Summer in Maine, so far

Our 2010 summer in Maine has started off with great weather, a Fourth of July lobster bake and exciting plans for a trunk showing of my jewelry in Wiscasset, Maine for July 22-23.  Here's a link to the press release.

I am very pleased to have completed Random Acts of Beads, a necklace five years in the making, shown in the press release (and above).  It is comprised of 18 separate beaded components which were then sewn onto a separate beaded necklace base.  It's in shades of caramel and copper with purple accents and made to sit at the base of the neck for all to see.

I have also been very busy making a half dozen unusual freshwater cultured pearl necklaces (above).  They're unusual because of the pearl shapes and incredible iridescent colors.  Shown are Jacks (they remind me of the Jacks game we used to play as kids), Merlot and Hummingbird.

For the many lovers of purple, I made a seven-strand pearl bracelet that is definitely BLING.  The custom two-inch dichroic glass and Sterling clasp is meant to be worn on the front of the wrist, the better to show it off, along with the 14 Swarovski crystal cubes alongside it.

The last photo is NightBloom (above), one of two stunning (if I do say so) bracelets that really need to be seen in person.  NightBloom features scores of beads:  vintage, glass, stones and gems in black, gray, taupe, silver, copper, lavender and teal. The closure is handmade glass in black and white stripes by David Christianson of Providence, Rhode Island.  The second bracelet (no photo) is in lime and turquoise with seahorses, shells and fish with an eye-catching ceramic toggle clasp.  This is a happy bracelet.

If you're anywhere in the midcoast Maine area on July 22-23, please stop by and see the trunk show as well as DebraElizabeth's wonderful shop, right on the banks of the Sheepscot River.  Be sure to get in line for a lobster roll at world famous Red's Eats, right at the end of the block.  Deb's phone # is 207 882 8485.
 
If I don't see you there, be sure to mark October 16-17 on your calendar for the Great Falls Studio Tour.  I'll be opening my studio once again for this event, which gets bigger and bigger each year.

Trunk Show in Wiscasset July 22 and 23

Handcrafted jewelry by Wiscasset resident Donna Barnako will be on display in a special showing on Thursday and Friday, July 22 and 23 at DebraElizabeth's, 55 Water Street in Wiscasset.

All are invited to a wine and cheese reception on Thursday, July 22, 5-8pm at DebraElizabeth's. 

On Friday, July 23, 10-4pm, Donna Barnako will be in the shop discussing her work and demonstrating several jewelry-making techniques such as painting and stenciling on silk, bead crochet and wire working. 

Barnako has been making jewelry for ten years and teaches metalworking, wire work, and beading in Northern Virginia.  With her husband Frank, her permanent home is in Great Falls, Virginia.  She is a summer resident of Wiscasset at Clark's Point.
 
Barnako considers her pieces wearable art and each is one-of-a-kind.  She may use found objects from the Montsweag Flea Market such as old keys, Victorian hat fobs and watch parts, or she might use handmade glass she has found in places like Venice, Italy.  Her favorite medium is metalworking where sheets of copper, brass and silver are hand-sawn, acid etched and shaped and distressed with vintage and modern tools.
 
Several of Barnako's beaded pieces on display took months to make.  Random Acts of Beads (photo) was crafted in a freeform style with many different stitching techniques.  Over a dozen separate beaded components were stitched together.

Another piece, Coral Reef, has as its focus a hand-carved and painted sea horse from Costa Rica.   
In honor of Lincoln County's 250th Anniversary, Barnako has created the Pownalborough Pearls, a half dozen freshwater cultured pearl necklaces and earring sets.  The pearls are in unique colors and shapes that she gathered in her national and international travels.
 
This is the fifth season for DebraElizabeth's, a shop which specializes in American-made casual clothing for women and finery, both vintage and new, for the home.  Owner, DebraElizabeth Schaffer has sold antiques for 15 years at several locations in Wiscasset prior to moving to her present location just a few doors down the street from Red's Eats.
 
"I thought DebraElizabeth's wonderful Flax and Bryn Walker clothing would be perfect backdrops for my jewelry" says Barnako.  "Every summer I take all my female house guests to her store for shopping sprees.  Her exquisite clothing is sophisticated and not fussy. It is a perfect complement to my pieces."  The shop's phone number is 882-8485.
 
More of Donna Barnako's work may be seen on her Web site:  www.DonnaBarnako.com.