Jewelry Stories and Collaborations

Jewelry designer Tasha Rae Tatro forges her creations out of metal, hammering them into shape, adding delicate ornaments and precious stones. Tasha has recently partnered with contemporary retablo painter Marianela de la Hoz over the past 4 months to create a precious objects exhibition entitled, “Jewelry Stories.”

“Jewelry Stories” is the culmination of two artists coming together, working on a piece and passing the piece back and forth until the precious object is complete. Tasha worked with brass, silver and found objects while Marianela drew upon societal pressures for influence with her miniature paintings.

I was able to catch up with both artists to prepare for their show opening on November 11 and on exhibit through December 10, 2011.

mM : When creating your work, where do you look for inspiration? Do you sketch your ideas out, imagine them and just work, or let the work evolve organically, letting the process dictate the final work?

TASHA : My work has always been inspired by space and the balance of shapes and various objects. I rarely sketch anything out on paper; I draw with the metal allowing the space and final design to evolve on its own. It is a very organic process thus allowing each piece to be a true one-of-a-kind object. (Above, Bird Skull necklace, sterling silver).

MARIANELA : The content of my work is based on reality and the paintings confront today's troubled times. I am inspired by the blood ligatures among human beings, the same weaknesses, addictions and worries, the eternal combination of good and bad in each and everyone, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde within ourselves. I am always searching that bond located deep inside of us that swims within our blood and in our conscience.

The artworks talk about the binds, the closures, the double moral, the atavisms, the “must be”, the separation of body and soul, of body and head. I express violence through fantasy, black humor and sarcasm, calling it “White Violence.” Thus the small format paintings depicting characters nicely groomed, with combed hair and perfect teeth, with only a small drop of blood when necessary, all representing a scene in which extreme situations are performed.

Before painting I sketch my ideas, complete a drawing and then work on the painting. Apart from little details that may change during the process, I know what I want in the end. (Above, Me encanta jugar a las muñecas).

mM : How did each of you meet and when did you decide it would be a great idea to collaborate together on your upcoming show, “Jewelry Stories?”

TASHA : Marianela and I met through a mutual friend at the opening reception of “Lucid Dreams.” I was immediately drawn to her work, as it is unusual to find an artist who isn’t afraid of working so small. I had been dreaming of collaborating with a painter for years, but most artists find that they need a larger canvas to fully express themselves. (Above, details featuring precious stones, cast beetle, antique pocket watch).

Marianela has the ability to create an enormous amount of detail and emotion within a very small space. I asked her if she would be interested in a collaboration and she was instantly intrigued.

People love to show off their artwork and it isn’t very often that we are able to invite the public into our personal spaces to share the art we collect. The concept of wearable artworks has always intrigued me for this reason. You are able to display it within your home, but it is also a functional piece, which you can wear out and share with the general public.

MARIANELA : We met at Noel-Baza Gallery, a mutual friend introduced us and we began talking about our work, finding a common ground we began discussing a possible collaboration, producing pieces with both our expertise's, the gallery was interested in the project and we began working together. (Above, Huelo el interior vacio de los muertos-baja).

mM : Do you have a favorite piece that you have created for the exhibition? How many pieces do you think will have created to showcase at the exhibition?

TASHA : It’s hard to choose a favorite piece at this point, but I’m most excited about creating different objects than what I typically make. My personal work focuses on form and function allowing collectors to wear my jewelry everyday. “Jewelry Stories” has presented the opportunity to explore, creating one-of-a-kind art objects that can be worn or displayed. One of the more surprising items is a hairpiece which was so much fun to create. The piece is large and funky while it creates an amazing art object that doubles as a wearable and displayable piece. Most importantly, it looks great if you wear it out.. (Above, Locket collaboration between Marianela and Tasha).

MARIANELA : We will finish between 20 to 24 pieces, I cannot name one in particular, each piece has its own charm and is ready to tell a different story

mM : How has each other’s works been received by each of you? How does the work of another artist in another field inspire your work?

TASHA : It’s been a really fun and challenging process. We each started by creating a half dozen works on our own and then exchanged them, responding to each other’s work. There’s a few pieces that I added on to once I saw what Marianela was creating. I was constantly inspired by ideas that she would come up with—making the pieces even stronger in the end. (Above, Citrine Ring, Antique Pocket Watch Necklace detail).

I am always inspired by artists in other creative fields. There is always something I can relate to with the work I’m creating. It can be a single shape, surface or term that they may have used. I think when you’re passionate about what you do it’s inevitable to find inspiration all around you.

MARIANELA : Every time Tasha has shown me a new piece I have been surprised and delighted with the immediate ideas that come to my imagination, I love her designs, her passion and her professionalism.

Literature has been the source of many of my ideas, I don't paint illustrating what is written on a book , I transform the ideas in new ones depicting them in images of my own. (Above, A veces me siento humano).

mM : What is next for each of you, do you have upcoming exhibits, shows or happenings we should know about?

TASHA : I’ve recently moved to San Diego from Minneapolis and feel the creative possibilities are endless. I will continue to work on my own jewelry collection and have a new jewelry line that I am super excited to introduce for the Spring of 2012. This is a new concept for me, most of my work has been one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces. I am always open to the collaboration process and blessed to do what I love for a living. The future is always evolving and I am sure more shows will be introduced soon. (Above, hand forged signature Tasha Rae Jewelry pieces).

MARIANELA : I have begun to work on sketches for my next project which consists of an altar piece in which I will talk about the figure of Eve as the first mother of humanity. The main themes are about motherhood, education, religion, the fear of becoming old, social roles, and the prevalent misconceptions about what a woman should or not be. It will take a year or so for the altar-piece to be completed as it will be constructed with several small format paintings and different assemblages. (Above, No puedo apagar la necia voz de mi cerebro).

Thank you to Tasha Rae Tatro and Marianela de la Hoz for taking time out to discuss “Jewelry Stories.” If you are interested in one-of-a-kind jewelry creations, please contact Tasha Rae Jewelry by visiting her website.

(Kind thanks too—Tim Mantoani—for Tasha Rae Jewelry photography, featured jewelry on postcard and locket photos).

Plug Me Proclamation

“Plug Me” opens this Friday, April 15 at Subtext in San Diego and thought to share part of the journey over the prelim years trying to discover my inner artist. Five years ago I started doodling each day and dedicated myself to develop a better understanding about the artists I work with. Almost instantly otherworldly creatures began to present themselves in thematic fashion within my sketchbooks and I was hooked.

The creatures were loose, figurative, non-anatomic, existing within their own political, socio and religious environments. Some angry, while others complacent within the world they occupy. And as the sketchbooks filled obsessively, new lessons were noted and experimental forms began to take shape. Twenty-two sketchbooks have now been filled corner to corner.

In 2006, I documented the first group of drawn meanderings in a limited edition book entitled, “Scribble: Pushing Line Round and Around.” “Scribble” featured 38 drawings created over 18 months and was an honest attempt to share the importance of developing creative potential while revealing an individualistic voice (aka “style).

Later in 2006, with the oil crisis on our hands, I decided to create a thematic body of work upon the pages of a 1924 fur trapper’s ledger acquired on Ebay. The final compilation was an editorialized oil perspective about Johnie West’s ledger that detailed his hunt for fur vs. the United States over indulgence and search for “mo” black gold. The group of 30 drawings were mixed with oil factoids and comic like characters. The 40 page “zine” was distributed at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con. Newsweek noticed, picked one up and then published “Oil” in their October 9th issue.

In 2008, I continued to create oil inspired paintings. The featured characters found themselves scrambling for steady ground as their environmental habitat was being unearthed in the search for more oil. William Shakespeare provided a quote about oil and Napoleon provided a font created out of human bone and “Oil Too” was published and released during Comic-Con.

The latter half of 2009 and half of 2010 was spent focused on “Survey Select,” an exhibition featuring 32 live events, 68 fine artists and 100 paintings celebrating Narrative Art. During the opening event in July, Dylan and Don from Subtext invited me to exhibit a solo collection of personal work on April 15 the following year.

Ok, never have done a solo, but knew I wanted to create a cohesive body of work. At the time I reflected on what affected me most in the media: The bail out—a political gush that rewarded bad behavior; the war in Iraq—more political and economic discharge that invited the question, “What about our own backyard?;” environmental and climactic shifts—the BP oil spill; and personal upheaval dealing with intellectual property theft and financial embezzlement by greedy foes disguised as friends… Art became my refuge.

“Plug Me,” short and to the point—an opportunity to make light of the often “too heavy” onslaught of media rumpus, political clamor and socio brouhaha. To immediately get right into it I took two major trips to the Midwest to learn more about the letterpress—worked in Cleveland at Zygote Press with Cathie Bleck and Detroit at the College of Creative Studies with Don Kilpatrick and his students. This was a great opportunity to collaborate, learn and focus on getting work completed for the show.

Collaboration is an important dimension I partnered up with Tasha Rae Jewelry to create a line of creature inspired jewelry hand forged out of sterling silver. Tasha’s creations and signature expertise add a great dimension of original thinking as she added her own unique voice and eye for detail. Can’t wait to share out the “bling.”

“Plug Me” features 40 framed pieces, 5 watercolors, 4 mixed media collage pieces, 5 hand painted letterpress pieces, 1 mono-print, 26 block prints, 12 sterling silver one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces created by Tasha Rae Jewelry and one installation piece featuring an assortment of random drawings and unique prints. “It’s time for a beverage!”

Please join me this Friday at Subtext for the premier opening of “Plug Me.” Opening reception Friday, April 15 6PM—10PM at 2479 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101 and generously sponsored by Vitaminwater Zero and Smartwater by Glaceau. Please email for preview list or jump in and follow the news on Twitter or hit up the FB event page. See you soon and looking forward.