The exhibit + sale ended Oct 3, 2021 at the Pajaro Valley Arts gallery in Watsonville, CA
“Snowflake Coral Travels” was a new piece created for the Reflections exhibit + sale
As land traffic quieted down, ocean shipping traffic increased. Snowflake coral, an opportunistic hitchhiking animal, travels from port to port in the bilge water of ships. Bilge water released at a ship’s destination spreads the polyps who quietly invade and colonize new ports and defenseless reefs.
“Collosphaera Huxleyi, MĂĽller DMO” Earrings Recycled Sterling Silver Electrolytically Etched & Hand Fabricated 30 x 30 x 10mm each Microscopic sea creatures enlarged to swim through life with the wearer
Recycled Sterling Silver and Stainless Steel Electrolytically Etched & Hand Fabricated 52 x 52 x 10 mm Pendant on neckwire
“Radiolaria Collosphaera Cordova DMO” Necklace Recycled Sterling Silver and Stainless Steel Electrolytically Etched & Hand Fabricated 52 x 52 x 7mm Imaginary companion for Haeckel’s Collosphaera Radiolarians
“All Fished Out: The History of Cannery Row” Necklace in Recycled Sterling Silver
Two of Sherry Cordova Jewelry’s recycled sterling silver necklaces are available during the entire month of February at the Many Hands Gallery in Capitola, CA as part of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild Showcase  “Made with Love”. Come meet the artists at the show’s opening reception Friday Feb 3rd, 2012 from 5 – 8 pm. The show is twice the size of last years show, with 60 artists participating.
“Made with Love”:A Valentines Jewelry show case with unique work by artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild
February 1 – 29, 2012 at Many Hands Gallery, Capitola (Yes, it’s a Leap Year!)
“Made with Love” Exhibition & Sale at the Many Hands Gallery, Capitola CA
Still looking for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift?  Sixty talented artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts guild have passionately created a wide selection of high quality jewelry and metal objects. The pieces, in a wide range of styles, will be available for purchase at the Many Hands Gallery in Capitola during the month of February. The one-of-the kind pieces are handcrafted using a variety of techniques ranging from traditional gold- and silversmithing, forging, soldering, and casting to enameling. Items include necklaces, rings, pendants, earrings, cuffs and more. Show your love with jewelry and artwork “Made with Love”!
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Many Hands Gallery, 510 Bay Avenue, Capitola, CA
Many Hands Gallery, 510 Bay Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 475-2500
Business hours: daily from 10 to 6 pm http://www.manyhands-capitola.com/
“Made with Love” art jewelry by sixty artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild. Feb 1 – 29, 2012
About the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild: The MBMAG is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging an environment of education, networking, and community interaction, as well as support and general camaraderie for artists working in metal. Its members include nationally and internationally recognized metal artists. Further information: visit www.mbmag.org
“Bottleneck” Necklace: Recycled Glass & Recycled Fine Silver
Two pieces of Sherry Cordova Jewelry “Bottleneck” and “Green” recycled glass and recycled fine silver necklaces are available during the entire month of February at the Many Hands Gallery in Capitola, CA as part of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild Showcase  “Made with Love”
The Many Hands Gallery at 510 Bay Ave, Capitola, CA is next door to Gayle’s Bakery & Deli. If you have been to Gayle’s Bakery & Deli, you know why it is mentioned!
“Made with Love”:A Valentines Jewelry show case with unique work by artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild
February 1 – 28, 2011 at Many Hands Gallery, Capitola
Still looking for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift?  Talented artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts guild have passionately created a wide selection of high quality jewelry and metal objects. The pieces, in a wide range of styles, will be available for purchase at the Many Hands Gallery in Capitola during the month of February. The one-of-the kind pieces are handcrafted using a variety of techniques ranging from traditional gold- and silversmithing, forging, soldering, and casting to enameling. Items include necklaces, rings, pendants, earrings, cuffs and more. Show your love with jewelry and artwork “Made with Love”!
Many Hands Gallery, 510 Bay Avenue, Capitola, CA
Many Hands Gallery, 510 Bay Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 475-2500
Business hours: daily from 10 to 5 pm http://www.manyhands-capitola.com/
“Made with Love” jewelry by the artists of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild. Feb 1 – 28, 2011
About the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild: The MBMAG is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging an environment of education, networking, and community interaction, as well as support and general camaraderie for artists working in metal. Its members include nationally and internationally recognized metal artists. Further information: visit www.mbmag.org
As I quickly leafed through a class catalog for the Pacific Art League today, ready to set it aside to pass on to a friend, the last ad on the inside cover caught my eye. Something about the ad looked familiar.
The surprising ad
The necklace in the ad is my “Golden Garden of the Seas” fine silver and 24kt gold necklace. I was slower to recognize it than you’d think I’d be, because the original photo has a blue background and the 24kt gold is very yellow in the picture. Someone’s photo editing and the printing color shift threw me off temporarily. I like that piece. I think it’s here with me. Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow….
Last Sunday I spent a couple of hours as a show docent at the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, California.
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My piece “The Earth is Our Ashtray” Ashtray is in the show along with the work of over 40 artists from the Metal Arts Guild based in San Francisco.
Copper ashtray edge detail: grass and plants trying to take root
I was very pleased when a friendly woman told me that the ashtray made her think of ashtrays she remembers from when she was growing up: styles from the 1940s and 1950s. The ashtrays she remembers often had a tall center and curved and angled sides. I was pleased because those are the ashtray shapes that were in my head when I was creating the copper ashtray.
Forming copper over large mushroom stake
To form the tray, first I used shears and a large mushroom stake, then I moved on to using a shot bag ,and then an anvil with a nice pointy horn.
Adjusting the copper ashtray on a shot bag
Anvil used to sharpen fold of copper. The anvil needed some cleaning before it could be used….
Ideas born a year and a half apart come together this week.
Centerpiece of “The Earth is Our Ashtray” Ashtray by Sherry Cordova. Created for the “Urban Rennaissance” show sponsored by MAG and the ACCI Gallery
When I painted a large ceramic globe bead with fine silver as a class exercise, I wondered to myself what I’d eventually do with it. The bead came out of the kiln looking like the earth would after we’ve caused some serious damage.
One day I found countless cigarette butts on the beach in the surf zone. We also find them on the street outside our house, waiting to be washed down into the gutter which leads to San Francisco Bay if we don’t pick up someone else’s trash first.
The question: “Is the earth an ashtray?” kept popping into my head.
“The Earth is Our Ashtray” Ashtray by Sherry Cordova. Fine silver, copper, ceramic, wooden matchsticks. Hand fabricated, kiln fired, torched
Also last year, the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco (of which I’m a member) proposed a show called “Urban Renaissance”. Â I decided it was time to make an ashtray tying all these thoughts together. Â You can read the artist’s statement for the piece and also see it in person at the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, CA starting Friday November 13th. The show’s opening reception begins at 6pm.
URBAN RENAISSANCE
CONCEPT: What does it mean to live, work, dress and move in today’s urban environment?
“Urban” means many things today: cosmopolitan and sophisticated, popular culture and ethnic diversity, street savvy and fast pace living, plus museums, shops and a multitude of architectural styles. Our cities throb with energy, creativity, and diversity—5 star restaurants, upscale fashion, high tech, and a banquet of cultural wealth contrasts with congestion, pollution, homelessness, and garbage-laden alleyways.
Urban Renaissanceexplores these contrasts through the use of materials, form and construction, drawing from a spectrum of conceptual pieces to wearable jewelry, sculptural works to wall-mounted art, traditional metal work to pieces which utilize alternative materials.
The “In the Mix” section. Love the bottom half of the right hand page 🙂
Yesterday I half-heartedly leafed through the Sept/Oct edition of  Oakland Magazine for an article on Lireille Gallery; we’d expected to see the article printed in the July edition. I was stopped mid-turn by a photo I recognized: “Souls Medal of Honor”, a piece of mine that I just wrote about here a few days ago.
Very shocking and very nice! The “In the Mix” section of Oakland Magazine includes a very nice article on Lireille Gallery, and my photo is the one they chose to run with the article. If you’re looking for the magazine in stores (aren’t you?! 🙂 ) here’s what the cover looks like.
Yesterday the coastal town of Half Moon Bay was overcast and cool; nice weather to spend the afternoon in. The Personal FX Gallery is a great space; the building also houses a wine tasting store, and the Courtyard Gallery. The center of the building is a very nice couryard. Kathy of the Personal FX Gallery is very nice and had nicely displayed my C Glass necklaces.
“Blue Wake” recycled blue green bottle glass and coral imprinted recycled fine silver necklace
The recycled bottle glass pieces at Personal FX Gallery really catch the light when worn, so it’s hard to photograph them and do them justice. Below are some pictures where I tried different methods. In the picture of “Arrow” it’s almost impossible to tell that the brown section is transparent, albeit dark, glass.
“Arrow” recycled brown bottle glass and coral imprinted recycled fine silver necklace
A friend gave me a great idea: use a light box below the piece. So, Â one of these days soon, I’m going to try that with some modifications to see if I can get consistently good glass shots. Compare the picture below to the one in the last post and you can see how much of a difference back lighting makes. The museum putty used to keep the piece upright casts quite a shadow in the bottom of the piece.
“Coral Head” Recycled green bottle glass and recycled fine silver necklace by Sherry Cordova Jewelry
        
        
