
Title shamelessly stolen from the Bellevue Arts Museum.
American goldsmith Mary Lee Hu is known the world over for her innovative use of textile techniques in weaving precious metals to form utterly unique wearable pieces. She is considered something of a jeweler’s jeweler, garnering attention and gathering awards throughout the art jewelry community. Her most iconic works
Not content just to make beautiful things, Hu first educated herself about the history of adornment. Her work, therefore, shows references to many historic styles of jewelry. Her extensive knowledge of historic shapes and techniques has also made her an ideal teacher. Hu is a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has received three NEA Craftsman Fellowships, and her pieces are included in many prestigious collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Renwick Gallery, the American Crafts Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Mary Lee Hu doesn’t seem to have a web presence, but I guess she doesn’t really need one. There’s plenty of word-of-mouth publicity about her, and she’s already in such demand, she doesn’t seem to need to market herself at all. Good for her!
May 5, 2019 at 7:31 am
I can’t even begin to understand the process. The idea and design end I can but the actual doing is outside of my thinking. Must take a lot of hours.
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May 5, 2019 at 9:33 am
I think read that some of her pieces can take her weeks to complete. Such patience and dedication!
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May 5, 2019 at 11:23 am
You gotta know where to start to end up where you need to.
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May 5, 2019 at 1:10 pm
That’s very true!
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May 5, 2019 at 3:06 pm
These are amazing and I have never seen anything remotely like them. Like Beverly, I cannot even figure out the process. It’s like lacework or really intricate knitting with metal wire. The organic, sinuous shapes really appeal to me and every piece looks so tactile.
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May 6, 2019 at 7:13 am
She must have the patience of a saint!
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May 6, 2019 at 3:52 pm
It’s so true of a lot of the artwork you feature. I often find myself thinking I would just never muster the patience required.
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May 6, 2019 at 4:52 pm
I’m never sure whether I’m very patient or just have a touch of OCD, but I’m pretty good at obsessing about one thing until it’s done.
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