Artist 17/20: Michelle Robison

Well I noticed just now that my favorite artists list is one big sausage fest. I apologise for this. But I wonder, why are there so few high-profile female artists in the world. Fine artists that is. So to try and make up for it, I think my final few artist entries will be about female artists ...unless I remember another artist who I REALLY like that just happens to be male. So for this entry I found a rather obscure artist who specializes in jewelry. Now I don't really wear jewelry. The only thing I have is this little hemp beaded bracelett on my left wrist and the only reason it's still there is because I can't get it off. The few pieces of jewelry (rings or necklaces) have been lost because I could remove them easily and lost them somewhere. I digress. This woman's style caught my eye because it has a bit of a spooky look to it while having some familiar elements of Art Nouveau. Such is the work of Michelle Robison.

Every single piece of jewelry she makes is a one of a kind and usually has a theme in relation to the cut gem is showcases. Upon close inspection you'll notice that her jewelry is actually tiny sculptures which hold the gems in place. This is an example of her work. It is a ring which he entitles Mermaid Fantasy. In the center is a deep blue sapphire surrounded by several mermaids as well as bits of coral and shells. I appreciate the intricacy but I loved the ring (even a bit more) when I didn't realize what those shapes were and instead I thought it was just a random organic looking mass.

Michelle Robison, as it would appear, isn't jut limited to jewelry. Another rather arbitrary piece of hers caught my eye and took me several minutes do decide how I felt about it. Knew I liked it but why? It's called the Herald and obviously it's an angel. Most angels are white, soft, and glowing. This one is blue, dark and almost cold looking. It struck me that we generally associate Heralds (especially in the bible) with good news. But by definition there is nothing to say that a Herald can't bring bad news. Either way,if an angel looked like this it would scare the shit out of me which is strange since when you look at the shape it's actually quite beautiful. It also is one of the few sculptural pieces sprouting out of a wall frame that I actually like. Usualy I find them tacky or down right frightening but because it's so bizarrely formal looking. I lik it. Not sure if I'd hang it in my home but I like it.