bezhu

new new

2011-07-09T18:34:00.000-04:00

the good news is, i'm alive. just pretend i was abducted by aliens {very friendly aliens}

so hi, how are you?

good? oh goooooooooood. things around here are gettin' weird to be honest. feels like the summer just started and simultaneously the end seems so imminent. i need a pause button. the three of us are taking route in different directions come the end of july. i'll finally be leaving kalamazoo after 7 years of calling it home. then i'll be headed off to grad school, to work my ass off, and try and make something of myself.

so of course this summer we are trying to accomplish a lot of things before we leave. like swimming in lake michigan (a lot), eating ten thousand popsicles, getting long islands and shakin our booties at our favorite gay bar, and finding a new home for scary mary...

any takers?

{thanks for reading} lynn

oh my! summer & all that

2010-09-12T20:04:00.001-04:00

hello world!
i have been away from michigan almost all summer and without high speed internet.
most of the summer i was in connecticut but first i went to north carolina for a couple weeks at the beginning of june to take a class at the Penland school of crafts. (oh, sweet penland!) one of my favorite places. i actually have dreams once a month or so in which penland is the setting. so much can happen there in two weeks, it's amazing. my class was with Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, who is without a doubt one of the best teachers i have ever had. we learned various methods of forming/raising metal. so much hammering.. and... um.. i forged an f-ing spoon. it rocked my socks. here are some photos of unfinished projects mainly:

{we had an ice cream social with all our spoons (finished and unfinished)}

{in the process of polishing}

{then i made an extra tiny spoon, and extra tiny dish tray. my girl alissa made an extra tiny fork and enameled the tray for the penland scholarship auction. (it's like 1"x1"). the dish tray is an integral part of your everyday work study sweaty dish-washing life. but you love it because you're at penland and being sweaty and smelly suddenly seems like the best way to live}

so this makes me miss penland, i need to get back there soon.
if you've never been, go on.
i'll update the rest of my summer soon, too many photos for one post.

{thanks for reading}lynn

don't be an idiot with the tweezers (paraphrased)

2010-05-19T11:24:00.000-04:00

while laying in bed last night flipping through the pages of "form emphasis for metalsmiths" by Heikki Seppa(required read/resource for my class at penland), i came across this most hilarious and true statement. the wording is so matter of fact (don't be an idiot with the tweezers!)... i can't get over it.

"Among the many securing devices, the tweezer (self-closing) on a stand is much abused. Its proper use is so limited as to hardly justify owning one; its improper use is so common that it is surprising anything is ever accomplished with it."

{thanks for reading} lynn

suzanne beautyman

2010-05-19T00:11:00.000-04:00

a while ago we went to the museum of contemporary art detroit to see cranbrook's graduate show. apparently it is not usually held at this location and is not usually such a mad house (it was very overwhelming). i believe the cranbrook galleries are being remodeled. anyway, we really went to see work by suzanne beautyman. i innitially met suzanne last year during a workshop she instructed while i was a student and she was in the midst of grad school. the photos do not really do the work complete justice, but her display was really beautiful. see better and more photos of her work here. this show is titled Oppulent Boarders, a series of brooches...

{thanks for reading} {lynn}

midnight gardening

2010-05-05T12:25:00.001-04:00

{i came home from work monday night to a silent house and an orange extension chord which i followed to our back door to find this gardening operation, terrarium style}

GRAM

2010-04-30T00:09:00.000-04:00

A week (or maybe even 2 weeks) ago, Alissa & I went to Grand Rapids to see the Alexander Calder Jewelry exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. We went on the last day it was open of course. I had not been to the museum since they remodeled it years ago, it's really quite nice. We also saw the "Artprize" winning piece from last year which is a giant oil painting (that looks like a photograph) of what I assume to be the waters of Lake Michigan. It's a very comforting piece.

The Calder show was just outstanding. I was blown away with a lot of the pieces in the way that I cannot believe he was making this type of work in the 30's. Many of his pieces were actually created as loving gifts to his wife and others in his life, which i thought was really sweet and honest. The work is all hammer-hammer-hammer-cold-connected, but movable and lovely and simple. It all looks like gold, but most is brass. I forget to love brass sometimes. Once again, I only have a few images as I was not allowed to photograph in the museum, but I did anyway (please do not hate me, it was done only in adoration).

{thanks for reading}
lynn

listening in the studio III

2010-04-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

something you might not know about me,
i have a weakness for rap music.
get this album.

variations of home

2010-04-11T19:41:00.000-04:00

these works are from of a thesis exhibition by a friend of ours, erica stephens. the work is all in ceramic and is dealing with the idea of home and what it might mean to other people. erica was in many of my jewelry classes while i was in school but decided to get her bfa in ceramics instead of metals. check out the jewelry influence! you can take a girl from jewelry but you can't take the jewelry out of the girl (or whatever cliche thing it is that people say). anyway, it really pleased me to see these little ceramic decal "home" pins.

on another note, it's always a little uncomfortable to go back to school and in the gallery after having graduated. i end up feeling like i want to get out of there which is too bad because i enjoy showing up and supporting other artists. i think there is definitely pressure after graduating to sort of get out of town or do something "great" outside of kalamazoo. but the thing is, you can do something meaningful anywhere you are. it just might involve an occassional pep talk and reminding yourself to go and brush ya shoulders off (thanks jay-z).

thanks for reading
{lynn}

KIA Area Show

2010-04-10T23:29:00.002-04:00

Last night was the opening for the West Michigan Area Show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. There were many nice pieces and it's great to see the enthusiasm for the arts in Kalamazoo and great work coming out of the area. Alissa has a necklace in the show and she will hate me for bragging for her, but she was awarded the Daniel J. and S. Denise Fletcher Award for exceptional jewelry. Truly, her piece rocks my socks. I will show you some of my favorite pieces (well, the pieces i photographed before i was reprimanded by the guard... it's good to break the gallery rules, no?)

{the piece is tited "Tchotchke" and is made of sterling silver, wood, plaster, wax, pigment}
{alissa & caroline chatting}

{another favorite piece at the show by Maureen Nollette titled "White" and made of a length of ribbon and straight pins.}

{below-- a brooch by Devin Ragotzy - copper, paint, plastic, paper}

{textile work by Jennifer Moss}

{photography by George Crow - the background should be black but there was a lot a reflection, it's like he's standing in the gallery, actually this guy really was in the gallery}

{"frenzy bowl" by wade macdonald}

thanks for reading!
{lynn}

spring

2010-04-06T20:46:00.000-04:00

i wanted to post these on sunday when they were taken, but my internet wasn't letting me. these are alissa's two bunnies, roxanne and moose. roxanne wanted our raspberry/blueberry pancakes. they are crazy furry beasts, but exceptionally cute.

so, happy spring! (it finally feels like it) go out and absorb the sun when it isn't raining. and, well, absorb the rain when it isn't sunning.
{lynn}

i'd dap that

2010-03-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

while in houston i met a guy briefly who was wearing a t-shirt with a b&s guage on it. he told me about some group or person who also made shirts that said 'i'd dap that." if you know who this person is, or how to acquire one of these shirts, let me know! this brings me to my next point of interest... new tools! otto frei just shipped me this super sexy dapping block set. after removing a lot of grease, i'm in love.

{t h a n k s f o r r e a d i n g}

Lynn

Little Things / In-Between

2010-03-20T19:57:00.001-04:00

One week later... I've managed to sit down and pull through the mad SNAG cluster resting in the back of my thoughts and produce a little feedback. Firstly, and most importantly, thank you to everyone in Houston that made our trip that much more easy and enjoyable. I'm talking about all our friends and colleagues we've met over the years, the volunteers, the Hyatt staff, the taxi drivers, the Final Night DJs, the people that run that little Thai place down in the tunnel, and the guy who came up at 11:00 at night to unclog an already un-clogged toilet.

Thank you for small things that made a huge thing that much more awesome.

I didn't get very many photos either, but I managed to scrape together a few shots of the -in-between- at SNAG Houston..

loving the hotel multiples..

between-lecture assemblage..

sunset view from the 26th floor..

pre-flight fruit tart and sweet, sweet coffee....

For another view of the SNAG / Houston experience, check out Anthony Tammaro's blog, which includes video talks with featured artists and SNAG members, and whirlwind tour of the two-night gallery hop in Houston's Museum District!

Can't wait for Seattle..

Alissa

summer workshop!

2010-03-18T20:42:00.000-04:00

I received a pleasant telephone call from Penland School of Crafts today informing me that I got into summer workshop I applied for with a full work study scholarship (yay doing dishes in exchange for an education.) This pleases me immensely! The class is called Form/Fab with Myra Mimlitsch-Gray. I saw her work and lecture in Philadelphia last year and she sort of became my role model. Also I have only a small amount of experience forming/raising and am really excited to give myself space to try my hand at some larger scale metalsmithing. The class is not until June, but it is always nice to have something to look forward to.

Penland is always an adventure... can't wait.

{Lynn}

houston & sunny weather

2010-03-17T15:02:00.002-04:00

Ok. Last week I went to Houston TX for the SNAG conference. I had a wonderful time meeting people, re-meeting people, seeing great shows, lectures, etc. Sadly, I took zero photographs. What was I thinking? I have a goal now, take more photos!!! And hopefully I will also be getting a nicer camera soon (i'd like to give a shout out to my tax return). Anyway, the conference also made me realize a billion other forgotten goals I have for the upcoming year. The winter made me forget a few things, I think I was in a snow coma for half of it. But hey, we made it through.

{Above are a couple photos of a ring I dontated to the silent auction at the conference. It's sterling and hand cut suede.}
It's good to be back in Michigan now it's sunny and 60 degrees. I went for my first bike ride further than the library (where I work). I went out to the Kal Haven trail head & I can't wait to ride out on it when i have more time. It is a total gem (photo opportunity)! It runs from downtown Kalamazoo all the way to Lake Michigan. I have never trecked the entire 33-miles (66 if you go both ways)...perhaps a summer goal...?

Will post later,
thanks for reading y'all.Lynn

he(art) jewelry

2010-03-01T00:02:00.001-05:00

this is the first in a series of posts dedicated to contemporary jeweler's work that i appreciate.
{benjamin lignel}

benjamin lignel is an artist/designer working in paris, france. he began with studies in art history and furniture design. i very much like the 'in context' photo of the pieces above. i find myself drawn to this particular type of narrative or artful photographing of jewelry on the wearer. i like the multitude of meanings that could be read in the image and also how particularly simple or sentimental the pieces are. he also has a really beautiful collection of pieces called "Thinking of You" which are portraits of the ears of individual's loved ones. please take a look at his work.

{thanks for reading}
lynn

listening in the studio II

2010-02-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

lisa mitchell is stuck on repeat...

everyday oddity

2010-02-12T13:39:00.001-05:00

i was cutting a really ripe tomato with a pretty dull knife on the counter. the cleanup resulted in this pretty/somewhat creepy photo. thought i should share.

thanks for looking,
Lynn

a shoutout to the 8/0's

2010-02-09T21:19:00.003-05:00

these photos show some of the hours of sawing i have been partaking in with my 8/0 sawblades (a.k.a. the love of my life). i have always loved my jeweler's saw but particularly enjoy sawing as tiny as humanly possible. it's kind of scary how much joy these blades bring me. anyway, the objects below show some samples with various pigments for the final piece i am working on which will eventually be a necklace i think. {process shots of the cutting at the bottom.}

thanks for reading, I will eventually post the final piece.Lynn

listening in the studio

2010-02-05T13:52:00.000-05:00

i have developed a habit of always having to listen to something while working in the studio and i thought it would be fun to share what is playing...

also, i am secretly learning conversational spanish. (entiendo un poco de espanol.) last night alissa came downstairs thinking that there was a mysterious spanish speaking intruder in our home. nope, just me practicing my spanish pronunciation with dr. paul pimsleur while sawing at the bench.

have a good weekend,lynn

gray michigan

2010-01-23T15:06:00.001-05:00

i made this piece a few months ago but wanted to photograph it outside. the weather in michigan is just too gray and icy and muddy right now. there must be a way to take advantage of the ugly, right? this slightly creepy pink garage behind our house is lovely. thanks to alissa and liz for freezing their butts off even though the photos turned out slightly questionable...

{the piece is very much and very simply about people and how i imagine all the small things between us that make us feel part of something.}

thanks for looking -- lynn

More Charms!

2010-01-14T23:42:00.001-05:00

A few little sweater links also on their way to Pittsburg...
and in case you were wondering, these little things are made of : sterling silver, steel, and wool thread

For more info on the Charmed show and its participants, please see the post below.

Hooray for first posts! I'll bring more with me next time..

- Alissa

Charmed

2010-01-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

I recently sent these off to Pittsburgh for a show at the Society for Contemporary Craft.
{they are made of sterling silver and hand-cut suede}

Charmed: an exhibition of artist-made charms and charm bracelets:

January 19-February 27, 2010
Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
www.contemporarycraft.org

participating artists:
Bob Ebendorf
Robert Longyear
Margaux Lange
James Thurman
Jen Townsend
Marlene True
Rob Jackson
Robin Kraft
Ana Lopez
Victoria Altepeter
Mary Hallam Pearse
Kathryn Osgood
Brittany Sondberg
Erica Stankwytch Bailey
Allyson Bone
Vince Pontillo
Adrienne M. Grafton
Lynette Andreason
Bryan Peterson
Tavia Brown
Autumn Brown
Talya Baharal
Tim Lazure
Renee Zettle-Sterling
Colleen Heineman
Rachel Ketzner
Sarah Holden
Stacey Webber
Lynn Batchelder
Raissa Bump
Alissa Lamarre

{Thanks for reading}
Lynn

2009-12-22T00:12:00.000-05:00

today, oh today.

after finding our basement filling with smoke this afternoon, i thought our house was on fire.

all of my possessions, objects, jewels, etc. flashed before my eyes.
liz scrambled out of the shower trying to gather herself and the cats...

i called 911. swarms of fire trucks and cops came within moments, blocking our street.

apparently our duplex-mates were heating plastic or resin or something dangerous on their stove and forgot about it. {completely insane.}
personally i burst into tears.

i'm just glad the house is still standing, except everything smells like burning.

{be safe this holiday}

lynn

our home studio

2009-12-19T20:31:00.002-05:00

we have been blessed with an old home that has multiple unnecessary rooms to the everyday person, but very very necessary to us. we have 2 living rooms. so what better place to set up a studio but the largest room in the house? it is also nice because the room can be separated by two sets of pocket doors to stop the kitties from entering or to muffle the sounds of hammering while your roommate is taking a nap on the couch in the next room. it's helpful.

anyway, the studio is a little tight with the three of us in there, but very functional. as long as you have the essentials, a bench (or table), bench pin, hand tools, an acetylene torch, and a crock pot for your pickle, you're good to go. (a decent chair is also pretty crucial - one that goes up and down - we bought chairs over the summer one day and it improved our lives more than i can say). you can do a lot with very little equipment. sometimes it seems like limiting your available materials or processes can help you discover little tricks or experiments that yield some interesting results. i like to think of it as a challenge.

{here is a photo of our studio {kind of a mess, but necessary}}

{my bench}

{alissa's bench}

{sewing corner by day, photo booth by night}

{thanks for reading!}
Lynn

thinkin' about spring travels

2009-12-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

i am going to dinner this eve with some fellow kalamazoo metalsmiths to discuss our travels to Houston for the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference '10. I know it seems far off (March--am i the only one that feels like it's getting earlier and earlier every year?), but it's still something to get excited about in advance.

i have personally been to the past four conferences (chicago, memphis, savannah, and philly). It all started in Chicago with a little push from my fellow classmate who basically signed me up by asking if i had a credit card and then 'conveniently' and subsequently lending me his laptop with the registration page all ready to go. Thanks again.

i think i was like 19 or 20 years old. can't believe i saw ted noten as the keynote speaker (i'm pretty sure he smoked a cigarette on stage), karl fritsch spoke (i remember a brief explanation on sling casting), and ramon puig cuyas - all these iconic artists - i had no clue what i was seeing or what art jewelry even was back then (not that i have a clue now)... but i was pretty awestruck by the curious world of jewelry, and have not ceased to be since then.
so if you've never been, go.

Lynn {of bezhu studio}

well, it's winter all right

2009-12-17T00:01:00.004-05:00

with the first michigan winter storm (some may call it a blizzard) we couldn’t help but get jazzed about making paper snowflakes. and as we all know paper snowflakes lead to mini christmas trees which lead to fake snow (thanks to liz, it was repurposed from fake spiderwebs from halloween!) which somehow eventually leads to animals in sweater vests (coming soon).

{Zazu...aka zazi, zuzu, zazzles, etc}

{alissa and liz putting up some lights while i was out in the snow storm being a stalker of my own home}

{living room}

{paper massacre! the only thing i have really crafted so far this week. yikes}

{our studio pets}

{slightly maniacal looking liz with snowmen}

happy holidays!

Lynn {from bezhu studio}

let's get acquainted

2009-12-14T23:01:00.008-05:00

{greeting card made from 1960's reader's digest}

i would have loved to have written sooner but the studio started taking over my life last week. jewelry, yes always, but also holiday cards. it’s safe to say i was obsessed. so, every first friday here in kalamazoo there is an art hop. this month i was able to set up a table to sell my wares (jewels and cards) at the exquisite corpse studio located in the park trades center downtown. the december art hop is always the best, and it was snowing here in the mitten so of course that added to the charm.

also the gallery had a show up of small works called WEE! (great title i thought) which Liz and i both had pieces in– Lizzie’s is on the flyer–check out their site^

{what has come over me with these almost sickeningly cute cards, i blame christmas cheer, & the strong desire to use colored pencils}

these cards as well as other recent production jewelry can be purchased on our new etsy site --
www.bezhu.etsy.com

seasons greeeeeeeeeeeeetings,

Lynn {of bezhu studio}

so it begins...

2009-12-14T01:06:00.000-05:00

Bezhu studio is the place where we work. We also sleep here, eat here, tend to our two huge cats (which are basically small mountain lions), and occasionally when we’re feeling particularly sassy, we push aside the soldering bench for small dance parties.

The house/studio (a metals and jewelry studio) is in Kalamazoo, Michigan and is really in a duplex. Which means our neighbors (the people whom we share a wall with) have to hear the incessant sounds of hammering and undoubtedly are wondering what exactly is going on when they drive in and see through our living room window the three ladies running around like mad scientists in aprons with safety glasses, torches, and bowls of various liquids.

We intend to use this blog to show (individually and as a trio) what we are working on, what we are looking it, and to encourage a conversation.

Please check back for upcoming posts…

[Lynn, Alissa, and Liz]