Rafi And Klee Studios Projects

Klee’s Custom Jewelry Trunk For “Trunk Shows” Studio Build

Over the course of my show career, folks have mentioned jewelry “trunk shows” to me plenty of times, and with my inside voice I was like “Nope, not gonna do it.” Why? Trunk shows can be very intimate, personal, lucrative, and I knew that. I’d done indoor shows, but they were largely set up the same way I did outdoor shows. Fold out tables, my usual displays and arrangement, and that’s all fine… but it didn’t quite translate when it came to the ease/flexibility/intimacy of a solo trunk show. Why didn’t I do them? Because I had no earthly idea how. Until I had an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

A very dear friend and collector of ours (who happens to own the most rad place to hang out in all of the city) suggested we do a party/art show to celebrate her’s and Rafi’s birthdays and show some awesome art. I had to say yes, and I had to make it awesome because it just felt right.

Rafi with “the trunk” before it became epic

So I was like, “What if I get a really sturdy awesome steamer chest type trunk, and we modify it to make it a functional lightweight versatile durable rolling show trunk?!?!” Rafi, per usual with his awesome engineering brain and willingness to indulge me was like “Yeah, we can definitely do that!” You guys, I wish I had more pictures of the process, but we had like 2 days to build this thing, so we just went at it and documenting it fell to the wayside.

Ok here’s the quick rundown: I got this super sturdy trunk from Rhino Trunk (highly recommend) and we built a wood base for it out of plywood, hinges, locks, castors (almost lost my s*** over castors, WTF castor manufacturers?!), we assembled the base and trunk so it could weather the apocalypse (not as easy as I thought it would be, but we totally made it work awesomely). I purchased a decorative but solid framed mirror, and led lighting that is meant for use in small safes (it’s hella bright and angled just right to light up an enclosed area). Rafi built custom shelving like a champion, I stained and painted this thing like a champion. I had purchased velvet contact paper to line it with… velvet got tossed out of the way all “Nah, not going there.” We created a custom earring display out of wood and copper tubing, we installed it all in the 11th hour…

The Epic Custom Made Trunk 2020 Klee Angelie

When it was ready, I put some displays and jewelry in there just to get a sense of it, and we flipped the lights on in this thing… and I cried with joy and threw my arms around it in a bear hug. Then I threw my arms around Rafi in a more comfortable and familiar bear hug (he’s a lot nicer to hug than a wood and metal showcase). We finished with some beautiful Klee Angelie Logo wood panels that Rafi made on the outside of the trunk, and Voila! I am so ready for any trunk show that comes my way. I told Rafi “So… I kinda want to make at least two more of these… you game?” He’s game, and next time we’ll try to document the process more thoroughly.

Dolce and Gelato Rafi and Klee Birthday Extravaganza Art Show 2020

Oh, and the birthday art extravaganza was most excellent and awesome… and the trunk performed beautifully!

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Dolce And Gelato Sculpture And Art Show Rafi Pensacola FL

I was doing a birthday bash at Dolce And Gelato which is a really cool and unique place. Klee actually debuted her new jewelry chest (that she built at this show) but you’ll find that as a separate project. This made my list because the day I arrived and talked to Brenda (the owner) and walked around to look at the space, I saw something weird. I saw an old crappy mannequin and I asked her if I could make something cool out of it for the show.

I also brought a whole bunch of paintings and was ready for a really fun time. Dolce and Gelato is such an eclectic place that I felt at home there. The sculpture also attracted a lot of photo opportunities and it was just awesome to be able to turn something old into a new work of art.

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Klee’s First Group Show At A Gallery Pensacola FL

I’ve done a lot of shows… I mean… a lot. But this year I decided to participate in my very first group exhibition at a gallery. “No big, I’ve got this.” said yours truly. But no exhibition is without some modicum of stressing out.

I had just been accepted to Quayside Gallery, and agreed to participate in the new members’ show. The theme was “Roaring 2020’s” and I was very excited about that. I was slightly less excited that the show was taking place immediately following the holidays, when my energy and inventory of pieces are typically at their lowest. I know, I know… “Nice humble brag Klee, you had an excellent and busy/profitable holiday season and you’re just SOOOO tired and low on jewelry. We feel SOOOO sorry for you.” I get it, and yes, that’s a good point. Nonetheless, I was kinda stressed out about the whole thing, because all the planning was happening during the holiday rush 2019.

If I can pull it off, you can too… trust me! Markets and shows- check! Emails and online orders- check! Clandestine meetings in parking lots with last minute holiday shoppers- check! Social media festivities- check! Bourbon and too many cookies- check! Planning and writing checks, prepping new pieces (and also borrowing from some existing inventory because I’m a grown-ass person and can do what I want)- check! Here’s my takeaway for any of you that may be stressing about an upcoming show. It’s going to happen anyway, so just do what you can with what you have, and when the day arrives… enjoy it. For Pete’s sake, enjoy it.

The setup day was utter chaos, took way longer than I planned for, and Rafi was recruited to assist with installation even though he was just there to support me. He’s a super nice guy, as you probably already know, so he agreed to help however he could. The day of the show was equal amounts of Chaos. Prepping was like a fast motion kaleidoscope of food and drink placement, heels clacking, excited nervous chatter, camera flashes, and sweaty congratulations “We’re not supposed to be sweaty yet! It hasn’t even started!”

Klee at opening of show, demonstrating her best CHEESE.

The actual show went by in a flash. I visited with everyone, took one million pictures, and tried my best to soak it all in. Rafi was by my side through it all, and then it was done!

Rafi and Klee Quayside Gallery 2020 (Photobomb by veteran gallery member and talented artist Laurie Flynn)

The quayside family is wonderful, and I’m so happy to have shared my first group show with them, and with my close friends and my person, Rafi.

Klee posing for group photo (and looking very tall due to camera perspective!) at group exhibition 2020

It was a memorable and fun experience, and an excellent first gallery exhibition. And also, I wore my most favorite vintage dress and super fly victorian inspired boots, so I was bound to enjoy myself.

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Wooden Sunflower Lamp Sculpture By Rafi Commission

This commission makes the list because I did something I had never done before. Wood carving was definitely out of my comfort zone, but when this collector called me and said what they wanted the piece for, I designed something I had never done before. I think they had no doubt I could pull it off, but I did. Wood carving has always been out of my comfort zone because I am not a patient creator who can do tedious.

After sitting with them for a while and looking at the colors of the lamp, I decided to go with a color of sunflower that doesn’t actually exist. I knew that the only way I could pull it off would be with the design of the flower being perfect. So I went to town on some wood with an angle grinder, drill, dremel, and knife… the end result was spectacular.

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Speaking At Montessori Rafi And Klee Pensacola

Klee and I were invited to speak at the Montessori School of Pensacola. We discussed art, jewelry, stones, and having the belief in yourself to be an artist despite all the odds… and a spinning easel and how I built it.

This kind of experience always inspires me. Speaking to the young creatives of the future and showing them that no matter what, if you follow your heart, your dreams can come true… We loved the experience. We were asked a lot of brilliant questions and had so much fun with the entire experience.

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Hanson Realty Wings Sculpture Corporate Commission

This was such a fun and challenging project for me to work on which is why it made it to my specialty projects list. The commission was to have human sized wings that could fold up and go anywhere they needed them to for special photo ops. They wanted something artistic looking and custom. So I designed something special for them.

I created the wings out of hard foam, built the base and mechanism to fold up, painted it, and then sealed it with epoxy resin. This piece is made out of wood, foam, blood, sweat, and a few tears. Needless to say, they were stoked with the final results.

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Perfectly Imperfect By Klee Angelie Jewelry Project

You know the feeling… you’re going steadily along on a piece of art, everything is working out splendidly, you think “I’m such a badass” and then pow! You’ve instantly and unexpectedly destroyed your piece. You can cry, and believe me… it’s ok to cry… but after the tears, I believe you have a choice to make. You scrap it and move on, or you figure out how to make that jazz work anyway.

A genuine, bonafide WTF moment at the bench 2019 klee angelie

On this particular occasion, I had a very fancy, very expensive faceted tanzanite slice that I was just dying to make a tree of life pendant with. Apparently, I was channeling my inner Thor that day. As I was mid-way to completed, I applied a bit too much pressure on that delicate stone, and snapped it in half. I sat in disbelief for a moment or ten… and then my guts got all tied up and my chest got that sinking feeling. I wanted to be really sad, but the truth was, I was NOT going to let that stone go to waste.

Electroforming experiment 2019 klee angelie

I decided to do an experiment (Yay science!) At worst, it would fail and I would learn a few things. At best, I might just have something fantastic in the works. I electroformed around the perimeter of the broken stone, and antiqued that electroformed border to look earthy. Then I set about creating my tree of life pendant, accentuating the break in the stone rather than trying to hide it. The result astonished even me.

Perfectly Imperfect by Klee Angelie 2019

Out of the rubble of my mistake, I had one very unusual, very beautiful pendant that represented not only overcoming challenges, but also the pure beauty of what some might consider imperfections. A collector of my work saw this piece online, and immediately wanted to purchase it. She said it would not have spoken to her if the stone had been in tact. It was the fact that it was broken and made whole again, that moved her so much. I can now honestly say, I’m so glad I broke this stone.

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DIY Jewelry Displays By Klee Angelie Studio Build

Until now, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my jewelry displays. They go to shows, they get rained on sometimes, they get dropped on the ground, they get scuffed by jewelry, and generally take a beating. They have to look nice because they’re the backdrop for my very beloved jewelry creations, but I could never find any at any price point that were portable, durable, classy, and could take abuse for more than a few months.

Working on bracelet risers 2019 klee angelie

My old leatherette travel displays were beyond grungy and embarrassing, and I was getting ready to shell out an absurd amount of money on some wood displays that, frankly, I knew I was going to be disappointed with. I said “That’s quite enough, I’m going to make my own.” Rafi said “I’ve been saying you should for about 3 years now, lets do this!”

Working on necklace displays 2019 klee angelie

We started with necklace displays and Rafi was gracious enough to help me, even after I temporarily broke his miter saw with my project. The necklace displays turned out so awesome, I was then onto bracelet risers, earring displays, and eventually ring risers.

Bracelet risers completed 2019 klee angelie

In total, it took a handful of days and a bit of money and patience… but ladies and gents, this was SO worth it! These displays are solid wood, weighted enough to laugh off some wind, rustic chic as all getout, and they’ll last me for years and years. I could not be happier!

Necklace displays completed 2019 klee angelie

If you want something, and you can’t find it anywhere (or you can find it but it’s way too expensive), I highly recommend having a go at DIY-ing that thing. I sure am glad I did!

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Gallery 1060 Face Breaking Through Painting Exhibition Pensacola FL

I had fun creating a piece where I completely ruined the canvas to make it happen. Then I submitted it to a juried art show at Gallery 1060. This was a really fun show with a lot of beautiful art and strange people.

I summitted two pieces to this show, my Nature Of Love and Leaving The Landscape Of Chaos In Harmony. The world and the universe is so chaotic that it can overwhelm the mind, yet everything is in perfect harmony. The beauty of life is in perfect harmony. This piece represents the perfection I find it the delicious chaos of life and breaking free of the chaos of the mind. This makes it onto my special projects list because I pushed out of my comfort zone and created something spectacular that I am proud of.

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Dream Forest By Rafi Perez Installation Pensacola FL

Recently I worked on a project that I would have to categorized as the largest project I’ve worked on.

The Dream Forest – Designed By Rafi Perez

The Dream Forest was conceptualized and designed to allow the observer to explore the nature of happiness itself, through an immersive interaction with whimsical ancient beings that come to life as you meander through their magical realms. Each one explores a different facet of the “gem” that is happiness, asking thought provoking questions and offering words of ancient wisdom.

I created five rooms within a free standing structure that was about 80ftX40ft in order to give the illusion that you were walking into a different world.

Each sculpture was designed and fitted with animatronics in order to get them to talk and move. You walk up wave your hand and the sculpture has a special message for you about empowering yourself.