Peapod jewelry by Ala Jaron

"As long as I can remember, I have expressed myself through art. I always had to create something, whether it was oil painting, ceramics, sculpture, fused glass or simple wreathes made out of loose branches I would collect at Christmas time. When I was introduced to jewelry design, it came very natural to me." Ala brings a unique view to her work in its organic forms and textures. She creates using the techniques of fabrication, surface texture and soldering of metals. Each piece is hand fabricated from the raw metal and then set with semi-precious stones and pearls. As a last touch, Ala adds patina to give her work a rich, aged appearance. Ala Jaron, being a self-taught artist, has been designing jewelry full time since 1993. She lives and works out of her home in Chicago.

ceramic constructions by Art Department

Sprouted in New York City almost 10 years ago, Art Department is the brainchild of artists Felix Kniazev & Olga Julinska. Their goal? "To make positive connections through our artwork: to delight our viewers, to make them stop and wonder". With backgrounds in painting, sculpture, graphic design, printmaking, photography, theatre design and jewelry making, the pair have found a niche with work that is, as they put it, "...whimsical, yet distinguished by a precise, graphic quality and high contrast vivid colors". Art Department has grown into two studios, one in Boston, and a recent expansion to the Green Mountains in Vermont.

Much of the work by this studio is available only in limited edition. Other buildings, including custom work are available. Please contact us for more information.

find out more about Art Department

Thank you Art Fair goers

The weather was great, the art was fabulous and the 50th Ann Arbor Art Fair was a blast. A hearty "thank you" to the people who came to see us. We heard from so many people this year that even with all that the art fair has to offer, 16 Hands is a must-see. We love hearing that, and have often commented that with so many artists represented, we are like Ann Arbor's year-round art fair. Thank you again for your shopping with us, and for helping to make another fabulous art fair.

The photo above was taken by a customer during the fair, and sent to us a few days later. Thank you, Bonnie! It shows some of Jill's collection of hands that sit behind our sales counter. It made us think - we rarely get the opportunity to see the pieces people have purchased over the years, and sometimes wonder how pieces look in their new home. So, in the spirit of the blog, we're asking for photos from our customers who might like to show off some of their favorite finds. Send images of furniture, lighting, home & garden accents you've found at 16 Hands. Email them to info@16handsgallery.com with a description and/or the story behind them. We will use only first names, and will not share your contact information. We will handle resizing and formatting of the photos. Please keep individual image sizes to under 1MB, and feel free to contact us with any questions you have.