Craig's Buffalo http://craigsbirds.blogspot.com

2ETN draws their inspiration from that authenticity and therefore feels like supporting the Adopt-A-Buffalo Campaign via the Land Restoration project at Village Earth is our way of “giving back” or encouraging a new America through cherishing and restoring American to it’s original face. We feel that there-in lies the answer to many social, ecological and cultural problems that America has faced. To us Buffalo restoration is the metaphor for respecting our homeland by respecting and restoring the Native Americans way of doing life. Also as a metaphor for the way us “renters” should behave: creating jobs here, respecting nature and animals and when they are taken for food and shelter have a “No Waste” policy, relying on indigenous plants and animals for our daily needs, creating alternatives to fossil fuel and to raw material such as gold and silver and gems, to develop a culture that cherishes what they have and hands down treasures from generation to generation, to consume only what is necessary, beautiful, useful and well thought out. To create a culture by which we barter and trade and save for material items we want.

The Buffalo is 2ETN’s mascot and serves as a reminder for 2ETN to have gratitude for this land and to remember that we are apart of creating the “healthy” change in American, by restoring American to it’s roots.

One of the very first people that showed 2ETN his generosity of time and spirit was Chris Brown of Refueled Magazine.

Although we can’t be exactly sure how the journey began with the Refueled Team, we can tell you that it was spontaneous and instant.  What impressed us most about Chris was his ability see outside of his own (great) taste and interests, considering and exploring other perspectives. He is broad in scope but believes deeply in the integrity of the creative world he roams in.  He also believes in balance and keeps  a strong sense of family connection  as he explores. He is always interested in the story and says it best himself:

“My life is incredibly blessed. I am surrounded by amazing friends who are musicians, designers, style makers, models, surfers, publishers, producers, directors, artists & photographers. “Modern Creative’s” I like to call them. We are a tight-knit group who support and collaborate with each other. In this issue I share a few of them with you. All of them doing their thing. All of them sharing a bit of their soul.  All of them creating. Not because they “want to”, but because they have to. It’s who they are. It’s who I am.”

2ETN is thrilled to have had their work showcased in Refueled Issue #6 (Style: High Desert) and featured among the “Modern Creative’s” in Issue #7.

Below are photos of our travels with the Refueled Team.  If every picture tells a story, then the story here is of friendship and commitment. It is the story of the many creative, immensely talented people we have met along this journey and how grateful we are to them for spending time with us.  With gratitude to Chris (and Michelle and Family), Gus, Mary Beth, Caitlyn, Katie and Cicero, Russell and Angela, Judith, Chris Bray and Matilda, NYC and Marfa:

Ahhhh, Sass Brown…so much has been written about this incredible woman…therefore it is difficult to find (original) words to express just how grateful we are to have Sass Brown representing all designers, especially Eco designers. ..and just how lucky we felt  to have been written about in her blog, Eco Fashion Talk:

http://www.ecofashiontalk.com/2011/06/2etn/

Although we have her book on our desk in the studio and reference often, we have not had the honor of  meeting Sass face-to-face. However, we feel her warmth and passion from her writings…there is no one quite like her. You can imagine our delight/surprise when, after she received “Alexander” from us, she proceeded to take him on tour with her. In the spirit of “Amelie”’s  gnome, we get to live vicariously through Alexander.  Sass places Alexander on her finger and takes photographs of them together in front of landmarks throughout the world.

“Alexander” is our tribute to Lee McQueen, A Sterling Silver Ring with an Acrylic Image painted inside of a Gothic Sterling Silver Frame.

Welcome to the travels of Sass & Alexander:

Sass Brown’s Blog:

http://www.ecofashiontalk.com/

Rainforest hummingbirds were frequent characters in indigenous peoples lore. A Mayan myth claims that the sun disguised itself as a hummingbird while vying for the attention of a beautiful woman who was disguised as the moon. Another Mayan legend states that hummingbirds once pierced the tongues of kings. The blood would be poured on venerated scrolls and cast into fires, resulting in ancestors appearing in smokey whorls and giving the rulers insight and warnings. The Aztecs believed that the hummingbird gave fire to the human race, while Aztec priests revered the jewel-colored birds so much that they decorated staves with their feathers and used them as talismans against evil.

Rainforest Hummingbird

The slash-and-burn razing of the rainforest coupled with the farming of cheap beef, coca, (the crude element for cocaine) has begun to eat away at the rainforest hummingbird habitat.

Quickly after these two commissions, Lady Lavona From the blog Cabinet of Curiosities, wrote a post on our work. 2ETN is asked frequently about the meaning behind these pieces. We think Lady Lavona provides he best description of their meaning and we thank her for her generosity in this post in regard to 2ETN’s work:

2ETN is designed and created by Pamela Tuohy-Novinsky and artist Edward Novinsky…an artistic match made in heaven! I’m particularly crazy about these gorgeous one-of-a-kind ‘Lovers Eye’ pieces! Portrait miniatures were the photographs of their day, and were tiny paintings of family, loved ones and of those departed and were usually extremely personal remembrances often set in jewelry and worn close to the person. Miniature portraits of just an eye were often referred to as a “lover’s eye”. In this case they focused on only the eye, often represented with eyebrow and lashes. A wisp of hair, the suggestion of side burn or the bridge of a nose would hint at the owner’s identity but never reveal it. These were often exchanged in secrecy between lovers involved in a love affair of the clandestine variety. The anonymous eye portrayed emotions such as Bliss, Envy, Serenity and Passion. (The eye after all, is said to be the window to the soul!) In the 18th century, if you couldn’t afford ivory, you could commission less expensive paintings on vellum, a paper thicker than parchment. The tiny painting was then placed in a gold or silver setting, wreathed with jewels and sometimes with hair under crystal or glass on the reverse. The jewels chosen for the setting were symbolic too. For example, a wreath of garnet and turquoise pansies with pearls…the pansy is a pun meaning “think of me” from the French word pensée. The turquoise, owing to its color, was symbolic of the flower “forget-me-not,” and the pearls symbolize tears. 2ETN’s Lovers Eyes are as captivating, evocative and romantic as the ones created during 18th century!

Shroud Cuff

After receiving colors watches from Louis Verdad’s studio, the inspiration unveiled itself immediately: nature. It is no mystery that the main inspiration in 2ETN’s work is nature, however, traditionally we have leaned towards the more subtle colors in nature. And have executed those images in silhouettes and in black and white etchings, graphite drawing or acrylic paintings.

What unfolded in the studio for the next two months was exciting for us. We embarked on a new journey, sourcing reclaimed beads and semi-precious stones in the deepest and brightest  hues of blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, red, purple. We created an inspiration board and tacked various vintage color wheels, Louis Verdad’s luscious fabric swatches, and images from nature in those hues: hummingbirds, moths, butterflies and to capture a certain blue: Joseph Cornell’s Medici Princess.

We then created large reclaimed sterling frames to house the images we were about to create. We oxidized the frames in a dark black patina and choose to use blacked steel in the beading of the necklaces, chokers and cuffs (thanks to Fiori). And then the painting began.

Goethe Farbkreis Color Wheel

Working in COLOR is now a permanent thought in 2ETN’s future work. With gratitude.