Robert LaLonde and Patty Smith
Domaci Gallery Featured Artists Event
Saturday, June
19 from 6-10pm
Sunday June 20 from 11am-4pm
Robert William LaLonde III was born in
Pontiac, Michigan in 1967. His fascination with metal began at
an early age while viewing the Armor collection at the Detroit Institute
of Arts. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing
from Northern Michigan University in 1996, and earned a Master
of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing from Arizona State University, in 1999. Currently,
Robert is a professor at Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design in Marquette, Michigan. He has
taught Art History, Art Theory, Jewelry and Sculpture at NMU since 2001. His
views on the re-use of discarded material has culminated into this new body
of work. Robert’s new technique transforms recycled decorative
cookie tins and steel-cans into man-made precious stones (cabochons),
that are then set into sterling silver rings, bracelets and neckpieces.
These new recycled gems, which he has termed Tincanite, are extremely
colorful and contain patterns and imagery that are truly one-of-a-kind.
Patty Smith a native of northern Michigan holds both a BFA from Northern
Michigan University and a MFA from Arizona State University in Jewelry/Metalsmithing.
Currently she is an Instructor of Visual Art at Interlochen Center for
the Arts. Smith’s recent metalwork and jewelry are inspired by the
Great Lakes region, industrial mechanisms and geology. This body of work
is a direct result of time spent on Lake Superior, the Straights of Mackinaw
and Lake Michigan. Her metalwork and jewelry has been exhibited in museums,
galleries and art fairs regionally and nationally.
