Robin Hajdu
Jewelry designer and owner of Pawstone Creations
Can you tell us about your jewelry?
I create one-of-a-kind jewelry that cannot be duplicated—unusual and organic-looking. I use everything from real flowers and leaves to sparkly druzy stones that you can spot from across a room. My jewelry is different because the method I use called electroforming is not well-known, resulting in eye-catching pieces. I love taking a concept and having the freedom to push the boundaries.
What is electroforming?
It’s a process where you create the metal with electricity in a bath of acidic solution. I’m a mad scientist basically. The forming allows me to control how I want the piece to look. It creates a melty, organic appearance. No piece is ever the same. I can electroform a real flower or take an incredible mineral and turn it into a wearable piece of art. I can make crystals into everyday pieces. I can take a sentimental figurine and turn it into jewelry. There are no limits. Copper is the base metal, but I mostly plate the pieces thickly in fine silver, 18K rose gold or 24K gold.
Where can we find your work?
On Instagram and Facebook @pawstonecreations; at http://www.pawstonecreations.com; and Etsy.
Summer Deaver
Artist, yogi, activist and mom
Tell us about your work:
I make paintings and one-of-a-kind prints about the experiences I have in nature and with meditation. I use symbols and colors inspired by the tantric art of India and Tibet along with the folk art of the Southern US. The privilege of creating is a meditation for me.
How did you get started?
I come from a family of Southern folk and crafts artists. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be an artist and I started private oil painting lessons at 15 years old. I went to art school at the University of Georgia, which in the late 90's was full of neo-psychedelic music and artists. Creating felt endless and wildly exploratory. I moved to NYC after graduating and lived in Brooklyn, surrounded by a rich thriving art scene. September 11th, shifted my goals and intentions around art. I started to ask bigger philosophical questions and turned to yoga and Buddhism for the answers. As I was diving deeper into Tibetan Tantra, the images flooded my meditation and began to creep into my paintings and printmaking.
Where can we find your work?
I have a mural up at Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch. Private studio visits are always welcome. And my website http://www.summerdeaver.com has some work available.
Penelope El-Dalati
Oil painter and the original goldfish artist of the Jersey Shore
You're famous for your goldfish paintings. How did this get started?
The goldfish paintings emerged while I was in college at School of Visual Arts, as I used my fear of water for my thesis. It began with more confrontational paintings, invoking a frightened view of anything water-related. It evolved into a more beautiful collection using "controlled spaces of water" like a child's goldfish bowl. My junior year of college I debuted in the Wooster Street Gallery in Manhattan and sold every single goldfish painting. It was the most rewarding feeling to know someone was going to hang this painting in their home—imagery I used to battle my fears would now bring happiness into a home. The local gallery took on my goldfish paintings when I was 20 years old. The response was so strong, I was dubbed the "Goldfish Girl." I have a few larger-than-life goldfish hanging in my home, as a gentle reminder there are things we cannot control in life.
What other subjects do you paint?
The remainder of my works are primarily water-themed but not limited to fish. I love painting the landscapes of Provincetown, MA; plein-air painting in Sea Bright; and local scenes in my hometown of Colts Neck. The current collection is of waves, using the local shorelines from Sandy Hook down to Long Branch.
Where can we find your work?
Main Street Gallery, 131 Main Street, Manasquan, http://www.mainstreetgallery.com. For daily updates and views into the studio, follow @penelope_eldalati on Instagram.
"It was the most rewarding feeling to know...imagery I used to battle my fears would now bring happiness into a home."
