Patsy Kay Kolesar Design

My Biggest Struggle With Creating Is My Mind....

2012-05-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

I have been at OBRAS artist residency in Renkum, Holland since the beginning of April. My goal was to create 30 new one of a kind pieces while I was here. I'm not sure if I will reach 30 pieces...it will be close.

My biggest struggle with creating here has been my mind. Big surprise. I keep saying these things to myself "Just play, explore, experiment, take risks, try new things"....."but, what am I doing? Is this going to become a sellable line? How am I going to make money?" It's like the 2 sides of my brain are debating inside of me.

I try to remember what Heidi Schwegler said when I heard her speak about doing 4 artist residencies in 1 year, at last years SNAG conference. She said that the real work happened when she returned from the residency and she learned that her job at the residency was to take in as much information as she could - to take photos, to explore, and to really take the time to see things.

I've spent a lot of time creating at my studio space here in Renkum, but I have also taken the time to really see things.....

At a Farmers Market on my trip to Prague. Hippy boys and hot metal.

Prague, earth, buildings, sky.

Prague, The importance of inviting beauty inside.

Sculpture Park, Kroller Muller Museum, Holland.

Telling The Truth

2012-05-08T02:22:00.001-07:00

"Telling the truth is like spreading the underside of your wings, you see that part only when you fly"

- Sabrina Ward Harrison.

I brought the above words with me on my artist residency.

I also brought images of birds in flight, wings, butterflies, flowers, flying sculptures........

Sculptures by Ranjani Shettar

Papaya Art

My life for the past couple of years has been moving. At times I've been pushing it..... and dragging it forward. At other times its been tunneling right over me and I haven't been sure if I can catch up with it.

Through-out all of this movement I've had my feet firmly planted on an earth that was familiar, my home, my life, my apartment, my street.

Until now. I needed to firmly step off of solid ground - on my terms this time......and fly.

For these reasons my work while in Holland has been influenced by the ideas of flight, moving, propelling forward, leaping, taking risks, changing, evolving, wings, wheels, growth, petals, freedom, letting go, growth, renewal.......

"Telling The Truth", Brooch - copper, wire, felt, thread

Some Quiet Days in Renkum

2012-04-29T23:57:00.001-07:00

Finding the Details in Amsterdam

2012-04-25T23:23:00.001-07:00

In a city as spectacular as Amsterdam it is hard to stop looking at EVERYTHING and start connecting with something. It took me some time and a lot of letting my eyes wander to focus in on the things that captured my heart.

Video of My Artist Residency in Holland

2012-04-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Colour, Pattern, & Textures of Holland

2012-04-16T23:53:00.006-07:00

Every corner I turn this country keeps getting more beautiful.

I am surrounded by colour, pattern, and texture........

That's not who I am and that's just fine.....

2012-04-09T23:03:00.024-07:00

I have been thinking about doing things simply. My work for the past number of years has been anything but simple. I am always adding more details, more colour, more pattern, more twists and more turns into my pieces.

I have thought that since my life is a little less twisty and turny these days, my work should also be less complicated. I love the look of modern minimalist pieces of jewelry.
But I was really trying.....almost forcing myself to think and work this way and of course, I kept hitting road blocks. I spent hours yesterday morning fighting with the Swedish sewing machine that I have here trying to make it do what I needed it to do. I was frustrated and annoyed and just tossed it all up to having a bad day.

Then a couple of things happened during my day and I was reminded to stop fighting myself. I love pattern, colour, textures, twists, turns, and lots of little details. I'm not going to make minimalist jewelry, that's not who I am and that's just fine.

I came across this Dutch fashion designer Winde Rienstra. Her designs are complex, with many shapes, textures, and patterns. Many people would look at them and think "how would you possibly wear them?" But I looked at them and thought "Yes, these are amazing and intriguing, and I want to see more"

Later in the evening our hosts here in Holland took us to an art opening at this little place called Telpost Millingen - It was this tiny little watch tower, originally used for counting ships. In 2011 they invited a number of artists to spend 11 days each in the tower to be inspired by their surroundings and create art while there. They recorded the results by publishing a little book where each artist showed the work they created and told the story of their creative process. What interested me the most about this project was how different each artists work and process was even though they were all at the same location for the same amount of time.

So.......my first finished piece while in Holland with all of its twists and turns and tiny little details.........

Necklace. hammered copper, hand fabricated brass chain, sterling silver beads.

Finding Inspiration in Holland

2012-04-06T23:40:00.003-07:00

Trying to be open to what's in front of me........

Trying to look at things differently.......

Trying to see things clearer..........

Being Brave

2012-03-24T17:40:00.012-07:00

I've said before that I have a million fears. I am getting ready to leave my life for 2 months to do an artists residency in Holland. I leave in a week. I am full of fear. Now that it is here, now that this is happening I think it's all a little nuts. I'm actually stepping away from my everyday routines to live in another country for two months.......in hopes that I will create new art.......this is hugely scary for someone who is scared of everything......I don't want to feel scared, I soooo want to be brave, but my instinct, my comfortable place is to go to fear.

Why is being brave so hard for some of us? I look at the amazing people in my life. My mother, left her whole entire family in Australia, including a twin sister to move to Canada to be with my Dad. My friend Amy does a backpacking adventure on her own every year, my friend Julia has picked up her whole entire life a couple of times and started over in a new country. That's some freaking brave shit.

I want to be brave. I want to take risks. I want my art to take risks.

"I want to hear jazz with my eyes closed, and dig my toes into the sand dancing. I want to climb to the summit and yell and sleep under the stars. I want to laugh my head off and play marbles and sleep in and eat croissants in bed with butter and marmalade and spill coffee and wear lace and trip holding your hand because I am listening so closely."
-Sabrina Ward Harrison

The next time you read this I will be writing it from Holland.......

Blue Path, Kukenoff Gardens, The Netherlands.

I want my love to make me a better version of myself....

2012-03-12T20:43:00.006-07:00

I've said many times that for me Jewelry is about love. It has a history, it has an intention, it has a story.

I try very hard to walk through this world keeping in mind what really matters and asking myself, What do I want my love to look like? How do I want to give love and to be loved in this world?

This year I want love to be honest, the type of honesty that takes away your fears. I want my love to have good intentions, I want to see past what's in front of me and see what's really there. I want my love to have no expectations - it's here in front of me, in front of you right now, right at this moment and that's all I know. I want my love to make me a better version of myself. I want my love to build something amazing. I want my love to be brave. I want my love to let go of all of the hurt from the past. I want my love to trust. I want my love to fly.

I've been collecting public declarations about love............If you find any in your world send them to me and I'll add them to my blog.

Artist Residencies

2012-02-18T10:50:00.013-08:00

I'm preparing to go on my first Artist Residency this spring. Since deciding to go, I've had lots of questions from people about the why, what, who, and how of of it. So, I'm going to tell you all more about it here and hopefully inspire some of you to start looking for your own residency experience.

I first really learned about Artist residencies last spring when I attended my first Society of North American Goldsmith's conference in Seattle. We heard an artist named Heidi Schwegler speak. She talked about her experience of doing 4 residencies in 1 year. I remember feeling inspired. How blissful it sounded to travel to another country to make art. She said she wasn't sure how she would be able to do the residencies financially and work wise, but she just started applying. When she got accepted to 4 in a 1 year period, she said everything just started coming together for her. This got my mind ticking a little.....

When I got home from that conference I started to look into residencies. Being a Jewelry Artist, I have always had some trouble calling myself an "Artist"........ I didn't go to Emily Carr, I don't have my Masters in Fine Arts....... I went to VCC a local community college and earned a Diploma in Jewelry Art and Design, I've taken numerous art and jewelry classes from other local artists, I've participated in national and international exhibitions......but still I have some trouble calling myself an Artist, weird yes. So to even look into artist residencies I felt somehow like an impostor. I found some really great websites, (listed below) that had tons of information on them. I was excited to see that there are residency opportunities all over the world and that they all have different requirements. For some you might need your masters in fine art, while others really want to offer space to emerging artists. Some are communal experiences, some are more solo driven. Some you can go for a couple of weeks, others can be months or a year.

After finding a handful of residencies that interested me I asked my beau if he would be interested in applying too and going together to one if possible. His response was, "But I'm not an artist, only you are", hmmm, interesting. My response to him, "But you've made a movie, and you have played and toured in bands nationally and internationally, and you haven't worked for anyone but yourself in over 15 years"............So.......we started applying...... two "non artists" started to apply to artist residencies, submitting proposals of work we wanted to create while on the residencies. And we started to get accepted.

We are now getting ready to go to Renkum, a small town in The Netherlands. Where I will create 30 (gasp) new one of a kind pieces of wearable art, using various types of metal wire, fabric, and found objects and he will write a script for a new movie. You know non artist type stuff!
This amazing opportunity is through an arts organization called OBRAS. They have residency opportunities in both The Netherlands and in Portugal.

The most comprehensive list of artist residencies that I found was this:

www.resartis.org
You have to just start looking through them to see if you want them and if they might want you. Some of them do require a lot of experience, and some prefer that you are emerging.

Here is a video that Heidi Schwegler made during one of her residencies. It was really this video and hearing her speak that inspired it all for me.

Wrest 01 from heidi schwegler on Vimeo.

And........There's still time to help me make the most of this experience. I have a little crowd funding project going on Rocket Hub right now. $20 of support gets you a hand written post card from Holland, and who doesn't want that?

An Incredible Opportunity

2012-02-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

I am constantly humbled by how quickly life can change.

How suddenly we can lose someone we love.

How much time can pass before we realize we've forgot about our dreams.

Which is why when offered the the opportunity to do a 2 month artist residency in Holland I said yes, even though I had no idea if or how I could make it happen. So here I am launching a fundraising project on Rocket Hub to help me raise some money to make this incredible opportunity a reality.

For those of you not familiar with Rocket Hub it is a platform for Crowd funding. The idea is that a bunch of people give small amounts of money to help someone reach their dream. A beautiful concept! In exchange for your support I am offering some really great thank-you gifts like post cards from Holland, and of course jewelry.

Please check out my project through the link below and if you can offer any support I will be very appreciative, even the smallest amount helps greatly.

Alchemy Exhibition

2012-01-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a couple of my favourite pieces that are currently in the exhibition "Alchemy - Transformation in Contemporary Enamels". I received the exhibition catalogue in the mail a couple of months back and danced around with excitement while looking through it. My Wedding Cake Ring is included in this exhibit and is in the company of some amazing enamelists!

The Alchemy Exhibition is put on by The Enamelist Society. Averill B. Shepps the President of the Enamelist Society opens the catalogue stating "The exhibitions are integral to the Society's principal purpose to promote and encourage enameling because they represent much of the best work that was done in the medium in the last two years. The Board recognizes the importance of producing the catalog because it represents a permanent record of current work in enameling in any given year."

Alicia Boswell - USA
Ossify
Brooch
Champleve. copper, enamel, sapphire, paint, stainless steel

Jessica Calderwood - USA
Conceal
Wall Panel
Limoges. enamel, copper, laser-cut steel, brass, resin

The Alchemy Exhibition Schedule:

September 9 - October 29, 2011 at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN.
November 14, 2011 to January 13, 2012 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN
March 9 to June 3, 2012 at the Metals Museum, Memphis, TN

You can feel the past in precious metal......

2012-01-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

Jewelry has a history. It has a past. It has experienced love and hope. It has experienced heartbreak and painful endings.

I often have people asking me if I can make something old into something new. I get it. We have jewelry that once was and now is not. We have jewelry that just sits somewhere dusty.

I appreciate the desire to turn it into something we actually want to wear. But I also appreciate the history of a piece of jewelry. You can feel the past in precious metal, it has an energy. Even the pieces that ended in heartbreak once experienced the energy of great love. And heartbreak also has a painful honest pure energy that is beautiful.

So, I'm mixed about turning our history in jewels into new pieces.......

Here are two pieces of my history in jewels. These are my two earliest memories of jewelry. They were both given to me by my Nana and Grandpa, who lived in Australia. The brooch was the first piece of jewelry I ever got. It is hand engraved. It is not perfect, which makes me love it that much more. The bird necklace is enameled, some of the blue enamel in the middle of the bird has chipped off, but I would never try to fix it because that chip is part of my history.

If you have something to say.........

2012-01-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

I've been playing this song on repeat these days. that's what I do when i don't know what to do. i find a song that reaches me and play it over and over again. there is something soothing about it, like rocking in a rocking chair.

A Ring A Week Exhibition This Weekend!!!!!!!

2011-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

5 Artists
28 Weeks
140 One of a Kind Rings

The Onion Studio Building 1103 Union Street

On exhibit and for sale at this weekend's Eastside Culture Crawl.

Friday November 18th 5-10
Saturday November 19th 11-6
Sunday November 20th 11-6

Crackerjack and Eastside Culture Crawl

2011-10-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year where I put my head down and get ready for my shows and for the Christmas season. So much to do.....so little time. I was talking to my Mom on the the phone the other night telling her how much work I had to do and she said, "You'll get it all done, you always do"....I said "No, Mother you don't understand, this might just be the year where I don't get it all done!!!!"

So - You are all invited to my shows to find out if I do manage to get it all done! If you come to these and don't see me it means I'm hiding in my bed under my covers until the end of the season and you should probably call my Mother and let her know.

One of Those Days

2011-09-29T15:44:00.001-07:00

It's just one of those days.

I've been listening to this song over and over again.......

Moving Me Forward in The Right Direction - Two Collaborative One of a Kind Necklaces

2011-09-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things enter your life when you need them. Part of getting ready for September Shop was doing some collaboration projects with the other artist's involved. Out of this experience bloomed some pretty amazing things for me.

In the spring I started twisting wire. I had a roll of thin steel wire sitting on a table in my apartment for months. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. One day I picked it up and started to look at it differently. I started twisting it. I twisted through the loss I’ve experienced in this past year of my life……and I twisted into what was blooming around me……

For me art often takes me out of someplace in my head or my heart where I've been stuck. Being stuck isn't very fun. But sometimes I need to tread water in a murky place for a while before I know how to get out of it. Many of my pieces are connected to a bigger story and they often take me from one place in my life to the next. Artistic expression has a way of doing this for me. Writing, drawing, moving metal - creating something that connects itself to my heart has the ability to pull me out of something, to show me what is next, to open my eyes, to dig deeper, to love stronger, to not miss out on something amazing.

Not long after I started twisting wire, Jen Pleadwell of twofolds textiles gave me a handful of her sweet feminine silk flowers in stunning bright colours. I sat with my roll of dark steel wire and these soft vibrant flowers and something incredible started to bloom. Two One of a Kind Necklaces that are completely new for me, completely different, completely unexpected.

A beautiful surprise that moves me forward in the right direction..........

Both of these one of a kind pieces are available at September Shop. September Shop is a pop up shop for the month of September and will close on September 28th, so get there soon.

September Shop is located at 196 Kingsway, the corner of Kingsway and 10th.

Silent Auction for ArtStarts

2011-09-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

ArtStarts envisions a society where the arts are regarded as an essential part of educating young people and a catalyst for creating innovative, engaged and contributing members of society. ArtStarts in Schools has a leadership role in transforming the way children and youth are engaged, in and through the arts, and in promoting the value of the arts in young lives.

At September Shop - Our one month pop-up shop we have done 3 collaborative projects. We are auctioning these items off in a Silent Auction for the month that we are open. 100% of the proceeds from these items will be donated to ArtStarts.

I grew up in a small town in a working class family. Although my family was filled with creativity, I didn't know that being an artist for a living was an option. I think that giving kids the opportunity to meet all types of artists and to make art is integral to making them into kind, compassionate, interesting human beings.

I would like to invite you to bid on our auction items - you can publicly bid on our facebook page, you can come into the store and bid, or you can email me your bid.

One of a Kind Silk Flowers & Blackened Steel Necklace by twofolds textiles and Patsy Kay Kolesar Design. The current bid is at $50

One of a Kind Journal and Pocket Mirror by Laura Bucci Handmade and Patsy Kay Kolesar Design. The current bid is at $45

One of a Kind Leather Neck Collar by Flightpath Designs & Bronsino. The current bid is at $50

You can come in and see these items at September Shop Tuesdays-Sundays 11-5 until September 28th. 196 Kingsway @ 10th ave.

Working in Collaboration - September Shop

2011-09-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am an independent artist and business owner. I work inside my own head, I make my own decisions, I create based on what moves me.

However, for the past couple of months I have been working in collaboration with other artists. Working in collaboration has it's challenges. I have seen who I don't want to be and I have seen who I strive to be. Working in collaboration also has it's connected amazing moments. For the past few months myself and 4 other artists have been preparing for the opening of September Shop. We have faced thousands of back and forth emails, last minute curve balls and the sudden drop out of one of the artists, but what we have created is an amazing beautiful shop that I am so proud to be part of.

I am inspired by all of the hard work that each of us has put into this 1 month venture. These women are talented, dedicated, and delightfully creative. I have learned a lot from my experience working with them and I am excited to finally share the opening of September Shop with all of you. If you are in Vancouver you must come and see the beautiful space that we have created. September Shop is only open from Saturday September 3rd until Wednesday September 28th Tuesdays-Sundays 11-5. Many of the pieces that we have created for September Shop are one of a kind. You don't want to miss this one! Trust me.

September Shop Address:
196 Kingsway Vancouver BC.

September Shop features the work of:

Flight Path Designs – graphic inspired leather accessories

Laura Bucci Handmade – image/text compositions transferred to functional fabric-based personal accessories and housewares

Nana Fro Textile Art – textile hand dyed items for the body and the home

Patsy Kay Kolesar Design – art jewelry combining ancient techniques in metalsmithing with contemporary techniques in enameling

twofolds textiles – textile artist producing clothing and fashion accessories employing weaving, piece-dyeing, embroidery, and ceramics

Tiny Finery - Making every piece by hand

2011-08-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

Enameling isn't easy. It can be challenging. Each enamel fires at a different temperature, it is easy to over fire and under fire, colours look different on each different type of metal, and your metal has to be perfectly clean before you enamel it or it could chip off or crack. But I LOVE it. I love the process of watching the powder turn into a glassy vibrant colour. I love that I make every piece by hand. I love sawing the metal, filing, bending, hammering, soldering, adding stones, adding enamel, adding pearls. I love turning stories into metal.

The beautiful details of hand made work is what made me so excited when I had the opportunity to create Tiny Finery with Jade Pellerin and Stephanie Menard. I am invested in keeping my work hand made. I love the energy that a handmade piece carries. I love to create and I am inspired by other talented artists creating. I am excited to make Tiny Finery a place that showcases amazing, talented, creative, innovative, highly skilled Jeweller's, Artists, and Makers.

We now carry the beautiful work of the following designers:

Simone Richmond
M arni Burton
Su Foster
Minori Takagi
Laura Bucci
Patrice Cake

We are having our Opening Party Next Wednesday August 17th from 7-10pm. I would love for you to join us. www.tinyfinery.ca/party Please RSVP if you can make it and I will put you on the list.

September Shop - Popping up!!!!!!

2011-08-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

A Pop-up Shop for the month of September! How exciting. When I tell people that I am part of September Shop, which is a 1 month pop-up shop, the typical reaction is...."what's a pop-up shop?" Essentially a pop-up shop is a short term retail venture. A business pops up and opens for a short period of time - draws in a crowd, creates some buzz, sells some stuff and then closes down leaving no trace of being there behind.

When I was about 9 years old my family spent a couple of years moving into different houses while we figured out where exactly we wanted to live. Each time we would move out of a house I would find a tiny corner of my bedroom and carve into the wall "Patsy and Biscuit Kolesar lived here" (Biscuit was my childhood cat, who I found when I was 6 and brought him home, but that's another story)

There is something about the concept of a pop-up shop that reminds me of moving around when I was a kid. You take over a space, make it beautiful, make it your own, invite people into it and then you tear it down, move out and hope that you leave positive energy there for the next inhabitants. There is something warm and welcoming in the fluidity of it. It's only 1 month - You can take risks with it, try something new, and push your creative boundaries.

September Shop will feature 5 local designers - I am honored to be included in this very talented and smart group of women.

Patsy Kay Kolesar Design, Laura Bucci Handmade, twofold textiles, Flightpath Designs,and Nana Fro Textile Art.

One of the most exciting parts of this 1 month venture is that we are teaming up to do some one of a kind collaborative projects. There will be a silent auction for these pieces and you can come and bid on them throughout the month. The proceeds for them will be donated to a local charity.

I will also be launching some new designs at September Shop!!!!!!!

To stay in the know you will want to join our facebook page or you can visit our blog and sign up for our newsletter.

A Slice of Artistic Sanity

2011-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Ring a Week project has turned into a little slice of artistic sanity for me. I have to make a ring a week regardless of how chaotic and busy my life gets. I have to sit down and stay still long enough to think of a new idea. I have to stay still long enough to connect with what I'm feeling, which isn't always easy. But my jewelry designs have always been inspired by a story - by lasting love, by painful heartache, by hopeful change.

So, what have I been feeling?...........Honestly my life has become a little chaotic. I have recently opened up a new store with two other artists. We have been thrown into a fire of change and we have to figure things out. It is craziness! For all of you who have opened retail stores on your own, my deepest respect for you! Our space is only 200 square feet and there is 3 of us to share the workload.....and it really has taken over our lives. Hopefully things will smooth out a little and become calmer for us once we get all of the start up tasks figured out.......I imagine those of you who own retail stores are chuckling right now as maybe things never get calmer once you have a store - and if this is true please lie to me, as I need to think that things will be tranquil in my life once again. ;)

My rings for the past few weeks have been twisty- like my mind, with glimmers of hopeful pink pearls - like my heart.

Week 8 Ring

Week 9 Ring

Week 10 Ring

Introducing Tiny Finery........

2011-07-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I shared my experience from my first Society of North American Goldsmith's conference that I attended in Seattle at the end of May. Coming back from the conference I knew that my life would change I just didn't know exactly how.....until something big and exciting presented itself to me.

In a whirlwind of a few weeks I have formed a business partnership with two other artists, Stephanie Menard and Jade Pellerin and we will very soon be taking over a retail space called Tiny in River Market located in the New Westminster Quay. River Market has recently been completely renovated and has a new vision and new energy. It looks beautiful. It's vision is about offering the community a way to connect - with local organic food, with local artists and artisans and with enriching events.

The space we are taking over isn't just about retail. Essentially we are the artist's in residence.

Mark Shieh, the Director of River Market describes Tiny by saying "We believe small is beautiful. We believe an ecosystem buzzing with a large number of small ventures at the local human scale is more interesting and more enriching than one with only a small number of giant companies. In TINY’s 200sf space, we support the creative energy and entrepreneurial projects of local artisans, crafters, and designers."

This is where we come in - Three local artists painting the space with our own brush and own creative vision.
What we are creating is: Tiny Finery

Tiny Finery will sell local BC made art with a focus on jewellery. We will introduce our customers to new work, to new artists and to the stories that drive us to create. We will make some of our pieces from a work bench in the store, showing customers that our work is truly handmade. We will offer lower mainland jewellery artists an opportunity to showcase one of a kind art pieces in some upcoming exhibition style shows.