Structured Unstructured Time

I spoke to some students up at the Revere Academy a couple of weeks ago and they asked some good questions about my creative process. I will share some of what I told them.

secret weapon: the timer.

I use my timer to help balance creative/imaginative time with business/nuts-and-bolts. I set it for an hour or sometimes even just 20 minutes and I know if I can just get through this small increment of time I can get started. Getting my head out of the daily worries and all the other tasks that constantly demand my attention, sometimes feels impossible. The timer helps me break the cycle of procrastination and also it reminds me to take a quick break. I also change the immediate environment with music, flowers and I like to change the scent of my studio. I like to use burning papers from Santa Maria Novella. The timer helps me enter into a state of flow taking me to a place where time doesn't exist. When the little alarm goes off I am usually surprised by how far along I have gotten. At this point I can put the timer away; I am over the hump and into my work.

Morning walks with Will

During our walks up the Pemberton Steps, Will and I hone in on tree and pole textures, since they are easy for William to reach out and touch from the carrier on my back. He gets his dad and I up early....

Jeff and Will at 6 a.m.

Pemberton Steps

Al's Garden is around the corner from my house. It is very 'Finster'.

Curtis Jere in the kitchen and Studio

My tiny kitchen is going to be featured in a Japanese book! They are spotlighting the kitchens of artists, designers and store owners from the Bay Area. My friends Rae Dunn and Bradley Burch have their kitchens included as well.

I have these pop art Curtis Jere wall sculptures from the 60's and 70's hanging in my kitchen. The missing oversized 'ladle' from the series escaped me on eBay recently. I have no cupboards so the kitchen is a triumph of form over function, and never easy to navigate. The good news is that it is the perfect back-drop for my obsession...

My first C. Jere was purchased for the studio. The black birds got a mixed reaction from my crew.

This was soon to follow...

I have stopped questioning the obsession. This one is in my design room.

My fingers emit sparks of fire with expectation of my future labours. -Blake

Rivera ring, August 08, sans engraving

When I started engraving words into jewelry I was in my early 20's. I have been challenged and stretched in following this thread for all this time. Now I am curious to turn the creative page and see what I will make in my early 40's as a new mother and with the good fortune to have supportive followers who have been so positive the entire time I have been designing and putting myself out there. It has long been known that risk is essential to creativity, without risk, the danger of repetition robs the work of new, fresh ideas. I think these times we are living in demand new ideas, new ways of looking at things. I hope my work inspires those who wear it, and I am ready to feel that same inspiration of the new as an artist.

Sonja S. on Zine by Janet

Engraver, in-house photographer, and all around JPI Maven, Janet Kozawa makes this monthy zine in her spare time. We’re super impressed.

-Sonja S.

Angie and Joe Kastner

Angie and Joe chose the Aulaire and the Marina as their wedding bands and were married in Santa Barbara on July 12th, 2008. We were overjoyed when Angie forwarded pictures from their album, including a special shot of their rings.

Accent on Design

Kazu, Jeanine, and Julia are photographed in the “wholesale atelier” at the Accent on Design show in New York.

Drawings from the Studio

I did these using my favorite space pen at the Met.

"God is in the details." -Mies Van Der Rohe

This is me putting the finishing touches on the gold ball inlay that I have incorporated into many of the new pieces for August. The red pitch is heated until soft and the pieces are melted into it. Once it cools the pitch is hard creating a supportive background for working the metal.

Notes from JP: Designs in Progress

The three rings on the left are guache painted wax models that I use as part of my design process. The one with the yellow center is a small version of the Crete ring. This part is actually sort of playful, and I allow myself to experiment and try out new ideas based on what is currently interesting and inspiring to me. You will notice along with the drawings and poetry on the cork board, there is a post card with a photo of one of San Francisco artist Ruth Asawa's woven wire sculptures that hang in the de Young Museum. Ruth is a family friend, and her life and work are an inspiration to me.

Elvedina wearing Elvedina

Elvedina is pictured here wearing the Elvedina necklace. She’s been with Jeanine Payer Studios since 1999. Elvedina specializes in leatherwork as well as metalsmithing and is one of the hottest smiths on the block.

Congratulations to Stefane and Remi....

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Stefane and Remi who came all the way from France to pick up their custom engraved weddings bands in our retail store. They were married on June 21^st, 2008. Congratulations to you both!

Sheryl Crow at Hard Rock Calling

Sheryl Crow is seen wearing the Bennett ring at Hard Rock Calling in London. The Police, Eric Clapton and The Bangles also performed.

The Past Revisited

As Jeanine Payer approaches twenty years in business, those of us in the studio have been digging through old boxes of photographs and reminiscing about how it all started. Jeanine first began designing jewelry for herself and her friends out of vintage sewing notions and old millinery supplies she found in Paris and locally at one of San Francisco’s most unique shops, Bell'occhio. At that time, Jeanine’s assemblage jewelry incorporated antique French brass buckles, velvet ribbon and miniature flowers, the majority of them bought at Bell’occhio, which is tucked away on Brady Street here in the city.

Jeanine’s jewelry has changed over the years as her travels continue to inspire her. She now designs exclusively in silver and precious metals and has begun re-releasing select styles with limited availability as part of the Jeanine Payer Archive Collection.

Inspiration and Technique

I recently attended my third class with Sensei Naohiro Yamada at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts here in our building. This was part of their Master’s Symposium and we used the ancient techniques of Zougan and Hori (inlay and engraving) using tools we made last year. Sensei Yamada comes from a long line of sword makers going back 400 years and he owns an atelier in Tokyo where he teaches, mentors, and creates a collection of highly detailed and beautiful jewelry. It was an honor to be able to learn from him again and to be inspired and pushed by the discipline that is required with this kind of work. I am excited about these techniques showing up in future collections.