My View From Here: 2017

Friday, March 3, 2017

A Since of Wonder ... 2017

Jamal Mims Sun Gallery Goldsmiths

Jamal Mims died in August of 2001. Of the many things we share August is our birth month. He was not yet 60 years old. He was my teacher mentor and he inspires me still. I was his apprentice for more than three years back in the early 1990"s. I cleaned the floors polished jewelry ( basic fine jewelry polishing has 3 stages...I solider and solider and melted and filed -basic filing also has at least 3 stages before sanding) and...learned about...life making being an artist business person and....

Jamal and Sun Gallery were know for the copal amber jewelry...at one end West East and South African Traders came through the shop and Gallery bringing their wares( Jamal was known to buy the finest copal amber beads)...I saw and touched stuff -that can mostly only be seen in African history or art Museum. In fact the traders brought more that beads... they came with -handwoven textiles wood stone and metal sculptures. Sun Gallery was a stop on the Sankofa railroad of African American reclamation.

One of my most cherished memories...the last time I saw Jamal. He made a trip. He came out to Eastern Market to see me. I was going to be leaving in a week or so to go to England. I was attending an International Metal smithing conference in Birmingham England ...called ... A Since of Wonder...

I believe he came to say goodbye...he had been sick for a while. I hadn't been his apprentice in years. He wanted to see what I was working on knew. He trusted me not copy his work. I had my own style...by then. He had taught me so much. His request for his gifts was to share it.

A couple of years ago...I reached 20 years of making. To celebrate that, I pulled out...Amber from Sun Gallery...from Jamal . I did him proud used the materials...my way never forgetting who had taught me.

I have sold pieces from the collection and every now and again I put out for sale parts of that collection...last year at the Downtown Holiday Market I did just that.

Intersection...a client of ours saw the work. She had some Sun Gallery stuff she wanted cleaned and...some she wanted changed. She trusted me...Jamal trusted me...so I did my thing...