The Story of US: We Fight, We Fit 
We come from a history of violence and agression, precision and projectile.
My Grandfather was an incredible marksman, and hobby metalsmith, competing in multiple NRA (National Riffle Association) Tournaments held in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Some of the Sterling Silver in this work has come from recycled medals he won over 30+ years. Some of the gold comes surreptitiously from Oppenheimer’s Project in the 40’s, where my grandfather worked as a machinist. Think of all the jewelers / casters who made these medals, the glory and the shame; the economy and the families proud and flush, new tv’s and oily autos that this commerce bankrolled; Consider the hot rush of righteousness and pride that would come with the making, and the attainment of such prizes, for the ‘rapid fire’ winner and the ‘expert’ winner. The violent and aggressive past of some of the materials used in this work cannot be denied.
Our current aggressive engagements worldwide and our global failures at communication and conflict at first glance seem insurmountable; while realistically we as individuals typically cannot ‘fight’ for peace in Iraq or Afghanistan, we can make lawful changes in our nations politics and take the aggression out of our own personal, daily communications and strategies; we can take the spoils of the past, turn them into something new, and leave the aggressive, insufficient, outdated parts behind. We can achieve better outcomes.
This is a prayer for healing and of fusion; a simple wooden box opens to display two medals; on the left is the medal for the winner of the ‘rapid fire’ class, a reminder of the quickness of our minds to assign blame and assessment. The medal on the right is the winner of the ‘expert’ class, who ‘knows it all’, and is devoid of a beginners open mind. While the materials / medals of the past are fixed and permanently mounted to the display, closer examination of the medallions themselves reveal two removable pendants / brooches, created from formerly distinct elements of questionable recent history fused and forged together. This creates a new beauty of elemental natures, crystallized into the present moment. They are removable and wearable to further illustrate the point of leaving behind the trappings of the past…….but still each contains the dancing elemental energies of light and dark. The pendant / brooch on the left is ‘Rapid Fire, containing a fire agate symbolizing hardness and edge with a compelling light, energy and passion, its pointed vectors and convexity expanding outward. On the right is ‘The Expert’--a self contained and coalesced shell, with a soft concavity of pearl, symbolizing reconciliation, softness and beauty, within its inner angular turmoil. The two pendants brought together alongside each other, ‘out’ of their ‘box of the past’, suggest the well known yin-yang symbol of the 'unity of opposites'.
The Story of US: We Fight, We Fit
Reclaimed US National Matches Championship Medal parts circa 1946 Camp Perry, Ohio, and North American Rifle Association Medal Parts, Ribbons, Sterling and Gold Plated Bronze / Steel Findings and Placards. Refinished Found Spanish Cedar / Mahogany Box, Deerskin Leather, Installed Rare Earth Magnets.
Artist made pendants / brooches for US and Them: Rapid Fire vs. The Expert Reclaimed Sterling Silver, Reclaimed Gold alloyed into 18 karat, USA Fire Agate; Freshwater Chinese Pearl.
My Grandfather was an incredible marksman, and hobby metalsmith, competing in multiple NRA (National Riffle Association) Tournaments held in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Some of the Sterling Silver in this work has come from recycled medals he won over 30+ years. Some of the gold comes surreptitiously from Oppenheimer’s Project in the 40’s, where my grandfather worked as a machinist. Think of all the jewelers / casters who made these medals, the glory and the shame; the economy and the families proud and flush, new tv’s and oily autos that this commerce bankrolled; Consider the hot rush of righteousness and pride that would come with the making, and the attainment of such prizes, for the ‘rapid fire’ winner and the ‘expert’ winner. The violent and aggressive past of some of the materials used in this work cannot be denied.
Our current aggressive engagements worldwide and our global failures at communication and conflict at first glance seem insurmountable; while realistically we as individuals typically cannot ‘fight’ for peace in Iraq or Afghanistan, we can make lawful changes in our nations politics and take the aggression out of our own personal, daily communications and strategies; we can take the spoils of the past, turn them into something new, and leave the aggressive, insufficient, outdated parts behind. We can achieve better outcomes.
This is a prayer for healing and of fusion; a simple wooden box opens to display two medals; on the left is the medal for the winner of the ‘rapid fire’ class, a reminder of the quickness of our minds to assign blame and assessment. The medal on the right is the winner of the ‘expert’ class, who ‘knows it all’, and is devoid of a beginners open mind. While the materials / medals of the past are fixed and permanently mounted to the display, closer examination of the medallions themselves reveal two removable pendants / brooches, created from formerly distinct elements of questionable recent history fused and forged together. This creates a new beauty of elemental natures, crystallized into the present moment. They are removable and wearable to further illustrate the point of leaving behind the trappings of the past…….but still each contains the dancing elemental energies of light and dark. The pendant / brooch on the left is ‘Rapid Fire, containing a fire agate symbolizing hardness and edge with a compelling light, energy and passion, its pointed vectors and convexity expanding outward. On the right is ‘The Expert’--a self contained and coalesced shell, with a soft concavity of pearl, symbolizing reconciliation, softness and beauty, within its inner angular turmoil. The two pendants brought together alongside each other, ‘out’ of their ‘box of the past’, suggest the well known yin-yang symbol of the 'unity of opposites'.
The Story of US: We Fight, We Fit
Reclaimed US National Matches Championship Medal parts circa 1946 Camp Perry, Ohio, and North American Rifle Association Medal Parts, Ribbons, Sterling and Gold Plated Bronze / Steel Findings and Placards. Refinished Found Spanish Cedar / Mahogany Box, Deerskin Leather, Installed Rare Earth Magnets.
Artist made pendants / brooches for US and Them: Rapid Fire vs. The Expert Reclaimed Sterling Silver, Reclaimed Gold alloyed into 18 karat, USA Fire Agate; Freshwater Chinese Pearl.
sincerely,
kelly
http://www.kellyjohnsondesigns.com/ http://kellyjohnsondesigns.blogspot.com/ 805.896.1469 315 Meigs Road A-154 Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Kelly Johnson donates a portion of all sales to Ethical Metalsmiths, Supporting worldwide efforts for the social and environmental reform of mining.
Many Thanks to Paul Schurch Woodworking http://www.schurchwoodwork.com/
For the intel and supplies for refinishing the found cedar / mahogany box.
