New work by Gustav Reyes

Working hard in the shop for the Ingrained show at the Patina Gallery and LOOT at MAD. Check out these designs I did using wood and titanium. Woods are mixed between Cherry, Walnut and Hickory.

Curious New Brooch Design

I've been in the shop preparing for some upcoming shows (see "On the Road Again" a few posts back for a list of shows). With these pieces I was exploring space and weight. They are pretty far from anything I've created before.

Materials used are Cherry, Walnut, Titanium and Stainless Steel. All handmade in Pilsen, Chicago at Gustav Reyes Studio.

Signature Series Two Piece Bracelet

This new design is a shift from the continuous wood pieces I often do. It is made of two pieces that snap together. I also experimented with a rough texture. 

New concept

I've started incorporating titanium sheeting into some bracelets. The texture on the bracelet to the left was created by running the piece through a press with sawdust on it.

A few of the pieces feature a pearl or garnet that appear to be busting through the metal. I like the effect of this.

Let me know what you think!

LOOKBOOK Nicole Polk

I find it very cool when appreciators of the work photograph themselves or the work and post it on social media sites. So cool in fact that I asked a few of them to create an informal LOOKBOOK. The first participant was Nicole Polk - I sent a few pieces to her in Hong Kong!

This is so awesome! I love the creative way of incorporating the jewelry.


You may also check out Nicole's blog post!
http://www.jellimama.com/2013/07/08/gustav-reyes/

On the road again...

Here is a heads up on the upcoming shows I will be participating in for the next couple months! Hopefully, I'll see you at one of them!

BAMArts Fair 
Bellevue Arts Museum - Bellevue, Washington 
JULY 26, 27, & 28, 2013

American Craft Council San Francisco
San Francisco, California
AUGUST 2, 3, & 4, 2013

LOOT at MAD
Museum of Modern Art and Design - New York, NY
October 1 - 5, 2013

Ingrained at Patina Gallery
Santa Fe, New Mexico
OCTOBER 4 - 27, 2013

One of a Kind Show Chicago
Merchandise Mart - Chicago, IL
DECEMBER 5, 6, 7, & 8, 2013

*If you think you'll be able to make it to one of the shows, let me know! For most of them I receive free or discounted passes!

godliness

In my last blog, "Monkey Mind and the Life before Mind,"  I briefly mentioned our "godliness." I thought I should expound on this idea.

My fundamental belief is that humans contain an innate longing to imprint our existence onto worldly objects. In other words, to extend beyond the physical, through creation. The desire is part of our humaness. It is enveloped into our multiplying cells that continue to divide and divide and divide until we are a complete and self sustaining being.

Each human being is an artist, crafting a life through the connections that occur within ourselves and by the actions that transpire as a result of those connections (I recommend reading "The Craftsman" by Richard Sennett). This is part of our biology. My belief is that what we know as God, exists in that biology.

Consider the great work of Michaelangelo, "Creation of Adam" masterfully painted on the ceiling of the Cystine Chapel. The general belief is that the painting depicts God creating Man. However, I believe that what is actually being depicted is Man creating God. Through Man's desire to extend the psyche beyond his physical body and to make sense of the unknown, the notion of a God was created.

Being creative is an act of pushing the boundaries of our human experience into space. Expanding the mind outside of the body. This is our true godliness.

Resources
Monkey Mind And Life before Mind > http://gustavreyes.com/blog.html
http://www.rome.info/michelangelo/sistine-chapel/creation-of-adam/
The Craftsman by Richard Sennett

The Craftsman names a basic human impulse: the desire to do a job well for its own sake. Although the word may suggest a way of life that waned with the advent of industrial society, Sennett argues that the craftsman’s realm is far broader than skilled manual labor; the computer programmer, the doctor, the parent, and the citizen need to learn the values of good craftsmanship today.

The Craftsman leads Richard Sennett across time and space, from ancient Roman brickmakers to Renaissance goldsmiths to the printing presses of Enlightenment Paris and the factories of industrial London. History has drawn fault lines dividing practice and theory, technique and expression, craftsman and artist, maker and user; modern society suffers from the historical inheritance. But the past life of craft and craftsmen also suggests ways of using tools, organizing work, and thinking about materials that remain alternative, viable proposals about how to conduct life with skill.

New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008; London: Allen Lane/Penguin Press, 2008; Berlin: Berlin Verlag, 2008; Milan: Feltrinelli, 2008; Paris: Albin Michel, 2009;Barcelona: Anagrama, 2009 

Monkey Mind and a Life before Mind.

I try to be in tune with my physicality. During times of stress and upheaval it is difficult to do so, although, I'm realizing that it is the most important time to be connected. A few years back, I began researching the Toltecs, an ancient civilization. They believed that humans tend to have a "monkey mind" - a constant stream of consciousness that lacks direction. A monkey mind, leaves you at a stand still. 

Monkey dressed in the guise of the Aztec/Toltec god
Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, the Wind God.

Monkey mind prevents our bodies from guiding us. Our biology, which I believe is also where God exists, is the 'life before mind'. Before mind we existed to create and to project our existence into the physical world. I believe that conformations of our modern existence has sabotaged us from following this innate, biological and even Godly desire.

Recently I had been spending many hours in thought with a furrowed brow, desperately searching for the answers. I was looking outside of myself. Then, one morning, I was somewhere between unconsciousness and consciousness (sleeping and being awake) when I had a realization, a calm feeling. I realized that because I was putting too much thought into it the issue, I was not allowing my own biology to guide me. 

It is hard to trust instincts that seem to be suppressed by almost everything we see and experience on a daily basis, however if you quiet your monkey mind, you will be free to enjoy your own biology and allow yourself to live a life before mind. 

A D I D E M

O F   T H E   S A M E   M I N D


I have always been the type of person who can pick up scraps and discarded materials and create something interesting with them. Since I was a child, I was carving swords and toys out of scrap wood and branches I found laying around.

Nothing has changed as I've grown. I love scavenging through old materials and scraps and creating something new! This has and will always be a very stimulating and fulfilling experience for me.

Every once in a while, I receive a contact from the brilliant wooden spoon artist, Norm Sartorius, asking if I'd like a shipment of scraps from his shop. Norm's work flips the concept of form and function on its head by taking a very functional object, the spoon and creating a piece of art out of it. After he is done carving, the spoon is now a decorative piece of fine art and craft. I like the idea of taking a simple thing we often take for granted and placing it on a pedestal. We need to do that every once in a while. Be aware of the objects that allow us to perform everyday tasks.

This idea also relates to the belief that objects that we use everyday should be simple and beautiful. I create lamps with this idea in mind. My lamp design plays on the same concept of form and function, as norm, however in a slightly different way. I always strive to create functional pieces that could easily be mistaken for sculpture. The difference is that I want the piece to be used as well as appreciated for their form.

I've been continuing the Ad Idem collection since 2011. The majority of the work is in the form of rings. I incorporate the discarded material that Norm shares with me. They become an homage to the minds ability to produce an unlimited number of ideas, thoughts and concepts and to the ones we actually take to heart. The whisps of consciousness that stay with us.

Here is the first of the Third Edition of the Ad Idem Collection. Thanks to Norm Sartorius.

See more pieces from this collection on my Facebook Page
http://www.normsartorius.com/

Ingrained at Patina Gallery

Allison and Ivan of Patina Gallery in Santa Fe, New mexico have been supporting my work for over 3 years! I am so grateful for their continued support and appreciation.

I am honored to be featured in my first show at Patina Gallery called "Ingrained" also featuring wood turning artist Liam Flynn. The show should be an incredible display of the ways in which wood can be formed and crafted.

I've been asked to create a collection of pieces from the Signature Collection. (Photos)

Are you in the Santa Fe area during October? The show opens on October 4 and runs until October 27.  Catch the details at patina-gallery.com.

New Brooch Design by Gustav Reyes

This month I have some free shop time since I don't have any shows! I'm excited to go in different directions with the work. Check out the new brooch.

When Form Functions by Gustav Reyes

Modern forms give way to impeccable functionality in the collection of bent wood jewelry by Gustav Reyes. Reyes' handmade pieces exemplify subtle sophistication. 

Commercial by Flashpoint Academy Students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2FK1C_jy50

Form & Function

I'm coming out of a short period of creators block and really getting into the rhythm. Pieces like this are satisfying. Not only is this piece beautiful and elegant, but also maintains a perfect balance of form and function.

The old design adage - KIS(S): Keep It Simple (Stupid)

Smithsonian Craft Bound

The Smithsonian Craft Show is coming up at the end of this month in Washington DC. Until then, I'll be in the shop. Check out the new design I developed today. SmithsonianCraftShow.org

Kickstarter Project Launches on Valentine's Day!

Show your love for eco-conscious small business and for beautiful bent wood objects! The Kickstarter Project launches on Valentine's Day! The project will last for 30 days.

View the Kickstarter Project here! 

The Project

I am asking for support to obtain a wood compression machine so that I can reduce my carbon footprint by sourcing locally fallen trees and by limiting the use of precious resources. My desire is to design and share unique and sustainable handcrafted pieces with those who connect to the material and the work. Obtaining the machine would be sustainable in the following ways:

>Source Locally, Save Trees 
With the machine in Chicago, it would be possible to use wood that would have already been taken down for construction or by natural processes.

>Reduce Resources 
As it is, the wood I use is sourced from the Midwest, then shipped out west to Washington, compressed and shipped back for use. With the machine in Chicago, we would cut down shipping and create a more streamline and sustainable process.

>Reduce Wood Waste
Wood is one of our greatest resources, it has provided shelter, warmth and tools for thousands of years. The compressed wood allows me to reduce the amount of cut off or waste that is produced to create my work. Which means, less wood on the floor and more to use!

>Eliminate Use of Chemicals and Glues
Traditional methods of bending wood require harmful chemicals and glues, with compressed wood chemicals and glues are not used, therefore creating a healthier work environment.

Fashion Photoshoot featuring my work!

Check out this fresh photos for a fashion spread in DList Magazine out in Seattle! Stylist Jenascia Chakos has incorporated my work in the past but she really highlighted it in this shoot! She made the work come to life! Thanks to all who collaborated!