Solo Show at Galerie Rob Koudijs

This September, on the 13th to be exact, I will have my second solo show at Galerie Rob Koudijs with 'The Alchemist'. If you are interested to know more, then you can visit Galerie Rob Koudijs or email me. Images of the collection can be found on previous posts (under Then Alchemist Part 1 and Part 2).

Sebastian Buescher Catalogue: Imperfection Please

As I do not have an updated website (last update being in 2005), and it doesn't look like I will have one anytime soon, I have put together a PDF catalogue of my collection, Imperfection Please, (which is something I will do with my collections from now on), which will give you all the same information as my website would, except that you will have it on your computer and don't need to be connected to the Internet to view it.

To receive a copy of this catalogue, please email me and I will send you an email with the catalogue attached. You will need Adobe Reader to view it and this is downloaded for free from the net in minutes (or seconds). Click here to be take to the site. The document is best viewed on the 'fit on screen' option, or 73%.

If you have any questions or comments, then you can also email me or post them here. Thanks!

The Alchemist Part 2

This is the first time I am posting images of my travel work, The Alchemist Part 2, on this blog. I tested whether or not I could work without my normal set-up by making The Alchemist Part 1, posted somewhere around last August, and then I went traveling, taking with me a minimal amount of work stuff, like some glue, string, several needles and my imagination. The resulting work, in my view, is very interesting because it enabled me to think differently in terms of material and jewellery. All the pieces are brooches and have safety pins on the back (perhaps a big contemporary jewellery no-no), but I swear that I have never made work that sits this well on the body, thanks to the simple readily available fittings found more or less all over the world.

My travels took me to Thailand, where most of the work was made, where I managed to find plenty of shell and coral, Burmese sapphires, seed strands from northern Thailand and other things, like religious relics from the amulet market in Bangkok. Working here was simple and straight forward as I had a lot of inspiration and a steady stream of materials to use. Nepal, on the other hand, was very different, probably because it was freezing and my cottage had no heater, so I only made two pieces, primarily from the things I bought there, coral, crystals, religious metal and nettle twine. I remember making the work with my frozen hands, wondering if this work could actually be finished. After thinking that thought I pretty much got the worst cold in my life, with high fever, night sweats and having to queue for hours at the Indian Embassy to get my visa for India. Not exactly the best formula for a prolific working environment, yet I produced TWO PIECES, which to me are still interesting and an achievement. Lastly, there is work from India, where I have to admit working was really difficult because everything is already jewel-like and has a sort of India feel to it, hard to take apart and to use for something new. I managed to make some work, but let’s just say that it’s not my best work. I also found it hard to work over there because of the heat, with electricity failing here and there in my cottage and my body needing to simply lie down and do nothing.

So that is the summary of my travel work. Would I do it again, yes. I am actually planning to continue this collection at some point in the future, continuing my investigation of working in different environments.

Electrum: 'The New Organics'-recycled and natural materials

The Electrum Gallery in London will be showing work (including mine) under the name 'The New Organics-recycled and natural materials', from the 18th of July until the the 30th of August. This is the first time I will be showing work with Electrum, so I am excited to see what will come of it. Location wise, it is situated in the one of the busiest parts of London and I suppose that a whole range of people walk past. Above are some images of my work that will be shown.


What lies behind this body of work:

I never make work with a clear idea in my head. I usually choose a material and play with it, establishing a relationship with it by testing its boundaries, resulting in work that is experimental, sometimes strange, but always fascinating to me. The process can be described as drawing with materials, the outcome always being a surprise to me. My choice of materials can be found more or less wherever I go, whether on the banks of the London Thames, in a forest or bought from an antique shop. It strictly doesn't matter to me as the world itself is my source and my inspiration.

Cork Nail Face Vessel Pendant Brooches

Several kiln firings later a small group of pieces appear before me. I am not sure what I think of them yet (they are still somewhat hazy and unclear and rough, like doodles or drawings). Sometimes I also need a bit of time to get used to the work or I need to photograph them to really see them (how absurd that sounds). But the placing of the work is always very important to me and since I see my work as objects, rather than jewellery, having them appear surrounded by only white on my computer screen helps!

The metaphorical blood that flows through the objects' metaphorical veins (in other words the content of the work) stems from relic-ritualistic-magical inspired stuff, things with a purpose, containers, jars and vessels for the housing of tiny artifacts, seeds, dust or whatever else. I was actually thinking about placing gems in the vessels, my contemporary twisted way of setting stones in jewellery, except they cannot readily be seen and a small gesture/action enables them to be revealed. It is also about something being personal and private. The gems in mainstream jewellery are always flashed all over the place in a desperate attempt to show importance and wealth, which I see as nothing else other than a disguise for emotional emptiness and a life that couldn't be more meaningless (might as well live in a jar on an intravenous drip). I suppose that a lot of my work, if not most of it, is more or less based on the escape from that type of life.

This batch of fired/glazed ceramic experiments also includes a horn with a face for a stretched hole in the ear (something I wish to make more of to sell in Goa later on this year). And as I am gluing nails into heads and holes, the thought that I could be making weird miniature wall objects with screw fittings crosses my mind. Something perhaps to hang my jewellery on. More on this needs to be developed, though.

Giuseppe Penone: My Favourite Artist

I don't normally write about other people on this blog, simply because I want to record my journey through my work, my experiences, etc. But Giuseppe Penone, as he is my favourite artist, has to do with my work and my life. His work is extraordinary and there are a few select pieces that I especially admire. One, of the image above, is a pair of mirror contact lenses that he made, which he wears on the photograph. I think that there have been quite a few photographs of him wearing his lenses, but this one is the best, I think. There is something about the combination of mirror and the human eye, which fascinates me with this piece. It also makes me think of sayings, such as the world is a mirror or how the world reflects ourselves back to us. Another piece, of which I could unfortunately not find an image, is a pumpkin, which was grown in the mold of a human face. So in other words, a real pumpkin with a face. He did similar things with potatoes, growing them into noses and ears............

The Jewellery Saga

At the moment, as I am getting back in the routine of working, I am questioning whether I am bored with jewellery or if it is simply not worth my time and effort. It feels like I have a cloud inside my head, striking small lightning bolts into my creative zone, both confusing and distracting me and making me wonder if this is this the right way for me at the moment? Yesterday I wanted to make a ring by melting silver together. I have done this hundreds of times, yet on that occasion, it didn't want to melt. It didn't want to come together for me. Then I fired my kiln and my kiln didn't want to reach the temperature I set for it. Hmmmmmm??????

So, while I am still glazing my work downstairs, I have decided to post some photographs I took last week. They are self portraits, one in grass and the other in gravel. Something different for this blog and perhaps something to shed some new creativity on my somewhat stagnated (and not wanting to work) creative self.......

I am taking another break from glazing my nail-cork-vessel-pendant-face pieces and I am back in is-this-all-worth-it-ville, not a happy place for a family outing on a Sunday! What wanders through my mind repeatedly is the fact that so little of my work sells, even though galleries are fully stocked with what I feel is good/strong work. And as much as I do not want to constantly reconfirm to myself how little is selling, I am simply frustrated with this business at the moment. Why make jewellery if it doesn't financially support me? And which area needs work, the gallery, the client, or the artist?

This certainly is a thing that makes me go hmmm (now I finally know what that song by C&C Music Factory was all about, their failing jewellery business!). Back to work......

My kiln is now firing my glazed work and thus the anticipation of opening the kiln tomorrow morning starts. I always look forward to opening the kiln and seeing how all my hard work has turned out. I will post some images here to give you an idea of my making process.........Morning has arrived, the kiln has been opened and to my surprise, the work did not turn out the way I wanted it to. So I am back in glaze mode and this time THINGS WILL WORK.