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“The Earth is Our Ashtray” Ashtray

Ideas born a year and a half apart come together this week.

The Earth is Our Ashtray Ashtray by Sherry Cordova. Created for the Urban Rennaissance show by MAG
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 Ashtry Fine silver, copper, ceramic, wooden matchsticks. Hand fabricated, kiln fired, torched
“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”.  I decided it was time to make an ashtray tying all these thoughts together.  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. Metal Arts Guild. Berkeley CA

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 Renaissance explores 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.

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Polished Off

I practiced bead setting for the first time on this 20 x 20 x 18 mm sterling silver box. I’d cast the box years ago just to see if I could, then came up with the idea of setting tiny stones randomly all around it. As they often do, the idea morphed into different sizes and types of stones. I ended up using 2.25 – 3 mm sapphires, peridots, and aquamarines instead of garnets as originally planned.

While I was polishing up the box, I also polished up the white topaz earrings I flush set last month. The larger oval stones require much more force to flush set than 3mm round stones! Below is a picture of the earrings before the sterling silver was polished.

Next: I’ll finish my piranha skull. The Menlo Park Library will be featuring work from the members of the Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley. I submitted four necklaces for the show and was asked if I have any larger work to add. The 13″ tall wire skull outline I started making in Tom Hill’s wire sculpture workshop should do the trick. Below is the 3″ high shellaced skull which was used as a visual guide.

Stop by the library to see the exhibit any time in the month of June. The display case flanks both sides of the lobby entrance sidewalk before the doors; so you can view all the metal artwork 24/7.