Doug Bucci!

This was the BEST speaker to date: Doug provided us with a very detailed and inspiring recount of his achievements and struggles through art school and his eventual art career. It took him a little while to discover that which interested him most within the educational institution - a difficult task made even more difficult by having to simultaneously provide for a wife and child - and yet Doug persevered, finding it most beneficial to be in a constant state of discomfort while making art, because if you're comfortable with what you're doing, there is nothing being developed or learned. He encouraged us to continually take risks within our work, citing the frequent alterations in material and methods he used while sculpting jewelry. Through this process, Doug progressed from an abstract jeweler without any specific motive (per se) to an inventive mind using the highly unique process of printing jewelry designed with a strong influence and message of his lifelong struggle with diabetes. And the best part of all was his telling us that life's not getting any easier from here (hahahaa! haa...*cries in the corner*)

What I find to be most admirable about Doug's work is how personal he has made it: the motif of diabetes is very "unique" (relatively speaking, and especially when it comes to high-end jewelry) and it was easy for the audience to tell that he took great pride and joy in his work. What more could we ask for? The progression from abstract modernistic jewelry designs to highly specific models of biological misshaps and ulcers and all things diabetic to an intricate line of honeycombed blood cell-shaped bracelets and necklaces...! It's quite the journey, and who knows how he'll progress from there? Apart from the inspiring progression, I simply adore how personal he has made his art, and I find myself fascinated by his use of "horrifying" lesions and other breeches in the human body as a result of diabetes, and then to use these "grotesque" images to design decorative jewelry! It boggles the mind; who would wear a brooch depicting an ulcer in relief? (somebody awesome, I'd say) I too am fascinated with biology as an art, and look forward to finding my own ways of expressing myself within the artistic discoveries to be made in the years to come.