A Love Note To My Readers

Dear Friends,
My gallery has decided to move and it saddens me to say that I will not be going with them. I have broken away from the herd.
So what now?
This is what I ask myself and to be honest I do not know.
I turn to you.
The ones who come back to read...to listen to my failures, successes, and my angst. I am grateful that you are still here.

The Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) was here in New Orleans. I was so thrilled. I made new friends and visited with old friends and we had a blast!

Halstead held an exhibition along with SNAG at RHINO Contemporary Gallery. 200 kits went out and 30 pieces were selected for the Halstead Design Challenge. My piece, What's Her Story? was selected to be among one of the 30. I was so honored.
_/\_
Inspired by the women of Storyville and Bellocq's photography this brooch is the first in its series.
The story behind the story.

Every woman has a story, especially the women of Storyville (red-light district of New Orleans from 1897-1917), who inspired this piece. The eyes of the woman in the photo stare at the camera, revealing a sense of mystery and resilience. She was dancing in a storefront window on Magazine Street and looking at me while I snapped her photo, making me curious about her story. Her haunting eyes beckon me every time I look at her, which is why I chose to put her inside the keyhole, along with a key to unlock her story if anyone dares. A 1919 New Orleans token adorns the key and gives the piece a sense of time.

What's Her Story? - New Orleans Brooch

Below are the 2nd and 3rd in the series. Made using Bellocq's photographs and then using a decal to fuse them to vitreous enamel. All done in a kiln. They were at first to become sculptural pieces but they wanted to be brooches. Check out the 1919 Street Car token. Did you know that there were brothel tokens available?
But I won't get into that. :)

What's Her Story? - Storyville Brooches New Orleans

Annnnnd...made with a vintage garter clip! How neat is that?

Flip Side

I just finished updating my shop. Come on over because the water is warm and calm.

With gratitude,

Namaste

Kalaya

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Kalaya Steede

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