In the Studio

I am working on a new jewelry line which I first began during my residency at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.  I had put the project on hold while I was getting used to my new life here in Barcelona, but I decided it was time to bring this project back to the front burner.  I hope to have some actual pieces from this new line for sale in my online store by November!

These are some initial pieces, but I am still playing with a bunch of different ideas.

Slowly Discovering Barcelona

Two months have passed since my last day at the Museum of Arts and Design, but I have only had a week to sit back and reflect on my time there. During the past two months I packed up my life in New York and transported it to Barcelona, Spain. Leaving a city so full of life was difficult, but I can't wait to be influenced by my new home.

During my residency at MAD I used Central Park as my inspiration for a new line of jewelry. I collected a variety of leaves, twigs, buds and seeds from the Park. Each piece of jewelry was inspired by a specific natural element. For instance, I based a brooch on the dried veins of a leaf, a pair of earrings on the frayed edge of a blade of grass, and a necklace on the linear form of a twig.

(Finished pieces from this new line of jewelry are on display on the 6^th floor at the Museum of Arts and Design and on my website at this link: http://yashabutler.com/section/211499_Stem.html)

In Barcelona, I want to continue the creative exploration that I began in New York. I have already started to collect visual snapshots from around the city. Having grown up along the Mediterranean, I'm thrilled to be reunited with the sea and sun again. I spend a lot of time on the cold winter beach, recording images of water and sand. I have also been staring out over roof tops, photographing the city 6 stories above the ground.

Above, I posted some photographs taken this week.