I made some new Sentinel brooches recently, working with new and old designs. My use of colour in this series is changing as a result of other works I have made in recent years. It feels wonderful to bring a new energy to a series I have always loved making. There will be more to come, for sure. I’m also being more intentional about using my makers mark. Going forward, all of my work will be stamped with this mark, composed of my initials - ajl - next to an apple seed and framed inside a rectangular box. In jewellery making, a makers mark functions like an artist’s signature. If a piece with this mark finds it’s way into your hands, you can know with certainty that it was made by me.

The trio of moths in magenta, pink and navy (above) was made to raise funds for programming at the Baltimore Jewelry Center. This programming supports artist residencies, children’s workshops and exhibition programming and is impossible to run without community support. I encourage you to bid if you can or even send some love the BJC’s way by sharing their social media content, visiting the Center or enrolling in one of their wonderful in-person or online classes. The auction is live from Feb 11-28, 2021. AUCTION LINK: here BJC INSTAGRAM: here

The mirrored moth in cool greens (below) was made for auction through Protest Project, a social media based initiative in the United States. Very simply, artists donate their work to the project for monthly auction. Each month, ALL funds made through the auction are donated to a pre-selected social justice and change based organisation. This is an initiative co-organised by my good friend and artist Paige Lizbeth Morris. My brooch will be up for auction from Feb 15-19, 2021, with proceeds going to Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium. BUT there is a new auction every month, so give them a follow on instagram to participate in future auctions or donate your own artwork to the Project.