Origins // Tyson Miller of T.Morgan Made

It's my honor to introduce you to one of the boys of our Crown Nine crew, hailing from Los Angeles.  In his words, his line is "LA born.  LA bred.  LA made."  Tyson is one of the nicest dudes you can be lucky enough to come across, and a talent to boot.  His recent work has been a study in the deconstruction of form, beautiful little geometric shapes with jagged textures that read as earthy and modern. Tyson also works in precious metals, jamming out wedding rings and bands (total stunners).  He has lots of stuff for the guys, as like all my favorite designers, he first began by making work for himself.  The gravitational pull of collections that originate in this way are magical, they result in connection with other people who spin in the same orbit-- and we're definitely spinning in his.  

Here is more from my conversation with Tyson, enjoy.

KE: Why do you make art?
TM: Because it’s good for the soul, the simple act of creating something with my hands makes me unspeakably happy. That and it beats working in an office all day. 

KE:  Current obsessions?
TM:  Trying to make something so good it’s impossible for you to see it and not want it. That and Instagram so follow me ok! 

KE:  I'll be sure to plug you, haha

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?
TM:  I’m most inspired by my friends who are fellow jewelry designers and also anyone/everyone who is out there on their own making things. Whether it’s jewelry or letterpress or screen printing or craft beer or whatever, independent makers putting their heart and soul into making something to share with the rest of us is awesome. 

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while wearing your work?

TM:  Confident and comforted, like it feels strange when they aren’t wearing it.

KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?
TM:  When I’m happy with the way it looks, it’s as simple and difficult as that. That’s the beauty of being my own boss though, I get to just decide when it’s done. 

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

TM:  I’m a bit of an introvert so I admire the opposite, unabashed extroversion. People who can just talk to anyone and be comfortable anywhere without really trying. Also people who are genuinely kind without expecting anything in return are pretty amazing too.

KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

TM:  The ability to give hilarious and insightful interviews. 

KE:   Touché, haha!

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?
TM:  I agree with Graham Greene, “…destruction after all is a form of creation”. Destroying one piece often leads to the creation of something entirely new so I try to embrace it. In fact the Jagged collection was born because I broke a wax in the carving process.

KE:  What design are you most proud of/ sentimental/ moved by?
TM:  My California born & bred necklace and my two finger bar ring. I originally made them for myself just because I wanted to have them only to have other people like them enough to want one too.

                      

Follow T.Morgan Made

Instagram @tmorganmade

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ORIGINS // Miguel Farias

Our current photography exhibit at Crown Nine is body of work,'Ode to My Father' by Bay Area artist Miguel Farias.  Each small photograph shot in a color film that is no longer produced, the textures are vivid and eerie, the landscapes and small worlds photographed in California and Nevada over the course of two years.  Each image is perfectly hand framed by Miguel himself.

Miguel The Master Framer.  Photo by Paul Mueller

I sat down with Miguel to talk to him about being an artist, his process and work.  Enjoy.

KE: Why do you make art?

MF:  I've loved making stuff my whole life.  I think making art is hard, so am constantly challenging myself to make stuff that interesting and perhaps if produced well, it becomes art. I may set out to make stuff with the intention that it will elevate itself to art, but that's not always the case.  I love the feeling I get when i make something good and someone is moved by it and then shares that with me, gives me chills when that happens.

KE:  What themes are in your current work?

MF:  I've been making more portraits again.  I have a few ideas going at once, hoping one will get a little traction and I'll work those images through to hopefully produce an interesting and beautiful body of work.

Pyramid Lake 1995

Botanicals 1996

Old Car 2 1995

KE:  How has your work changed over time?

MF:  Well, I think it's gotten better, thank god! I can finish pieces better, faster, stronger, kinda like the six million dollar man...

KE:  Best piece of advice you have gotten?

MF:  Do a good job, ok.  Don't fuck it up, ok.

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?

MF:  All of my teachers from art school had a huge influence on me.  Folks like Jack Fulton, Linda Connor, Reagan Louie, and Hank Wessel.  I also really like photographers that work in color, like Richard Misarach, Edward Burtynsky, Len Jenshel, Pete Turner and John Pfahl.  But I guess the biggest influence on me has been cinema.  I love movies and watch a ton on a weekly basis.

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while looking at your work?

MF: I don't really care how they feel, so long as they feel something.  Photographs carry so much representational weight that its tough to control how someone will feel about a piece but I guess that's what makes a piece of art or a maybe even a good piece of art.

KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?

MF:  It's usually pretty clear to me.  With modern tools, it's pretty easy to overwork a piece, so I usually do, then back it off until it feels right again.  I'm a feel player.

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

MF:  Elegance, beauty, kindness and a good sense of humor

KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

MF:  I think I'd like to fly, I have flying dreams all the time.

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?

MF:  It really doesn't.  I like being a creator, but am not opposed to burning all down and starting over, I just don't practice that in my work.

KE: What design are you most proud of/ sentimental/ moved by? 

MF:  I guess I'm most proud of my last body of work, 'Gh0st L1fe', I produced it in 2010 with my dear friend, Allison Reilly, who was 18 at the time.  It got the most exposure of anything I've ever made and it was really well received.  It was shown in three venues over the course of two years, and it was very exciting to get so much attention for it.  Collaborating with Allison meant a lot to me.

Gh0st L1fe explores the nature of our relationships with technology, consumption, loneliness and solitude.

I love how these images capture a sort of passive attention that is very directional, it's almost as if the computer is in charge and the subject is just absorbing.

KE:  Current obsessions?

MF:  Pliny the Elder, David Bowie, La Luz, starting a band

Miguel's show runs through the second week of August.  You can see his exhibition during our regular business hours, Weekdays 12-6 and Saturday 12-5.  Every image in the series in a limited edition pigment ink print in archival hand frame.  $180.

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Origins // Variance Objects

At Crown Nine our motto is 'Real Objects Made By Real People' because we believe that where things come from matters.  That how things are made and who makes them matters.  That objects have significant power and can deepen our everyday experiences.  So with that in mind, we are beginning a new regular blog feature called 'Origins' in which we will talk with each of our artists in depth about the origins of the objects they make.

First up is one of our newest artists, Nicole Rimedio, the designer behind Variance Objects.  Nicole founded Variance in 2013 with her partner Scott. Scott manages operations and Nicole is the artist. They both have a passion for gemstones and together they source the finest natural and unusual gem specimens and rough rock. Nicole and Scott live and work in Santa Cruz, California.  Find them on Instagram @varianceobjects .

We have met Nicole and Scott a few times over the years, and this summer added Nicole's work to the shop which they dub as Rough Fine Jewelry.  We love the cohesiveness of her irregularities, how each piece almost looks suspended in it's process.  Fusing silver and gold together for her settings, the overall aesthetic is an esoteric twist on classic gemstone-centric jewelry that we just cannot get enough of.  Here is our interview together, boiled down to the essentials.

KE:  Why do you make art?

N: I'm unhappy doing anything else.  I tried to not be an artist and I was miserable.  I think I was born this way.

KE:  What themes are in your current work?

N:  Destruction and erosion and the juxtaposition of those themes to the pristine. Those qualities become magnified when in relation to each other.  It's both pleasing and confusing to the eye.



KE:  Current obsessions?

N:  Stones.  I have lots of books on stones, both scientific and metaphysical.  Nothing better than a day at a gem show. One of the things I love about Santa Cruz is all the young travelers selling rough stones on the street.  Each room in my house has a place set aside for stones.  I hold, carry them and sleep with them.  I even hide them under Scott's pillow (my husband and co-owner of Variance).  I don't think he minds.  Well, he doesn't always realize it until he has strange dreams and I have to come clean.

 

KE:  Best piece of advice you have gotten?

N:  A glass artist I worked for in Cleveland, Steven Tater, once told me, "the key to being an artist is to keep showing up".

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?

N:  Abstract expressionist painters such as Agnes Martin, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter.

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while wearing your work?

N:  I want them to feel like the piece is theirs, like it has always belonged to them.  Sometimes it feels like the jewelry is looking for the right person as much as vice versa.



KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?

N:  It feels like it takes a breath.  And also there aren't any sharp edges.

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

N:  Competence and risk-taking.





KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

N:  Fireproof hands

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?

N:  Big time!  Sometimes I think about Variance jewelry as artifacts or found in ruins.  You know what I mean if you know my work.  Sometimes the pieces are about the way the fire moves the metal; that molten quality has a destroyed feeling. It's all about the interaction of the fire and metal.



Stay tuned for more Origins posts with our house of artists.
L O V E + M E T A L

All images courtesy of the artist, Copyright 2014 Variance Objects.

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