Sheets and coils of colored clay are assembled into a cane or loaf, where the design can be seen in cross section. The loaf is made larger than it needs to be, then carefully squeezed and stretched out to its final size, while maintaining the consistency and proportion of the pattern throughout the length of the loaf. As the cane is reduced in size, the color relationships change and patterns become smaller and more intricate.  Thin slices of these canes then become the wings of the insects and the colored bodies of other creatures. Metallic leaf, metallic powders, and glitter are also used to embellish the surfaces of the work.

Joyce Fritz working in her studio.

Other parts of the insects are created and stored until needed.  Joyce plies several strands of recycled telephone wire together to make long lengths of leg material.  She made her own machine to do this, using an old sewing machine motor and foot pedal control.  Antennae , made of wire and beads, are also made in batches.  When all of the elements of a particular insect are made, they are assembled in the studio  in small batches (or hatches!)

Smith Galleries is located in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. The gallery features the work of approximately 300 American artists. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday year round. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com

Swirl Stone Jewelry by Laura Timmins featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, features the jewelry of Laura Timmins.

Her work is influenced by a past career as a research scientist, from which she brings a unique discipline, attention to detail and a passion for investigating how things work. Other ideas that are impressed on her art are her interest in natural growing forms, patterns, and structures and the interrelationship between them.

Many of the processes used to create these pieces have been invented in her studio, and are unique to her work. Colored and translucent polymer clays are blended and layered together to construct the intricate patterning in each piece. Patterns often contain gold or silver leaf and other inclusions embedded in translucent clay. Patterned clay pieces are combined, creating a rich polymer collage. The collage is then sculpted into shape, using an internal wire armature for support when needed, and cured with heat. The spiraling design seen in many of my pieces is created by twisting the polymer collage between two glass sheets prior to shaping and curing.

Smith Galleries is a gallery of fine craft, art, jewelry, picture framing, and creative toys for children. The gallery is located on Hilton Head Island, SC, in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 (UPPER LEVEL). Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com