Monday, June 21, 2010

When a Piece of Art Sticks in Your Mind

I found myself thinking about another piece of work we saw at the Contemporary Arts Market last weekend. 

One in particular was done by Joan Dulla, who does extraordinary crocheted wire work.  One piece in particular caught my eye, the picture from her website will show you why. It was a crocheted tube in gold wire, the tube is about half an inch wide, hollow, and the whole necklace about 24" long, so it will slip over the head easily, though there is no catch.  A 6" segment of the tube is multiple strands of small lapis beads, as a continuation of the tube, and inside the tube, the artist has enclosed several lapis beads, which freely run back and forth inside. 

The sensual aspects of this work are significant. The tube has a springiness to the hand, yet is flexible enough to be comfortable to wear. The colors of the high-quality lapis are wonderful, contrasting with the gold, and they fall smoothly across your hand. And as you turn and examine the work, the inner beads fall and spin inside the tube, giving lively movement to the piece.

The workmanship is wonderful: the impression one of playfulness, and yet a celebration of the materials. Needless to say, this particular piece stuck in my head all this time, and I wanted to revisit it, and the other works by Joan Dulla. 

Ah, if only I could afford the $2,800 price!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for showing me the way to Joan Dulla's website! Love all of it, a real treat, and her site is beautiful, too.

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