woa challenge: portraits

I made this necklace for the EtsyMetal Work of Art Challenge. Work of Art is a new Bravo series similar to Project Runway for visual artists. The theme this week is portraits and I was thrilled to be paired with Norsola Johnson, whose work I admire tremendously.

So I did a little research, did you know that Norsola plays cello in the post-rock band, Godspeed You! Black Emperor? How incredibly cool is that? In fact, I was speaking to a friend on the phone about it last night and he said, "Oh sure, Godspeed". Really, he is way more hip than I am.


Norsola is a very skilled box maker, and in particular I love her Sacred Fire Sacred Heart triptych:

Sacred Fire Sacred Heart by Norsola Johnson

I was initially going to put the cello in one of my shadowboxes, and then decided to use a frame to suggest a box, and now that the piece is finished the frame reminds me of a doorway or window. The stars and galaxies are recurrent themes in Norsola's work (and one of the band's record labels is Constellation), so I added the natural white zircon.

sterling silver, copper, white zircon

You can find Godspeed You! Black Emperor videos on YouTube, this is one of my favorites. I believe it's the second part of one long piece, the first part is here. The music reminds me of Zappa or Syd Barrett in the way it takes the listener on a journey, like a stream of consciousness. I love it.

Antennas to Heaven - Part II

Oh, I forgot to mention that Norsola is also a published graffiti artist, she is one talented lady.

Here is the piece that she made for me, all I can say is I'm not worthy. It is exquisite and amazingly crafted. OMG. Holy sh*t.

Wit by Norsola Johnson

Norsola wrote, "I was lucky to be paired up with Thomasin Durgin who's work I love...The first word that sprang to mind when thinking of her was: wit. There is so much of it in her work... I see wit as stemming from perceptivity and reflection... to be witty is in many ways to be a mirror... to succinctly and humourously reflect back what one perceives... to reflect (to think), and reflect back. And so the idea of mirrors came up... I also think this photo of her is awesome, so I had to use it in the portrait piece... and lastly, I'm a big fan of Tomi's use of texture and copper, so I thought I should incorporate these elements in her portrait as well.. The end result was the "Wit" locket pendant. Sterling silver, copper, mirror, paper. "

I am honored, humbled, and amazed. And the best thing is that she and I are exchanging pieces, yay!!!!