Past, Present, and Future!

Gary Dawson Designs is very pleased to announce the launch of two new products, both now in production and sitting pretty in the available now page on the site. The development of the Janus charm is detailed my last blog post. The Greek God Janus, brought into contemporary consciousness via the movie “The Tourist” with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie has come to have special meaning to me personally as the God of new beginnings and portals. Janus is a two-faced persona, but the meaning is not that of duplicity, as one might assume. The ancient symbolism is that of being in the moment of change, looking both back to the history that brought one into a particular moment and to the future that this moment of change (or new beginning) will bring. And as the beautiful irony of chaos would have it, that’s just what this site represents to me. I look to the future with great pleasure as I watch this site grow into the vision that we had for it and attract new friends and clients. And interestingly, I had a recent opportunity to revisit my history with the two most important catalysts in my very early beginnings as a designer/goldsmith.

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Dave, the guy on the left, is the fellow that first talked me into taking a jewelry class as I wound my way through a liberal arts degree at the University of Oregon. Dave introduced me to Pat, the guy on the right, as he and I set up our first studio in Pat’s garage. Dave is now a wine distributor near Boston, and Pat lives nearby here in Eugene. He and I mountaineer together frequently. Pat and I hadn’t seen Dave in some 30 odd years when he called me up to say he was unexpectedly here on business and was sitting in a local tavern with just a couple of hours to spare. Needless to say, I called Pat, we dropped what we were doing and went to quaff a brew with our old friend. The couple of spare hours turned into a butterfly-grilled leg of lamb with an awesome mushroom risotto and an overnight at my house with Dave eventually sleeping in my tipi.

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Dave put the risotto together while I tended the lamb with thyme and lemon marinade and lots of hickory smoke. But that evening is a whole other story!
I developed this other piece, the grape cluster, in my association with the Umpqua Valley Winegrower’s Association and their event, The Greatest of the Grape. An annual event to which I am usually invited as an artist.
Sterling Silver Grape Cluster with chain...$123 includes shipping!
I am proud to offer both of these new production pieces at what I think are very reasonable prices in both Sterling silver and any gold alloy of your choosing. And I am enormously grateful for the full history of my evolution and the bright future that stands before me as we evolve this site into fruition.

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