This month's featured artist: Ayala Bar

In honor of our month long trunk show in September of Israeli jewelry artist Ayala Bar, I thought I'd provide a bit of background on her work.

For those who have seen her colorful and eclectic style the description, " Art Deco meets Middle East" will seem quite apt. Her limited edition collections use simple metals, glass beads, mineral stones and crystal rhinestones to translate her creative perceptions. One can view the influences of ancient mosaics as well as modern fashion design in her creations. She worked for over a decade in costume and interior design prior to starting her own company in 1990.

Ms. Bar likes to state that as a mature designer,she is cognizant of the trends in the fashion world, but always true to her own inner vision. Her inspiration: a rose-tinted flower peeking out of a crack in a pavement... a glint of sunlight on a rusty can... a pebble marking gentle waves in a rain shower's puddle... wherever Ayala Bar goes,her surroundings inspire her. For this creative artist, the universe is indeed in the details. Insights and ideas are collected from sights and sites that to the average person seem mundane.

Come enjoy the visual delights of this very talented international jewelry artist. In all three stores for the month of September.

New shipments in from designer Erica Zapp. "Form, Shape, and Beauty," are her watchwords. She's someone who has always been surrounded by art and craft, her parents owned an international craft and art from around the world. She studied metal smithing at SUNY New Palz in NY, and has been designing jewelry and selling it for quite a few years. Erica Zapp consistently integrates a very sleek contemporary look with an emphasis on acessable beauy. She uses Rhodium and gold plating over brass and copper to create a wide array of color and texture. She has integrated traditional stone and pearl elements with her contemporary forms creating appealling new versions of her look. Come in today to view some of her newest designs.

Just a little bit about our featured artist this month Jeanne Johngren. She started her artistic life in Paris sketching in the wonderful museums, the onto NY and filmaking. She was one of the first producing videos for early MTV. She's always had an attraction to both storytelling and visual art (She studied English Lit @ Yale).
"As a film producer," recounts Johngren, "I always thought 'big picture.' But now the jewelry I design fills my world with a desire to uncover the story hidden in each stone. Discovering the storyline in each combination is a wonderfully rewarding process." She draws inspiration from the ancient and modern alike. Byzantine mosaics, stained glass windows, and carved architectural details present enduring textures and proportions that are repositories of intrigue for the modern viewer. In addition, she is influenced by the work of artists of past and present, such as El Greco, Gustav Klimt, and Mark Rothko.(from her website http://www.jeannejohngren.com/catalog/bio.php )
Her pieces are delicately beautiful. Her stones are chosen specifically for excellence in cut, clarity, and color.
Another example of her integrity as an artist she 'gives back' a portion of her proceeds towards programs that help and support women. All in all this artist's work is a must see. Come visit our Regan National Airport store for a trunkshow of her work starting on or around 6/26/09

We're Back!

After a long time of 'air silence' AKS (As Kindred Spirits) has decided to create a cyber presence. We've had our website: askindredspirits.com for some time with an ability to answer queries from some of our far flung fans (especially those who frequent our Reagan National Airport store) as well as new fans who discover us on the web. Now we are trying out a couple social networking sites, Facebook: As Kindred Spirits Stores, and Twitter: AKS Stores, in addition to this blog. The attempt is to allow our customers and fans the opportunity to hear, in a more up to the minute fashion, what's happenning at our stores, what new artists and merchandise we have, as well as a quick and direct line in for trunk shows, events and specials being offered.

We hope you enjoy our commentary, and as always we hope to always be an enjoyable and inspiring part of your day!

Thanks for listening!