Kim Harrell silversmith&jewelry design

I have mixed feelings about this gemstone. You may have seen the movie Blood Diamond which would probably be bad enough. However, for me, it was the revelation when I was studying for my degree in this field that I learned of the virtual monopoly De Beers had over the diamond trade and the clever or devious (you decide) creation of the engagement ring. The whole thing just smacked of manipulation and exploitation. My little liberal self was appalled and I swore I would never work with diamonds. I didn't for a long time.

Fast forward to the current reality. I actually adore the things. The dealer I buy from is an eccentric, knowledgeable gemstone collector with a passion for colored diamonds. He showed my kids how a uncut diamond could melt ice. He puts the beauties under his super dooper telescope and tells me what I am looking at. My dealer had educated me and I have learned respect.

The opportunity to work with diamonds is infrequent for me and usually comes in the form of an anniversary gift or wedding/engagement ring. As metal is my passion, the diamonds tend to play second fiddle to body of the ring but I am conscientious about how the diamond is set and that is it also appropriately shown off. My rings are simple, elegant and beautiful.

Diamonds are just one aspect of my chosen profession that challenges my morals and ethics. Metals are stripped from the earth and people are exploited and even killed for some gemstones such as diamonds and emeralds. I try not to loose sleep over these things; my trade is one of the oldest in the world. In fact, in ancient Greece, the people who made gold jewelry were slaves; albeit highly valued slaves, but slaves nonetheless. In some African cultures, metalsmiths were revered as 'magicians' and lived on the edge of the village. Their power was awesome to them but also dangerous. How could he turn the bits of rock into useful tools and currency?

When I have these moments of an overwrought conscious I turn torment into a challenge and start to explore alternative materials; reuse things I already have or that I find. Recently, I have been using hemp in my work and incorporating simple silver elements and old beads or other elements that I make out of metal. It is hard for me to move completely from the metal. I am a silversmith, after all. Sigh.

Interestingly, my name "Kimberly", is that of the well known South African city (spelled 'Kimberley') where the diamond rush started. The volcanic rock, 'kimberlite' is one of the most important sources of mined diamonds. To top it off, my birthday is in April whose birthstone is, yes, the diamond. I guess it was written in the stars that I work with them; the stars of the earth, diamonds.

East End Applied Arts: Holiday Open Studio Sale December 4 with 10%-40% ...

2010-11-17T12:09:00.001-07:00

East End Applied Arts: Holiday Open Studio Sale December 4 with 10%-40% discount

East End Applied Arts: @jewelry bar is this Saturday the 17th!/see the ...

2010-07-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

East End Applied Arts: @jewelry bar is this Saturday the 17th!/see the ...

Artist Harrell moves East End south - News - Aurora Sentinel

2010-07-09T10:57:00.000-06:00

Artist Harrell moves East End south - News - Aurora Sentinel

East End Applied Arts: WE HAVE MOVED!/@jewelry bar is this Saturday, ...

2010-07-07T20:09:00.000-06:00

East End Applied Arts: WE HAVE MOVED!/@jewelry bar is this Saturday, ...

New work to be featured at the Denver Art Museum "Bling into Spring" trunk show, April 30, from 6-9.30 in Denver, CO

2010-04-29T15:48:00.006-06:00

I am honored to be part of the DAM gift shop's core local artists. It provides with me opportunities to meet new clients and to talk to patrons about my work.

Here are a few pieces that have come out of what I have been doing in the workshop.

Some of the work is a 'riff', as I like to call it, on themes I have been exploring these past two years. Minimalism inspires the simplicity in my work; less is more!

Here I have also continued my exploration of freeform shapes that I create is silver or gold and by using interesting bead shapes. It is always important to me that the work of my hand is present. This results in asymmetrical earrings, knots in necklaces and 'imperfect' hand drawn lines in the eteched work.

My first love is metal but I do love beads. They are what got me started in my profession many years ago. What makes my work different from what you usually see in beadwork is my combinations of color, particular beads (mixing precious with semi or non-precious materials), shapes of beads, etc.. Plus, I am a great fan of ancient jewelry and admire the purity of the individual shapes of each bead and the material they were made out of - no spacer beads for this girl unless absolutely necessary.

While I was working hard at it, trying to find a space to work on more than one piece, I noticed this natural composition of my tools, drawings and work in progress. I thought it was a perfect 'snapshot' of my process. The final piece is also pictured on the wine glass. All these images are for my personal record of my work as I often do not have time to get a photographer to capture the first batch of new work!

An Evening @jewelry bar

2010-04-29T14:36:00.012-06:00

Special sessions of @jewelry bar are always a blast! These ladies gathered together one weekday evening to make some beautiful baubles for themselves. A few of them were not sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised with what they were able to make and walk away with!

Jennifer's necklace with turquoise, glass beads and rock crystal

Jacki's necklace with ceramic, coral, abalone, turquoise and carnelian beads

Next @jewerly bar is Februrary 20. Here is what we did last Saturday!

2010-02-16T14:47:00.006-07:00

This past Saturday, February 13, five @jewelry bar students made some fabulous things. Almost without exception, the participants used beads from OLD necklaces, earrings or bracelets. Have a look in your jewerly box and come on down to re-make, re-use or re-purpose that jewelry you aren't wearing anymore. I can help you make something that will suit your

budget and your wardrobe. And you might make a few new friends, too!

DECEMBER: Beat the Budget Blues with three Saturdays of @jewelry bar!

2009-11-21T17:35:00.002-07:00

In order to help make it easier for my clients to schedule a visit and 'beat the budget blues', the first three Saturdays of December @jewelry bar will be held. That is December 7, 12 and 19th. You are welcome to drop by and take your chances...or you can book in advance. I can take up to 5 people per hour so bring your pals!! We'll see you @jewelry bar in December!!

November @jewelry bar - the artists came to call....

2009-11-21T17:24:00.003-07:00

Today was a special time for me @jewelry bar. A fellow artist, Penney Bidwell who creates ceramic sculptures, brought two friends along who also take ceramic courses at the Denver Arts Student League. Two of today's participants made necklaces featuring beads they had made. Kathleen's used her sunflower tile and two bumpy round beads; Penney used her bead with unusual texture on it. We worked together to find the perfect beads to enhance their work but also to allow the necklace to speak for itsself.

Penny's necklace

Kathleen's necklace

Meg's necklace

Fun funky necklace!

2009-10-15T14:45:00.003-06:00

Heather's beautiful necklace from September's @jewelry bar. She had to have the giant piece of turquoise and she had so much fun making this one of a kind youthful piece!! What will you do @jewelry bar????

Happy 11th birthday @jewelry bar 'after hours'

2009-09-13T21:58:00.002-06:00

I had the pleasure of hosting a birthday party late last month for a young lady turning 11! She and her girlfriends came and they all made a pair of earrings and had fun exploring the other artists studios in the building. Fun was had by all including myself!! Mom even got into it and made some earrings, too!

@Jewelry Bar: a special event with friends

2009-08-11T11:38:00.004-06:00

@Jewelry Bar isn't just every Third Saturday (next one this Saturday, August 15!), it can also be any time you want! On July 28th, Alyson and some friends arranged for an 'evening bar'. They brought some food and set to work. They made some beautiful things and helped one another out not to mention the fact we all laughed alot. Rachelle revamped an old charm bracelet from her childhood; Mary Louise made a chinese inspired asymmetrical necklace and Kelly made a shimmery bracelet. Renee had fun mixing and matching red and orange decorative beads and Alyson made a pair of earrings for her mother-in-law!

What will you do @jewelry bar???

Some unusual silver spoons...

2009-07-04T14:15:00.006-06:00

I love doing commission work. For jewelry, I adore doing wedding rings; working with the couple, sharing their journey and contributing something special to one of the most important days of their lives. The other commissions I love doing but haven't done much of since relocating to the USA, is silverware. My wonderful client 'Tracy' has given me an opportunity to pursue my first love and has commissioned a set of six spoons.

To design a whole set, different from the spoons I have in stock, was a challenge I relished. I continued with my minimalist theme and added my 'organic twist' with a dash of color. What you are looking at above are the drawings with notes and the beginning of the spoon handles (below). There is only one spoon bowl made as of today, but I hope to have most if not all of the bowls completed this weekend.

The spoons are from 4 to 5.5 inches in total length and are made of sterling silver. Two of the completed spoons will have red rubber details on their tips. All of them will have some more movement to them which will be determined after the bowls are soldered on.

As usual, during the 'dull' work of cutting out shapes, my mind wanders to new designs to add to my existing collections. This is the other thing I love about commission work; it always gets my design mojo working in ways repeat work does not. The act of actually making work is such a powerful tool for generating new ideas for me.

Latest from my studio: coral and glass and turquoise, oh my!

2009-05-18T17:39:00.006-06:00

Saturday was terrific with old friends and new gathering around the 'bar' to make beautiful jewels. In the excitement, I forgot to take pictures of my companions pieces so you are stuck with mine for now! What wonderous creations they made. I continue to marvel at the intuitivity of the bar devotees. They combine unlikely colors, shapes and textures in their necklaces and earrings. Some come with a purpose, others are up for an artisitic adventure! Two people recycled, repurposed or reconditioned old pieces of jewelry. The bar is the perfect place to do that. I continue to be inspired with my old love, the beads. I love the weight of the glass and stones I use. For all of my pieces, I make a unique clasp or use clasps that I only use on my work and that are not available for bar artists.

I am going to ask if the artists will send images of their work and I promise to post them. Stay tuned for more jewlery adventures. The next installment will be about my work in metal...yeah, I do that too!!!

Latest creations from @jewelry bar and Kim is smitten!

2009-05-01T14:03:00.012-06:00

Donna came and joined me @jewerly bar a few weeks ago and she made these beautiful earrings. Also showing is a necklace or two I have made. I have been inspired by the work of @jewelry bar artists and the experience has rekindled my love of beads . So, here is the thing: I've started buying beads again but NOT from the usual suspects. I have secret contacts...no, really, I am mixing it up. I am buying a few things from wholesale outlets to resell to customers but the fun is really in my alternative sources who shall not be revealed! I am buying old beads from countries far and wide. They are ceramic, semi-precious, glass and natural materials like wood, horn, seeds and shells. I love them all! Their color, shape, texture and weight. The result is I am smitten (again!) and will be launching some new pieces I have made that will be part of a new collection of one-offs or unique pieces as the elements are in limited supply or cannot be acquired again. I will also be making some beads myself out of metal and porcelain and who knows what else!!

Jewelry Bar is the new quilting bee!!

2009-03-22T20:47:00.006-06:00

I had a blast with the people who attended 'Jewelry Bar' this month. December was fun, which was the last time I held it, but this month had twice as many people coming and serious pressure for me to set an April date!

Some people brought their own beads or combined them with ones available to buy. I helped them with composition and design issues as well as technique. Most Bar attendees are novices which is great as they learn so much! Others have a variance of experience and need a little help or assistance with a new skill. The fun for me is that I end up learning some things, too!

Here are some pictures of what these amazing ladies made and there are some shots of them wearing their creations. The next Bar session will be April 18th, the day before my 25th birthday (ha, ha). I am thinking of making every third Saturday a 'Jewelry Bar' session. Watch the website for postings and be sure to join my mailing list so you don't miss out if you find yourself in Aurora/Denver Colorado. Oh, and sometimes we take 'bar' literally and the wine gets pulled out!!

Meeting Rachel

2009-02-20T13:37:00.004-07:00

Well, here I am with artist Rachel Lachowicz at Mad Greens across the plaza from the Denver Art Museum. Rachel had just given a charming lecture on her work as part of the Logan Lecture series. I attended the event with my friend and fellow artist Theresa Anderson. Theresa and I are both passionate about our work and making our mark in the world. Hearing Rachel speak to her work and explain her approach and drive to 'make things', had Theresa and I laughing with recognition of our own journey (Rachel is also in our age bracket) and nodding in agreement with her statements.

Rachel's piece, 'One Month Late', was the inspiration for my current collection of jewelry. Without knowing the full details of Rachel's professional history (or should I say 'herstory'?) before I embarked on my process, I have since discovered that we have many things in common. I have to say, it was refreshing and reassuring to have an established female artist talk confidently about her work and acknowlegding the post-feminist aura of her work. I have only come to recently re-affirm that this is indeed something that drives my work. Its not like I sit down and think, hey, how can I offer my perspective to this concept from a woman's perspective; the post feminist approach is not that conscious. I have come to understand, for me, that its just going for what I want to make, say or do as who I am and who I am happens to be a woman. The point here is, being a woman is only one part of me but post-feminism embraces being a woman without having to make overt gestures about that fact. In fact, Rachel has had the sour disappointment of a male someone being interested her work, finding out she was a woman and then completely changing his mind about how he felt about the work SOLELY BECAUSE OF HER GENDER. I shook my head.

I was relieved that Rachel did not think I was a stalker - I had made several email and telephone attempts to contact her before she visited - and it was with pleasure I presented her with a piece of my work inspired by her. The irony, in a good way, about this whole thing was her acknowledgement of appropriation from artists to create her work and that is what I had done: i.e. her Homage to Carl Andre and my homage to Rachel is reflected in my collection title, "Rachel's Red Shoes".

If you are reading this Rachel, thanks again and it is my pleasure to pay homage to a contemporary and to meet you! You are a rock star!

Here is the work 'inspired by....' titled: Rachel's Red Shoes

2008-12-03T09:59:00.002-07:00

At last I have created the final pieces for the beginnings of a new collection of work 'inspired by...' for the Denver Art Museum. The work is inspired by Rachel Lachowicz as revealed in an earlier blog. I am really pleased with the results and have created earrings, a magnetic brooch and a necklace. I can't wait to continue to develop the line and to let the artist know what I am up to... I hope she likes it!

Look ma, I am on youtube!

2008-12-03T09:44:00.003-07:00

Mattea Wellnitz made this video for her college course. She also does all my graphic work. Enjoy and feel free to make comments!

Red Shoes: Inspired by......

2008-11-21T16:48:00.001-07:00

Its been awhile since I have been able to post on my blog spot. So much to do and so little time to do it in. I have been asked by the Denver Art Museum to produce a work or series of works inspired by an artwork on display in their collection. Naturally I jumped at the chance and immediately went to the contemporary galleries which had just been rehung (this was in the fall...). I was struck by the work of Rachel Lachowicz titled "One Month Late". Its an installation piece. The first thing that overwhelms me is the color red; it is my favorite and a color I will happily use in my work. Then I had to investigate the context of the piece. Well, it was not for the faint of heart. I duly checked it out and had a look at the rest of the gallery.

I had to think about this. I was attracted to the color she used, the femininist approach to the work and the political context. I appreciate jewellers who use this in their work but I wanted the pieces I created to be accessible and desirable. I remunated about this work for weeks. I finally broke it down to the elements of the work but with a desire to retain some of the feminist politics.

I ended up focusing on the materials Lachowicz used which were shoes, resin and lipstick. I did not think people could wear lipstick without issues (other than on their lips!) and so I had to find a material that had the look and feel of it. I chose the shoes as the female element of the installation (there are also men's ties and a bent hanger...). I think shoes make a powerful statement about women and women are very intentional about what shoes they wear. I am wearing red clogs as I write this...

These images show me working my jewelry magic...well, making the elements that will become jewelry! That is the next challenge. How will these pieces end up as attractive pieces of jewelry!! My muse better not fail me now!!

At a museum near you!

2008-08-13T15:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I delivered my newest work to the Denver Art Museum Hamilton Building shop. I was blown away by the fact they only had six pieces left in stock! Clearly, I made it just in time! The place was a buzz with the impending excitment of the Democratic National Convention coming to town. The shop manager said they have no idea what to expect but I told him I will be in 'production mode' and to call if they were wiped out of my work.
The jewelry I am making is such a perfect fit for the museum. It has been an unexpected success and it seems the patrons of the museum want contemporary jewelry that is not necessarily made from precious metal and stones. The good news, there is something for everyone there and I have to stop myself from spending money every time I deliver more work.

I call the collection, the Minimalists collection and I used the materials of those artists to create a contemporary collection wearable art. I wanted to capture the simple beauty and compositional elements of the minimalists. I also used components that were 'ready made' and put them together in a new and refreshing way.

I continue to work the Lynda Ladwig in producing our collaborative collection which incorporates porcelain elements with silver findings and sometimes beads of different materials. The work remains minimalist in spirit but also has some figurative elements and organic patterns.