In January 2008, AJF member Gail Hufjay traveled from snowy New York to sunny Florida for a big milestone: the first work she’s ever submitted to a juried jewelry show had been accepted at the Armory Art Center’s Close to the Skin exhibit in West Palm Beach.
Gail first started collecting art jewelry in the 1980s. She remembers seeing one traveling jewelry show and being fascinated by the work of Rebekah Laskin. “At another show, I found myself falling in love with some chopstick brooches by Bob Ebendorf,” Gail recalls.

Fast forward to today, and both Rebekah and Bob have been instrumental in the fact that three of Gail’s own jewelry creations will be featured in the Armory Art Center’s Close to the Skin exhibit in West Palm Beach. Here’s how this all came about.

Gail’s enjoyment of art jewelry first led her to begin collecting pieces. “I have a minor collection,” she believes, yet the names in her collection include Pier Volkus, Marjorie Simon, Raissa Bump, Biba Schutz, Mary Donald, Roberta Williamson, Yoshiko Haesegawa, Thomas Mann, and Rolando Negoita.

Gail began making her own jewelry in the 1990s after she learned that Rebekah Laskin was teaching at the Westchester Art Workshop near her home in Westchester County, NY, and she signed up. Gail works for her own pleasure, not for sale, even though one persistent would-be customer once followed her throughout a craft fair begging to buy the work off her back.

In addition to learning from Rebekah, Gail has studied with artists Mary Beth Rozkewicz, David Butler, Robert Dancik, and Rolando Negoita.

Gail entered this particular show for two reasons. First, for some time Rebekah has been encouraging her to enter her work in a juried show. “She basically told me to ‘Grow up and move on,’ ” Gail recalls. “The reason I selected this particular show,” Gail continues, “is that two artists I admire so much, Bob Ebendorf and Linda Darty, were the judges.”

All photos by Ralph Gabriner