Becky I. Chader (McDonah)

Inspirational Ashes: A Reliquary for Campfire Remains and a Marshmallow

2010-09-10T14:49:00.005-07:00

This is a piece that celebrates sitting around the campfire and the ashes of life. Don't wait until you only have funerary ashes to remember important relationships and moments by. Appreciate them now and not just after they have past.

The lower section of this piece contains the black coals from a fire that I attach much importance to and the smaller grey oval contains the ashes. As for the top... you guessed it, that's a marshmallow!

Oscar's Racer

2010-03-24T14:52:00.002-07:00

Oh yeah... the Pinewood Derby is this Saturday. Wish us luck!

Arrowmont 2010 Workshop

2010-03-19T16:39:00.004-07:00

Check out my workshop this summer June 20-26!

http://www.arrowmont.org/

Course Description:
Righteous Reliquaries for Ordinary Objects

Create elaborate containers for those cherished items you keep tucked away, wrapped up in an old sock, or something that you interact with everyday. The focus of this workshop will be designing small containers that incorporate mechanisms from basic hinges to cradle hinges, bayonet closures and more… and we can’t leave out pressure fitting. Cold connections and entrapment will also be covered as we are working with found objects which may not be able to withstand heat. Surface treatments and embellishments will be addressed as well along with cutting glass for viewing options. Students will relate their design choices back to the items they choose to contain.

It will be fun!

New Photo Approach!

2010-03-05T17:43:00.014-07:00

After thinking about it for a few years, I finally went and picked up a sheet of black laminate to shoot my larger pieces on instead of our usual grey paper. See the difference... I like it! At ASU we like to keep the drama in our images and out of the studio.

Partial Key to Happiness Charms

2010-01-19T23:29:00.004-07:00

I couldn't resist the "Charmed" event happening at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. It just so happens to coincide with Valentine's Day in case you were questioning the imagery. Materials: brass key and sterling silver. http://www.contemporarycraft.org/The_Store/Charmed_.html

Whatever Happened to that ear you ask...

2010-01-17T23:52:00.005-07:00

Here is the completed reliquary, Hearing Protection Protector: A Reliquary for Ear Plugs. The image below reveals the earplugs inside. This piece utilizes hearing aid batteries donated from members of the Ajo community in Arizona and my undergraduate metals professor.

I will try to start blogging more than once a year, but no promises.

Eh?

2009-03-15T01:23:00.003-07:00

Here is a start to a new reliquary I am working on for ear plugs. Along with the hearing protection theme, I am also collecting used batteries from hearing aids. A big thank you goes out to members of the Ajo community for their contributions thus far!

The Ordinarily Overlooked

2009-01-26T00:44:00.004-07:00

Here is the poster for my upcoming exhibition entitled, "The Ordinarily Overlooked". The show runs January 28th - February 26th along with two other solo exhibitons by metal artists Nathan Dube and Alison Pack. It is located at Bruce Gallery in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
Bruce Gallery is the art gallery of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The gallery hosts seven shows a year by emerging and established artists.
Gallery Hours: M-F 12-7pm., Saturday 12-5pm., Closed Sunday
The gallery is located in Doucette Hall on the Campus of Edinboro University.
The address is: 215 Meadville Street Doucette Hall Edinboro, PA 16444

Mechanical Mistake Eraser: A Reliquary for Eraser Debris

2008-12-02T23:44:00.008-07:00

This piece was started a while back in an automata workshop with Michael Croft hosted by Arizona Designer Craftsmen. It celebrates all the hard work and indecision that goes into designing a piece or drafting a document (before the computer). It takes a lot of effort to make that eraser debris and so I deem it precious... or maybe I just wanted a magic machine to erase all my blunders, mistakes and errors that I have made over the years.

Digging for Gold: A Reliquary for the Dandelion

2008-10-26T11:08:00.003-07:00

I carried this "dandelion fluff" around in a jar for over four years before making this piece. I harvested it on the family homestead in Wisconsin. I tend to have a lot of things like that hanging around to feed off of for my reliquary creations, although many times I have to have my items to contain specially shipped in when the idea finally comes to fruition. This sometimes makes for an interesting scavenger hunt for my friends, family and people I contact out of the blue. Most are up for it, but some never call back or just walk away.

The main part of this vessel was raised from one sheet of copper, hammered to resemble garden trowel shapes. Leaf embellishments and collars for the wooden shovel handles were added later. I carved all the wooden handles by hand because I was too lazy to turn them... that seems wrong doesn't it.

Packaging Packaging

2008-10-26T10:19:00.003-07:00

Packaging Packaging: A Reliquary for the Styrofoam Peanut comments on the transient nature of society today. People frequently relocating and families spread out across the country are common situations prevalent in our nation, thus necessitating the use of this particular object. The idea of taking great care in the elaborate packaging of what is usually used in packaging other possessions is a way to give recognition to this helpful, useful and often taken for granted item.

Arizona Ouch!

2008-10-21T00:00:00.007-07:00

Arizona Collar: A Wearable Reliquary for Sharp Pointy Things

When asked to create a piece with Arizona and it's gems as the inspiration my mind could not help but turn to not only the minerals found throughout Arizona, but also the ever present abundance of sharp pokey things. My work usually takes the form of reliquaries or sculptural containers. For this piece I created a necklace by linking seven small containers, each containing spines from different cacti collected near Ajo, Arizona. The range of color was beautiful and the different degrees of viciousness significant. Peridot was my stone of choice to incorporate since this color appeared most frequently in plants that I harvested from.

Arizona Designer Craftsmen Exhibition

2008-09-22T14:11:00.004-07:00

Cootie Wall Mount: Cherishing Childhood

I am the current President of the Arizona Designer Craftsmen - Central Chapter and one of my emphasis has been on arranging and promoting exhibitions for the organization. September 22 is the opening for the 2nd Annual Craftsmanship: An ADC Juried Exhibition. This year our juror was Clare Verstegen, a professor in the School of Art at Arizona State University where she teaches in the fibers/surface design area. Above is one of the pieces I have in the exhibition.

The show runs through October 2nd at Gallery 100, Tempe Center, Suite 199, Arizona State University, Tempe. Hours: M-TH 11:30 am - 5:30 pm

I finally started a blog!

2008-09-21T15:09:00.000-07:00