STAINED

STAINED: Supporting the Gulf thru Art

Jewelry Topaz Gallery is pleased to introduce a new collection of work by Atlanta artists Shondra Leigh and Rochelle Nation. The collection incorporates tar from Grand Isle, LA.

The artists were inspired by the recent tragedy in the Gulf, and wanted to “turn something ugly into something beautiful.”

This unique jewelry collection is derived out of the frustration and anger of the artist to the appalling corporate and government reaction to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20, 2010. As oil began washing up on the beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in June, the magnitude of this catastrophe was evident in the extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats along the Gulf, as well as the resulting blow to the fishing and tourism industry. This is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

The abstract “tar paintings” of "Stained" are created from the oil of tarballs collected during the summer of 2010 from the beaches of Grand Isle, LA. The actual presence of oil in jewelry is meant to serve as an important reminder that the oil does not dissipate just because headlines disappear. "Stained" is created with the optimistic hope that all will be inspired by this reaction to the Gulf tragedy to act more responsibly for our environment through both conservation efforts and cleaner technologies.

We will also be presenting photos from the Gulf by Holt Webb, founder of The Vanishing America Project. Join us on the weekend of Friday and Saturday, October 29th and 30th to see the collection. Meet the artists and have refreshments on Friday, from 6 to 9pm.

20% of all sales will be donated to the advocacy efforts of Vanishing America and the Gulf clean-up. For more information on Vanishing America, go to www.vanishingamerica.net